New Bike Blues

[Mark B]

Since I've been riding fairly regular again, I'm starting to think about upgrading bikes. I love my Silvio 1.0, but that S30 is a beautiful machine. I like the Vendetta, too, but I think for the kind of riding I do on the surfaces I do, the Silvio is still the best bet.

I'm not really in position to buy a new bike, right now. Too many trips coming up and other priorities, but that doesn't prevent me from daydreaming and scheming. It's not a matter of "if" I get a new bike, but "when". Mama has seen the benefit of my return to cycling already. She knows a bicycle is much cheaper than a shrink. No offense to any shrinks on here.

Most of my riding is on Southern California roads in Southern California traffic. I believe sitting up a little more will be a benefit to me. In the past, I have also been a pretty regular in the club scene, as well. I'm a little bit concerned about the lack of suspension. SoCal roads are pretty dicey; you can't always count on butter smooth roads. In fact, the opposite is mostly the case. I have seen the thread about how to lock out the suspension on your Silvio and I am going to try that to see if I can hang with the solid front end.

Now, this brings me to a few questions about the newest iteration of the Silvio. When you order just the frameset, does Cruzbike still spec an aheadset with the frame, or do I need to plan on acquiring my own? It's not a big deal one way, or the other, I was just wondering.

Will the V20 accommodate a triple, or are we limited to a double chainring only? I can work around this, if I have to, but I am a fan of the triple. I know a lot of people are probably rolling their eyes right now, but it's a thing, for me. Plus, I already have a 10 speed triple setup I can put on and roll with, except shifters and I would just use Barends on Paul Thumbies. Buy a set of wheels and I'm in business. But, not a huge deal if I have to go double, I'll just grumble a bit.

Mark

 

[castlerobber]

I'm a little bit concerned about the lack of suspension. SoCal roads are pretty dicey; you can't always count on butter smooth roads.

I haven't tried the serious chipseal yet on the S30, and won't until I get the headrest sorted. But the routine bumps haven't felt much different from the Silvio 1.5, with the same wheels and tires.

are we limited to a double chainring only? I can work around this, if I have to, but I am a fan of the triple.

You may find you don't need the triple with a lighter, more aero bike and higher BB. I had ridden triples for so many years, on uprights and tadpole trikes, that it took a while to get used to the different shift pattern of the double. I don't miss the triple at all now, though. OTOH, the thought of going to a 1 x 11 setup is still tempting even on the S30, since I don't race or do serious climbing.

 

[ratz]

S30 current iteration is really no less smooth on chip-seal than the previous version. That surprised me when I road it at recumbent cycle con. Something about putting the V20 derived front end on it and tipping it forward 2-3 degrees levels it smooth, nibble and powerful. The S30 gets it's smooth from the rear suspension; the v20 gets it from it's wheel base. In the end the S30 front shock was a pot hole saver but came at a high price in weight and cost. So it's gone and now you have to watch where you are going a little bit more attentively.

You can't easily put a triple on the v20 or s30 right now today. But a proper solution to that is imminent, The days of hacking it are about to end, with an official accessory solution. Stay tuned... I have to check and see if forthcoming solution will work on the older Silvio 2.x series. I do know that the Yellow Vendetta's are not going to work....

That said the triples are really starting to fade you have to go pretty far down the product line to get a triple and they are much lower quality comapre to a few years ago.... Meanwhile the new 1x11 stuff which is pretty amazing if you aren't riding in a way that you have to chase a perfect cadence. A 1x11 (10x42 Cassette + 40T Ring)) on a Silvio with a CX1 Qring would be pretty sweet to ride around on hills. That's on my build wish list along with the T50..... I was a skeptic until I built my sons gravel bike. Does't have a place on a Race Pacing Bike but for a lot of other applications you get higher quality parts for a lower cost and a simpler setup; that's hard to complain about. I could see in the future the 1x11 being a potential stock offering for the Qx Series and maybe the Silvo; that's just my opinion on how the industry is trending; and I don't get a vote on such things

 

[super slim]

I am currently building a front suspended S30, with a triple Q ring, 25, 39, 53, and 10 spd 11-34 cassette(still waiting on a XTR 11-34 to be back in stock), 20.4" to 132"effective wheel diameter.
I have had to file the inside edge at 45 degrees of the 25 inner ring, and the clamp, but have 46 mm from the frame centre to the inside edge of the middle ring, which is only 1 mm more than the standard!

