Ok, here is my review of this, yet unknown new player in the TT bike world.
Frame: The mercury frame is not the lightest, I measured 1.8kg (just short of 4lbs) without fork. But for a true TT bike that’s not particularly heavy either, I guess it comes down to what you put around it. The way it’s constructed I expected a fairly stiff bike maybe the carbon rear would take out some of the roughness, and that’s what you get. The bottom bracket is very stiff, I’m fairly heavy and strong, no flex just forward motion. The head tube is the same, the feel of a well made aluminum bike. I took it on some pretty fast downhills, no wobbling and very precise. But the bike is much more comfortable over rough roads. Now it’s hard to tell weather that comes from the wheels or from the frame, my guess is that the wheels make a bigger impact on the comfort. But one thing is clear, this frame with those wheels is extremely comfortable and I can recommend it for up to IM distances.
It doesn’t climb as well as a true roadbike. But what did you expect, this is a TT machine and it rides as one. It wants to go fast on the flats, downhills and rolling hills. It will feel a little too passive on steep uphills, especially out of the saddle, but that’s not caused by the way the frame is build, that’s because of the geometry. What you see is what you get, a fast high-tech looking speed machine.
With the Velomax wheels, Campy record (03) Chorus (04) mix, Oval Concepts A700 Bars the bike weights just over 8kg (under 18lbs), not extremely light but not bad for a TT bike at all. And the weight is on the right spot, on the frame!
Velomax Tempest II: The nicest wheels I’ve ever ridden, no question. Those wheels surprised me most on that bike. Yeah the frame is cool but those wheels are heaven. They are build with a Zipp 404 tubular rim and Velomax hub and spokes. It seems very similar to a Zipp 404 but it’s not! The have the comfort from the Zipp’s but they are way stiffer in the corner and out of the saddle. I would never ride zipp’s on a criterium but I would consider the Tempest II. Furthermore, they only have 20 spokes on the rear wheel which might be somewhat more aerodynamic than the Zipp (but no big deal). The hubs are by far the finest hubs I’ve seen in a long time, pure bike-porn! I can’t stop reaving about them. If you consider Zipp 404’s, give those Velomax wheels a good look! They came with exactly the same price-tag as the Zipp’s.
Oval Concepts A700: Very good, nothing spectacular but very good for the price. I was surprised by the good they feel when riding on the horizontal flat bars. Other than that, pretty much what expected. Great price!
Campy: It shifts it breaks what else do you want. This is my first set of Campy. It’s about even with Shimano Dura Ace but Campy looks a little better and the treads have better tolerance than Shimano. When you tread on a rear derailler, it’s like it has bearings, soooo smooth. The whole shimano vs Campy debate is not necessary, buy what you prefer from looks the rest is even. Campy is very competitive in price now, that’s new.
Overall: Awesome, speed machine especially the wheels are worth every penny. It’s not a mountain goat, it’s a TT bike, a real TT bike.
Let me know if you have more questions, will be happy to answer.