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David Bentley
Jan 19, 08 - 10:51 AM |
Esprit Frame
I thought I'd just post a message on the forum after my trip from Leicester to East Sussex a few days ago to get measured up for an Esprit Frame. I have a carbon framed Colnago which is nice, but I do worry about coming off and damaging the carbon - all the manufacturers recommend having their carbon frames checked out after a crash, but as the damage can be miscroscopic and can weaken a carbon frame severely, resulting in complete failure I find it difficult to see how sure one can be that everything is OK. A friend of mine recently had a sudden crack appear in a newish Argon carbon frame where the chainstay meets the bottom bracket without ever having a knock or a crash and the frame had to be replaced under warranty and the new frame suffers from speed wobble! I decided that I should invest in a good, all-titanium bike that would never corrode and not give me sleepless nights if I ever had a fall or a crash. I'm a weekend and midweek warrior and enter a few cyclosportives in the summer. I've also had a few problems recently with a bit of mild sciatic pain in my left thigh and rear knee after a long ride and I wanted to make sure I had a perfect fit with my bike. The Esprit looked like it would fit the bill. Mark at lunchtime on the 16th and was given a very warm welcome. Within falf an hour I was taking a bike out for a 40 minute test ride through the lovely hilly lanes of East Sussex and what impressed me immediately was how the frame seems to smooth out all the bumps but at the same time is stiff and very responsive. This is a very comfortable ride and comfort is important if you're entering 100 mile sportives. After a sandwich (thanks Jim) Mark measured me up and also had a look at the set up on the Colnago I brought with me. Fisrtly I found out that my inside leg measurement is 2.8cm longer than I thought ( I'd used a book up into my crotch standing against the wall and Mark used a sliding bar under pressure).Mark entered the figures onto the computer and then I went on to the rig where fine tuning was done to work out my perfect frame size and fit. It was during this test that it was discovered that my left upper leg appeared to be longer than the right by 15mm!-- this was interesting- it may have some bearing on why I am suffering with this sciatic pain. (told this to my physio a couple of days later and we think its due to decreased mobility in my pelvis on one side) After all the fine tuning was done it turned out that my ideal frame size was the stock L frame so I would be getting my frame much sooner than anticipated! (no wait for a bespoke frame to be made). After a 4hr 15m drive back to Leicester (ouch!) I checked out the web site again to see the measurements for the L size Esprit frame,but didn't scroll down to the bottom to check that the seat tube sizes quoted are centre to top and not centre to centre (Esprit size L is 60cm c-t and my Colnago is 56 c-c. I was a little concerned about the large difference, but Jim and Mark quickly put my mind at ease. The frame arrived yesterday together with the lovely Deda Zero stem, Deda Newton bars and Reynolds Ouzo forks and seatpost that I purchased at the same time. I've got a SRAM force groupset that I purchased from the USA (Saved some money there!) which I'm going to fit to the bike in the next few weeks. I can't wait to get out on it and I can see it being ridden much more than my Colnago. Many thanks to Jim and Mark for a fantastic sevice -- it was great to speak to a couple of really nice guys as I have found the one shop I use in Leicester to be lacking in the friendly service department with a very superior, "we know beter than you" attitude. Once built up, I'll post some photos. |
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