I have only taken it out for a short sorting ride, and the std seat cushion is a lot stiffer, than 4 off 10mm thick Ventisit style pads!
Tonight I will try the V1.0 seat back pad on the S30!

 

[Balor]

Triple with oval 25 39 53 sounds like an excellent option, but why would you need 34T in the back with 25 upfront? You have some super-serious mountains down there (given that you are super-slim, and, therefore, must have great watt/kg )? Or are you intending to do loaded touring on your Silvio?

I daresay going for 12-28 cassete would give you plenty of gear range AND small tooth gaps where you need them most.

I consider going for 14-32 or 13-32 cassette, cobbled together from two cassettes, with short (150mm, that makes gearing ~10% taller) cranks and a triple. Any 'touring' I do will always be loaded because I weight ~220 pounds .

 

[Mark B]

I haven't tried the serious chipseal yet on the S30, and won't until I get the headrest sorted. But the routine bumps haven't felt much different from the Silvio 1.5, with the same wheels and tires.


You may find you don't need the triple with a lighter, more aero bike and higher BB. I had ridden triples for so many years, on uprights and tadpole trikes, that it took a while to get used to the different shift pattern of the double. I don't miss the triple at all now, though. OTOH, the thought of going to a 1 x 11 setup is still tempting even on the S30, since I don't race or do serious climbing.

I've been reading up on 1x and I have to say, that does intrigue me, some. I mostly ride on my middle 42 tooth ring, with an occasional turn on the 52 on downhills and an occasional shift to he 32 on bigger climbs. From what I've been reading, though, is that the bigger hops between shifts in a 1x setup can be annoying.

I'm no stranger to doubles. I had another Silvio set up with a compact set and short arms. I always felt I was in some sort of cross chain situation.

I know I would dial in a double setup and I sure would like to try a 1x before I jumped headlong into that.

Mark

 

[Mark B]

S30 current iteration is really no less smooth on chip-seal than the previous version. That surprised me when I road it at recumbent cycle con. Something about putting the V20 derived front end on it and tipping it forward 2-3 degrees levels it smooth, nibble and powerful. The S30 gets it's smooth from the rear suspension; the v20 gets it from it's wheel base. In the end the S30 front shock was a pot hole saver but came at a high price in weight and cost. So it's gone and now you have to watch where you are going a little bit more attentively.

Southern California roads are something less than chipseal. They may have qualified as chipseal at one time, but heat and many years in between repairs have left them alligatored with large chunks missing. The repairs oftentimes make the road worse than it was before to the point finding a smooth place becomes difficult, at times. This is worst case scenario, of course, but there is quite a bit of it. They will just about rattle the fillings out of your teeth!

Triples are really starting to fade you have to go pretty far down the product line to get a triple and they are much lower quality comapre to a few years ago.... Meanwhile the new 1x11 stuff which is pretty amazing if you aren't riding in a way that you have to chase a perfect cadence. A 1x11 (10x42 Cassette + 40T Ring)) on a Silvio with a CX1 Qring would be pretty sweet to ride around on hills. That's on my build wish list along with the T50..... I was a skeptic until I built my sons gravel bike. Does't have a place on a Race Pacing Bike but for a lot of other applications you get higher quality parts for a lower cost and a simpler setup; that's hard to complain about. I could see in the future the 1x11 being a potential stock offering for the Qx Series and maybe the Silvo; that's just my opinion on how the industry is trending; and I don't get a vote on such things

I'm not much of one to have to have the latest and greatest. I still run nine speed Campy because I have it, it still works and it works well. I'd probably run it forever if cassettes weren't getting hard to come by. Unlike Shimano, brifters can be rebuilt and the stuff just works. I have gathered up cassettes as I find them and have a couple more in the parts bin, but eventually, I will need to think about replacing that group. Along the way, though, I did gather up this 10 speed triple group. I knew triples were a thing of the past and when this friend wore out his shifters, I helped him put an 11 speed system on his bike and kicked me down his 10 speed parts. They are Ultegra and should last a good long while. I just need to buy some bar end shifters and some wheels and I'm good to go.

