# 2011 le Champion CF with Force & Red



## bikesdirect

All our models with Shimano sell great; but we have a lot of customers that request Sram.
le Champion CF RVL with Rival sells very well - so 2011 we are adding Full Force and Full Red equipped versions. These will come with top level wheels, stems, bars, saddles, and posts.


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## sgalante

Looks likes winning formulas to me. Will these be available in both standard and compact cranks? From the pictures, it looks like both may be available. Also, are we looking at full SRAM component groups, crank, brakes, etc.? It definitely shows SRAM cranks.


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## bikesdirect

sgalante said:


> Looks likes winning formulas to me. Will these be available in both standard and compact cranks? From the pictures, it looks like both may be available. Also, are we looking at full SRAM component groups, crank, brakes, etc.? It definitely shows SRAM cranks.



On Sram road bikes we use the complete group always; that may change in the future - but for now full groups. RED, FORCE, RIVAL and APEX

We tend to spec 'race crank' on RED - 53x39
and then compacts on the others 

But if we get enough requests for Rival with Race crank or RED with compacts we may bring more options.


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## sgalante

Mike, Thanks for the update. Any idea on availability and prospective pricing?


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## cooleric1234

Any plans to change the paint scheme on the Le Champion CF bikes? I think the two-tones are a good idea but not the outer/inner scheme. It just seems kind of cartoonish to me. Not to detract from the thread by linking to a competitor but a paint scheme something more like this would be nice:

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_018 SETPR9.jpg


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## njacraig

What will be the expected date and price point for the new bikes?

Thanks,


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## cski

*a different idea*

Mike, it seems like all of your new builds start with a Le Champion frame, whether it is CF or Ti ... have you thought about building out an Immortal frame with SRAM ?

I am a bigger rider (6', 210), used to riding an old Cannondale Criterium frame, and have genuine concerns about stiffness of LeChampion, but have heard no one reflect these sentiments about the Immortal frame.

Let me know.

Chris


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## dbuds2

*2011 Bike Availability*

When will all the new 2011 bikes be available? Mostly interested in a full Ultegra CF bike.


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## tonkabaydog

Less than one week till my Inferno ships!!!!!!!


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## Local Hero

I hope mine ships early. 

I'm selling my S-Works on the 7th and have an important race on the 12th.


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## johnny dollar

Local Hero said:


> I hope mine ships early.
> 
> I'm selling my S-Works on the 7th and have an important race on the 12th.


BD says these '11 SRAM bikes ship on the 8th. You might be setting yourself up to be SOL.


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## Local Hero

johnny dollar said:


> BD says these '11 SRAM bikes ship on the 8th. You might be setting yourself up to be SOL.


 If it doesn't arrive in time I'll ride another bike.


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## tonkabaydog

Good luck.... I hear they might show up a little early at the warehouse.


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## kma

bikesdirect said:


> On Sram road bikes we use the complete group always; that may change in the future - but for now full groups. RED, FORCE, RIVAL and APEX
> 
> We tend to spec 'race crank' on RED - 53x39
> and then compacts on the others
> 
> But if we get enough requests for Rival with Race crank or RED with compacts we may bring more options.


Here's another vote for Red and/or Force with compact cranks. Prefer your Ti frame. Also wouldn't mind a nice butted steel frame with a comfy upright geometry similar to your Ti frame. Thanks!


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## Local Hero

_The email contains a tracking number which will NOT show movement until 1 to 2 days after the bikes ship. When they ship, Transit time is 5 to 7 days via UPS Ground (Not including weekends/holidays)_

...


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## johnny dollar

tonkabaydog said:


> Good luck.... I hear they might show up a little early at the warehouse.


Where did you hear this?

And which SRAM bikes? All those being shipped on the 8th?


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## tonkabaydog

As stated, pre order special gone, now $2295. 

Post your pics when you get yours....


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## Local Hero

Local Hero said:


> _The email contains a tracking number which will NOT show movement until 1 to 2 days after the bikes ship. When they ship, Transit time is 5 to 7 days via UPS Ground (Not including weekends/holidays)_
> 
> ...


