I bought a tarmac sl5 with da9000 groupset in 2023 just because my idol, Alberto Contador, used to race on one of those when I started to watch cycling back in 2014 as a high school student. It was my dream bike for nearly a decade and last year I finally had the chance and ability to own it. It was amazing to realize the childhood dream, and the bike feels even lighter and stiffer than most of the modern bike. I still enjoy it till this day! I think I may never resell this bike, not only because it feels so good to ride, but also because it holds my childhood dreams.
Congratulations!! ....... something similar happened to me with my dream bike, the Storck Aernario G1 when I fell in love with it in 2016 and at that time it was absolutely impossible to buy it. And well, 2 months ago (after 2 years) I managed to put it together completely. Like your Tarmac, they are jewels of cycling engineering (USA ad Germany) they are beasts and they are better than many other top bikes today ....... NEVER sell the Specialized (My Storck goes with me to the grave)
I have an SL2 that I refuse to let go and I still use it on the regular, even with my modern bikes. The lightness, stifness and vibration damping is almost too perfect.
Been a while since Feather was in a video I’d almost forgotten what a nice chap he is. And an absolute machine on the bike, glad to hear he’s taking back his local KOMs!! 👑
Trust cyclist to eat their own whilst claiming it's a clean sport 🙄 Feather is a great ambassador. Quiet, focused. No ego - unlike make of the keyboard warrior also rans who think he's no good, ignoring his KOMs & palmares. Jealousy is a terrible burden to bear but those afflicted cannot see it
@@FTA38yearfreeride The dude is a mid aged lawyer family guy living in a terrible weather place and riding bikes for fun. Of course there´s nothing sceptional about his numbers, and at the same time there is a lot, depending on how you see it. Doubt you can rank 5th in Mount Ventoux segment surrounded by serious world tour names if you are not somehow special. GCN made a nice docu about that too
@@mareczuczek I got it in march 2018 as a warranty replacement for my sl3 tarmac. 100k km is only 17k km a year or so. 60km a day for 5 days a week. Bikes last a long time if you maintain them.
What I got from this video, that rim brakes rock, old dura ace 9000 is fantastic and it's mechanical, old bikes are super hipper mega stiff and light so... I am glad to keep riding my old SL6 sworks rim, mechanical and super stiff and light bike 😎😎
Dual pivot rim brake 105 on aluminium rims in 1980s was the game changer in braking for me. Before that, whatever quality or brand of brakes I used were relatively useless in the wet. Rim brakes main advantage is not so much in braking as their not wearing out expensive rims - that, and ease of changing wheels for different rim and tyre widths.
I have the same but DA9100 and a set of Hunt UD 36 wheels. With pedals on and taking my Garmin lights off, it is 14 lbs 11 oz. (6.6) Not even thinking of getting a newer one. I love it. I built it myself from bare frame so it is spec'd a little different from stock.
This bike is BB30. A bb30 to threaded adapter exists basically an alloy sleeve that is pressed in place of the BB30 bearings. BB30 is 68x42mm. The same width as BSA. Shimano axles are longer than the true bb30 axles back then. Either way to fit a shimano 24mm axle, you would either need to run reducers in the standard PF30 or BB30 bracket bearings or fit a wider bottom bracket. Back then fitting solutions were maybe more limited or less widely known as they are now, so they fitted a press fit to threaded adapter. I had a Ridley bike that was briefly fitted with something similar PF30 to BSA thread adapter. PF30 is like BSA a 68mm wide standard. So adding shimano cups would get you the right width to run a shimano axle. This system didn't work so well actually. Trying to unthread the BSA cups would lead to undoing the presfitt adapter as a whole. Fitted a wheels MFG thread together BB to get to the wider and smaller diameter shimano 24mm axle standard, that worked much better. Beware a thread together and this to BSA thread adapter are not at all the same thing. Nowadays most 30mm axles are longer to also accommodate wider axles standards like BB386, BSA and T47
Praxis Works should fix this easily I guess? Today just removed my PF30 to Shimano 24 BB on my bike. The solution is pressfit left side, then screw in the right side to engage the left side and all the way in, so the inter-lock force pull each side evenly into the right place. Actually all these BB stuffs are really silly because they provide no real benefits of any kind except to make you a lot of trouble, a few more trips to the local shops and the $$ to the mechanics or the $$ for the tools you use only once every few years.
