Thursday, September 22, 2011

PureBikes Greed SL - Review

I received the official NTU road frame 3 weeks ago from PureBikes. Aptly named "Greed SL" for all those no-compromise roadies out there who want :

1) Low weight
2) Stiffness
3) high quality material (it uses the same carbon fibre you get in the Giant TCR Advanced)
4) sex-appeal

at an incredible price. This is my third road bike to date, having owned an old Trek 1000 and a 2009 Fuji Roubaix Pro (half carbon). All bikes have been equipped with the exact same Shimano 105-5600 i bought 2nd hand off a friend in the cycling team a year and a half ago. Bearing this in mind, my opinion on the quality of the frame is as pure as can be (no pun intended).



I built up the frame with a 5600 Shimano 105 gruppo, Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels,  Ritchey seatpost, Token Saddle and cheap plastic water bottle holders. Nothing fancy at all.

The first ride was amazing. The frame was stiff, responsive and every pedal stroke kept pushing the bike forward. Gone was the sluggish response I had experienced with my earlier 2 bikes.

This bike is built like Ulrich. BEEFY! Everything about this frame is huge! The massive bottom bracket, the beefy chain stays and the thick fork all scream "STIFFNESS!". And from the 300km i've clocked on it (from secret rides mostly), it certainly is. Its extremely neat as well. Internal routing does away with unsightly cables running down the tubes and gives it a sleek look.

I even pimped it out for a ride using a pair of Zipp 606s I borrowed and this bike was even faster. My unfit body could propel it easily at 33-35kph and I bet with a slicker set of wheels and a fitter body, I could hold 37kph , 40kph easily if I were drafting a peloton.

Wen Jie, the other cyclist in the team currently riding this frame could hold the bike at 40kph in Tuas. Now he's small, so that speaks volumes about the power transfer from the pedals to the wheels.

Comfort wise, let me be frank. I ride the Kranji Loop frequently (part of my secret training route) and you'd know that Neo-Tiew is littered with speed strips and potholes and bumps. My old frames had a very harsh ride, so much so that I'd be off the saddle the minute i saw any non-even surface. The Greed SL on the other hand simply soaks up road vibration making it extremely comfortable. I'd use it for a fast ride as well as a 300km long distance tour.

I will be racing in KL in October during the OCBC Cycle Malaysia and I can't be any happier doing so on the Pure Greed SL.

If you're looking for a stiff, light and fast frameset with sick graphics and sex appeal that does not break the bank, look no further than the Pure Greed SL.