Still no movement.


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## johnny dollar

my super strada shipped from Houston last night.


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## cski

cski said:


> Mike, it seems like all of your new builds start with a Le Champion frame, whether it is CF or Ti ... have you thought about building out an Immortal frame with SRAM ?
> 
> I am a bigger rider (6', 210), used to riding an old Cannondale Criterium frame, and have genuine concerns about stiffness of LeChampion, but have heard no one reflect these sentiments about the Immortal frame.
> 
> Let me know.
> 
> Chris


Mike, no comment ?


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## tlmnvr2l8

New Le Champ Fire ordered on 9-7 to arrive 9-14, can't wait, hope it's all I expect


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## bikesdirect

tlmnvr2l8 said:


> New Le Champ Fire ordered on 9-7 to arrive 9-14, can't wait, hope it's all I expect


I am certain it will be more than you expect
please post what you think when you get it

With pictures if you can

Have fun and be safe


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## Local Hero

Wishful thinking: *Hoping that my Inferno would arrive in time for a triathlon 09/12/2010.*

Reality: *Rescheduled Delivery Date: 09/15/2010*

It's OK. I was just down at the expo and a friend said I can use his bike in my race. Since I will not be able to post any pictures of the Inferno until next week, here's a shot of what I'll ride tomorrow:


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## SilentAssassin

The Inferno is a lot better looking than that Cervelo it seems.


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## tonkabaydog

Mine arrived today in a well preserved box. I took my time and assembled in about an hour. Pretty easy but you have to really pay attention and double check all the screws to make sure you don't miss anything. You may also want to realign the brake pads and clean the wheels and frame. 

My previous bike was Aluminun Windsor Trent with Carbon seat stays, Ultegra and Shimano RH 500 Wheels.

Had very little time to ride, other than take it around the neighborhood for about 5-10 minutes before it got dark. Upon hopping on the saddle and taking the first few pedals, I immediately noticed how responsive the bike was versus my previous bike. This is likely due to the CF frame and excellent wheels. The geometry is also more comfortable and compliant, but not so upright like some frames out there. The shifting with SRAM is Tour de France superb. I have been using Ultegra for the last 5 years and admit, it smooth and quiet like a sewing machine, but the SRAM is reponsive and decisive....albeit a little more noisy. The frame tubes are much more beefy than the pictures portray and you feel it in the ride....again solid and comfortable. No pounding on rough asphalt like the AL Trent. 

CONCLUSION: The bike is what it is. Great frame (no lightweight though), fantastic components and superb wheels. The ride fels as good as "any" of the test ride bikes I took out, which included the Giant Defy with 105 the to the Specialized Roubaix with 105. Both were more expensive than my Moto with Red. I also road a SEVEN Ti. Not sure what the problem was, it could have been the wheels, but my molars felt like they were coming out. I also road a 52 Rosseti Ti with Dura Ace 7800. Very nice bike as well but liked the feel of the Moto in case as it fits me better.

The geometry on the Moto website look to be corrected except for the standover heights. 

Thanks Mike... can't wait for the Ti in October.

I will post pics in a few days.

UPDATED 9/26/10:
I have been playing with seat positon, handlebar and seat tube height for the last week. Each time I get out on the bike I enjoy more. I have no more stiff neck and sore lower back due to a more aggressive geometry on my previous bike. I believe BD has hit a home run with this and the Force as they look to be sold out in most of the popular sizes shortly.


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## Local Hero

Good review. 

I'm pretty excited. According to UPS tracking my bike has been in my state for 3 days and in my city since 4:30am this morning. (It spent 60 hours at a UPS hub.) 

Here's the latest: 

09/15/2010	6:40 A.M.	OUT FOR DELIVERY

My buddies at the LBS should be unpacking it soon.

EDIT: The bike shop just sent me a text saying "Your bacon has arrived"

EDIT2: Mine is here. It's rad. I'm going for a ride.


