Intropy Speedster SS(+)

[CamW]

Really interesting geometry on the smaller sizes. Lots of BB drop and a slack HTA with quite a lot of offset. I'm super curious what your feedback is as thats the sort of geometry I feel would be really nice for me but I have no idea if it would actually translate into a nice handling feel.

[pk0r]

After having all parts in now, I've got the bike built up this morning and going for a maiden ride now.
Build is with Dura Ace 9270, Rotor carbon cranks w/ Power2Max, Cybrei chain rings, Galfer rotors/pads, Magura front brake, CeramicSpeed BB/headset and for now my Reserve 40/44 DT180 wheels and Conti 28mm AS tires.

Some findings or details:
• The fork features a kinked, eccentric steerer tube (2.5mm offset),
still featuring a regular 1 1/8” diameter.
The non-disc side insert for the axle has a closed aero-design, not showing the axle end.
The hose exit hole is rather small so not super easy to get the hose through.
Bearing sizes are 1 ½ lower, 1 3/8” upper. I’ve upgraded these to Ceramicspeed SLT.

• Brake hose routing through the bar is extremely easy and better than on other bar stems I tried or have in use;
the lower part of the stem works as a shroud and the stem has a big opening underneath to guide the hoses through, the exit points next to the brake/shift levers are easily accessible,
• The bar features a 20mm rise where the brake/shift levers are mounted,
resulting in them being mounted 20mm higher than the top of the bars.

Resting the forearms on the bars in aero hood position still is easily doable, which I was kind of concerned about before.
• According to Incolor the design of the hose guide allows for a greater range of mobility and thus facilitating traveling with the bike [not tried that one yet myself].

Intropy bar hose.png (256.77 KiB) Viewed 1364 times

• The Di2 battery compartment underneath the BB is easily accessible via a single screw and facilitates Di2 cable routing or maintenance (e.g. firmware update of (wireless) shift levers) as you don’t have to remove the seatpost.

• The bottle cage on the downtube has 2 mounting positions as already standard on many other bikes as well;
the special aero cages are not available yet as mentioned earlier, but will be launched shortly and in wind tunnel testing save another 8W over standard 74mm bottles at 45kph.

• Computer mount, FD mount, top cap and saddle clamp are all 3D printed.
Especially the saddle clamp looks quite sophisticated.

• The seatpost clamp appears a bit basic to me.
There is a distinct visual gap between clamp and frame when tightened and only a small seatpost rubber on top; will see how it fares regarding water ingress during winter riding;
also the screw is not that easily accessible with a torque wrench.

• A Shimano-direct mount UDH hanger is available as well and should shortly be with me.
Sadly not too many options here yet: The Wheels Mfg one was sold out and the Silca Ti one I do not like at all.

• 31.5mm WAM tires have 6mm space all-around.

[alanyu]

• The seatpost clamp appears a bit basic to me.
There is a distinct visual gap between clamp and frame when tightened and only a small seatpost rubber on top; will see how it fares regarding water ingress during winter riding;
also the screw is not that easily accessible with a torque wrench.

The seatpost clamp is actually a remedy. The original design is different clamping system, but during the team member test, it cracked the seatpost after they reinforced the frame. It was too late to change the design/mold, so they used up the space where they can to make a safer system.

[jayjay]

• The bar features a 20mm rise where the brake/shift levers are mounted, resulting in them being mounted 20mm higher than the top of the bars.

So for calculation the if the geomety fits I should add 20mm to the stack number?

[pk0r]

The seatpost clamp is actually a remedy. The original design is different clamping system, but during the team member test, it cracked the seatpost after they reinforced the frame. It was too late to change the design/mold, so they used up the space where they can to make a safer system.

Makes sense, I haven’t known about this redesign of the seat clamp.
Anyhow this new version does not appear all too light or visually appealing; at least no seatpost slipping or rocking on this first ride (have made different experiences on a lot of other bikes there).
As mentioned will have to see how it fares against the elements these next months though (water and snow).



After the first 100smtgh K today, some first impressions:
• Riding stability is really good, i.e. both and especially the BB but also the lateral stiffness up front.
Having done some high-power sprints, the BB is rock-solid and impressive.
Also fork, bar and front end stiffness are really good.
No noises from the bike, frame or anything whatsoever either.

• As an effect the compliance/smoothness is not quite up to the level of my S-Works SL8;
not to say it would suck, but the Tarmac hovers noticeably more smoothly over bumpy stuff than the Speedster. Part of it may however be attributed to the more wooden Conti AS tires. Will test with different wheels/tires when the weather allows (3.5C only in Germany today).

• The bike feels quick, on a level with the Tarmac – not better or worse.
Handling is quick and responsive.
Position to me less aggressive (due to the bar as below)

• Due to the rather conservative frame shape (without too distinct aero profiles) it does appear un-affected by cross- or sidewinds (which to me as a light rider is an important criteria).

