Monday, October 26, 2009

Torelli Selvino Review

Late last year I managed to acquire a Torelli Selvino road frame. The previous owner is much taller than me and could not ride the size Medium frame. Brand new and never built up, I spent the next several months assembling it into a bike as finances would allow and component deals would present themselves. Late this past summer after checking and re-checking measurements & torque settings, I took the bike for a few short spins around the neighborhood before it made an official debut at one of our Tuesday evening hammer sessions.

While the Torelli Selvino is a compact frame it has different dimensions than my Giant TCR. The biggest differences I noticed are that the bottom bracket is slightly higher and the seat tube angle is a bit different. In order to postion the saddle equal to the TCR relative to the BB, the saddle sits slightly more forward on the seat post. The handlebar stem is a few mm’s longer than on my TCR in order to have the same reach.

I have always been pleased with the performance of my TCR, but the stiffness of the Torelli Selvino translated into noticeably improved acceleration. The Selvino handles very well and is very comfortable to ride, although the stiff frame and oversize carbon tubes make road bumps a bit more noticeable. Weighing in around 1000 gm, the frame is quite light. Weight for the entire bicycle is ~ 16.5 pounds.

The more I ride the Torelli Selvino the more I enjoy it. I would recommend this frame to anyone looking for a high quality, good looking, cost effective road racing frame.

Torelli Selvino component highlights:

Frame --- Torelli Selvino - Medium

Drive Train --- Dura Ace 10 Speed

Wheels --- Easton EA90 SLX

Tires --- Continental Grand Prix 4000

Handlebars --- Torelli Aspect

Saddle --- Selle Italia SLK

Seat post --- Easton EC 90

Pedals --- Look Keo Carbon

Friday, October 9, 2009

Don't be a dope?

Saw this article on the Velonews site this past week and thought it was interesting. If the article is accurate, a Cat 1 racer from TX received a 2-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance he received from an OTC supplement. I know more than a few cyclists who take all types of OTC supplements and I'll bet they aren't familiar with all the ingredients.

http://www.velonews.com/article/98978/houston-based-amateur-accepts-doping-suspension">Velonews Article

As long as Gatorade and Powergel is allowed I should be OK.