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## minhtin

Mine arrived today. The thing is a lot more comfortable and more upright than my windsor knight. Here it is with the rest of my two wheel steeds. I love the brakes on these, so nice and crispy. Wheels arrived perfectly true, it's like a piece of art!

https://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3961/photoul.jpg


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## tlmnvr2l8

My Le Champ Fire arrived today, box in good shape well packed and padded, no issues so far, unpacked and assembled in about an hour, absolutely georgeous bike. Will try to post some pics and riding impressions tomorrow. I dont get all the negative stuff on the forum about BD, this bike is exactly as described on the site, and for the $$ and the first impression of the quality of the frame I don't see how anyone could dismiss this business model, of course at this point I have'nt had any problems time will tell I guess.


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## Local Hero

That picture is too big. Can you edit it out and just post a link? 


My inferno weighs 17.31lbs 

with Keo Classic pedals, a cateye strada cyclometer and 2 carbon water bottle cages

I broke my foot and wont be riding any time soon


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## awa

Received my LeChampion CF Fire yesterday. Set it up in about an hour. No issues. Mine is 54cm but it feels a little smaller than most other 54cm bikes. 

Without pedals or reflectors (I took off all those plastic things, include the one between the cassette and the wheel), my bike weights at 17.5 lb.


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## awa

Local Hero said:


> My inferno weighs 17.31lbs
> 
> with Keo Classic pedals, a cateye strada cyclometer and 2 carbon water bottle cages
> 
> I broke my foot and wont be riding any time soon



I really like the inferno -- it's a great value --- but have to settle for the Fire because I really need a compact crank to go up the hills nearby. Sound like without the pedals, the Inferno will weigh around 16-16.5lb?


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## Local Hero

My water bottle cages are about 20 grams each
The Keos are about 280grams
I don't know how much that little computer weighs
A pound is 454 grams

The 56cm bike is 17.31 on a digital scale with all that stuff. 


It's probably 16.5lbs naked.

I expected lighter but I'm happy.


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## tlmnvr2l8

Road 37 miles today on the new Fire, shifts great although the FD will need some adjusting and I'm still adjusting to the big ring trim and downsifts, seat sucks but I will try to adjust a little forward which may help, the included peddles work but will upgrade when I get new shoes. Mine is 56cm which is just right, i'm 5'9" with 32 inch inseam in sox. I did the Bike Fit program and it was between 54 & 56 but I wanted a little more toptube as i have long arms. This bike is just fabulous, stiff but compliant, shifts great I love the double tap and the adjustability of the levers, compact crank with 11-28 rear cogs, overall I love SRAM is looks great, shifts great, 35 mph on the flats with several gears to go and I'm still not in great shape, just stared riding again couple of months ago after a 20 yr? absence. Enjoy the ride!


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## Local Hero

bikesdirect said:


>


In these pictures:
-The Fire model has "CF" on the top tube. 
-The Inferno does not have "CF" on the top tube. 

The Inferno you sent me has "CF" on the top tube. 


It doesn't matter one way or another. But I thought I would point that out.

(If I had a choice between the frames, I would pick black on the outside, red inside.)


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## tonkabaydog

tlmnvr2l8 said:


> My Le Champ Fire arrived today, box in good shape well packed and padded, no issues so far, unpacked and assembled in about an hour, absolutely georgeous bike. Will try to post some pics and riding impressions tomorrow. I dont get all the negative stuff on the forum about BD, this bike is exactly as described on the site, and for the $$ and the first impression of the quality of the frame I don't see how anyone could dismiss this business model, of course at this point I have'nt had any problems time will tell I guess.


Gotta luv the ole Windsor Knight in the background....


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## minhtin

I love this Fire bike. Compared to my Knight, it doesn't want to catapult me off the saddle going over speed bumps. Speaking of saddle, the one that came with the bike really stinks. That or I am just used to my Brookes saddle. 

