Nick1979
New Member
- Location
- London (SW11)
Hi all,
I have just got my first proper road bike and as I found a lot of the inspiration and advices to buy it in this forum, I want to share my first though about it with you!
So after weeks of reading posts here, going to tens of bike shops, googling and test riding a few bikes, I finally got a brand new Bianchi 928 Carbon! She has a full Campagnolo Veloce gruppo and Khamsin wheels.
So here are my very first impressions after just 20 miles or so. Please keep in mind it is not a proper review as I don't have anything close to compare it with, my previous bike was a Trek 7200 hybrid!
The look:
I think it is probably the most beautiful bike I have ever seen, honest! Obviously it depends on taste and the 928 is quite different from most other road bikes with its curved tubes and its massive looking head tube, so some people might find it ugly but I love her!
The ride:
As soon as I get on the road I was amazed how lively the bike was, in the first two miles I would have said how unstable it was! I have some trouble keeping a straight line if I don't concentrate enough. On the other hand it's so easy to do quick turns to avoid a pothole for example, you just have to think about it and the bike is 2 feet on the left. I think I still need to tame her a bit before being able to ride in a group or something but she's definitively a fun bike!
The accelerations are impressive, when you suddenly push hard on the pedals, you can immediately feel the acceleration force on your body, quite a departure from a sluggish hybrid! I really enjoy it and spend some time cruising slowly and accelerating hard dozens of times in a row yesterday night.
The position:
It's my first dropped bar bike so I still need to be used to the position but it feels quite comfortable. The only issue I have is with my hands when on the hoods, I apply quite a strong pressure on them and they become a bit uncomfortable after 5 miles or so.
I find braking a bit less easy than on a flat handlebar as well, you have to apply a strong pressure with only two fingers at an odd angle from the hoods. No problem with the actual braking power though, the Veloce brakes stops us very quickly when needed!
The gears:
Again quite a big departure from my Trek! I had no problem using the right lever, and the option to drop two cogs at a time is handy. The only thing is I have a bit of trouble dropping gears while braking (when stopping at a red light for example). The left lever (controlling the 50/34 compact crankset) is more problematic to me, first because you have to push the lever all the way to switch to the big chainring (I find it a bit difficult). But especially because I don't know when to use it! There is a big gap between the two chainrings so when I switch to the big one, I have to mess up with the cogs for some time before coming back to a reasonable cadence. I ended up spending nearly all my time on the small ring (it was in London's streets, and I hardly went faster than 20mph), do you guys have some advices on a good shifting pattern?
On the road the gears are fine, the ratios are very close so it's easy to find the right gear for the situation (compared to the MTB style gears on my hybrid). The shifting is very quick and neat as well of course.
On the (small) hills, the gears are nowhere as low as on an hybrid but it's a real pleasure to get out of the saddle and climb the hills hardly slowing down, the bike is sooo light! (I tend to stay sit and spin a low gear on the heavy hybrid).
The comfort:
Another big surprise to me: she is not the bone shaker I had anticipated, actually she is quite comfortable even on London's potholed roads! Of course you have to be much more careful of potholes and other bad surface patches than on a (suspension) hybrid but the ride is really nice.
The saddle (Fizik Aliante) is also a pleasant surprise to my bum, they seem to be a good match!
Well, I'm delighted with my new bike and while I'm not fully confident on her yet (I actually ride much slower than on my hybrid
), I can wait having some serious fun with her 
So thank you all for helping me getting up to speed with all this bike knowledge, and I'm still looking forward for your expert advices!
BTW, she has no name yet, but check out the gallery for the christening party photos very soon!!
I have just got my first proper road bike and as I found a lot of the inspiration and advices to buy it in this forum, I want to share my first though about it with you!
So after weeks of reading posts here, going to tens of bike shops, googling and test riding a few bikes, I finally got a brand new Bianchi 928 Carbon! She has a full Campagnolo Veloce gruppo and Khamsin wheels.
So here are my very first impressions after just 20 miles or so. Please keep in mind it is not a proper review as I don't have anything close to compare it with, my previous bike was a Trek 7200 hybrid!
The look:
I think it is probably the most beautiful bike I have ever seen, honest! Obviously it depends on taste and the 928 is quite different from most other road bikes with its curved tubes and its massive looking head tube, so some people might find it ugly but I love her!
The ride:
As soon as I get on the road I was amazed how lively the bike was, in the first two miles I would have said how unstable it was! I have some trouble keeping a straight line if I don't concentrate enough. On the other hand it's so easy to do quick turns to avoid a pothole for example, you just have to think about it and the bike is 2 feet on the left. I think I still need to tame her a bit before being able to ride in a group or something but she's definitively a fun bike!
The accelerations are impressive, when you suddenly push hard on the pedals, you can immediately feel the acceleration force on your body, quite a departure from a sluggish hybrid! I really enjoy it and spend some time cruising slowly and accelerating hard dozens of times in a row yesterday night.
The position:
It's my first dropped bar bike so I still need to be used to the position but it feels quite comfortable. The only issue I have is with my hands when on the hoods, I apply quite a strong pressure on them and they become a bit uncomfortable after 5 miles or so.
I find braking a bit less easy than on a flat handlebar as well, you have to apply a strong pressure with only two fingers at an odd angle from the hoods. No problem with the actual braking power though, the Veloce brakes stops us very quickly when needed!
The gears:
Again quite a big departure from my Trek! I had no problem using the right lever, and the option to drop two cogs at a time is handy. The only thing is I have a bit of trouble dropping gears while braking (when stopping at a red light for example). The left lever (controlling the 50/34 compact crankset) is more problematic to me, first because you have to push the lever all the way to switch to the big chainring (I find it a bit difficult). But especially because I don't know when to use it! There is a big gap between the two chainrings so when I switch to the big one, I have to mess up with the cogs for some time before coming back to a reasonable cadence. I ended up spending nearly all my time on the small ring (it was in London's streets, and I hardly went faster than 20mph), do you guys have some advices on a good shifting pattern?
On the road the gears are fine, the ratios are very close so it's easy to find the right gear for the situation (compared to the MTB style gears on my hybrid). The shifting is very quick and neat as well of course.
On the (small) hills, the gears are nowhere as low as on an hybrid but it's a real pleasure to get out of the saddle and climb the hills hardly slowing down, the bike is sooo light! (I tend to stay sit and spin a low gear on the heavy hybrid).
The comfort:
Another big surprise to me: she is not the bone shaker I had anticipated, actually she is quite comfortable even on London's potholed roads! Of course you have to be much more careful of potholes and other bad surface patches than on a (suspension) hybrid but the ride is really nice.
The saddle (Fizik Aliante) is also a pleasant surprise to my bum, they seem to be a good match!
Well, I'm delighted with my new bike and while I'm not fully confident on her yet (I actually ride much slower than on my hybrid
), I can wait having some serious fun with her So thank you all for helping me getting up to speed with all this bike knowledge, and I'm still looking forward for your expert advices!
BTW, she has no name yet, but check out the gallery for the christening party photos very soon!!
You either love the looks or hate them!
), I can wait having some serious fun with her 
