guadzilla

Hot damn, that looks legit hot - and is the first non-R/B/W bike that i would love to own, even if it means buying a whole new set of bibs and jerseys. Actually, for my gravel bike, i am thinking of getting a pimped out color. In fact, i had been considering one for my rain/beater bike (what this one was supposed to be before scope creep happened) and had started a thread about it.
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...ject-lust.html,

A friend of mine is considering the R5 Disc eTap too - Seattle Forrest , why do you say it is a mistake? I know eTap doesnt shift as quickly as Shimano and there is the whole compatibility issue. Anything else?

guadzilla

I am struggling to resist the idea of getting a Domane SLR just so i can have that Viper Red / White color scheme.... every part of me is goiing "dude, get an inexpensive beater bike - an SLR is too expensive to bash around" and one small part is going "Viper Redddddd"

guadzilla

Hambini has be taken with a grain of salt. When it comes to his knowledge - he obviously knows a lot about BBs. But I dont trust his overall conclusions about brands for a few reasons.

For starters, he has proven himself to be very petty and not above faking stuff when challenged. That whole faked "Flo legal letter" fiasco just makes him look like a 15 year old asshat. Also, for his alleged aero wheel test, he doesnt have a single photo of all the wheels in a chamber? I simply dont believe that he did those tests but that he faked the numbers entirely. A lot of his bile against ST, Don Rinard, etc is because his methodologies were challenged.

The second part is that he has realized that shock value sells. His videos from a few years ago very professional and information-driven. And had hardly any vieweship. Ever since he has started the whole trash talking, his viewership has soared. At this point, it is a shtick. By cussing like a sailor and making unsubstantiated attacks disguised under the veneer of engineering, he comes across as a Guy Who Tells It Like It Is. He isnt. He merely appeals to those who like the overly simplistic idea that bike companies are all sitting there getting rich by fooling customers with marketing (the truth is a lot more nuanced than that - while marketing is a big part of what companies do, i also do not doubt that they are indeed making an effort to make the best product possible).

Fundamentally, here are some specific issues with his conclusions:
- he is basing all his spewing about manufacturing tolerances based on viewing a few problem frames only - for an engineer, he sure seems to lack an understanding of the phrase "statistically valid sample size".
- the only data he provides to back up his claim about frames is some alleged NDT that he claims is done - and there is no proof of that. Given his history, i would doubt anything he says without proof.
- He is using his expertise in machine-made metal tolerances to pass judgement on what is appropriate tolerance in carbon, and using that as an excuse to bash various companies - also an invalid approach. Yes, carbon has less precise tolerances than metal. No, that isnt a surprise to anyone (or shouldnt be), and shouldnt be used as an indictment of QC of the various brands. Being an engineer in one area doesnt make him an expert on all aspects of engineering.

That is not to say that all his points are invalid. Some BBs are indeed more prone to creaking - but that's not necessarily a sign of shoddy manufacturing. But in the grand scheme of things, there are LOTS of people who are happy riding Trek, Cannondale, Cervelo, etc. I used to find his videos entertaining even when i didnt take his conclusions seriously - now he's just getting boring/tedious with the forced cursing and showing that C*ntish Sh*tbag scale (that was funny the first time and maybe the second time - after 15-odd repeats, not so much).

Bah Humbug

If you have the means, go right ahead - it's not like it's a priceless piece of our shared history like a gullwing Mercedes or 964 Turbo. As you can see from my rides though, I don't even find the extra couple grand for the fancy frames to be worth it on my primary bikes, so I wouldn't get an expensive beater.

WhyFi

Red, light gray and, uh... merlot - those are fast colors, too, right? Asking for a friend.

Noctilux.95

The R5 with eTap listed under $5K at Excel Sports is rim brake, not disk. Still a great price.

guadzilla

Merlot? That's gonna lose you the sprint by a finger widtth....

Bah Humbug

Once you call it “merlot” it’s not fast.

WhyFi

How about high-iron-content-blood-red?

