Winnershsaint
Guru
Went out for around two hours on Sunday on my new Ridley Excalibur Flandrien, so I’d like offer a few first impressions.
I’ve gone from Shimano to Campagnolo, from 9 speed triple which I have become very familiar with to a 10 speed compact. It took me a while to get used to the shifting on the Excalibur which operates differently from the Cube. It’s probably too early to comment objectively about the different shifting mechanisms apart from to say that I like the capacity to pull the Campy levers back without shifting and hold them in my hands while on the drops and quite like the button shift . Personally I have found the Tiagra shifters when shifting up using the front mech a bit of a strain and stretch. I have small hands anyway and what I think is carpal tunnel syndrome so working the Tiagra shifters with my left hand has been uncomfortable and occasionally painful. A lot of time I rode in the middle ring on the Cube in all but the highest gear, so with the compact the most notable difference is that I am riding on the larger ring more than I am used to. That said I had no problem finding comparable gears on the compact, although on a couple of hills I found myself too low on one and too high on another. I am sure I will get used to it in time.
As far as the ride of the Excalibur is concerned there really was less noticeable road buzz throughout, however where it was most noticeable when going over a speed reducing device which is commonly used going into and out of local villages. The short stretches of corrugated pink tarmac can be felt not just through your arms but legs as well on the Cube. Although this wasn’t reduced completely by the Excalibur it would be accurate to say that I felt little more than a bit of vibration through the frame. Obviously more miles are needed to assess the full scope of the bike, but first impressions are very promising.
I’ve gone from Shimano to Campagnolo, from 9 speed triple which I have become very familiar with to a 10 speed compact. It took me a while to get used to the shifting on the Excalibur which operates differently from the Cube. It’s probably too early to comment objectively about the different shifting mechanisms apart from to say that I like the capacity to pull the Campy levers back without shifting and hold them in my hands while on the drops and quite like the button shift . Personally I have found the Tiagra shifters when shifting up using the front mech a bit of a strain and stretch. I have small hands anyway and what I think is carpal tunnel syndrome so working the Tiagra shifters with my left hand has been uncomfortable and occasionally painful. A lot of time I rode in the middle ring on the Cube in all but the highest gear, so with the compact the most notable difference is that I am riding on the larger ring more than I am used to. That said I had no problem finding comparable gears on the compact, although on a couple of hills I found myself too low on one and too high on another. I am sure I will get used to it in time.
As far as the ride of the Excalibur is concerned there really was less noticeable road buzz throughout, however where it was most noticeable when going over a speed reducing device which is commonly used going into and out of local villages. The short stretches of corrugated pink tarmac can be felt not just through your arms but legs as well on the Cube. Although this wasn’t reduced completely by the Excalibur it would be accurate to say that I felt little more than a bit of vibration through the frame. Obviously more miles are needed to assess the full scope of the bike, but first impressions are very promising.
