feedback on rose carbon bikes needed

Konkers

Folks, seriously thinking of buying this but want some feedback from people who own a carbon rose bike. Spec and price are excellent.

http://www.roseversand.com/article/rose-carbon-pro-sl-2000-compact-532213/aid:583040

Will be using it for sportives and training (no racing). Over the nicer months (March to Oct) I could do about 150 or 200K's per week. Comfort and durability are important. It will be my first carbon bike. Have read all threads that mention "Rose Bike" and very few of you who own a rose baike have provided a review.

Are they too stiff for what I will use it for?

My current bike is a 5/6 year lapierre S-tech 200 (entry level aluminium frame with carbon forks). I'd be sore after a long spin.

Any advice on fit would be helpful also.........

fat bloke

Is that really full carbon and 105 for 1300 quid???

Good deal!

Konkers

yeah yeah. SSSHHHHH!:D

codie

I very nearly took the plunge with a RS model last year.Researched as much as I could have and yes any reviews say they are really stiff and have the geometry of a race bike.Head tube is fairly low.Maybe for sportives and long spins it might not be ideal .If you are sore with your Lapierre good chance You could be fairly sore but then it all depends at what kind of level you are at and what kind of shape you are in .As far as size you dont give your height or anything.

AtomMcC

Hi there.
I took the same plunge June last year and bought myself a Rose carbon bike. I'd previously owned a 20 year old steel framed racer so it was a massive step up in terms of performance and comfort.
See my review here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056637822
I really liked their prices and the fact that you could configure the bike to your taste.
Size wise, I had the same concern as you. I used the Competitive Cyclist bike fit Calculator and the bike fit like a glove. See link below:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
Quality wise, I had an initial concern about the rear derailleur hanger but Rose's response was great and they sorted it out for me.
Delivery wise, they gave me an expected lead time which was basically the time the assembly started so you'd need to add a week for assembly and another week for delivery. What they told me at the time of purchase was pretty spot on.
Bottom line is that they make great bikes. I've used mine for local summer league racing and it performed very well. I also completed Tour of Meath, Tour of Waterford and Ring of Kerry cycles and it was not uncomfortable.
The frame I have is the Xeon which is a little different to the Carbon Pro. However I do know a guy who owns one and he loves it.
Hope this helps. If you need anything specific, let me know.

Konkers

AtomMcC wrote: »

Hi there.
I took the same plunge June last year and bought myself a Rose carbon bike. I'd previously owned a 20 year old steel framed racer so it was a massive step up in terms of performance and comfort.
See my review here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056637822
I really liked their prices and the fact that you could configure the bike to your taste.
Size wise, I had the same concern as you. I used the Competitive Cyclist bike fit Calculator and the bike fit like a glove. See link below:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
Quality wise, I had an initial concern about the rear derailleur hanger but Rose's response was great and they sorted it out for me.
Delivery wise, they gave me an expected lead time which was basically the time the assembly started so you'd need to add a week for assembly and another week for delivery. What they told me at the time of purchase was pretty spot on.
Bottom line is that they make great bikes. I've used mine for local summer league racing and it performed very well. I also completed Tour of Meath, Tour of Waterford and Ring of Kerry cycles and it was not uncomfortable.
The frame I have is the Xeon which is a little different to the Carbon Pro. However I do know a guy who owns one and he loves it.
Hope this helps. If you need anything specific, let me know.

Hi AtomMcC, thanks for reply. I'm pretty sure anything carbon will be more comfortable than my current bike. Reviews are all good. So you are 5'7 and you went for the 55. What inseam are you in cm. I'm 6foot plus or minus a cm and my inseam is 87cm so I am right on the boarder line between a 55 and a 57. My current bike has a 56.5 top tube (horizontal) and a 110 mm stem and a 42cm handle bar (centre left to centre right at the hoods). Based on your experience what would you recommend to me. In a canyon I'm coming out with a 58.

Could you pm me your number for a chat?