The 1x thing does interest me, and I think it is likely the wave of the future. I will probably hold off, though, until it catches on and the supply exceeds demand before I venture in that direction. It might not prevent me from trying to home-brew something, though!

Mark

 

[castlerobber]

I mostly ride on my middle 42 tooth ring, with an occasional turn on the 52 on downhills and an occasional shift to he 32 on bigger climbs.

That was about how I used the triple on my road bike. Shifting to the big ring was iffy at best on my stock Shimano 105 setup, despite multiple trips to the LBS*. I finally took off the 52T and had them adjust the FD so I couldn't shift past the middle ring. Then I put a 42T Q-ring on and ran it as a 1 x 9 with a 12-32 cassette--except, as you said, dropping into the 30T for the rare bigger climb. Only occasionally did I feel like I didn't have the "right" gear for a situation, so not terribly annoying.

*The mechanics insisted that it shifted fine for them, and I should do exercises to strengthen my left hand. This was on a brand-new, supposedly women-specific bike in 2005.

I had another Silvio set up with a compact set and short arms. I always felt I was in some sort of cross chain situation.

Yes, exactly. I'm sold on the SRAM Yaw derailleur. When it's set up right, I can cross-chain big-big when I have to, with no chain rub. Can't quite do small-small with my 50/34 rings, due to chain rub on the back of the big ring.

 

[Charles.Plager]

With a really wide 11 cassette, I might be tempted to try a double. But with my current cruzbikes, I get over 600% with my triple and I think that's going to be hard to match.

How wide a double crankset is readily available?

 

[Mark B]

That was about how I used the triple on my road bike. Shifting to the big ring was iffy at best on my stock Shimano 105 setup, despite multiple trips to the LBS*. I finally took off the 52T and had them adjust the FD so I couldn't shift past the middle ring. Then I put a 42T Q-ring on and ran it as a 1 x 9 with a 12-32 cassette--except, as you said, dropping into the 30T for the rare bigger climb. Only occasionally did I feel like I didn't have the "right" gear for a situation, so not terribly annoying.

*The mechanics insisted that it shifted fine for them, and I should do exercises to strengthen my left hand. This was on a brand-new, supposedly women-specific bike in 2005.

In my current state of rotundness, I've been avoiding the climbs that would cause me to need my 32. I can safely say that I am currently using my 52 way more than my 32. I'm still willing to pack it around, though, just in case I might need it! I know how it is having an idiot for a mechanic. I are one!

Yes, exactly. I'm sold on the SRAM Yaw derailleur. When it's set up right, I can cross-chain big-big when I have to, with no chain rub. Can't quite do small-small with my 50/34 rings, due to chain rub on the back of the big ring.

I'll have to look into that. Like I said in my reply to Ratz, I usually wait until the good stuff trickles down to me.

Mark

 

[ratz]

I'll have to look into that. Like I said in my reply to Ratz, I usually wait until the good stuff trickles down to me.

Rival 22 is pretty complete now; in the wifli configuration and it's pretty affordable. But watch the v20 testing I'll be doing over the next 20 days and I think you'll get some budget friendly ideas......

 

[Mark B]

Rival 22 is pretty complete now; in the wifli configuration and it's pretty affordable. But watch the v20 testing I'll be doing over the next 20 days and I think you'll get some budget friendly ideas......

OK, I will keep my eyes peeled for the tests.

How do the SRAM brifters hold up? I was looking at the parts manual to determine if they are rebuildable. It looks like they are modular, to a degree, but not necessarily rebuildable.

