Forme Rapide no pedals?

henryw

I've been hunting for the perfect beginners road bike, and I might just have found it in the form of the Forme Rapide, here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=71979

It ticks all my boxes: it's the right size (for once), the components and brand are OK according to internet searches, it's got carbon fiber forks, and, most importantly, it comes in at a smidgen over £350 with CRC's current 10% discount.

One thing slightly worries me though. Under the pedals spec on both CRC and Forme's websites it lists them as "n/a". Does this mean it doesn't come with pedals? Is this standard practice for cheap bikes? It doesn't bother me too much - they would be the first thing I'd upgrade anyway. Even so, it would be nice to get it out of box and take it for a test run right away.

Also, any thoughts on the bike itself and crc would be appreciated.

Ta!

Monty Dog

Standard practise with most decent bikes these days as customers are often very specific / have their own / too many variations

Cleat Eastwood

most bikes are sold without pedals. I mean its pointless them selling a bike with speedplays if you have cleats for Looks. Pedals tend to be a personal thing though, so i guess thats why. Having said that my first halfords bike came with bog standard pedals

Omar Little

Alot of expensive bikes come without pedals too (and if they are included then it is really crappy ones). Just a cost saving for the manufacturer due to riders having a preferred type of pedal system so alot would be changing pedals straight away even if it was half decent pedals put on it.

I dont know anything about microshift so dont know if good or bad or whatever but the frame looks good value for money - dont often get a carbon fork for that money.

How tall are you? CRC only seem to have 58 and 60 cm frames left so if you are under 5ft 10 then those are likely to be a bit big - so it might appear to bargain on the screen but if it doesnt fit good then it wont be such a bargain while riding it.

henryw

Thanks everyone! It makes sense for it to come without pedals, just wanted to make sure.

I'm 6' 4", so I was guessing that the 60cm frame would do the job.

juankerr

Looks like a good buy if it fits. Press the button...

henryw

Clicked, order being processed as I type!

I'll let you guy know what it's like and how I get on when I receive it.

HiMoz

When I recieved my forme vitesse it arrived with a pair of cheapy plastic bodied flat pedals. I imagine yours will come with the same. They never got used of course, get yer self some proper cycling shoes and clipless pedals.

henryw

OK, it's turned up and it's pretty damn sweet. It did actually include pedals in the huuuge box Chain Reaction Cycles sent (as well as reflectors, a water bottle and some vitamin drink tablets, thanks CRC!), but I'd already bought some Shimano A530s and just stuck those straight on it.

My thoughts on the bike so far, in case anyone's interested.

The good:

It fits.
I wanted a bike that would take my elongated (6'4") frame, and it does the job amicably. I might have to bump the saddle up another inch once I've got into it, but I'm really happy in this regard. I went for the 60cm model.

It's quick.
It's so bloody quick. I took it out for a 25 mile ride yesterday, and I've never felt so damn fast. I powered up hills without even thinking about it, and went down the other side with a massive smile on my face. Wonderful stuff, I wish I'd got into road biking earlier.

It looks lush.
I really like the colour scheme and everything. I know that's a bit of a girly thing to say, but it looks like a bike that costs twice as much.

Carbon fibre forks
This seems exceptionally impressive for a bike that's so cheap. They are actually carbon fibre - I've tapped them and everything! They seem to do an adequate job of soaking up the less-well-maintained bits of the road, and they performed OK on rougher ground.

The bad:

It is quite heavy.
It's not like it weighs as much as my MTB, but for a road bike it does feel fairly hefty. I can't give a precise weight in KG (I'll try and get it on the bathroom scales if anyone really wants to know though!), and it's still easy to move around. I'm equating weighty to well-built though,

The components.
I was a bit unsure on Microshift shifters, but they do the job remarkably well - shifting is really smooth. Only problem is that there's no indicator to what gear you're in. It took me about seven minutes to get used to it though.

No rack mounts
I didn't buy the bike specifically for touring or commuting, but I did want the option of adding a pannier rack for weekends away. Because it was supplied with (incredibly cheap) mudguards, I assumed it came with mounts for a pannier rack on the seat stays - unfortunately not. I've invested in some P-clips and stuck my rack on - it feels really solid at the moment but I'm not sure how long it'll last. If it fails I'lll get a rack that attaches to the seat post instead. Not a major deal at all really.

Other than my minor gripes, I'm really, really happy. CRC provided the bike in decent time (I ordered on a Thursday evening, it arrived the following Wednesday) and ready to go straight out of the box - I'd read horror stories about them but to me their service was excellent. The bike itself is a marvellous piece of equipment for £350, too, worth every penny.

StageWinner

You were never going to get a 'light' bike for that price. But it sounds like it works well and is quick enough for you.

And pretty much no road bikes these days 'tell you what gear you are in'. Either learn to ride on feel, look down quickly and check what gear you're in by looking at the chain and the rear cassette, or just keep shifting until you run out of gears (one way or the other).

Also sound alike your first road bike? Won't be long till you start saving for an upgrade to something lighter/better/faster/blingier, etc.

Welcome to the club.