I’ve managed to track down some very basic information about the 2011 B12 and B14, but nothing on the component specification etc. The website - not unreasonably - still lists the 2010 models.
Could someone help me out.
Thanks
Greg
We have both of these in stock at Bike Tek Pittsburgh. Here is a basic run down of them both. If you want one, give me a call.
B14 - Dura Ace Front and Rear Derailures
- FSA Vision Crank
- MicroShift Bar End Shifters
B12- SRAM Red front and rear Derailures
- SRAM Crank
- SRAM return to center shifters (these are stiff to start but claim to break in)
Hope this helps, let me know if you need one. In my opinion the way to go is with the B14 and a set of aero wheels. Im not big on the SRAM components over the Dura Ace.
I’ve managed to track down some very basic information about the 2011 B12 and B14, but nothing on the component specification etc. The website - not unreasonably - still lists the 2010 models.
Could someone help me out.
Thanks
Greg
The frame, fork, headset, stem, handlebars, seatpost, and saddle are the same for the B12 and the B14. The wheels have different spokes and spoke counts, but are similar aerodynamically. The biggest different is the drivetrain and the biggest performance jump is in the R2C shifters. If you like the features/function of the latest tech in mechanical bar end shifters, the B12 is your bike. This SRAM Red equipped model is more than $1000 less than any other similar model I’ve found offered.
-SD
Thanks for the heads up Tiretrauma. I live in Europe so I can’t imagine SuperDave would be all that keen on you shipping one to me;-)
I know what you mean about the SRAM/DA choice. I love the SRAM ergonomics on my new road bike but despite lots of combinations - cassette and chain - I just can’t get the kind of silent running I do my old Ultegra bike.
I’ll have to try the SRAM shifters before I decide. As Dave says they are a standout component, but from what I’ve read there as many that love them as hate them.
Thanks Dave. A couple of follow up’s if that’s ok.
I’m short torsoed and long legged. I run 80cm of saddle height and about 14-15cm of drop to the aerobars. Riding steep, I’ll need something close to 54cm in top tube length.
I’m currently riding a 56cm Cervelo S3 - road configuration - which necesitated a longer aero seatpost as the medium seatpost supplied run very close to the minimum insertion point.
-
do you offer multiple seatpost lengths
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which brake calipers do the 12 and 14 come with.
-
are dealers likely to be open to upgrading the bars to the model up with the carbon base bar. At these price points I can imagine dealers prefer to supply these bike in the standard configuration.
Thanks again,
Greg.
Could you tell me what the spoke count is on the B12 wheelset vs the B14 wheelset. Also, how do the microshift bar end shifters found on the B14 compare to the more traditional Dura Ace bar end shifters (I know the B12 comes with the R2C shifters)? Any high resolution images of the B12 or B14 that you can post as the only images I have found have been real grainy and probably don’t do the bikes any justice? Thanks SD!
Thanks Dave. A couple of follow up’s if that’s ok.
I’m short torsoed and long legged. I run 80cm of saddle height and about 14-15cm of drop to the aerobars. Riding steep, I’ll need something close to 54cm in top tube length.
I’m currently riding a 56cm Cervelo S3 - road configuration - which necesitated a longer aero seatpost as the medium seatpost supplied run very close to the minimum insertion point.
- do you offer multiple seatpost lengths
- which brake calipers do the 12 and 14 come with.
- are dealers likely to be open to upgrading the bars to the model up with the carbon base bar. At these price points I can imagine dealers prefer to supply these bike in the standard configuration.
Thanks again,
Greg.
Greg,
Of course. If you are running your bike steep, a 56cm Felt should work for you just fine. It has a 54cm top tube. With a saddle height of 80cm, getting 15cm of drop should be no problem. Our TT frames do not use a sloping top tube like the S3 has, so the stock post should fit just fine. I’ve got a similar saddle height and also ride the new DA in the 56cm size. We do make 4 different seatposts for those frames and a 350mm length is an option. You only need 65mm in the frame, we mark our minimum insertion line at 75mm to give a little bit of margin because we know people will cheat a bit. Depending on the actual saddle and saddle position though, you should have ~90mm in the frame. There is only 70mm of clamping surface inside the frame, so you needn’t be concerned about running the seatpost at the maximum line. The aero shape is very stiff and won’t create too much saddle movement as a 27.2mm overly exposed seatpost may.
The B12 and B14 are coming with Tektro R740 rear calipers as they are among the narrowest dual pivot brakes available and give maximal crankset clearance. The front brake on the B14 is the matching Tektro caliper which mates well to their levers. The B12 uses SRAM’s front caliper from their non-series line up. A perfect match to the SRAM 500 brake levers.
It is difficult for me to predict how every dealer will react to component and upgrade requests, but I am aware of many shops that do allow a trade-in policy when buying a new bike that could let you swap bars, saddles, cassette size, tires, etc… Finding a dealer that will work with your set of buying needs is just as important as getting the right bike. When I worked in retail a dozen years ago we’d offer these changes with a reasonable restocking fee. The “take-off” box of saddles, stems, and cassettes were very popular items among the crowd who price shopped and didn’t mind these parts didn’t come in boxes.
Regards,
-SD
Could you tell me what the spoke count is on the B12 wheelset vs the B14 wheelset. Also, how do the microshift bar end shifters found on the B14 compare to the more traditional Dura Ace bar end shifters (I know the B12 comes with the R2C shifters)? Any high resolution images of the B12 or B14 that you can post as the only images I have found have been real grainy and probably don’t do the bikes any justice? Thanks SD!
The TTR3 wheelset on the B12 is 20/24. It is hand built with butted/bladed spokes and forged/machined/anodized aluminum spoke nipples. The B14 wheelset is machine built with 24/28 bladed spokes.
The micro.shift bar end shifters are lighter than the BS-SL78 Dura Ace shifters. They have captured internals for the shifting mechanism so adjusting the position in the extensions and trimming the length of the extensions if required are simplified. The shifters come with PTFE coated cables to reduce friction in internal cable routed systems such as the ones on our TT bikes. The smallest clamping diameter is smaller than Shimano’s by 0.4mm allowing them to fit in many undersized carbon fiber extensions without extensive modification of the inner diameter. They come with color options and “tension” adjustment on the micro-indexed front derailleur trim.
They do not have a rear friction option. Some people love that feature from Shimano. For OEM it hardly seems necessary.
I have some super high-res photos in .eps format. I’ll see about converting them to .jpg. Drop me an email and you can host/post them.
-SD
E-mail sent about the pictures. I can host them on my flickr account if that’s ok with you.
Cheers for the help and taking the time to give compete answers Dave it’s much appreciated.
E-mail sent about the pictures. I can host them on my flickr account if that’s ok with you.
When you do, let us know;-) I haven’t seen any bike porn for a while!