AtomMcC

Hi Konkers,
My inseam measurement is 82.5cm. The recommended seat tube (centre to centre) from competitive cyclist was 53-54cm. Rose bikes recommendation was 55cm. I went for the 55 but ordered a slightly shorter stem just in case.
PM sent

Paul Kiernan

It is a good deal, isn't it? Full 105 including crankset and brakes, Ksyrium wheels and GP4000s tyres. Considering you could pay twice that for a Trek and still get some crap components.

Plastik

Great spec bikes though a little lacking on the blingradar! I'll be pulling the trigger on a new bike later in the year and the Xeon CRS has phenomenal spec for price. From memory, 2.6k for full SRAM force on a 6.8kg frame with good wheels/tyres/finishing kit. Supposed to be very stiff.

Icyseanfitz

even has a set of mavics at that price :O some deal

happytramp

Plastik wrote: »

Great spec bikes though a little lacking on the blingradar! I'll be pulling the trigger on a new bike later in the year and the Xeon CRS has phenomenal spec for price. From memory, 2.6k for full SRAM force on a 6.8kg frame with good wheels/tyres/finishing kit. Supposed to be very stiff.

A friend of mine got this one (4400 model I believe). It's a fantastic machine.

Icyseanfitz

holy crap i like the look of this

Brian?

Never ridden one but they do get great reviews. I think comfort is all about fit and time on the bike.

If you do decide to go for one, I'd spend an extra 200 on full Ultegra. This is some price;

http://www.roseversand.com/article/rose-carbon-pro-sl-3000-compact-529368/aid:574983

Considering the groupset is about 700 on it's ow.

Icyseanfitz

amazing prices really, shows how much we are getting ripped off by the bigger lads who charge 2k for a frame alone

FrankGrimes

Am very interested to see the existing reviews and how this thread develops. I'm toying with the idea of getting a new bike for racing and, having not been in the market for 3/4 years, I've been quite surprised at how little 3k gets you in most places.

My ideal bike would be a frame that is plenty stiff and reasonably aerodynamic for racing and climbing but yet light enough for long climbs (e.g. those Felt frames look great for aero and stiffness but at a glance they just look like they've got extra mass as a result) while also being reasonably comfortable for long sportives (less of a priority, could use my existing bike for that). It would also have Di2, Dura Ace or Ultegra (doesn't seem to be any major difference?), carbon handlebars, and high quality components. I have wheels that I need (use Dura Ace C24s for most things - fantastic wheels) so amn't really pushed on wheels but I guess you have to buy them if buying a bike, could always sell them on.

I was beginning to think that hoping to get all of that for 3.5, max 4k was starting to look foolish, but with Rose it looks like it might well be doable. I've emailed them asking for a description of the differences between their different frames (e.g. there seem to be 5 different Xeon frames) and also as I got an error with the configurator. If you can get all the above with the added bonus of configuring the components (e.g. I'll likely need a shorter stem), that just makes it an even better deal.

Only real downside is that the frame colours look pretty basic, not enough bling for that kinda money, but I could live with that I guess! Will post back if I get the lowdown on the differences in the frames from them. Doubt I'd be ordering in the next month anyway.

mossym

how would people rate these versus canyon? much of a muchness?

Konkers

Think I'll fire away with this. Only thing is I cannot see where/how to configure the discounted model when putting the order through. Tried ringing earlier but their helpline was closed for the weekend. So I had to e-mail them. Will be Monday before I get a response. Very excited about this.


It's ok to say that........yeah?:pac:

AtomMcC

@ Konkers. Good luck with the purchase. Hopefully you hear back that you can configure it ok. I think everyone should be excited when they purchase their dream machine.