Mark

 

[ratz]

OK, I will keep my eyes peeled for the tests.

How do the SRAM brifters hold up? I was looking at the parts manual to determine if they are rebuildable. It looks like they are modular, to a degree, but not necessarily rebuildable.

Mark

at $169 a pair new; I can't see anyone spending the time to rebuild one; by the time you did it; Time+parts+shipping; you'd be better off just rebuying. Short of a Crash that snaps something off; they should last the life a bike frame; very solid stuff.

This is the beauty of SRAMs family of RED, Force, Rival, Apex. Each your the tech trickles down one level. 22 has made it to RIVAL this year (started shipping last June technically); and APEX is the lone hold out on the 10 Speed side. But technically the only thing 10 speed on APEX is the brifters. You could very easily buy Rival 22 brifters and everything else APEX and it will work just fine and you'll have a mighty affordable 2x11 system.

 

[trapdoor2]

I think mine are "Rival"...and they are working as advertised. IOW, I haven't broken them yet.

However, I'm not exactly happy with 'brifters' in general. Part of that is my inexperience with them. Every time I get on the bike, I have to actively recall the nuances of using them. Last time I was out, I kept overshifting my FD (which simply clicks). After a few minutes, I remembered how to downshift.
No tellin' if I will get used to electric shifting. It sounds really good but my FOGginess might overwhelm the bells 'n' whistles.

 

[Tuloose]

Mark B, I own both a Silvio 1.0 and a 2.0. The 1 has a Sram double setup while I have an Ultegra triple on the 2.
In the almost 4 years that I have had the Silvio 2 I have used the small ring probably not more than 15 or 20 times.
Still, it can be reassuring to know you have the bail out gear available.
The only downside I can see with the triple, besides the slight added weight, is the need to trim the FD when in the middle ring and shifting the RD to a higher gear.

I find the 2.0 to be faster and more comfortable for longer rides than the 1.0. The laid back seat with the neck rest hits the ergonomic sweet spot.
The front suspension noticeably smooths out rough chip seal and it's amazing how the Kind shock holds it's pressure. I can top it off at 150 lbs and check it 6 months later and it is only down by 5 lbs.

All that being said I have sent in payment on a used Vendetta that should be arriving soon.
If I end up preferring the V as my main go fast road bike than I may be selling the Silvio 2.0.

 

[Mark B]

at $169 a pair new; I can't see anyone spending the time to rebuild one; by the time you did it; Time+parts+shipping; you'd be better off just rebuying. Short of a Crash that snaps something off; they should last the life a bike frame; very solid stuff.

Wait, bike frames wear out?

 

[LarryOz]

Wait, bike frames wear out?

They are like cars - the more you crash them, the shorter their lifespan.
(The feline version has 9 lives - I've still got a couple left.. )

 

[Mark B]

Mark B, I own both a Silvio 1.0 and a 2.0. The 1 has a Sram double setup while I have an Ultegra triple on the 2.
In the almost 4 years that I have had the Silvio 2 I have used the small ring probably not more than 15 or 20 times.
Still, it can be reassuring to know you have the bail out gear available.
The only downside I can see with the triple, besides the slight added weight, is the need to trim the FD when in the middle ring and shifting the RD to a higher gear.

I haven't used my triple much, recently, but when I'm in fighting trim, I use it a fair amount. On the other hand, my biggest cog is a 23, I believe, so there's that. Campy cassettes are a little limited in what you can find these days. I'm probably going to have to quit fighting it and just upgrade.

I don't mind some minor trimming on the FD. I'm so used to it, I barely even think about it. I love a triple, though.

Mark

 

[super slim]

Mark, stay a member of the "Triple Club" as its a great feeling knowing that the Granny gear is there for an extra steep hill !!!
I have 4 Cruzbikes and they ALL have triples with 153 mm cranks!

 

[hurri47]

My "extra" ring in my triples - all of them - is the big one. It only sees use when the rear wheel is higher than the front.

-Dan