• I am not so much friends with the bar yet:
- the +20mm rise put you into a more relaxed position (which I was aware off though), in effect making the geo less aggressive than looks on paper (or the geo chart);
the STI (/Ergopower/DoubleTaps) are not exactly 20mm higher than on other bars (as a reply to JayJay) as most other bars also feature a more flush transition from tops to bends (speak e.g. also traditional bend vs Compact one); compared to the EXS Aerover on my SL8 it is ca. +10mm.
- riding in aero hoods therefore to me only is possible with completely straight arms,
turning the forearms slightly in does not work for me as it is rather uncomfortable (due to the 20mm drop to the center of the bars) and results in an arm angle of less than 90deg
- the bar has very little drop of 123mm - but measured from the +20mm rise! - so one could probably ride hours in the drops now
- sprinting in the bends of the drops and ever so slightly turning in the forearms makes me touch the top of the bars with my forearms, bar aero section being 43mm on the tops.

[Dhxhd]

I also live in Germany and have been using incolor cranks on my road bike for about a year. I have been contacting them on WeChat hoping they can sell me a handlebar to Germany xD.

[Kurt1980]

I may have missed this... but we can order directly through/from In Colour? Price for the baseline model on the Cycling China site is about $2700AUD ex-tax etc, which is looking doable.

[pk0r]

I was indeed able to purchase directly from Incolor.
As mentioned due to some payment issues with more standard payment methods as WeChat or AliPay from my end, they have been so nice to set up a PayPal account which went very smoothly: Initial downpayment on order, full payment once the frameset was done, additional payment for my preferred way of shipping. Others can hopefully benefit from that as well now


An update on the riding impression and especially regarding the bar that I had been criticising earlier:
I mounted the shifters 1cm lower on the bar and probably lower than originally intended and did another 150km on it.

Feels a lot better that way to me:
- position is more aggressive and as I expected it to be
- aero hoods with slightly bend in forearms and resting the forarms on the top of the bars also doable that way now
- riding in the hoods still works as well without bumping into the top bend of the bar with the hands (otherwise would obviously be nonsense)

- the bar actually is quite nice and very stiff
- c-c at the beginning of the hoods on the bars it measures 34cm to me (stated width 355mm), my EXS Aerover 360mm is more like 35.5cm and two further 360mm integrated bars I am using both measure 36cm spot-on
- with slightly turned-in hoods this results in 30.5cm hood-to-hood distance on the Speedster (EXS: 31.5cm, my other 360mm bars: 33cm), all with 9270 hoods
[measuring the distance of the additional buttons on top of the hoods]
- I am still touching the top of the bars with my forarms though when sprinting/being in the drops out of the saddle

Some more observations or confirmations:
The bike is STIFF, less comfy than SL8 but really, really stiff.
That along with the short rear end makes it extremely direct and responsive - should do quite a good crit bike as well.

[Kurt1980]

I was indeed able to purchase directly from Incolor.
As mentioned due to some payment issues with more standard payment methods as WeChat or AliPay from my end, they have been so nice to set up a PayPal account which went very smoothly: Initial downpayment on order, full payment once the frameset was done, additional payment for my preferred way of shipping. Others can hopefully benefit from that as well now


An update on the riding impression and especially regarding the bar that I had been criticising earlier:
I mounted the shifters 1cm lower on the bar and probably lower than originally intended and did another 150km on it.

Feels a lot better that way to me:
- position is more aggressive and as I expected it to be
- aero hoods with slightly bend in forearms and resting the forarms on the top of the bars also doable that way now
- riding in the hoods still works as well without bumping into the top bend of the bar with the hands (otherwise would obviously be nonsense)

- the bar actually is quite nice and very stiff
- c-c at the beginning of the hoods on the bars it measures 34cm to me (stated width 355mm), my EXS Aerover 360mm is more like 35.5cm and two further 360mm integrated bars I am using both measure 36cm spot-on
- with slightly turned-in hoods this results in 30.5cm hood-to-hood distance on the Speedster (EXS: 31.5cm, my other 360mm bars: 33cm), all with 9270 hoods
[measuring the distance of the additional buttons on top of the hoods]
- I am still touching the top of the bars with my forarms though when sprinting/being in the drops out of the saddle

Some more observations or confirmations:
The bike is STIFF, less comfy than SL8 but really, really stiff.
That along with the short rear end makes it extremely direct and responsive - should do quite a good crit bike as well.

Thanks for this information. Having up to date and rapid answers to questions about lesser known products is really valuable!

The stiffness has me a bit hesitant...I take it you mean lack of compliance rather than lateral stiffness? The reason I ask...I'm currently running a Giant Revolt with 30mm WAM GP 5k STRs, definitely more comfortable and possibly faster than my old Scott Foil with 26mm GP 5Ks. It's hard to think about going back to something like that again. Having a bike that's too stiff is probably slower and definitely not as nice to ride. For comparison's sake.. are there any bikes you would compare the Speedster too in terms of stiffness?

ETA: I see in another thread stiffness has been compared to an SSE gen 4, but that might be lateral/BB or some other stiffness?

TIA!
Kurt

[pk0r]

Hey Kurt,
I actually mean stiffness not compliance.