In terms of "bling" I had the same feelings. Would a relatively unknown brand be considered bland? All I can say is that everyone I spoke to had nothing but positive compliments about the looks of the bike.
The frame is as stiff as a poker so it's very responsive at climbing and sprinting. I've had it up to 58kph in local league race sprints, no doubt limited by the pilot.
I used the bike to get a silver medal in the Louth hill climb championships, with heavy cosmic carbones so it certainly is good at climbing. I'll have to wait to see how it holds up in open racing later in the year.
I don't mean to be singing my own praises here, I'm complimenting the fantastic engineering of the Rose bikes.
See photo below of Rose bike in action. Bling enough for me ...

route66

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Am very interested to see the existing reviews and how this thread develops. I'm toying with the idea of getting a new bike for racing and, having not been in the market for 3/4 years, I've been quite surprised at how little 3k gets you in most places.

My ideal bike would be a frame that is plenty stiff and reasonably aerodynamic for racing and climbing but yet light enough for long climbs (e.g. those Felt frames look great for aero and stiffness but at a glance they just look like they've got extra mass as a result) while also being reasonably comfortable for long sportives (less of a priority, could use my existing bike for that). It would also have Di2, Dura Ace or Ultegra (doesn't seem to be any major difference?), carbon handlebars, and high quality components. I have wheels that I need (use Dura Ace C24s for most things - fantastic wheels) so amn't really pushed on wheels but I guess you have to buy them if buying a bike, could always sell them on.

I was beginning to think that hoping to get all of that for 3.5, max 4k was starting to look foolish, but with Rose it looks like it might well be doable. I've emailed them asking for a description of the differences between their different frames (e.g. there seem to be 5 different Xeon frames) and also as I got an error with the configurator. If you can get all the above with the added bonus of configuring the components (e.g. I'll likely need a shorter stem), that just makes it an even better deal.

Only real downside is that the frame colours look pretty basic, not enough bling for that kinda money, but I could live with that I guess! Will post back if I get the lowdown on the differences in the frames from them. Doubt I'd be ordering in the next month anyway.

The catalogue details the differences between the various frames. Rose has a catalogue for just the bikes in their 2013 range. Their current main catalogue lists the 2012 range.

You can order it up (free) or have a look online: link. Road bike coverage starts on page 88

FrankGrimes

route66 wrote: »

The catalogue details the differences between the various frames. Rose has a catalogue for just the bikes in their 2013 range. Their current main catalogue lists the 2012 range.

You can order it up (free) or have a look online: link. Road bike coverage starts on page 88

Thanks for that, it does look like a very comprehensive range of frames. The differences between the ranges aren't that clearly called out, but I think I can see the main differences now, particularly the differences in grade of carbon with some being T30/T40 and some being T50/T60. Not sure if there's a big or small difference between the two grades, all seems to get good reviews.

I'm probably overlooking something but at the moment I can't seem to see the link for the configurator. Would be interested in playing around with different spec setups once I get that working.

Some of their lower end frames seem to come with nicer paint jobs than the higher end ones, which is a pity, though I think I saw it mentioned somewhere that the extra layers of paint add a few grams and maybe they want to pitch the higher end frames as being as light as possible.

AIR-AUSSIE

How do you get to the configure your own bike part of the website? Can't find it anymore

route66

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Thanks for that, it does look like a very comprehensive range of frames. The differences between the ranges aren't that clearly called out, but I think I can see the main differences now, particularly the differences in grade of carbon with some being T30/T40 and some being T50/T60. Not sure if there's a big or small difference between the two grades, all seems to get good reviews.

I'm probably overlooking something but at the moment I can't seem to see the link for the configurator. Would be interested in playing around with different spec setups once I get that working.

Some of their lower end frames seem to come with nicer paint jobs than the higher end ones, which is a pity, though I think I saw it mentioned somewhere that the extra layers of paint add a few grams and maybe they want to pitch the higher end frames as being as light as possible.

