This weekend I spent some time shopping for a new bike. I bought a cheap Trek bike to see if I would like the sport at the beginning of the year. After doing my research, I have come to the conclusion that I would never be able to get a triathlon bike unless it was custom - and I was not about to spend 6-7 thousand dollars on that. I know that I wasn't completely happy with my current road bike, though it did well on climbs, I had trouble keeping up with people because it was heavy (21 pounds) and had 650 wheels which made it a little harder to maintain speed. Another thing is, my neck would hurt after my rides - thus it didn't fit quite right. Today, after trying out a bunch of bikes - I even had to wait for them to build me the bike I ultimately ended up purchasing, I took home a brand new Fuji Supreme RC. It is the 44cm and weighs only 15.4 pounds! The frameset weighs around 850 grams. And guess what? I got it for over 40% off because Performance was having their 25th anniversary sale and it comes with 700 standard size wheels! So what I will do in the future is slap on clip on aero bars and call it a day.
FRAMESET: C-10 SuperLite High Modulus carbon with 3K weave, Continuous Fiber Technology (CFT), integrated aluminum cupped head tube, double water bottle mounts, shaped ride-tuned Energy Transfer Chain stay, replaceable hanger
FORK: FC-330 Fuji Carbon Monocoque Integrated 1 1/8" Carbon steerer , 350g
DRIVETRAIN: FSA Energy Compact MegaExo w/ integrated spindle, 7075 CNC 34/50T, NEW SRAM Rival Exact Actuation derailleurs & double-tap shifter/brake, 20-speed
WHEELS: Cane Creek Strados
FEATURES: Ritchey Pro Biomax II alloy, 31.8mm bars, stem, Ritchey Pro carbon seat post, Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour women specific saddle with titanium rails
14 comments:
Great bike!
Did the 40% off include a team performance discount?
I am looking at the same bike, but the sale price is $2059.
thanks!
No actually, I guess I get even more discount with an additional 10% store credit towards anything I want. So really I got more like 45% off.
and when you wear out the 25mm wide tires that come with the bike, and get 23mm GP4000 tires, the bike will be almost 1/2 pound lighter - and it starts out very light!
If you don't mind, what price did your Performance have yours on sale for - so I might be able to use that to get my Performance store to match it.
thanks
-Peter
I just got back from the store to pick up some pedals. It looks like the price is back to $2400. I got it for 15% off of that because they had their anniversary sale over the weekend. That's a pretty good price for a bike like that I think. BTW, I'm sure you know this but this is a women's bike.
Also, I wonder how much lighter an 44cm size bike would be compared to a regular say 54cm frame bike of the same model. I guess there isn't much difference right? Only 100 grams or so?
I think you got a great deal.
As far the women's vs guy's bikes, I found this website that gave me the impression that the frame on the Supreme is the same as the one of the (guy's) SL-1 (although obviously the paint - and the saddle - are different)
http://www.countrysidecycling.com/index.php?pr=Fuji_Bikes
scroll or search down for "2007 Fuji SL-1 and Supreme Framesets"
and there they say "Same frames, but one is designated women's due to color,
geometries same for both."
They also say that the frame weighs 890g for the 50cm size - and I'd agree with you that the smaller frame would weigh a bit less - but you will get much bigger gains by swapping the tires for more normal 23mm tires. Then (maybe later) you can get lighter wheels and save another 1/2 pound or so.
Have fun with your new, light bike!
Interesting the Trek WSD bikes have geometries that are women specific. I guess that Fuji doesn't do that. Well, at least the color isn't too "girlie." Thanks for the tire suggestions, I'll do that when my current ones wear down. Good luck negotiating with Performance!
That is a very nice bike. It is made of the highest grade carbon that Fuji produces. I was just at my local Performance shop looking at the same bike for my wife and they had it for 2900, so I would say great deal as well. Have you been able to keep up on the hills?
Angela,
How tall are you? My wife is just under 5'2" and is looking at purchasing the same bike. Seems to be a great deal on a full carbon frame w/ decent components. Unfortunately the performance store near us only has the 44cm in stock so sizing could be an issue if she really measures out to be on a 47cm frame. Thanks for your input.
The bike has been wonderful so far. I've been working on hills the past few weeks don't have any concerns other than the fact that you need to get use to the SRAM double tap shifters - I find them a little confusing at first. I am 5 2" and have the 44 cm and it fits me really well. I have a long torso though. Definitely have her try the 44cm to make sure it is not too long for her.
Hi Angela,
Googled this bike's name and came to your blog...
I just test rode this bike and am thinking of getting it. I didn't like the tires - extra gravel stuck to it on the test ride and sprayed up to hit me. I'm gonna swap those out ASAP... The SRAM shifting threw me off a bit too. How're you doing with the bike these days? Is it comfortable to ride with the aero bars?
This bike is a keeper, it is really hard to find bikes that fit small women like me. This year's model only has Dura Ace though. So are you purchasing an older model? It's a great deal if you can get the Ultegra version. The SRAM shifting does take getting use to. This is actually my second Supreme, my first one had a defect in the seat post which required me to return it, and Performance just swapped me a new bike. It turns out that the shifting on my second Supreme was a lot smoother and had an easier time engaging. So one thing I would recommend is that you double check that it is shifting from the big to small ring properly before you purchase it.
Oh, and I didn't put any aero bars on my road bike since I have a tri bike.
Angela and others, I have the same bike and I am really enjoying it. Like you, I got it from a bike shop (at a significant discount, 55%). I am 5'2" with a short waist. This bike makes me say "I believe I can fly..."
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