Having been part of ax's frame project for several years [read: VIAL evo, VIAL evo Ultra etc] I found it especially interesting to read about the utilization of 80T pitch fibers on the Speedster SS+.
Incolor claims to better the BB stiffness of the benchmark Giant TCR with the SS+ - whether the TCR really is the benchmark and what test protocol they used to confirm that is to be debated. I do own several bikes though that scored a grade 1.0 in Tour test (whose protocol I think of positively, also having been to their tab labs in Munich) and the Speedster is stiffer than any of these.
It feels like a track bike in that regards, no movement in any direction - as mentioned especially the BB stiffness is really outstanding, but also the lateral stiffness (alongside the whole frame, plus forks, plus bars) is very high.
Still feels that this goes at the cost of compliance where it only is average. Somehow I come to think of it as the original Venge (not having owned one myself, but riden one and of course having been featured in multiple tests: fast, stiff, but rather unforgiving). I will test with different wheels and tires these next weeks.

[Ciclisti]

I may have missed this... but we can order directly through/from In Colour? Price for the baseline model on the Cycling China site is about $2700AUD ex-tax etc, which is looking doable.

The Intropy Speedster SS and SS+ and all other Incolor components are available on ciclisti.cc, all taxes and duties included and free delivery in EU and UK. Just contact on info@ciclisti.cc.

Ciclisti will also show the Intropy Speedster SS+ at the Velofollies bike fair in Belgium next January.

[Kurt1980]

Hey Kurt,
I actually mean stiffness not compliance.

Having been part of ax's frame project for several years [read: VIAL evo, VIAL evo Ultra etc] I found it especially interesting to read about the utilization of 80T pitch fibers on the Speedster SS+.
Incolor claims to better the BB stiffness of the benchmark Giant TCR with the SS+ - whether the TCR really is the benchmark and what test protocol they used to confirm that is to be debated. I do own several bikes though that scored a grade 1.0 in Tour test (whose protocol I think of positively, also having been to their tab labs in Munich) and the Speedster is stiffer than any of these.
It feels like a track bike in that regards, no movement in any direction - as mentioned especially the BB stiffness is really outstanding, but also the lateral stiffness (alongside the whole frame, plus forks, plus bars) is very high.
Still feels that this goes at the cost of compliance where it only is average. Somehow I come to think of it as the original Venge (not having owned one myself, but riden one and of course having been featured in multiple tests: fast, stiff, but rather unforgiving). I will test with different wheels and tires these next weeks.

Hi, thanks for the detailed response!

Please update us when you can. I am quite curious as to how much a larger/different set of tyres may alleviate the potential harshness in the ride quality. I have noticed how much better my Revolt rides with mtb tyres (Schwalbe Thunder Burts) vs 40mm gravel tyres when it's a rough race. And on a related note, I have seen recently tests showing that overly stiff frames have losses from impedance immediately, and there's a cumulative fatigue impact on the rider that bites as the race wears on.

Long story short, maximising overall speed is multi-factorial (aero/power transfer/compliance/other), and I'm hoping to glean some of this info from your impressions.

Please share when you can .

Kurt

[Kurt1980]

I may have missed this... but we can order directly through/from In Colour? Price for the baseline model on the Cycling China site is about $2700AUD ex-tax etc, which is looking doable.

The Intropy Speedster SS and SS+ and all other Incolor components are available on ciclisti.cc, all taxes and duties included and free delivery in EU and UK. Just contact on info@ciclisti.cc.

Ciclisti will also show the Intropy Speedster SS+ at the Velofollies bike fair in Belgium next January.

Hi, thanks for the message and I did actually see your website before. Price is quite a bit more, but I'm not sure how much the Australian Govt would take from me in terms of tax, duty etc... maybe it will even out? It remains to be seen...Anyway, good to know there are options.

Any idea if there will be dealers in Australia?

[RDY]

I may have missed this... but we can order directly through/from In Colour? Price for the baseline model on the Cycling China site is about $2700AUD ex-tax etc, which is looking doable.

The Intropy Speedster SS and SS+ and all other Incolor components are available on ciclisti.cc, all taxes and duties included and free delivery in EU and UK. Just contact on info@ciclisti.cc.

Ciclisti will also show the Intropy Speedster SS+ at the Velofollies bike fair in Belgium next January.

Hi, thanks for the message and I did actually see your website before. Price is quite a bit more, but I'm not sure how much the Australian Govt would take from me in terms of tax, duty etc... maybe it will even out? It remains to be seen...Anyway, good to know there are options.

Any idea if there will be dealers in Australia?

It makes far more sense for you to order directly from Incolor via Taobao. Vastly cheaper than the EU prices Ciclisti are offering, even after GST and duty.

[pk0r]

After all the sub zero temps of the past days which cried for the winter wheels + AS tires, I have taken the chance today to throw on the aero wheels.

Makes the bike look quite a bit more aero. It feels and still is a really fast bike - very direct and instant as mentioned before.
Swapping tires also indeed improved the comfort - though still definitely not on a level with my SL8. Of course light years better than the bikes with 20 or 22mm tires we still used to ride just some years ago and regular road buzz is absolutely fine on the Speedster as well, cobbles less so where the SL8 still performs really well.

Some more shots to also show the actual bar shape as I picked up on in my previous posts.