Scott Addict R2 – First Ride
My new bike arrived on Tuesday from Bike Treks in Ambleside. They were really good with the order, it arrived on time in good condition and they kept me up to date with the order throughout the process. Top Marks!
Scott Addict R2
I spent Wednesday morning setting it up, putting 0n pedals, aero bars, water bottle cage and getting the saddle and bars adjusted to my preferred settings. The sun was out, my broadband wasn’t working so there was only one thing left to do, and that was get out and ride it. Although, I did weigh it first as weight in the world of bikes is everything. It was 7.1kg without the pedals and aero bars, 7.8 kg with them.
I then set off in pretty windy conditions on my ‘Borth Loop’ that goes from Ynyslas, into Tre Ddol, through Talybont, Llandre, Borth and back to Ynyslas. It’s about 14 miles in total. The bike felt good, comfortable and very stiff, especially when out of the saddle stomping on the pedals, there’s just no give in the frame so it lurches forward with every pedal stroke. Every thing was working smoothly and it’s a joy to ride. Although, in the cross winds you can really feel the flat bladed spokes of the Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels catching the wind. The bike just delivers everything you ask of it, unfortunately I’m not able to ask that much of it yet, but hopefully I’ll improve if I ride it lots this year.
I wasn’t going flat out as I was just getting a feel for the bike and the strong winds were a bit of a hindrance too, so my time wasn’t great. In fact it was the slowest I’ve ever done it in (45:18). Even my first ride out in about 20 years on my old bike (this time last year) was a couple of minutes faster. I’m sure the old bike can’t really be faster though as this one is lighter, stiffer and in better working condition. The old one was a bit of a liability out on the open road so did need replacing, although the bearings in the hubs still amaze me as the wheels will spin and spin and spin – They don’t make them like they used to!
Hopefully, on my next ride I’ll have everything set up a bit better, there will be less wind and I’ll be able to go for it a bit more. I hope to be setting some personal bests on all my favourite courses soon.