It looks like Rose aren't quite there yet with their 2013 range - indeed, the configurator as it existed before is no more. Instead, when you go into a particular bike page, there appears to be a facility to configure it - the usual tyres, wheels, etc - but when clicked, nothing happens. Hopefully they will get their act together, but in the meantime if you really want one, you could always email/call them.

mossym

some of the components can be configured, it seems there are some boxes with a magnifiying glass that do nothing. others have the wrench type icon, which do allow you to configure them. if you click on the link icyseanfitz posted above you can see what i mean

xbox gamer

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

How do you get to the configure your own bike part of the website? Can't find it anymore

I'm a bit disappointed that they've changed the system around a bit but you can still configure, just not as easy as before.

Go to Services at the top of the page, click My Bike (on left hand side) and there should be a box half way down the page that says My Bike (under the search function). A new configuration page should open after clicking this and a dream bike can be made

AIR-AUSSIE

I found it. There is a notice in German on the configurator that they are updating it at the moment. Probably updating it with the 2013 line.

mossym

think i might pull the plug on the 2012 crs-3100 this evening. was looking at the canyons but the rose seems to offer better gear for the price, and can't find anything that says the frames are very different.

only question now is what size, i ride a 58 felt at the moment, so need to measure and see if I'm a 57 or 59 in rose

xbox gamer

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

I found it. There is a notice in German on the configurator that they are updating it at the moment. Probably updating it with the 2013 line.

If you click on any of the bikes underneath, it opens a new page where you can configure the bike components for the bike itself.

route66

mossym wrote: »

some of the components can be configured, it seems there are some boxes with a magnifiying glass that do nothing. others have the wrench type icon, which do allow you to configure them. if you click on the link icyseanfitz posted above you can see what i mean

Disregard below - there is a new way (see above)

I dont think so. The "spanner" just allows you to select the groupset - double, standard, triple, etc - all other entries have the magnifying glass. When I click on these, I just get a blank "window" with nothing in it. Looks like a bug to me.

I thought it might be a browser thing but I've tried it on Firefox, Chrome and IE, both inside and outside a firewall - they are all the same.

On the old configurator, I could for example click on a particular area and - with options listed in alphabetic or price order - select what I wanted. For example, I recall there was an extensive list of options for wheels, saddles and posts, tyres, gearing, handlebars, etc, etc.

Kinda surprised the site is as it is - it's can't just be me who has spent some time using the configurator to arrive at my dream bike

route66

xbox gamer wrote: »

I'm a bit disappointed that they've changed the system around a bit but you can still configure, just not as easy as before.

Go to Services at the top of the page, click My Bike (on left hand side) and there should be a box half way down the page that says My Bike (under the search function). A new configuration page should open after clicking this and a dream bike can be made

Good find!

I can get it to work, but it's a bit clunky. Very much a Work-In-Progress at the moment I think

AtomMcC

I seen the same issue with the configurator last year. When clicked, it said "updating in progress" or something like that. Hopefully they'll have it sorted out soon.
I also noted that some models did not have the configurator option at all. I think an email might be best to find out what your options are.

MM80

Hey Konkers,
Any particular reason why you are going for a Rose over a Canyon, I'm just about to go ahead with a Canyon purchase (Ultimate CF SLX) .........
Anyone else's thoughts also welcome..
Thanks

FrankGrimes

They got back to me to say the configurator is being redesigned at the moment - I've asked if they have an ETA.

They recommended a Xeon CRS 3100 as the base frame to configure a solution for a bike with Di2 for 3.5-4k. As I look through the different frames, the CW Team looks the business and great for racing with top rigidity and good aero...and the price tag to go with it. Very tempting though. I've asked, out of curiosity at this point, for a quote for a CW Team frame with Ultegra Di2, carbon handlebars, and DuraAce C35 wheels. Also asked for a price without the wheels as I have enough wheels at the moment, will be interesting to see if they offer bikes with no wheels required, could be interesting.

