Chinese Frame Chinarello (Fake Pinarello) Build and Review Part 3 - First Ride 60km Commute

INTRODUCTION

This is a series:
- Part 1 - Unboxing - http://mycyclingjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/chinarello-build-part-1-unboxing.html
- Part 2 - Build Experience - http://mycyclingjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/chinarello-build-part-2-build.html

So finally I get my legs pedaling my Chinarello! YEAH! The ride today was commuting from home to work ~60km. The road condition was 30% smooth and 70% rough. There were few climbs along the way and some were as high as 8-11% but very short. Elevation gain is about 272m. Check my Strava and Garmin Connect profile:
http://app.strava.com/activities/33303447
http://connect.garmin.com/profile/tommysegoro

Basically I'm not a strong rider. I have improved though since I wrote my other blog articles and I was able to do about 30-35kmh flats today.

Before I go into the actual review, below are some pictures of the weight of my Chinarello vs S-Works Roubaix SL3 2011:

Chinarello without pedals

Chinarello with pedals Shimano MTB XTR M980

Roubaix S-Works with pedal, cheapo MTB pedals

REVIEW
So here it is. I'm a technical IT guy so I may not be good in writing long articles but rather straight to the point.

Before I even write anything let me just summarize my initial impression for today: IT'S AMAZING! I'm not sure if I will ever buy the real thing from this moment on. Seriously guys comparing to my Roubaix S-Works, I will choose my Chinarello at any day. But anyway, let me explain.

Rolling
Let me tell you, this bike just rolls a lot better than my Roubaix! It's a lot more stable and what's crazy about it, it cuts through yaw and headwind a lot better. At lower speed surely it feels probably the same but by the time I pushed my pedal...man.....this bike truly flies. It may be due to the wheels? Mind you my Roubaix S-Works is using Mavic R-SYS SL which has really bad wind drag.

Anyway, I rode a lot quicker today. In Perth, WA after 12PM the wind is just a lot more crazy than in the morning. In the morning wind speed is about 10-20kmh while in the afternoon it goes up to 30-35kmh. In both occasion (to and from work), I rode quicker than usual and the bike just felt so awesome.

Accelerating
Accelerating is definitely a lot better than my Roubaix. My Roubaix - in car turbo-diesel engine term - has this "turbo-lag". But not my Chinarello! If you have the legs, you push it and the bike just accelerates.

Cornering
A lot more confident, a lot more stable compared to my Roubaix S-Works. The bike just went to whichever direction you point it to. My Roubaix feels a bit more twitchy and less stable.

Climbing
Climbing also felt better on my Chinarello. Yes my Roubaix feels a little bit lighter but like I said, I can accelerate a lot better on my Chinarello. I would probably say for a really long climb your body may benefit a bit more from the Roubaix but for short few-hundred-meter climb, I will go with my Chinarello at any day. Again, it's the acceleration strength of the Chinarello that helps me climbing faster.

Going Down Hill
Again, my Chinarello felt a lot more stable than my Roubaix. My Roubaix is very twitchy. With my Roubaix I always have to hit the brakes because I'm afraid that it will skid or lose balance (although I know it won't happen - it's just that feeling of being unstable, you know).

Standing
Now, when standing I will choose my Roubaix. My Chinarello felt a bit dull when I stood and tried to push the bike. I felt that somehow my power was "consumed" and "dampened". Sitting down however, was different. Therefore, if I want to push, I will sit down instead. I'm not sure how this will work upon sprinting though?

Comfort and Geometry
The geometry is a racing geometry. I was a bit nervous that I would have neck or back pain after I arrived at home today since I carry ~10kg backpack (containing laptop, charger, clothes, etc). But surprisingly enough I didn't! I arrived at home as healthy as can be. Tomorrow I will be doing a 100km ride and I will find out the true comfort level of the bike. But if I speak purely from my experience today, I had no problem with my Chinarello.

On transferring road buzz, my Chinarello was only transferring a little bit more (and I literally mean: a little bit) of the road buzz compared to my Roubaix. But like I said, it was not to the point which I felt uncomfortable at any stage of the ride.

Maybe my Chinarello Carbon Wheels helped?

Groupset
My Roubaix S-Works runs Dura-Ace 7900 and my Chinarello runs SRAM Red Black 2012. It was my first time using a SRAM double-shift mechanism so I still need to get myself used to? At this stage I still prefer my Dura-Ace.

I need to re-adjust the rear deraileurs I think because it missed shifts quiet many times today. The SRAM Red felt smooth but it's still brand new, so surely it's smooth. I'll report further when I'm one month into it.

Wheels
My Chinarello Carbon Wheels just piss over my Mavic R-SYS SL. It cuts wind better, it's more stable, it's stiffer, it's more alive. What else do you need?

CONCLUSION
So like I mentioned earlier, I would choose my Chinarello at any day compared to my Roubaix. Again this is only an initial impression but it was a good one. I still remembered when I first rode my Roubaix, other than the geometry, none of it was impressive. But my Chinarello was different. My Strava result for today speaks for itself.

Man, I can't keep talking about it....I will keep raving about it because it's that good!

Will I ever buy a real thing? Well if I have the money I would ....but otherwise, I won't! It's THAT GOOD! OMG...I love my new bike!