Seattle Forrest

Front shifting.

SRAM's electric group looks really clean, I personally don't like the multiple batteries thing, but it's not really a big deal in practice.

I had a SRAM bike, the ****ting was lousy (not just slow, people could hear you shift a block away) and the FD had a mind of its own, to put it mildly. I'm starting to get a little older, and that gives me a license to complain more.

guadzilla

Mmmyeah, i could get it need be but honestly, i dont see the value there. I'll be riding this and Venge most of the time, as I am lucky to have some pretty good roads to ride on these days. So no point paying so much for a bike that only gets used in the rain and on some travel. Plus, a beater back has gotta to be less expensive, you know? I like taking care of my stuff and i just wouldnt be able to bring myself to thrash a SLR.

guadzilla

Whoa, i havent seen that color scheme before. That red is obviously the blood of your opponents.

But I gotta call you out on your P2Max crank... that green is just inviting chain slip at the worst time Jokes apart, how is that P2M working out for you? Reliable? I have used Quarq pretty much all the way, and am wondering if i should try a different PM on the next bike...

WhyFi

Thanks. The colorway was a small production run that Excel got their hands on. It's different and the price was certainly right.

The crank was on another bike, one with a paint job that wasn't going to be matched by any of the P2M puffy stickers, so I just went with the P2M green. When I order some replacement chainrings from them, I might get some new decals (I'm not paying their shipping charges for stickers, fer chrissake), but I kinda like the clash, tbh, so no hurry.

And yes, it's been very reliable for the two years I've had it. Unless I'm mixing them up with another company, I think that the best argument for Quark is the magnet for cadence (and how inferring cadence may impact power accuracy), but that's something that I was willing to forgo for the savings.

sbxx1985 

Before there were R5s, it was the R3SL. 2009 R3SL that does everything great and is my favorite all round bike. Old photo during the WW days. Mechanical Record now.

MidTNBrad

That Paris-Roubaix sticker is sooooo coooool. Did the bike come with that?

sbxx1985 

It did.

guadzilla

5.98kg - hot damn! Is that a ready-to-ride weight? What did you use for the build?

sbxx1985 

That was the weight as pictured. I did end up swapping out the tubulars for powertap clinchers from psimet and the SR EPS went to Record. That's the current set up.

The whole build took a long time and I was WW obsessed. I wanted the lightest possible bike that I could ride every day that would do everything right. The R3SL was the perfect frameset, although the 3T fork was heavy. A lot of Enve because that was the lightest, strongest stuff available and it was easy to support them as a US company. Romin Evo Pro, rebuilt Speedplays with ti spindles, bowties, and screws.

Bah Humbug

That was the year that Cervelo was using "off" colors for their name - they also had an almost-but-not-quite-black navy on some. I just...

I like my bikes.

melikebikey35

All this R3 talk has me wanting to rebuild mine.
I've been trying to sell the frame since December (have received very little interested), and with the current global situation, I find it very unlikely it will sell anytime soon.
I think it will make for a nice zone 2/not-quite-bad-enough-for-the-winter/gravel-bike days. And it's too nice of a bike just to be hanging in my garage.

Noctilux.95

Great back lit photo! If I had to guess, shot it with a Canon 50mm 1.2L at 1.4?

melikebikey35

Thanks! The lighting was fantastic that day, so I had to take advantage of it.

Close on the lense...it was shot with the 100L at 2.8 (uploading here always destroys the quality). But I do have the 50L, as well, that gets used a lot.

Bah Humbug

The 100L is a fantastic lens. I should shoot more with this time, were it not for having a blown out level of mental energy.

WhyFi

I've been thinking the same thing. I got as far as taking out my camera and mounting my Distagon 35/1.4... yeah, that's about the progress I've made.

melikebikey35

It really is a fantastic lens...and very underrated. The Distagon looks impressive.

And I feel the same way about shooting these days, as well...just bring myself to do it. But, these phases always come and go for me, so I know it will pass.