Thought I'd share the list of frames I gathered from trawling through their catalogue to make it easy for others to gauge:

1.Aero Flyer - 2,990euro
2.Xeon CW Team (T40/60 carbon, aero) - 1,899euro / 940g
3.Xeon CW (T30/40 carbon, aero) - 1,599e / 1150g
4.Xeon X-lite (T40/60 carbon) - 1,699e / 850g
5.XEON CRS (T30/40carbon)- 1,499e / 970g
6.Carbon Pro RS (T30/40 carbon) - 1,299e / 1030g
7.XEON RS (alu frame, carbon fork) - 949e /1190g
8.Pro RS - (alu) 895e / 1250g
9.Xeon DX (alu, for disc brakes - city bike?) - 999e / 1310g

FrankGrimes

MM80 wrote: »

Hey Konkers,
Any particular reason why you are going for a Rose over a Canyon, I'm just about to go ahead with a Canyon purchase (Ultimate CF SLX) .........
Anyone else's thoughts also welcome..
Thanks

I had a quick look and at a glance it does seem that there's not all that much between Rose and Canyon, Canyon probably have a bit more exposure, seems to be plenty of reviews out there and on here for Canyons and they are very positive.

The Ultimate CF SLX looks fantastic and at 1,999e and 790g is a top notch frame. Personally, I'd probably go for the Rose CW Team as it'll be for racing and it looks well balanced between rigidity, aero, and weight. While I'm far from an expert, it does seem that at this level of quality, you're down to marginal differences. Enjoy whatever you go for!

mossym

MM80 wrote: »

Hey Konkers,
Any particular reason why you are going for a Rose over a Canyon, I'm just about to go ahead with a Canyon purchase (Ultimate CF SLX) .........
Anyone else's thoughts also welcome..
Thanks

i'm in the same boat, trying to decide on a bike with a ~3k budget. was set on a canyon until i saw the rose crs 3100, and am probably going to go that way becuase.

1) it had di2 on the 2012 model which comes in 600 lower than the ultegra equipped cf slx 7.0
2)canyon slx models look to be at least 3 to 4 months away from delivery.

on th downside, the crs3100 does seem to be heavier by 0.7kg, although the di2 does seem to be accounting for 0.3kg of that.

i've got an email in to rose to ask is it still possible to upgrade the wheels on the 2012 model even though the configurator is gone for them(it's there for 2013 models). that might sway me over the line if i can stilll upgrade to cosmics for 250

i was asking the same question as you though, were rose as good as canyon. never got a straight answer, but didn't find anything saying they were worse either.

AtomMcC

In terms of weight, I measured the Xeon CRS at 7.6kg on a digital bathroom scales.
That includes:
55cm frame, Ultegra Di2, Cosmic Carbone wheels, 3T carbon bars, 3T stem and Seat Post, Prologo Nago Evo Nack saddle.
Bottle cages, speedometer, pump, saddle bag were not included.
I was expecting lighter but I put it down to manufacturing tolerances and the wheels (I could not get any definite weight of them anywhere that included skewers)

Lumen

Last I heard Canyon had stopped selling forks, which means if you crash them and need replacement you need a new frameset, because Canyons (with the exception of the Roadlite, I believe) use a proprietary tapered steerer.

This is total bolloxology.

Konkers

MM80 wrote: »

Hey Konkers,
Any particular reason why you are going for a Rose over a Canyon, I'm just about to go ahead with a Canyon purchase (Ultimate CF SLX) .........
Anyone else's thoughts also welcome..
Thanks

so just sent the e-mail and ordered the bike. Couldn't do it online and make the changes I wanted.

To answer the question re conyon V rose for me it was down to price for bike. I want to give carbon a go and Canyon entry carbon was the ultimate CF with 105 and ksyrium equips for 1799. Savage bike by all accounts. But, Rose were offering a carbon frame with same parts for 1320.
Not even planet X could match it. Plus there were no bad reviews on the frame (have a bit of german).

Anyway, hoping the will reply with an order number so that I can make payment.

Pig in ****E>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

Thanks to AtomMcC BTW.