The brakes are nice and crisp, but I don't think the swisstop that came with is on par with my koolstop on the knight. Gear is chatty compared to the ultegra 6600 but the crisp shifting is so nice. Overall 40 miles on it so far and loving it. Except for the saddle, that's gone soon.

https://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7383/motosd.jpg


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## awa

One question, does the Krysium wheel that came with the Fire make noise when coasting? Mine does make pretty loud noise compared to my Easton Circuit wheel. Do I need to put some grease somewhere?


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## minhtin

Mine doesn't make any noises, smooth as butter.


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## wedge962005

I've gotta say I'm really interested in the SRAM Force and Red setup. I'm in the market for a Crit bike and would love to have an Immortal with Red but it isn't offered. Any chance that is on the way?


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## cski

wedge962005 said:


> I've gotta say I'm really interested in the SRAM Force and Red setup. I'm in the market for a Crit bike and would love to have an Immortal with Red but it isn't offered. Any chance that is on the way?


I hear you.

I have raised the same point on several threads here - namely, that BD is not building out any new bikes on the Immortal frame.

No reaction from Mike, though.


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## Local Hero

I took the stickers off the wheels.


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## tonkabaydog

Local Hero said:


> My water bottle cages are about 20 grams each
> The Keos are about 280grams
> I don't know how much that little computer weighs
> A pound is 454 grams
> 
> The 56cm bike is 17.31 on a digital scale with all that stuff.
> 
> 
> It's probably 16.5lbs naked.
> 
> I expected lighter but I'm happy.


Weighed mine today at the LBS. 17.2 with the pedals supplied. I too thought it was going to be lighter as I used a spreadsheet created by another to calculate. The only bogey was the frame. I figured it was going to come in around 16-16.5 without pedals. It looks closer to 16.75, which means the frame is one CHUNKY/BEEFY piece of carbon. I am guessing it must be in the 1600-1700 gram range with fork.

Many new frames i.e. Lapierre weigh in around 860 grams, but cost almost as much as the Inferno.


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## Local Hero

tonkabaydog said:


> Weighed mine today at the LBS. 17.2 with the pedals supplied. I too thought it was going to be lighter as I used a spreadsheet created by another to calculate. The only bogey was the frame. I figured it was going to come in around 16-16.5 without pedals. It looks closer to 16.75, which means the frame is one CHUNKY/BEEFY piece of carbon. I am guessing it must be in the 1600-1700 gram range with fork.
> 
> Many new frames i.e. Lapierre weigh in around 860 grams, but cost almost as much as the Inferno.


Yes, the frame is beefy. 

Those metallic wheel stickers weigh a few ounces. 

My good friend--the service manager at the LBS--has a Moots Vamoots w/ full Dura Ace, climbing wheels and a lightweight fork. That bike is titanium everything: Frame, stem, seat post, water bottle cages, screws, you name it. W/ pedals his bike weighs 16.9 lbs. I was a little bummed that my bike is about a half pound heavier. But you know what? He paid more for his frame than I did for my entire ride. 

Also, that's me in my avatar. I pump iron and have a sprinter's build. I'm not worried about an extra 400 grams on my bike.


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## bikesdirect

cski said:


> I hear you.
> 
> I have raised the same point on several threads here - namely, that BD is not building out any new bikes on the Immortal frame.
> 
> No reaction from Mike, though.


Sorry, I missed those posts.

Immortal frames have a long lead time. But we have Immortal Heat [rival] ; Immortal Fire [force] ; and Immortal Inferno [red] coming in spring. Likely unloading late April / Early May. These are complete group bikes and have Ritchey Cockpit & Mavic wheels.
Prices will be, of course, very aggressive.

thanks for the interest


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## tonkabaydog

Local Hero said:


> I took the stickers off the wheels.


Did the sticker on the down tube with all the warnings also come off easy? I would like to take mine off as well.

Also, I am not sure I am allowed to post this, but any chance someone with a 56 cm Inferno frame and a 100mm WCS Ritchey Pro handlebar stem needs a shorter 90mm stem?

I have a 54 cm Inferno which came with the 90mm and need a 100mm.


