Ready to go. Car for scale. You can see how tiny this bike really is.
Climbing
This bike is heavy, weighing 8.2 kg. The deep wheels and heavy Rival AXS group contribute to the weight, but the bike is well-balanced and climbs decently. It's stiff out of the saddle, allowing you to focus on the effort. However, it's no Aethos.
Flats and Sprinting
The bike's aggressive fit compares favorably to Remco Evenpoel's 2022 Specialized Tarmac SL7. Its aero hoods position and semi-aero design elements help it excel on flats and in sprints. The low trail design and specific wheels keep it stable in windy conditions, even with the narrow bars.
Descending
This bike is an exceptional descender, offering perfect balance and razor-sharp handling for increased cornering confidence. The wider, lower-pressure tires provide excellent grip. This impressive performance is not surprising, given the bike's geometry.
Gravel and Bad Roads
Designed for a minimum of 28mm tires, this bike performs well on bad roads and short gravel sections. While 32mm tires are a tight fit, 30mm tires fit easily, providing much more comfort compared to the 23mm-25mm tires of the past.
Conclusions
This design achieved its objectives in the first version, and although commercialization is unlikely, it's an amazing bike for those with the flexibility and strength to ride it. The tradeoffs may only work for a narrow subset of the population, but if you think that's you, I'd be happy to chat and share more details about this design.
