so a guy had a carbon bianchi withthe new DA including the wheels ( first ever with the DA name) at the races today. sadly, i could not ride it around the parking lot, as he needed a bb facer for the bb. buti did sit on and shift and play with it all - here are some impressions:
shifters - they have a new shape. new from everything before, and i like it a great deal. you can now acually hold the lever with your 4 fingers draped up OVER the lever blade, for a very strong pulling position. or, you can slide down to a kinda "vulcan live long and proper " type grip. or, since the pointy bit at the rear of the hood is now gone entirely you can let your hands rest palm down very comfortably - this is pretty aero, also. guys have done this stuff for years, but these levers are actually designed for it. way nice. easily the most versatile and comfy hoods ever thought of or made, IMHO.
the shifter throw has been refined, and is smoother, lighter, with a slicker an snug " click". quite noticable from the old. if you ask me another new standard of refinement in feel.
crank - it looks better in person than pictures, by a lot. it is crisp and clean. sharp edged and sweet. much crisper than any crank i have ever seen apart from and old super record. worlds better than the old, and a match for anything else and simply makes any taiwanese crank - carbon or alu - look like crap. i have a ritchey, for example and it is embarrassing how crappy it looks next to the DA. prolly have to give the nod to a short fibre record - but still - the DA is nice - talkin very. and of course, there is the xtr style super stiff/light bb interface. i have ridden xtr's and they rule.
brakes and cogs - whatever. there are 10, if you count them. brakes are also trimmed, with an upgrade in the fit and finish dept also. i don't care about 10 cogs or brakes in general so there ya go.
wheels - these took me by surprise. as noted they are the first wheels to be labelled DA, which gives them a 3 ( ithink) year warranty. they are NOT of the paired spoke pattern. radial front and 2x rear - but don't quote me on that. the nipples are at the hub. the front does not have that star shaped flange, instead there is a gentle swell at each end. the rear DOES have the star flange left, but the gentle swell right. spokes are aero blades. rim looks about 25 mm deep. again there is a seriously badass level of fit and finish goin on, rivalling a set of hyperions. certainly things like mavics, AC's, ritcheys, velomax's, etc etc are blown out of the water in the dripping with quality looks dept by these hoops. f-ing impressive.
so, you see i think this stuff looks good, and feels better. overall i would equate the new stuff to be on a level of japanese wizardry like a nissan new school z-car, or a honda vfr. it is on my x-mas list. to access, all you need is the levers, a casstte, and a chain. everything else 9 spd will work ( but feel free to slide those wheels under the tree).
shifters - they have a new shape. new from everything before, and i like it a great deal. you can now acually hold the lever with your 4 fingers draped up OVER the lever blade, for a very strong pulling position. or, you can slide down to a kinda "vulcan live long and proper " type grip. or, since the pointy bit at the rear of the hood is now gone entirely you can let your hands rest palm down very comfortably - this is pretty aero, also. guys have done this stuff for years, but these levers are actually designed for it. way nice. easily the most versatile and comfy hoods ever thought of or made, IMHO.
the shifter throw has been refined, and is smoother, lighter, with a slicker an snug " click". quite noticable from the old. if you ask me another new standard of refinement in feel.
crank - it looks better in person than pictures, by a lot. it is crisp and clean. sharp edged and sweet. much crisper than any crank i have ever seen apart from and old super record. worlds better than the old, and a match for anything else and simply makes any taiwanese crank - carbon or alu - look like crap. i have a ritchey, for example and it is embarrassing how crappy it looks next to the DA. prolly have to give the nod to a short fibre record - but still - the DA is nice - talkin very. and of course, there is the xtr style super stiff/light bb interface. i have ridden xtr's and they rule.
brakes and cogs - whatever. there are 10, if you count them. brakes are also trimmed, with an upgrade in the fit and finish dept also. i don't care about 10 cogs or brakes in general so there ya go.
wheels - these took me by surprise. as noted they are the first wheels to be labelled DA, which gives them a 3 ( ithink) year warranty. they are NOT of the paired spoke pattern. radial front and 2x rear - but don't quote me on that. the nipples are at the hub. the front does not have that star shaped flange, instead there is a gentle swell at each end. the rear DOES have the star flange left, but the gentle swell right. spokes are aero blades. rim looks about 25 mm deep. again there is a seriously badass level of fit and finish goin on, rivalling a set of hyperions. certainly things like mavics, AC's, ritcheys, velomax's, etc etc are blown out of the water in the dripping with quality looks dept by these hoops. f-ing impressive.
so, you see i think this stuff looks good, and feels better. overall i would equate the new stuff to be on a level of japanese wizardry like a nissan new school z-car, or a honda vfr. it is on my x-mas list. to access, all you need is the levers, a casstte, and a chain. everything else 9 spd will work ( but feel free to slide those wheels under the tree).