Introducing Feronia

[Triskeliongirl]

My bike, too, is mostly 853 Reynolds steel. Don't know if it's the couplers or the geo or both, but it feels and rides really stiffly - nice!

I am starting to think its the reynolds 853 steel. I took Feronia out on another club ride today, and she really flew. Todays ride was flatter, so of course less influenced by bike weight. Again, I took off ahead of the gals I usually ride with, passed a couple guys who usually ride ahead of me and both commented that they couldn't believe how fast my new bike was, again given she is 100% steel (one on his new cannondale carbon synapse). Then I started drafting off a couple thin thirtysomething guys (european on carbon bikes), but then I got cocky, I was resting so nicely in their draft instead of just taking a pull like I should of I shot off the front, thinking they were holding me back, but then I tuckered myself out and they passed me, but again I caught some faster guys and, get this, got to the rest stop before the fastest group of men had even left yet. This never ever happens to me. One of my friends who always rides with the fastest men had just bought a new tandem to ride with his son, and his son was tired and didn't feel like keeping pace with the fast men, so we decided to ride back in together. I am used to always wheel sucking, but we start off and they are drafting off me! Then his son kept trying to talk to me so when the wind died down we just rode side by side and chatted. Then when the wind kicked up again I drafted off them which was really nice. I made a personal best time on this ride finished with the moderate paced men (not the fastest men, but the ones who look like they should be fast but for some reason don't try to be). But, how can this be, that my steel bike which weighs 1.5 lb more than my titanium bike is faster? The geometry is the same, size is slightly different. I really think the stiffness of the reynolds 853 steel is part of it. It may also be that I was in 'time trial mode' going out there wanting to see what this bike could do. It also may be the different gearing. I had the 11/34 vs the 12/27 on. This worked great on this flatter ride, cuz I just stayed in the big ring the entire time, rather than having to down shift when it did get a little hilly. The other weird thing is that my body felt more comfortable (even though part of the road was worse than chipseal) than on my ti bike with carbon fork. I did measure everything after and realized my bars are just a tiny bit higher on the new bike, but could just a 1 cm longer top tube and 1 cm shorter stem actually make me better balanced on the bike? I'll play with making my old bike match the new one now in terms of bar height and gearing and see. But what a surprise to find out what a joy reynolds 853 steel is to ride.

[KayTee]

You go, T-girl! Ain't it nice when we can fly by the shaved-leg boys on a steel bike? I have both a ti bike and an alu/cf bike, and I swear the 853 steel one climbs and accelerates better. It just feels so tight. Of course the wheels and set-up make a difference, as does the gearing as you suggest.