I figured a bike that is comfortable for those century rides would be ideal; Comfortable but still been able to translate leg power to forward motion efficiently.
A bike that would last forever, easy to maintain and not too much heavier than the carbon ones I have (Basically any reason to get my hands on a new bike).
All these pointed to one solution. TITANIUM.
The search for a titanium frame to add to my current stable led me to countless emails with Binny from FALCO. I wasn't prepared or convinced to pay a hefty premium on the usual brands for something of similar build quality hence my eventual choice with Binny. To me (and entirely my own opinion), a Ti 3/2.5 is a 3/2.5. FALCO then, was still a very new entrant in the market, of which few reviews existed. On top of that, it being a Chinese company did not help either - where one would easily assume a lower quality of constructed frames or worse, frame failures while riding.
Being the typical Singaporean, I fired question after question, of which patiently Binny answered promptly and with great detail - much to my satisfaction. This lead to me having confidence to eventually and finally (thx for the patience Binny!), placing an order for an Eleonora Ti with BB30 option.
The blank FALCO Eleonora arrived in Singapore on April 9, 2014.
Why blank?
Well, the initial discussion with Binny was to have a custom frame. Custom colour scheme, shot peening the frame etc etc. Not wanting to complicate things further, I decided to request for a blank frame from Binny (needed to arm twist him LOL) and take the customization bits into my own hands.
The plan for the Eleonora was for it to go through a process called shot peening. This process basically subjects the frame to some kind of “stress” whereby small pallets are blasted on the frame. What happens here, in short, is that the frame comes out stronger and all welds are “stress relieved” from the initial heat from welding. (if you wanna learn more, please check out shot peening)
After toying with the idea and looking at some possible outcomes, the shot peening process was one NOT for me to undertake - at least not currently. I was worried that should anything happen during the process, I WOULD HAVE NO MORE FRAME to work on! (So Binny if you don’t mind sponsoring a couple, we can still test it out!).
So two month later, I headed back at the drawing board again. Having a newborn in May (proud daddy no less) didn’t really help with the timeline either. Had more important things like changing diapers and night feeds to manage. Finding time to do anything else was/is near impossible. Hence, the build took a backseat (but not for long!!).
I began searching for paint shops (Cars, bikes u name it) to take on the job. When most hear that it’s titanium they have to paint, most cringed and refused to bite, citing various reasons, mainly the non-adhesive properties of titanium (I don’t believe but then again, I don’t own the paint shop) and it being hard to paint.
The search for a reputable shop that does re-sprays and custom work finally led me to the Rebound Centre. The owner, Mr Sulaiman, have been in the trade for almost 20 years. THIS is basically the go to place if you ever need bike repairs (carbon bikes even!) in Singapore. He can also build you a frame from scratch but let’s not go off track for now. The only drawback coming here, is THE WAIT. 10 to 12 weeks for a simple job.
After the discussion with Sulaiman, I decided to beadblast my Eleonora and give it a classic simple paint scheme in white. With that, I left it in Sulaiman’s good hands. The following 12 weeks was just plain anxiety and anticipation of what I will be getting back!
Sometime in late August, I received a call from Sulaiman saying the frame is ready for collection!! Went over to Rebound Centre and I have to say the wait was well worth it. Beadblasted frame pictures from Sulaiman:
Barring the fact that this is posted on WW, to build the lightest FALCO Eleonora was not on my mind. I just wanted to build a reliable bike, and hence the choice of components chosen. I am impressed that without sourcing for the lightest parts available, the bike came in at a respectable 6.9kg (with pedals on).
Would imagine saving maybe another 200g had I chosen SRAM over Shimano easily! But let’s not go there.
Bike Build
Frame: FALCO Eleonora size 50, Beadblasted with custom paint
Groupset: 9000 Dura Ace, Yokozuna Cables
Wheelset: FFWD F4R, DT240 hubs
Hbar: 3T Team carbon
Stem: 3T Team, debadged to stealth
Seatpost: 3T Team Stealth Ionic 0 setback
Saddle: Fizik Antares
Pedal: KEO Max 2
Tape: Lizardskin DSP
Special thanks to: Jolene, my wife who tolerates my compulsive bike buying behaviour most of the time. Binny from FALCO, for his patience - this review is long overdue. Last but not least, Sulaiman from Rebound Centre, for the fantastic paint job done!