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## BlairV

I've been doing a lot of reading and research on the Motobecane bikes and I'm really leaning towards getting the LC Inferno. But I have a question on sizing that I'm hoping someone can help with with. I'm 5'11" with an inseam just over 33" and trunk of 26". I could probably go with either the 56 or 58. Just wanted to hear from current owners on the bikes fit and geometry and any recommendations

I appreciate any insight.

Thanks


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## faustocoppi1962

BlairV,
I just received my 56 Le Champion Inferno with Red a couple weeks ago and i love it. I'm also 5"11" with only a 32" inseam. With a longer torso, I've always ridden 57 or 58 frames. After realizing I had been riding too large frames for the past 20 plus years, i decided to make a change. The 56cm Inferno is a good fit for me, but the only thing I may change is the stem. I'm still not sure yet, but it could be a little short. My 56 came with a 100mm stem and I may buy a 110. A few more rides will tell for sure. I have to tell you, this is a seriously nice bike. I could not be happier. The only thing is, the bike arrived with a slightly nicked left crankarm. Nothing structural, just cosmetic. I contacted Chris at Bikesdirect and he spoke with SRAM and they are sending me a new crankarm with return shipping for the damaged one. The damaged crank could have happened at a LBS as well. I could not be happier with my purchase and the service at Bikesdirect. Good luck. gino
ps.I'll add a photo when I can to prove I'm no shill. The ones I have are too large of a file for the site to accept.
pss I had to crop picture to fit size limitations. sorry


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## cski

bikesdirect said:


> Sorry, I missed those posts.
> 
> Immortal frames have a long lead time. But we have Immortal Heat [rival] ; Immortal Fire [force] ; and Immortal Inferno [red] coming in spring. Likely unloading late April / Early May. These are complete group bikes and have Ritchey Cockpit & Mavic wheels.
> Prices will be, of course, very aggressive.
> 
> thanks for the interest


Thanks, Mike ! Do you know what the color schemes will be yet ?


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## tlmnvr2l8

awa said:


> One question, does the Krysium wheel that came with the Fire make noise when coasting? Mine does make pretty loud noise compared to my Easton Circuit wheel. Do I need to put some grease somewhere?


I have the same issue just emailed BD ant they are sending me a replacement, I tore my front wheel apart and it has a small rectangular piece of metal in the space under the wheel tape, to big to get out and looks like it should be reinforcing the weld where it is joined, not sure it is a strctural problem but the clicking will drive me crazy. I Googled the wheel and it seems Mavic has had some issues with metal debrie inside there wheels.


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## tonkabaydog

tlmnvr2l8 said:


> I Googled the wheel and it seems Mavic has had some issues with metal debrie inside there wheels.


I have had 2 "out of nowhere" flats in the last two weeks. One a pinch, but have have no idea how as I was just coasting along and then bang. The other had a small piece of metal in the tube.


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## tlmnvr2l8

Update to my wheel issue, clicking Mavic Ksyrium, new wheel arrived today about a week since I first contacted BD will drop old wheel off at UPS tonight. I am very pleased with their quick response to this issue, no hassle, no problems just a quickly shipped new wheel, it doesn't get much better than that!


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## Johnpstringer

*Cant Decide between this or the Immortal Spirit!!!*



bikesdirect said:


> All our models with Shimano sell great; but we have a lot of customers that request Sram.
> le Champion CF RVL with Rival sells very well - so 2011 we are adding Full Force and Full Red equipped versions. These will come with top level wheels, stems, bars, saddles, and posts.


Please give me some input guys...Cant decide between this beauty or the Immortal Spirit!!!!!


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## tlmnvr2l8

I have the Le Champ with SRAM Force and absolutely love it, it's great ride, good componets for me, the SRAM Red is a little lighter but I need to spend a little less so went for the Force not disappointed at all, shifts great, wheels are true, tires real sticky, the seat really sucks so plan on changing that other wise it is sweet


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## Johnpstringer

I'm glad your happy with it and I'm sure I will be also when I get mine in January, the wait is killing me!!!!!


