Rourke custom

solboy10 wrote:

OP can you give a bit more information on the ride etc? Been dithering on one of these for over a year and want a decent insiders view on if its worth forking out the money. I appreciate its an experience and all that but still worry that I will ride the bike and be underwhelmed for some reason. Will be going 853 not 953.

The best way to sum up the Rourke is that it's a very graceful bike. The combination of 853, Enve, relatively light wheels and good 25mm tyres create a ride that's responsive without being twitchy or jittery.

Regardless of if you're gently spinning around or going absolutely all out, there's a sense of effortlessness about the whole experience. The bike is never the thing holding you back.

It has pretty short chainstays, and they are oversized at the BB end. I think that helps the bike accelerate and climb well. It's not quite as 'whip-crack' to accelerate as some very stiff carbon bikes I've ridden, but then it doesn't feel like it's kicking you in the backside every time you go over a bump. I've ridden 100-milers on it, got to the end feeling pretty fresh and felt I could have gone further, so the comfort is great. If you stamp the pedals it'll kick along, and the pick up in pace is smooth rather than jerky.

The Enve fork is lovely, not harsh, but it's stiff enough that the handling is very precise. The geometry makes it fast to respond but not overly so. You can ride it no-handed while rummaging in your jersey without worrying it'll spit you off into the bushes.

The Ultegra 6800 is a fantastic groupset too. I was worried it might look a bit too 'modern' for a steel frame, but when you look at the bike as a whole it's completely coherent, at least to my eyes.

Obviously there's an emotional component to buying a custom bike. If you look at it purely from a rational perspective you can probably get more 'performance' for the same money elsewhere. It is a bit of a risk too, as you can't try before you buy. You're putting your trust in the builder. It's a bit like a Saville Row suit. Different tailors have their own styles, but within their aesthetic you can define how you want to look.

I'd definitely recommend Rourke if you want an all-round performance road bike. Funnily enough, the one thing that initially put me off is that I'd seen a lot of them painted in ways that offended my eyeballs. However, as you can see from mine, you can make it as low-key as you like. Just think about it very hard before you define the paint scheme!