That's a nice bike and the depth of these wheels looks absolutely perfect together with the tubes of this frame.

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A light bike does replace good fitness.

Why bother posting then?

The bike looks great, sans 12k weave on the wheels. They should switch to UD finish.

well i nearly made a complement .
on the plus side im interested in the comparison between ultegra and dura ace.

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Full steam we go against the odds
Headfirst we go against the grain
Against the odds, against the grain
We go against the odds, against the grain

I can see why this bike won't please everyone, nor should it. Firstly, it is a relatively heavy bike. With the Madfibers it's still about 16 pounds. Second, it does look "odd", especially with it's fusion of tri and road geometry. I didn't like it one bit when I saw it in the TdF, but changed my mind quickly when I laid eyes on it in the flesh, although I didn't get to test it until earlier this month when the 51cm frames were made available.

On its maiden voyage this morning, I managed to drop the chain even with a chain catcher, and took off some paint near the BB where the chain got stuck between the small chainring and the frame, though it's not noticeable at all. This was my fault, as I was toying with the Di2 system, and trying to shift the FD while sprinting. Not sure if the problem was exacerbated by the Q-Rings, but I never shifted the FD while sprinting anyways, so it's not going to be a problem.

I'm still getting used to the shifting of Di2, having come from mechanical Ultegra. When shifting the RD, it shifts so smoothly that the only way I can tell the shift is complete is by the resistance on my legs. I don't see a problem while trying to downshift multiple gears either, as I can click the shifter 5 times rapidly, faster than I can when I need to downshift 5 gears with mechanical Shimano. Yes, it won't be as quick to dump gears like Campy or SRAM can, but it's not bugging me too much.

The FD shifting is also very fast and smooth, but I think the Q-Rings may be causing a problem when shifting into the big chainring, there seems to be a delay when the chain catches on. I might consider moving back to a round chainring, given that one of the big advantages of Di2 is its precise and quick FD shifting.

From my short ride on DA Di2, I simply can't tell a difference in the performance of the two. If I had to nitpick, I think the Ultegra FD might be a little bit noisier. Weight aside, they pretty much perform the same.

I'm not sure if it's the psychology of a new bike, but I was amazed by how fast I was going with the same amount of effort as my old ride. In conjunction with the Madfibers, it was extremely quick to spin up to 40km/h and beyond even with a headwind. Downside is that in the crosswinds, it felt somewhat unstable (for reference, I weigh 125 pounds). The new geometry also eliminated my toe overlap problem, and I felt more confident while cornering as a result.

Still a few issues I need to fix- my shoe was hitting the crank spindle at times, and I need to get the handlebars down a bit lower, so I need to swap out the stem for a negative rise one. Other than that, I'm happy with it so far.

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Flickr
2012 Cannondale CAAD10

I think it looks great. The S5 with Di2 are a fantastic combination, so much so it may be time to sell my R3's and have a similar setup to yours for next season.

Awesome bike, love it!

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MD

This is the first bike I have seen where the Madfibers just looks at home. Nice work.

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It's online again:The Machinist

Nice bike with a lot of cool technology. Not the best looking bike but it like the build to perform not build to look pretty about it. It would be interesting to see the bike in white or some other paint job with all black wheels. I think that would make it look even better.

I contemplated having it painted in the R5CA colour scheme for $800. I think it would look pretty sick with the Madfibers debadged or something with a similar profile.

I see it more as a tool that's meant to be raced and ridden hard, not something that's a work of art per se. I'm a sucker for all kinds of new technology, so the combo of the "most aero frame" and affordable electronic shifting just hit all the right notes for me, at a price that blew away my wallet, but not enough to bankrupt me (as many builds on here would).

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Flickr
2012 Cannondale CAAD10

Madfibers are the Sheet! My next wheels for sure, oh SICK bike by the way

Mahalo,
Brandon

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mySWORKS
myCERVELO
myBMCRM01
myBHultralight

I like it, I'm trying to imagine it with no stickers at all, very 'black ops' you'd just need night vision goggles

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Ti or dye!

The Weenie formally known as CAADHEAD

I really like it. Not a fan of the S5 aesthetics so much, but you really pulled it off - especially with the madfibers. I think the small frame size helps a lot.

Here's a de-sticker & spacer removal...


...And did someone mention UD finish on the wheels? I tried my best with it:

I have to say, does look better to me without the MF stickers, nice, and quite stealthy.

That looks really good without the wheel sticker and cut steerer.

That looks epically good without the stickers and with the cut steerer. Beautiful