UPDATED February 24, 2012

BY The TDA Team

IN Tour d'Afrique

no comments

UPDATED February 24, 2012

BY The TDA Team

IN Tour d'Afrique

no comments

Cinelli Test Ride

Tour mechanic, Douglas Percival set a new staff record for the Blue Nile Gorge time trial when he completed the epic 20km climb in 1:24:30, finishing third overall.

He reports back on taking on one of the toughest sections of the tour on one the custom-made Cinelli TdA bikes.

Riding the large Cinelli Cyclocross bike on an uphill time trial was a good experience.

I removed the knobbly tyres for the race and replaced them with some Schwalbe slicks. I am 6ft2 so found I have to ride the seat post almost above the maximum mark. The 120mm stem allows for a comfortable reach to the bars. A larger width bar like a 31.8mm could possibly be comfier on the hands and perhaps a wider bar too.

The frame is super stiff which I enjoy. When you stand during a climb or in a spring there is no rear end flex when under power. Many times I’ve ridden aluminium frames and had trouble with flex so this was a nice surprise. The frame has a steep head tube angle which was great for the climb. Descending and when standing and sprinting whilst holding in the drops is twitchy at times (perhaps a wider bar would also improve that).

For general cruising on the flats and rolling hills the wheels were great, they roll well and are a good weight – they are not carbon light but strong and do not flex either.

Sadly there is only one water bottle cage mount – two would be good especially when wanting to tour with this bike. All the components are midrange which as a bike mechanic I feel is a good choice. They’re slightly heavier than top end equipment but reliable and easy to service and that’s what you need when on the road away from the luxuries of a bike shop and the perfect workshop.

All-round it’s a great ride capable of doing different terrains and proving to be very reliable.

   — Douglas Percival

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