Konkers

BTW, if you want to get them to quote you for an alteration to bike they have online just mail them. They'll be back to you with a price in 24 hours.

seven stars

mossym wrote: »

i've got an email in to rose to ask is it still possible to upgrade the wheels on the 2012 model even though the configurator is gone for them(it's there for 2013 models). that might sway me over the line if i can stilll upgrade to cosmics for 250

I think you need to use their online web form if you want a response. I sent an email to an address I found on their site, but they didn't get back to me. I assumed they were just a bit ignorant, which is how I found Canyon to be. Then I tried their web form on the Rose site, and they got back to me more or less right away. Since then they've been excellent. The person I was dealing with couldn't have been more helpful. Great service, rapid delivery.

I was discussing Canyon's apparent lack of interest recently with a German friend. He puts it down to the fact that Canyon sell out of stock every year anyway, so they simply can't be arsed.

Icyseanfitz

canyons prices seem to have gone up a little as well, looking like rose is the next canyon, i really do like the look of that ROSE Xeon CW-4400

SWL

Great price for the spec, I am going to buy a 2012 Canyon AL for the same price, had hoped to get it 6 months ago but I was away with work and the money is burning a hole in my pocket, now looking at the rose, full carbon for the same price, surprised with the wheels, at that price I would have put Aksiums on it, not really a fan of Shimano but that can be fixed.

route66

Konkers wrote: »

so just sent the e-mail and ordered the bike. Couldn't do it online and make the changes I wanted.

To answer the question re conyon V rose for me it was down to price for bike. I want to give carbon a go and Canyon entry carbon was the ultimate CF with 105 and ksyrium equips for 1799. Savage bike by all accounts. But, Rose were offering a carbon frame with same parts for 1320.
Not even planet X could match it. Plus there were no bad reviews on the frame (have a bit of german).

Anyway, hoping the will reply with an order number so that I can make payment.

Pig in ****E>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

Thanks to AtomMcC BTW.

Well done, and well wear !!!

Be sure to come back and tell us how you get on - with loads of pics please!

mossym

got my answer from rose, can upgrade the wheels on the 2012 model, so they'll put a set of cosmic carbones on it still if i want.

only stumbling block is having bought a felt z95 as en entry bike to road biking only last summer, it does feel a bit nuts to be splurging on a full carbon already

route66

mossym wrote: »

got my answer from rose, can upgrade the wheels on the 2012 model, so they'll put a set of cosmic carbones on it still if i want.

only stumbling block is having bought a felt z95 as en entry bike to road biking only last summer, it does feel a bit nuts to be splurging on a full carbon already

The best justification for such a purchase is no justification at all - i.e. just cuz

However, if you need help, here's a few pointers to get you going:

• Felt are a known brand and your z95 will sell itself no problem
• The Rose is shinier that the Felt so you will use it more. This will help your fitness/race results/weight/health/general wellbeing (delete any not applicable)
• Rose are German engineered and assembled. Buying German products will help them to give us the money we need to run the country
• You are actually saving money because you are buying an end-of-line at a huge discount.

Those 2012 models won't stay around for ever. Go on - click reply on the email!

Oh, and as above, when you get it - loads of posts and pictures on how it's going

mossym

how could you argue with logic like that:)

mossym

route66 wrote: »

Oh, and as above, when you get it - loads of posts and pictures on how it's going

order placed...:)

FrankGrimes

Lumen wrote: »

Last I heard Canyon had stopped selling forks, which means if you crash them and need replacement you need a new frameset, because Canyons (with the exception of the Roadlite, I believe) use a proprietary tapered steerer.

This is total bolloxology.

That's helped seal the deal for Rose for me vs. Canyon. I haven't quite decided to definitely go for it yet (working through the justification phases at the moment!) but if I do, it'll be mainly for racing so being able to replace the forks if I crash is definitely something I'd at least like the option of.

