Road, Gravel, & Mountain - XL-Size Cycling

  Road bike saddles are subjective.  Tons of factors impact  comfort -- w eight, height, body proportions, tailbone structure, fitness level, style of riding, bike frame, fit, geometry, wheels, tire size / pressure, etc.   Even small changes in a saddle angle, position, and seatpost height can turn the best riding saddle into the worst and visa versa.    To provide an objective comparison, I tested three 3D-printed saddles on the same bike with the same wheels, tires, and fit.  Here are the parameters: Rider weight: 230 lbs (approx.104 kg) Rider flexibility: average Miles per year: 5,000 Climbing per year: 300,000 ft Bike: Pinarello Dogma F12 Disc Wheels: Zipp 404 Firecrest  Tires: Schwalbe Pro One Evo 28mm tubeless - 65-70 psi Test terrain: Mixed - from very smooth to decent asphalt to severely broken asphalt to gravel to offroad / double track MTB road  All four saddles took a good amount of road vibrations out and made the road smoother - akin to what a good carbon frame does ve

I could have written yet another review on how great and dividing F12 looks, analyzing the curves, and comparing its aerodynamics and characteristics to other bikes.   But that has been done many times already.   Instead, I ma going to write about my impressions from a recent Gran Fondo, especially since I have ridden 4,000 miles on this bike at this point. So here we go.  I am an XL rider, weighing 230 lbs.  And here is my story. April 9, 2022.  Sea Otter Classic 2022.  GranFondo Carmelo.  Mile 24 of 92.  I have been riding for a little over an hour.  After a slow mass start, I have been passing most of people on my way.  I don't feel tired a bit.  It almost feels like the bike is riding itself.  It is not the lightest bike, but the aero and asymmetric design helps the bike to slice through the wind.  Every bit of my effort seems to go into the forward motion.  The first rest stop is coming up.  I reflect for a moment.  3 years ago, I did the same ride on a 2018 Specialized Roubai

Summary: This XL rider says Zipp 303 Firecrest DB wheels are great.  They are smooth and light, but can be tricky to set up for a large rider.  With these wheels, the tire width and PSI can really separate an amazingly smooth ride from barely tolerable one.  Finally, it takes time to figure out the right spin cadence.  Once you do, these wheels hold speed really well and roll pretty effortlessly. Positives: Light.  Stop and go made easy.  They take off and accelerate fast. Climbs well.  Great for climbing in terms of speed, stiffness, ease of pedaling and to a degree comfort. Love the hub sound.   It is nice and loud, but not obnoxious. Smooth.  Amazingly smooth ride with 30mm TL Schwalbe Pro One tires at recommended pressure of 62 PSI for rear and 55 for front for my weight.  Get them 5 or 10 PSI higher and the ride is pretty harsh. Stable: Barely gets affected by wind Neutrals: Looks good, but not great.   The graphics don't really stand out, like some of Campagnolo, Zipp, Enve

Third Fourth time is the charm.  After trying three different Roubaix models over the last 5 years, I finally found the one I really like. 2018 Specialized S-Works Roubaix has become my favorite bike.  It has a perfect balance between speed and comfort.  It is very easy to live with.  It goes fast when you push it.  It feels very light.  It is to get going.  It rolls nicely when you want to go slow.  It climbs well without punishing you.  It descends really nicely too. Compare Roubaix with my Pinarello Dogma K8s Disc.  Pinarello is more aerodynamic.  It absolutely flies when pushed.  It descends with unmatched precision.  It feels like a race bike.  However, it fights you when want to go slow.  It is harder to get going in a more comfortable tempo.  It begs you to go fast,  which is good for many days, but if you want alternating paces, Roubaix is clearly the bike of choice! My 2018 S-Works Roubaix has Shimano Ultegra Di2 8070 groupset with Roval SLX 24 wheels.  It took me

Final days of 2019.  It was a pretty good cycling year.  I ended up with 3,673 miles, 218,000 feet of climbing, a couple of record climbing months, a couple of centuries, some really good family rides, and a completely new set of bikes. The year started with a promise and a new mountain bike.  But things turned out to be much more hectic and busy than I expected in the beginning of the year. There was not enough time for MTB, including riding, cleaning, maintaining, finding, exploring and really enjoying the sport. So I ended up selling the bike.  It was a bummer, but I figured I will pick up MTB sometime in the future when I have more time. I also struggled a little with indoor cycling.  I tried UpCycle and did not enjoy it at all.  It felt artificial and very much not like the feeling of freedom associated with outdoor cycling.  However, Zwift turned out to be a good friend. My road bike stable has completely changed in 2019. I got my first and second Pinarello Dogmas at

230 lbs puts a lot of stress on the bike and all of its parts, especially wheelsets.  Riding experience of a lighter cyclist, say 150 lbs, is going to be very different from a heavier one, so I always take reviews with a grain of salt. Here is my review on two wheelsets -- 2019 Campagnolo Zonda C17 and 2019 Roval SLX24 with DT Swiss 350 hubs.  There is also a mention of Fulcrum Carbon Zero wheelset which my bike was originally equipped with. Test Equipment: Bike:               2015/16 Pinarello Dogma K8s Group:            Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed Saddle:            Specialized Romin Evo Pro 168mm Handlebar:    Pinarello MOST Aluminum Tire Set 1:      Continental 4 Seasons Grand Prix 28mm Tire Set 2 :     Vittoria Corsa Control G+ 28mm Miles logged: Fulcum Carbon Zero - 200 miles 2019 Campagnolo Zonda C17 - 1,100 miles 2019 Roval SLX24 - 200 miles Overall Experience Campagnolo Zondas are fast and smooth. It is easy to accelerate on them.  They climb reall