Our midwest Cat III team will mostly be riding this frameset in '06. I've got Mavic Ksyriums for black-tie events, but my old Vigors look pretty nice on her, eh?

Our midwest Cat III team will mostly be riding this frameset in '06. I've got Mavic Ksyriums for black-tie events, but my old Vigors look pretty nice on her, eh?
Beautiful bike! I suppose it'll be a while before you get out on the road with it (assuming you're in Chicago). Give us a ride report when you can.

i really like the cranks with the frame. i'm a fan of the non carbon cranks on the carbon frame. you CAN have too much carbon.. :) all that shiny shimano metal is way more "flashy" than black carbon. i think i'm going to go with that set up on the onix i'll be ordering before too long. anyway, nice ride. we'll be looking forward to the ride report. also, give some info as to the opal's feel with regard to your blue. my lbs carries both and the blues are fairly uncommented upon.

hope the weather allows you to ride soon.

cheers
--k

ps. the rolfs look great. they actually seem more "black tie" than k's. weight aside, black tie is all about the look. rolf's for the bike, and an ascot for you :cool:

40 degrees and sunny, so I took the Opal out for a New Year's shakedown yesterday. 48 miles over the same shoddy roads that I usually ride. Used the Rolf Prima Vigors with Michelin Carbon tires at 105 psi.

The word 'stiff' is thrown around all over the place when people write about this bike, and I now can see why. My last bike was a Blue RC-4 compact carbon frame with AL lugs, and while pretty stiff, that frameset felt like a big ol' marshmellow compared to this rig. I would go so far as to say the Opal gives road feedback like a fat-tube aluminum bike, but without the resultant 'buzz.' The Rolfs are vertically stiff wheels to start with, and at full psi, the ride quality with the Opal is beyond 'live' - you'll be able to identify the, uh, kinematic viscosity of the asphalt you're riding on.

Needless to say, power transfer is superb. This bike definitely has a pro feel to it. While it's an ultra-light rig, it's not 'hyper-light' - so it still feels solid when rolling over imperfections in the tarmac. If my last bike was a compact little criterium ninja (on ebay now!) the Opal is going to be a road race samurai. There was no twitchiness in the handling, and I rode comfortably for a half mile no-handed on a crappy section of pavement, which is one of my personal tests for tracking.

I don't think it's going to be the right bike for your 100-mile charity rides - it's just too high-strung. But for rockin' and sockin' in the peleton, I think it's the pefect weapon. I'll probably knock the psi down a few bars for daily use. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the excellent power-transfer translates on real sprints and climbs.

Let me know if y'all have any questions. Looking out my window, it'll be a while before I get her on the roads again...

sweet ride - can I ask how much it cost? (you can PM me if you like). I'm considering buying one of these in Australia, but we are travelling to the States in April so it might pay to pick it up whilst I'm there and bring it back??

Cheers,
Matt

sweet ride - can I ask how much it cost? (you can PM me if you like). I'm considering buying one of these in Australia, but we are travelling to the States in April so it might pay to pick it up whilst I'm there and bring it back??

Cheers,
Matt

Well, my team is sponsored by Orbea, so I didn't incur the full cost, but I believe it retails around $4,500 for the Dura-Ace equipped version. - WR

Did you order the complete bike, or build it yourself? I did the build your own, or what ever it's called and think that's really cool, but I'd rather go with like campy cranks etc.