My TIME Alpe d' Huez

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

After a very positive experience with my TIME Skylon I decided to go for something new. I knew that this would be another TIME and the Alpe d' Huez was the model I liked the most. The Greek dealer, who is one of the best TIME dealers in Europe, made me a good offer. After a short test drive of his Alpe d' Huez I had no doubts. Although a size smaller this frame was so much responsive, smooth and refined that I ordered a 'France Edition' one in the same day.

After almost a month the frame arrived from France. The photos are not the best, but you can get an idea of its awesomeness.

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First of all, the quality of the construction is amazing. This is not just an impression, it has been verified by carbon experts and experienced people in the industry. The fact that they weave their own carbon tubes in France (let's hope Rossignol will not alter this in the future) really shows. They use the more expensive 1k and 3k weave throughout and not UD which is more prone to cracks and delamination if hit.

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Short chainstays (404mm) but due to the design of the downtube the clearence is enough. Here with 25mm gatorkins on narrow LW Ventoux, it easily accepts 27-28mm tubulars.

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I also went for the new xpro pedals. I loved my xpresso but I prefer the smoother edges and the new looks. The pedals weight 226-227gr, almost 27 more than my xpresso 10 but they certainly look more robust.

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The seatpost clamp is very simple without hidden parts in the tubes. The seatpost has a Naka D shape which make it stiff and light but also comfortable. One of the things I did not enjoy in my Skylon was its aero seapost. I found that it contributed to a more unforgiving ride, even with 25mm tubulars.

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The design of the seatpost clamp is not the best but the wanted to keep the weight low so that was pretty much their only way to do it.

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TIME also redesigned some of the cable exits. They now look nicer and more practical.

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In terms of the heatbube. TIME uses its new integrated quickset with has a zero stack. So you can slam your stem and get a more aggressive position. Although the AdH and the Skylon share the exact same geometry AdH's headtube-headset allows for the rider to have 10mm lower position. The plastic cap on top of the headset has two versions: one to use with spacer-s and another one to use with a slammed (TIME) stem for perfect integration.

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Did I say who awesome the carbon weave is? It is something we rarely see nowadays by mainstream manufacturers. Even Colnagos have now a UD top layer in their tubes which is a shame IMHO...

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What about its weight?

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This is weighted at my LBS with xpresso 10 pedals and without a bottle cage. It's final weight is 6.336gr. Since the fork is the same with the Skylon and I just moved everything from the Skylon to the Alpe d' Huez I estimate the weight for the frame (size M, 555 top tube) to be around 890 gr including all the hardware.

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I have not ridden it yet so more comments will follow on how it rides.
My short test tells me that it will have this magic ride TIME is known for!

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Last edited by kgt on Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:32 pm, edited 9 times in total.

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miltmaster3
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by miltmaster3

Better photos please!
Enjoy it looks fantastic


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cymans
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Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 10:17 pm

by cymans

Great bike KGT,
How is the ride compared to the Cipollini you had ?
Iv'e always fancied a Time frame :-)
Cheers,
Cyman.


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miltmaster3
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by miltmaster3

kgt wrote:Sorry, I think it is ok now.
Yeah!


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fromtrektocolnago
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Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 10:15 pm

by fromtrektocolnago

nice looking bike. clean look. i like that time makes their own carbon
Colnago C-59 (Dura Ace)
Firefly(Ultegra)
Colnago C-64 disc(ultegra) with Bora 35 wheels

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kgt
Posts: 8749
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2006 10:29 am
Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

cymans wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:28 pm
Great bike KGT,
How is the ride compared to the Cipollini you had ?
Iv'e always fancied a Time frame :-)
Cheers,
Cyman.
I will tell you when I ride it. The weather will be really bad this weekend according to the forecast so I have to wait until next week.

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

Fockng love it!! Temptation is strong with this one for sure. Love the color too and the subtle color changes/labels. Very much like the lower stack on the headset as it is one thing I wished was different/lower in my older rxr.

Did it come with a stem as a frame set or was that an addition? What are the choices in degrees for them?

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JKolmo
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by JKolmo

Wowser! Very nice! Congrats!

Byskov
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:30 pm

by Byskov

I love the details on this bike. Especially the way you made sure that all parts - even the wheels match with the weave! Great build :D

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kgt
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Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

dgasmd wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:04 pm
Did it come with a stem as a frame set or was that an addition? What are the choices in degrees for them?
That was the stem I already had and it is a good match fortunately! The new stems are more minimal graphically:
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The TIME monolink stem only comes in +-10 degrees. You can choose any stem you wish but I would not use anything else. It is extremely strong and looks like a sculpted work of art.

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miltmaster3
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by miltmaster3

kgt wrote:
dgasmd wrote:
Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:04 pm
Did it come with a stem as a frame set or was that an addition? What are the choices in degrees for them?
That was the stem I already had and it is a good match fortunately! The new stems are more minimal graphically:
Image
The TIME monolink stem only comes in +-10 degrees. You can choose any stem you wish but I would not use anything else. It is extremely strong and looks like a sculpted work of art.
Fix the link kgt


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ico
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:20 pm
Location: on the border

by ico

Great looking bike, congrats! The stem is maybe to robust, just maybe. As a LOOK owner and a fan of french bike manufacturers I'm strongly tempted now. Looking forward to your ride report.

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Willier
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Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:37 pm

by Willier

Great new bike as always kgt! Have you considered upgrading your groupset, to a newer campagnolo 11s or even 12s?

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kgt
Posts: 8749
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Location: Athens, Greece

by kgt

I think I should, someday.
The truth is that it still works fine and that I prefer its looks in comparison to the newer Campagnolo groupsets.

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