Sublime Zoku- Review

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rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
Back in mid-July I purchased a new road bike, a Sublime Zoku. Sublime are a small company, local to Bristol, who specialise in custom build bikes (colour, groupset, wheels, etc. A bit like Ribble and Planet X). The bike I purchased was originally ordered by someone else, who decided it wasn't for her. It had never been ridden. So I picked it up at a steal of price. I figure after putting over 1200 miles on it, I should give it a review.

The bike:
45cm carbon frame in a red, black, and green colour scheme. It's an aero frame, which I was initially worried about, but after the test ride (20 miles), the worry went away. It is an incredibly comfortable ride. It has a complete 105 groupset (50/34 and 11-28) with rim brakes. The bottom bracket is a BB86. All the cabling is internal, and is DI2 ready should I ever decide to go in that direction. The finishing kit is a Deda Zero. It came with Shimano RS010 wheels and Vittoria Zaffiro tyres. I swapped out the tyres almost immediately to rubino pros, and once winter is over, I will be upgrading the wheelset (with the RS010 going on my other bike) to a carbon wheelset. It came with shimano M530 pedals, and I'm toying with the idea of swapping them out to SPD-SLs. I'm using a cheap and cheerful selle italia lady flow x1 saddle. I don't seem to have any issues with it, even though it cost £10 (the bike came with a fizik tri vitesse which I found very uncomfortable after about a month) It is a fairly light bike, coming in at about 7-7.5kgs. It is about 2kgs lighter than my specialized dolce.

As I said, the ride is incredibly comfortable, even though it is an aero frame. I am more stretched out than on the dolce, but it hasn't caused me any issues. I had to get used to how the bike handles at high speeds (mainly downhill) as it is a bit twitchier, but it didn't take too long. Maybe a ride or 2. Speaking of speeds, it is quick, for me anyway. I find it easier to get up to speed, and maintain speed on the flats. Although that could also be me getting stronger. My dolce just feels sluggish in comparison. It is a smooth and responsive ride as well.

Climbing
Initially, I thought I was going to have to shell out for an 11-32 cassette and rear derailleur, as I am not the best climber. However, before doing so, I thought I would give the 11-28 a chance. It was, after all, a lighter bike. I am glad I didn't spend the money and change it right away, as I had no need to. Shortly after getting the Zoku, I climbed Burrington Combe, posting my fastest time to date, as well as my fastest time up Chew Hill. I also smashed my fastest time up to the top of the hill at work. I have yet to attempt Cheddar on it, but hopefully soon.
It is a decent climbing bike, stiff in the right places.

Overall, the Zoku is just fun to ride. I don't have a lot of experience with different bikes, however, I wouldn't trade this one. There aren't a lot out of them out there, which I like.
 
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