A2J ROLO
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:25 pm
Hi there,
If anybody is interested about how the new A2J's ROLO bike performs in real world, here is a quick report.
I was honoured to ride the one of the recent hottest stuff in the industry, the ROLO Prolight bike. I've got it for a few weeks so I just thought it's worth mentioning it here..how it feels, rides etc..
I'm from Slovenia and I'm a competitive rider, spending 12 years in the U23, Elite and Continental peloton, then unfortunately the crisis forced me to move to amateur racing (mostly in Italy). I'm very critical rider and I'm one of those picky morons who rather argue about every bolt on the bike instead of being out there and training;)
My primary bike is Cannondale EVO with DA7900. This is most probbably the best frame currently on the market and I take it as a reference to everything I ride.
The ROLO I've got was a first prototype of A2J's ultra stiff layup. It had some issues with the brake cable joints and Di2 battery connections but these were minor, prototype related issues.
The bike is really a race ready beast. Stiff and fast, precise and stable on descents but still compliant enough on rough surfaces.
Comparing to Evo, the bike feels stiffer. The front end of the bike (headtube and front top and bottom tube) is very stable (more than Evo's), either when pushing hard gears off the saddle on the climbs or cornering down at high speeds.
When you go full power from 40 to 50kmh on the flat, the bike accelerates well so it seems that the rear triangle construction is stiff enough. If you hit a hole on the ground the frame absorbs it. Not so much as Evo does but for me it is perfect since I like the solid feel of the bike.
On the descents, the bike is very responsive and very stable at high speeds. It is very confident in the corners, similar to the old Cannondale supersixHM or maybe even better. Those who were/are using the HM will know what I mean.
However, the 3T fork is maybe a bit too stiff - if you descent fast on a rough road and hit the curve, the front wheel of the bike start to slip out because of the vibrations. The vibrations just lift the front tire of the ground slightly and that causes a slight drift out.
But A2J is about to design their own, frame-tuned fork. I still have to try out some THM forks, they are more promising (and also much lighter).
Anyway, thumbs up for the bike, I like it and I like it a lot! I would love to ride it on the races. There are some minor issues which need to be resolved before the bike goes into sales but regarding the riding characteristic, this one is definitely very competitive to the current top bikes (talking as a competitive cyclist). The bike is fast!
For those who are preffering more comfortable ride, I think this one is too stiff. The A2J guys have more compliant layups for this frame but I can't comment on these since this one is the only one I have ridden.
Bike config:
Frame: ROLO ProLight (The stiffest one)
Groupset: DA Di2
Crankset: Cannondale Hollowgram SL
Stem+handlebar: Shimano PRO combo
Seatpost: AX Lightness
Wheels used: Lightweight Meilenstein + Conti force attack tubs, DuraAce C50 + Tufo S3Lite tubs
Pedals: DA 7900
Weight: I didnt put it on scale yet but I would say its arround 6kg with LWs. Except the AX seatpost and LWs, there are no other WW parts on it.
If there is anything specific you would like to know, post a question and I can try to answer..
Ok, thanks for reading
regards,
Borja
If anybody is interested about how the new A2J's ROLO bike performs in real world, here is a quick report.
I was honoured to ride the one of the recent hottest stuff in the industry, the ROLO Prolight bike. I've got it for a few weeks so I just thought it's worth mentioning it here..how it feels, rides etc..
I'm from Slovenia and I'm a competitive rider, spending 12 years in the U23, Elite and Continental peloton, then unfortunately the crisis forced me to move to amateur racing (mostly in Italy). I'm very critical rider and I'm one of those picky morons who rather argue about every bolt on the bike instead of being out there and training;)
My primary bike is Cannondale EVO with DA7900. This is most probbably the best frame currently on the market and I take it as a reference to everything I ride.
The ROLO I've got was a first prototype of A2J's ultra stiff layup. It had some issues with the brake cable joints and Di2 battery connections but these were minor, prototype related issues.
The bike is really a race ready beast. Stiff and fast, precise and stable on descents but still compliant enough on rough surfaces.
Comparing to Evo, the bike feels stiffer. The front end of the bike (headtube and front top and bottom tube) is very stable (more than Evo's), either when pushing hard gears off the saddle on the climbs or cornering down at high speeds.
When you go full power from 40 to 50kmh on the flat, the bike accelerates well so it seems that the rear triangle construction is stiff enough. If you hit a hole on the ground the frame absorbs it. Not so much as Evo does but for me it is perfect since I like the solid feel of the bike.
On the descents, the bike is very responsive and very stable at high speeds. It is very confident in the corners, similar to the old Cannondale supersixHM or maybe even better. Those who were/are using the HM will know what I mean.
However, the 3T fork is maybe a bit too stiff - if you descent fast on a rough road and hit the curve, the front wheel of the bike start to slip out because of the vibrations. The vibrations just lift the front tire of the ground slightly and that causes a slight drift out.
But A2J is about to design their own, frame-tuned fork. I still have to try out some THM forks, they are more promising (and also much lighter).
Anyway, thumbs up for the bike, I like it and I like it a lot! I would love to ride it on the races. There are some minor issues which need to be resolved before the bike goes into sales but regarding the riding characteristic, this one is definitely very competitive to the current top bikes (talking as a competitive cyclist). The bike is fast!
For those who are preffering more comfortable ride, I think this one is too stiff. The A2J guys have more compliant layups for this frame but I can't comment on these since this one is the only one I have ridden.
Bike config:
Frame: ROLO ProLight (The stiffest one)
Groupset: DA Di2
Crankset: Cannondale Hollowgram SL
Stem+handlebar: Shimano PRO combo
Seatpost: AX Lightness
Wheels used: Lightweight Meilenstein + Conti force attack tubs, DuraAce C50 + Tufo S3Lite tubs
Pedals: DA 7900
Weight: I didnt put it on scale yet but I would say its arround 6kg with LWs. Except the AX seatpost and LWs, there are no other WW parts on it.
If there is anything specific you would like to know, post a question and I can try to answer..
Ok, thanks for reading
regards,
Borja