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## Guest

I have had a LeChamp for a while now, a grey and white one. I have had a death wobble at or around 43mph, downhill of course, which shook till almost to a stop. Now I am scaired dodoless to go fast on the thing. Also had the start of one at a bit slower speed too. I still like the ride, just won't go ape **** fast on it anymore.


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## Johnpstringer

What is the cause of the wobble?


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## Guest

I may be the problem by riding down hills super tense,death grip on bars and all that goes along. This is bike No. 3 that has a wobble to it and the other came at a lot slower speeds, say in the mid 20's. There is a nice link going in the froums, latest posts, which I do every other night and they cover all things I have heard for the last 4-5 years. Tried a few. I am older and too chicken to push it anymore. Will try a few things I have not tried and just ride slower. The red bikes look sharp. I could only get white and grey, but I really do like the ride over the Moto Sprint, which I have also.


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## Johnpstringer

I am leaning towards a Immortal Team or Spirit. Thanks for your help..any input about the immortal frames??


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## BlairV

I recently got the Inferno and couldn't be happier with it. I've only got about 4 hours on the bike so far but love everything about it. I too was trying to decide between the Immortal Spirit and the Inferno and I don't think you can go wrong with either just depends on what you're looking for in a bike. I feel like I can spend the entire day riding this bike. This is my first experience with Sram components so it took a little getting used to it but now its second nature. All of my riding so far has been on the flats so I can't comment on high speed wobbles but it handles really well up to the mid 20 mph's that I've been riding, very responsive and stable.


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## Johnpstringer

Im curious to find out the cause of the wobbles even though I'll probably never ride at high spewda


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## Guest

I axed the same questions but put them to Bikesdirect and let them answer me this early spring. In a nut shell...immortals are race aggersive having you more bent over the bike. Le Champ is a relaxed frame, having you sit a lot more upright. Please do email the folks over there and if they have time, your answer will be longer than your arm. I jumped on the idea of a more upright frame style and to top it off, bought a 80mm by 20deg stem to have me more upright. I'm a rider, not a race or wanabe. 61cm frame.


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## Local Hero

I've been above 50mph on my Inferno with a little wobble. Fast descents are a bit sketchy. 

It's definitely not as stable as my old S Works. I could take my hands off the bars at 40mph+ with that bike. In the past year I've also ridden/owned a Litespeed, Lemond Zurch and Orbea Orca. I've been over the same routes with all four bikes and those three bikes were more comfortable racing down the steepest hills than the Inferno. 

That said, there's nothing actually wrong with the bike -- the componentry is world class -- it just might not be the best frame for me. For one, it's a tad large for me. And as others have said, it's a more relaxed geometry. I'm a hard charger and a sprinter. Maybe I just got used to the stiff aluminum frame of my S Works. I'm certainly having more fun on my Motobecane Team Track, which is pretty darned stiff. 

What's the bottom line? I think that the vast majority of BD customers are going to be really pleased with the Inferno (and keep it under 40mph). It's an AWESOME deal. 

For me? I'm going to unload the frame and pick up something else. Either I'm going high end (BMC Race Machine?) or I'll try one of those $400 frames from china, like the FM015.


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## unboringuy

FWIW, I own the Le Champion Ti, and I experience no wobble on downhill speeds in excess of 40 mph.


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## retrowagen

I took delivery of a new Le Champion CF Inferno last month, and have been very happy overall with it.

To me (and I suspect, to many others), the major attraction is the component spec and the amazing value. From my point of view, I was buying the parts (full SRAM Red, minus the cassette, which is Force; Ksyrium Elites, Ritchey cockpit, Gore Ride-On cables, Conti tires); that a carbon fiber frame and fork were included in the deal was a bonus!

The frame seems to be of decent quality overall. The only gripe I could make about it would be black paint overspray (poor masking) on the metal front der hanger. The front fork seems to be the weakest link in the entire package: the dropouts have a bizarre flaky metallic finish, and the fork seems a bit flexy and heavy. Like this month's Road Bikes Action magazine test concluded, fun frame, great spec, huge value, disappointing fork.


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## cski

*That clinches it for me*

will definitely be looking at other frames within their offerings

perhaps the Evoke or the Immortal, as I too big to live with fork flex

anybody compare those personally ?


