Giant CFR Pro series - completed pics on pg3

No. The flat at the bottom of the bars should be parallel with the ground so you need to tilt forward a bit more then raise the levers up some.

Thought I remembered one ot t'other being flat, just picked the wrong one!

Had to file a nasty casting ridge out of the seat tube lug last night, very unpleasant!

Thanks, will be shake-down ready tomorrow morning with a little luck...

Re: Giant CFR Pro series

Sorry for the delay, used an actual camera for a couple of pics (shock), but it belongs to my better half so had to wait to get them off her!

Anyhoo, everything's together and we're two rides in (are Strava links just a tragic thing to post? I think so...), one little shake down which went fairly well, and another 'proper' ride that got cut short due to monsoons and failing light!

Safe to say I enjoy riding it and it seems to be the right size, that's a relief!

Still need a few tweaks, although mostly the trouble I'm having with getting comfy is due to my belly being in the way I've tweaked the bars up a bit to get the tops (obviously the favoured position of the fat noob) somewhere closer to comfy, so when I get a bit more time I'll get the tape off and tweak the bars back down and levers up a bit, back to where they are now if you follow...

Also sliding onto the nose of the saddle, think it may need pushing back a touch - will do the old plumbline trick if it's still accepted wisdom? Maybe tweak the nose up a touch if that doesn't fix it.

One of my main concerns with building this is that the incredible whazzing along speed of a proper roadie may have been in large part rose tinting on my part, but that really isn't the case at all - this thing absolutely flies! Think it comes in at about 22lb and I have an MTB lighter than that, so that isn't the full story at all. I did fit quality modern tyres and NOS Air-B tubes (best before '98 but holding air well! ) and I figure that and the aggressive position must be the main contributors to it. Winding up to speed off the lights is just awesome, found myself pulling away in 53t just because it'd be spun up so quickly!

My one reservation so far came at 37.9mph when it threw a horrible tankslapper and scared the bejezuz outta me. Going over it with hindsight it was a steep, wet, rough, slightly gravelly descent with a nasty, blustery crosswind on those aero fork blades and there really is a helluvalot of flex through the front end ... so possibly not as inexplicable as all that :? Shame the new forum update doesn't include a :crappedmyshortsandcriedlikeabitch: smiley!

Pics before I got it mucky




The reason for the poor thing's suffering


Off we go!


And how it's looking now, sat in our front room with the bar tweaked up, some practical bits and yesterday's muck



Hope you're not all asleep by now!

I'm fitting a saddlebag in the dodgy photo, by the way...

Hey! Such a cool Giant. I didn´t knew this carbon framed model, must be quite light. I do not fancy carbon frames, but yours seems to be quite nice. Planning to change anything?

(from another thread)

migueltreze":31k8yp8b said:

Hey! I do like your Giant. The shape of rearstays is quite unique, and all bike is very atractive and simple. I dislike bar tape pattern, but that´s a personal taste How does it ride? Do you know real weight?

I will follow your thread, another very interesting Giant.

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Cheers, I'm not sure of the frame weight but I'm guessing 3-3.5lb, noticably lighter than a 753 Sirius I've got waiting to be built, but the forks probably aren't so light! All in it's around 22lb so not super light but given the budget (did lots of swapping but only about £150max spent) I'm really pleased

Tel mentioned early on the 'missing link/generation gap' nature of these carbon/ally mongrals and that's a big part of the appeal for me - it's like the start of the modern age but with lugs! The main thing was to get me back out on the road ASAP though, so that's mission accomplished the ride is incredibly fast and twitchy, ans I'm sure that's not just a lazy mountain biker talking, it really is sharp! Lots of flex through the front end, terrifyingly unstable at speed, so fast off the lights that I feel superhuman ... all round great fun! I'd have been gutted if it were dull Does seem very comfortable as well, although I've little to compare it to.

Glad you mentioned the tape, I was waiting for someone to - you're all so polite on the dark side! I figured I wasn't likely to get the position right at first guess (and I didn't) so it was 99p and it isn't adhesive! That said it is comfy and it's kinda grown on me

Was expecting mention of the tyres too, but I guess it's generally just a bit modern for tastes in here in general? When I have space/time/money I'd love to build something Italian from the eighties but for now I'm just going to enjoy riding this

Aesthetically speaking, I do like the tires. Red/blue scheme seems to be right to my eyes, I think "full black" tyres on your bike would look too dull and common. Regarding road bike handling, I did felt the same when I tried a road bike instead a MTB. You do feel like Superman on acceleration, speeding and cornering. A totaly diferent world. Very nice tou ear you are having great fun with your Giant, in the end that is really what matters

Agree all black could end up a bit dull, although it's a lot more vibrant in the plastic, the blue really shines I'll get some photos where it's not in silhouette if it's ever clean again!

Is this the bike you are going to use on the Gospel Pass ride ?

If so I look forward to seeing it in the flesh.

vivelesalpes":354t46nt said:

Is this the bike you are going to use on the Gospel Pass ride ?

If so I look forward to seeing it in the flesh.

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That's the plan, but I need to get some miles in in the meantime and hopefully a spin in the hills with drystonepaul, see if I'm up to it without holding the group back too much. Hoping I can get a full day out on Monday, see how that goes...