Well, there's that and I also do just love the racy look of the Rose Xeon CW Team frame. The geometry looks a lot more racy than my 2008 PlanetX Carbon Pro SL, so would take a bit of adjusting to, but looks great for an aero position for racing. I was pondering about getting Di2 but the DuraAce pricing is crazy and I think the Ultegra Di2 looks quite bulky. Also not sure how fast the Di2 shifting would be and if it'd be suited to sprinting (not sure I'd go to the hassle of the satellite switches). So I reckon I'd go for mechanical DuraAce if I did go for it.

What's the deal with the BB386 bottom bracket on the CW Team - would this be compatible with a chainset currently housed in one of these Shimano Dura Ace Bottom Bracket Cups SM-BB7900 ?

I didn't hear back anything about when Rose's configurator would be available again. They did respond to my query about the rider sponsorship mentioned in their catalogue - I was pleasantly surprised to hear it is available to any licensed racer regardless of level. It only applies to frames (one per year) and not full bikes, but at 300eur off a CW Team frame and 400 off a CRS frame, it might be a tasty option for some.

They also confirmed they only sell full bikes, no option to get a bike without purchasing wheels.

Paul Kiernan

FrankGrimes wrote: »

What's the deal with the BB386 bottom bracket on the CW Team - would this be compatible with a chainset currently housed in one of these Shimano Dura Ace Bottom Bracket Cups SM-BB7900 ?

Yes.

route66

FrankGrimes wrote: »

That's helped seal the deal for Rose for me vs. Canyon. I haven't quite decided to definitely go for it yet (working through the justification phases at the moment!) but if I do, it'll be mainly for racing so being able to replace the forks if I crash is definitely something I'd at least like the option of.

Well, there's that and I also do just love the racy look of the Rose Xeon CW Team frame. The geometry looks a lot more racy than my 2008 PlanetX Carbon Pro SL, so would take a bit of adjusting to, but looks great for an aero position for racing. I was pondering about getting Di2 but the DuraAce pricing is crazy and I think the Ultegra Di2 looks quite bulky. Also not sure how fast the Di2 shifting would be and if it'd be suited to sprinting (not sure I'd go to the hassle of the satellite switches). So I reckon I'd go for mechanical DuraAce if I did go for it.

What's the deal with the BB386 bottom bracket on the CW Team - would this be compatible with a chainset currently housed in one of these Shimano Dura Ace Bottom Bracket Cups SM-BB7900 ?

I didn't hear back anything about when Rose's configurator would be available again. They did respond to my query about the rider sponsorship mentioned in their catalogue - I was pleasantly surprised to hear it is available to any licensed racer regardless of level. It only applies to frames (one per year) and not full bikes, but at 300eur off a CW Team frame and 400 off a CRS frame, it might be a tasty option for some.

They also confirmed they only sell full bikes, no option to get a bike without purchasing wheels.

Rose also have a 5 year warranty for replacement frames: "in case of an accident or a fall, you get a replacement frame for half the price"

And they appear to have changed access to the configurator again! There is something available at http://www.roseversand.com/configurator but it's hard to get it working. If you click on "Start the selection now", you get a German message saying it's being updated. If you click on one of the pictures below this (they actually relate to last year's models I think) it brings the configurator up for this year's model.

Or you could just not bother. I think Rose need to realise that a direct-sales model means their web site must work properly

Plastik

Di2 shifting is plenty fast enough. I think cyclesuperstore might have a bike on display running it, might be an idea to pop out for a look. I was very impressed when I tried it on a pals bike.

AtomMcC

Plastik wrote: »

Di2 shifting is plenty fast enough. I think cyclesuperstore might have a bike on display running it, might be an idea to pop out for a look. I was very impressed when I tried it on a pals bike.

Agreed. Shifting is as fast as you can click the button and I believe it is even faster if you update the firmware for multi-shift option (see link below).
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/components-wrenching/new-ultegra-di2-firmware-supports-multishift-296590.html
There may be a video somewhere on youtube also.
Haven't done it yet coz I can't afford to fork out the money for the PC interface.