AJS914 wrote:Since you are asking for opinions, I find the wavy fork, chain stays, and seat stays to be so ugly that I couldn't bear to own such a bike.
I vote V1R. There is a gorgeous V1R in the Intros forum if you need inspiration.
AJS914 wrote:What else don't' you like? The upturned handlebars? These "what frame do I buy" threads are kind of ridiculous anyway. OP, buy the one YOU like.
Ok, I could just say "well, if you have to ask..."
But since you asked, and with the caveat that without seeing the rider on the bike and knowing his specific proportions... here's my thoughts from seeing that picture by itself with no other context:
1) Saddle jammed pretty far back in the rails (relevant to the next point)...
2) Probably about 3cm of spacers under the stem. Now I'm very against the "slam that stem" crowd if the only reason they're slamming it is because they think it looks cool. If that's the perfect fit, then go for it, and if you need some spacers for a perfect fit, then that's fine too, but the jammed back saddle and the spacer stack indicates that "maybe" the owner might be better off with the size larger frame, unless reach is a big issue.
3) The bars/levers/angle... so much here is just poor setup and compatible equipment choice. First of all, some levers simply do not mesh well with certain bars. This is one of those instances. There is really nowhere in the drops that I can see that would allow for an easy reach to the levers. He's left with essentially one hand position from where he can operate the brakes and shift easily, and that is from hands on the hoods. Perhaps there are satellite sprint shifters there, but still, I want to be able to easily grasp the brakes and/or shift from the hooks. Finally, the tilt... look up.... waayyyyy up. Now I know a lot of shimano users like their hoods pointing pretty high, and shimano levers lend themselves much more to this kind of setup than campy. But because of that tilt, it just exacerbates the issue I just described about being able to grab the levers from the hooks. Not only are they really far out there, but if you're ever in the drops you would actually have to cock your hands at an awkward upward angle just to even attempt to grab them. Lastly on this cockpit, looks like the position at the hoods is almost level with the saddle, which is fine if that's how he likes to ride, but just further suggests that maybe a size larger frame might have been a better choice.
4) And finally... and this is no big deal, but if you're going to ride with only one water bottle, why not put it on the downtube where it's easiest to reach.
Other than those few things, the bike is awesome. But when you're pointing out an example as something to aspire to or trying to convince someone how cool this frame can look, you might want to think about the whole package, not just the cool color. The pic just holding up the raw frame would have been a better selling point I think.
By the way, I really like the V1-R except for one thing, and it truly would be a deal killer for me... and that's the placement of the rear brake. Please Colnago, next version... direct mount brakes on the seat stays.
