That daft Sworks Venge.1st 100 miles verdict
janwal
Posts: 489
So I went ahead and bought the' daft' Venge.Built it up Friday and did first 100 mile run Saturday.Must say Di2 is brillant for that,7 bolts to fit bits,trim the mechs which is so easy when electronic and it was done in less than half a day.Longest bit was threading the wires internally and picking them out through the bottom of the down tube through a small hole but the frames come with thin inserts to aid cables.Just tape them to the end and pull through.
So was it worth it? I have to say a resounding YES.
I set it up with exactly same measurements as my Domane and the Ridley I was stripping down for this build.It felt right straight from the start and did not have to make any adjusments at all through the ride.It felt right straight from the off,always a good sign.
Is it stiff and unforgiving as many road tests say? No, it is actually a very comfy ride.Certainly not that far from my Domane,which is built for comfort.This was one of my main worries.I did have slight aches on my wrists towards the end of the 100 miles but the stem is 20mm lower that I usually run. But it may point to the frame being stiffer than I am used to.Before I bought it though I did 50 miles on my Domane with the stem dropped to the same height and if anything it made it a nicer ride!So I'm going to leave it there from now on .I was also wearing thinly padded autumn gloves.
Some of this comfort will be down to my choice of tyres,Gp4000's 25's which on the Quattro rims actually run at 27 and I use 90psi rear and 80 front as I only weigh 67kg.
Also I use a Selle Bassano gel saddle.This has now done about 20,000 miles and you can get off the bike after 100+ miles and not feel any discomfort at all.I have tried fancy racing saddles like Fizik etc,even a Rolls leather when I had a titanium bike.I always came back to the Selle.I even look out for them on ebay as they no longer make them.The slightly wider seat of it just fits my sit bones perfectly.You could say it's my holy grail of saddles,something that many of you never find!
So please don't bombard me with 'get rid of the saddle' posts.It's not going to happen.I am running the seat post on zero set back as it it gives me a good comfy riding position.I run zero posts on all my bikes.I have a short reach but a smaller frame would be way too small.
Is it fast? That's down to me the engine and my 62 year old legs, but I'm no speed merchant anyway.It does hold speed well when you do press on though.One strange thing is that when I free wheeled down hills above 25mph it suddenly starts picking up more speed,not something I've noticed before so obviously on other bikes. Also when coming up to short sharp rises I found I wasn't changing down as far, I just pushed a bit harder and it does carry that speed really positively.As my mate behind me kept telling me as he knackerd himself out getting back on my wheel?
It climbs slightly better than the Domane but it does weigh 2kg less.The Domane disc weighs 10.4 kg the Venge 8.4kg.Not ultra light but it is not sold as being that.the Tarmac is the lighter one.
So all in all I am really happy I bought it and not 'daft' at all.Because if nothing else it's a bloody gorgeous looking bike especially in the flesh.
http://s1108.photobucket.com/user/janwa ... sort=3&o=0
(In the pic the bars look to be pointing upwards but they are actually flat and parallel with the ground.Must be the way the pic is taken)
If anyone else is interested I bought it from Certini bikes in Plymouth who have a whole range of them.Tony,one of the mechanics was very helpful over the phone as I live way up in Huddersfield.He pre-cut the steerer to fit my stem using my measurements and fitted the insert.I should have asked him to fit the shimano spacers in the bottom bracket aswell.He said they are a push fit but they aren't. my LBS pressed them in for me though.
Also even though the frames are in the sale they still give 12 months interest free credit on them if you want,which suited me just fine.
So was it worth it? I have to say a resounding YES.
I set it up with exactly same measurements as my Domane and the Ridley I was stripping down for this build.It felt right straight from the start and did not have to make any adjusments at all through the ride.It felt right straight from the off,always a good sign.
Is it stiff and unforgiving as many road tests say? No, it is actually a very comfy ride.Certainly not that far from my Domane,which is built for comfort.This was one of my main worries.I did have slight aches on my wrists towards the end of the 100 miles but the stem is 20mm lower that I usually run. But it may point to the frame being stiffer than I am used to.Before I bought it though I did 50 miles on my Domane with the stem dropped to the same height and if anything it made it a nicer ride!So I'm going to leave it there from now on .I was also wearing thinly padded autumn gloves.
Some of this comfort will be down to my choice of tyres,Gp4000's 25's which on the Quattro rims actually run at 27 and I use 90psi rear and 80 front as I only weigh 67kg.
Also I use a Selle Bassano gel saddle.This has now done about 20,000 miles and you can get off the bike after 100+ miles and not feel any discomfort at all.I have tried fancy racing saddles like Fizik etc,even a Rolls leather when I had a titanium bike.I always came back to the Selle.I even look out for them on ebay as they no longer make them.The slightly wider seat of it just fits my sit bones perfectly.You could say it's my holy grail of saddles,something that many of you never find!
So please don't bombard me with 'get rid of the saddle' posts.It's not going to happen.I am running the seat post on zero set back as it it gives me a good comfy riding position.I run zero posts on all my bikes.I have a short reach but a smaller frame would be way too small.
Is it fast? That's down to me the engine and my 62 year old legs, but I'm no speed merchant anyway.It does hold speed well when you do press on though.One strange thing is that when I free wheeled down hills above 25mph it suddenly starts picking up more speed,not something I've noticed before so obviously on other bikes. Also when coming up to short sharp rises I found I wasn't changing down as far, I just pushed a bit harder and it does carry that speed really positively.As my mate behind me kept telling me as he knackerd himself out getting back on my wheel?
It climbs slightly better than the Domane but it does weigh 2kg less.The Domane disc weighs 10.4 kg the Venge 8.4kg.Not ultra light but it is not sold as being that.the Tarmac is the lighter one.
So all in all I am really happy I bought it and not 'daft' at all.Because if nothing else it's a bloody gorgeous looking bike especially in the flesh.
http://s1108.photobucket.com/user/janwa ... sort=3&o=0
(In the pic the bars look to be pointing upwards but they are actually flat and parallel with the ground.Must be the way the pic is taken)
If anyone else is interested I bought it from Certini bikes in Plymouth who have a whole range of them.Tony,one of the mechanics was very helpful over the phone as I live way up in Huddersfield.He pre-cut the steerer to fit my stem using my measurements and fitted the insert.I should have asked him to fit the shimano spacers in the bottom bracket aswell.He said they are a push fit but they aren't. my LBS pressed them in for me though.
Also even though the frames are in the sale they still give 12 months interest free credit on them if you want,which suited me just fine.
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Comments
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Good to hear you are enjoying the bike after a significant investment. Always a bit uncertain until you take it out for a long ride.
My road bike also really picks up speed downhill but more due to the 100kg powering it !0 -
Nice bike sir. Chapeau! That saddle though!0
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Saddle and seatpost do look a bit odd.....
It looks to me like the chain may be a bit short. The rear mech looks like it's totally maxed out trying to handle that gear.0 -
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Bernie I agree the saddle does look a bit odd in the pic but not so in realty.It's because the pic is taken from slightly below it and you can see the far side of it partly from underneath so looks deeper than it really is.
The seat post is set in zero setback or 'time trial 'mode as Specialized call it and the forward curve of the wide part of it accentuates it to some extent.Believe me I have no pretence of being a time trialist at all!
The chain just happens to be in big/ big after I had set it up to check it worked through all gears.I don't use it like that,honest! It is the same length as the the original though, I double checked the number of links before splitting it.0 -
Nice bike, lovely colours. Even on big/big that chain looks short to me. All you need now are some nice black carbon aero wheels...
(p.s the saddle isn't helping....;-) )0