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## Local Hero

Mike should use a tapered fork and BB30 on his next models. 

I really wanted to love my Inferno. It just wasn't stiff enough for me. Right now it's hanging on my wall. It's a project. 

I exchanged many components with my race bike, an S-Works SL2. The Inferno now has Sram Force brakes and rear der. I'm in the process of turning my Inferno into a flat bar 1 X 10 towny, using a sram XO shifter. I'm looking for a flat nice carbon bar. Maybe an S-Works MTB bar. I'll use a sram red 42T inner chainring and Salsa chain guard on the Sram Red crank. I may even put a luggage rack on the back using hose clamps. 

The noodle front end wont cause much concern if I'm using it as a commuter. A 17lb, $2200, carbon fiber flat bar commuter. Once the dust settles I'll post some pictures.


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## retrowagen

Sounds like a pretty cool townie. I'd roll it. 

One of the things I _do_ philosophically like about the design of the LeChamp CF frame (with 35 years as an amateur bike wrench, and professional experience as a design engineer behind me) is its avoidance of "trendy" (or potentially soon to be obsolete) BB and head tube specs, and its adherence to easier to work with exposed cable runs. I'm sure there are style points to be had for internal cable routing, and certainly there's marketing buzz value to having a BB[insert this month's "standard" here] or a tapered head tube (now which bearings do I need??!!??), but when one's pondering the long-term ownership and maintenance prospects, more trad features do seem appealing to me. But wait: how long do these carbon fiber frames last? Oh, nevermind. :rolleyes5:...:lol:


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## Local Hero

I get that. But there are benefits to having a lighter, stiffer bike. Oversize bottom brackets and tapered head tubes help. 

Sram and Shimano make BB30 cranks. The weight savings and performance benefits are well known. Cranks without BB cups are stiffer and about a quarter pound lighter (just look at the weight charts on Sram's website) and frames with integrated bottom brackets are stiffer. From Competitive Cyclist: _What the bike industry did to the headtube with integrated headsets 7 or 8 ago, they're about to do again to bottom brackets...sooner or later the BB30 standard, as it's known, will be everywhere.

The BB30 is an open-source (to use software terminology) standard where you essentially press bearings directly into an oversized BB shell. It eliminates the need for external (or internal) BB cups Unlike integrated headsets, the BB30 actually has performance upsides: You get a substantially lighter and stiffer BB. You reduce Q factor. In theory prices should be reasonable since road bikes and mountain bikes will share the same BB design (no more 68 vs 70 vs 73)._

The industry has changed. Even if it is just hype, people like hype.

To each his own. But for me--if I have the option--my next race frame with have BB30 or OSBB from Specialized.


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## retrowagen

That's cool. I guess I just have an extermely sensitive hype-o-meter that sets off alarms whenever something is touted as revolutionary. Thinking of Sony's Betamax... "New" Coke... maybe even the ISIS BB/crank interface standard on MTB's not too long ago...

I also tend to gravitate more towards resilient, comfort-orientated performance bikes. Where I live in Northern California, the road surfaces are in poor repair and not too smooth. With the State's budget as it is, they won't be getting any smoother anytime soon. While I (like virtually everyone else in the hobby) dream of riding a 14-pound, ultra stiff race bike, the reality is that that particular bike would be quite uncomfortable for all but the shortest of rides and races, kinda like having a Lamborghini Gallardo as an everyday, grocery-getting, soccer-mom'ing car. And if one's uncomfortable on his bike, he won't be riding much. Not good--

But, as you remind, and with which I wholeheartedly agree: to each his own.


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## B05

I believe my friend has this one. Nice bike


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## century

*NIce Looking CF bike*



bikesdirect said:


> All our models with Shimano sell great; but we have a lot of customers that request Sram.
> le Champion CF RVL with Rival sells very well - so 2011 we are adding Full Force and Full Red equipped versions. These will come with top level wheels, stems, bars, saddles, and posts.



very nice love it. would consider this in my short list.


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