Syd’s road bike

Syd asked me to build him a fast road bike suitable for racing, but also able to handle some light gravel. So we designed around 28mm tires, but there is clearance for up to 32mm. Up front is a US-made carbon fork from Allied, with a custom EC headset to mate it to the frame without needing an oversize headtube.

The tubing is a mixture of Columbus Life and custom 4130, with Syntace dropouts and minimalist flat mount disc bosses. There is internal routing for the rear brake hose and the Di2 wires.

Finishing kit is from Enve, with a full Shimano Ultegra Di2 groupset. Paint by Colorworks and the final weight came in at 16.9lbs.

As far as my expectations, I was expecting a more comfortable ride than my carbon racing bikes, which is very true. What I wasn’t expecting was how responsive the bike was under power. I have a bike trail close by that simulates our local racing and I didn’t feel a single watt wasted at all! Just smooth power transfer. The geometry is spot on as well, I feel I’m on top of pedals for a fast cadence, and while the cockpit is set slightly higher than my Dogma, it’s what I want for extended climbs.

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