Thanks guys, regarding ride quality I really love it. Compared to other carbon frames its not the best a dampening despite the skinny seat-stays (some would argue synonymous with German engineered bikes
), however it is comfy for long rides, I think this is also to do with the position (I do intend to lower the stem soon). The seat-stays seem to be skinner on the larger models. The bike is incredible stiff, not shown is the huge (wide) bottom bracket, you can see the large head tube though. The bike is much more stable at higher speeds than any other bike I have ridden and it corners nicely. My only negative comment would be its 'sharpness' when putting the power down, wavering slightly on the flats.
I bought the bike for its elegance as well as highly rated performance and in the flesh it really is a 'pretty bike.'
The bike cost quite a bit less than 2000 pounds, coming with Mavic Ksyrium Elites which I use most often. The R50's are very nice, especially at speed and supprisingly when climbing. I went for the 2X lacing so I could use them quite rigorously and often; I really like them and love tubulars and believe you can't beat them for the money. The braking however isn't great and I would recommend decent pads.
Cheers guys!
