Despite some tedious inoperative scanner related shipping worries (I'm prone to worrying) my new Sab Alicudi (nah, I'd never heard of them before either) arrived today.
Being an excitable adult child, I couldn't wait to get out and give it a go. After I'd made a few sizing adjusments (the mechanic must have thought my legs were about four inches longer than they are), fitted my GPS, pedals and Elite bottle cages (which also arrived today) out I ventured into the lovely afternoon sun.
The 'lovely afternoon sun' decided not to last 'that' long. At just about the furthest point of my cycle from home, the sun decided to switch places with consistant rain. On the plus side, I got to find out how my new bike handles in the rain. On the 'less than plus' side, I would quite happily have lived out the remainder of my life never knowing how my new bike handles in the rain. Still, let me not dwell on the cold unpleasantries of a cycle soaking and the apologetic drying off of the new bike afterwards. By the way, in case you think I'm joking, I actually did apologise to the inanimate object for getting it wet on its maiden voyage. Hmmm. Probably shouldn't admit to that.
So, what did I think of my new Sab Alicudi?
At first, like any new bike, it took a little getting used to. I'm not sure if it was because the frame is lighter than I'm used to or simply due to the slightly different dimensions each bike will have but it took me a wee while to acclimatise myself to standing when pedalling. What I mean is the bike frame seemed to pivot over left and right more than I was used to (ie. going in a straight line but with the top tube moving, as if in an arced motion, when viewed from the front or rear). I guess you could say it was more responsive in that manner than other bikes I own. To me, it seemed a bit 'jumpy' at first but I seemed to recalibrate myself to allow for that without thinking about it. I'll probably find another bike sluggish by comparison if I'm on it now.
I noticed the difference in having a ten speed compact groupset compared to that of the nine speed I had previously been using. The gears definitely seemed a bit closer. I was able to keep my cadence fairly consistent, moreso than with the nine speed. The 12-25 cassette (as opposed to a 12-27 on the bike I'd been riding recently) probably helped matters too.
Something which surprised me was descending on the Sab. I've got a Coppi (which I'm not even sure exists as a brand any longer) with an aluminium frame and carbon forks. I've never found myself as happy/stable descending on it as on my steel framed bike. That's something I put down, in my ignorance, to the carbon forks. Turns out the Sab descends very well (much better than I do) and seems to excel at higher (by my standards) speeds. I'm absolutely delighted with it when going downhill.
So, in summary, I like my new Sab Alicudi much better than it likes me after taking it out in the rain.
So, what did I think of my new Sab Alicudi?
At first, like any new bike, it took a little getting used to. I'm not sure if it was because the frame is lighter than I'm used to or simply due to the slightly different dimensions each bike will have but it took me a wee while to acclimatise myself to standing when pedalling. What I mean is the bike frame seemed to pivot over left and right more than I was used to (ie. going in a straight line but with the top tube moving, as if in an arced motion, when viewed from the front or rear). I guess you could say it was more responsive in that manner than other bikes I own. To me, it seemed a bit 'jumpy' at first but I seemed to recalibrate myself to allow for that without thinking about it. I'll probably find another bike sluggish by comparison if I'm on it now.
I noticed the difference in having a ten speed compact groupset compared to that of the nine speed I had previously been using. The gears definitely seemed a bit closer. I was able to keep my cadence fairly consistent, moreso than with the nine speed. The 12-25 cassette (as opposed to a 12-27 on the bike I'd been riding recently) probably helped matters too.
Something which surprised me was descending on the Sab. I've got a Coppi (which I'm not even sure exists as a brand any longer) with an aluminium frame and carbon forks. I've never found myself as happy/stable descending on it as on my steel framed bike. That's something I put down, in my ignorance, to the carbon forks. Turns out the Sab descends very well (much better than I do) and seems to excel at higher (by my standards) speeds. I'm absolutely delighted with it when going downhill.
So, in summary, I like my new Sab Alicudi much better than it likes me after taking it out in the rain.
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