Great video. Lovely to have the contextual info provided about Contador and the bike's history (I do know who Contador is, but some people may not, or not yet!). And it was very well presented as usual by Si, of course - he's a great presenter.
I have also this SL5, and you know why, this bike made Sagan 3 times world champion! The S-Works SL5 rocks every time. I have it with the SRAM RED wireless. Stunning combo!
I ride a rim brake S-Works SL6, but I’m starting to get nervous taking it out too often. It’s an absolute masterpiece, the peak of bike design. If anything happened to it, replacing it would be next to impossible these days!
I have found taking deep section rovals off and putting ksyrium sl on flys up the hills .has more kick to it .but slower most of the time if not going up hill
I have the same issue -- bikes I like too much to risk riding in traffic. This fall, as temperatures are finally dropping and I can ride without dying in the heat and humidity of the US mid-south, I'm thinking my perfectly serviceable but nothing special Tommaso Imola will get a lot more miles than my more prized bikes. If it gets crunched, I can buy another one, or one like it, quite easily.
Just bought another one of these sworks sl5 tarmacs about 2 months ago. 6kg on the nose with pedals , mount and cage, comfortably takes 28c tires, the clx’s are tubeless ready, it’s stiff and super efficient and no road buzz. It’s as fast as my 2023 Orbea orca on the flats and climbs a lot quicker. It’s Peak bike
I'm glad you mentioned the tyre clearance. I've just bought an SL5 sworks frame off of ebay and was hoping I could get 28's in there but the video had me worried.
@@jonathantaylor7064 No worries, you can bring it into 2024 easily. If the rims were 23mm internally I’d run 30c corsa pro’s instead. it’s not a tight fit with the calipers, frame or fork so not sure why they’ve said otherwise, I’ve ran 28c corsa 2.0 on the other Sl5 on Zipp 303 nsw too, room to spare 👍🏼.
Unbelievable! Ollie, you are a hero! Your ride, with that great support from your GCN colleagues is inspiring and motivating me to continue with my sports activities! A huge congratulation to you and your team! Amazing!
So the conclusion at 12:25 on how this compares with current gen bikes - "i think this bike is the slower bike" : which was.seemingly based on literally nothing shown in the preceding.12 minutes . Brilliant test protocol GCN.!! 😂
He did explain it and said it would be slower except on the steepest climbs. BUT, I think it all might be marketing BS too. I have a 2018 Cannondale SuperSix and earlier this year bought an aero bike. With the same depth wheels, I honestly cannot tell a difference on the flat and the Cannondale is much nicer to climb on. I know it isn't scientific, but I will still make PRs on flatter sections with the Cannondale. On the other hand, I crushed a PR on a short climb with the aero bike. But, just that one.
Bike companies must be having trouble with riders not keen on upgrading their existing, perfectly good (& just a fast, if not faster) bikes. - throw some more $$$ to GCN and get them to label old bikes slow....
Para mí el crankset Dura Ace 9000 es el más hermoso que ha diseñado Shimano en su historia en su acabado natural con negro ....... absolutamente único, hermoso y atemporal.
I bought a Bernard Carre frame off a bike breaker in the north of England. It turned up to being built for Bernard Borreau in 1974. It was liveried Peugeot. 531 26.4mm seatpost. Stronglight headset. Stronglight French B/B. Got all the 1974 Box Deluxe parts, including Mafac 'Top 63' brake set. Stronglight 49D. Simplex Super LJ mechanisms and DT levers. Mavic Championat du Monde rims on Maillard 700 hubs. Chromed spokes. AVA bars and stem. Unicanitor saddle. 8.5 kg.
I bought a brand new bike this year and I love it. Within 5 months I've done more kilometers on this new bike than any other bike before and countless commutes to work. My commute hasn't changed. It's the same route that it was 2 years ago but I only came within 2 minutes of my record which I still hold on a 2009 Cervélo (TdF/ Paris-Roubaix winning bike). That bike holds multiple PRs. It's almost scary how good these old bikes are. I still have it and I really need to build it back up this winter
There are a tonne to press fit to threaded BB adapters. They are insets that are pressed into the BB are threaded internally and spaced to accept the applicable BB shells.
Bottom Bracket… OSBB of Specialized sucked big time… I still ride my Tarmac SW Project Black from 2011 with a C-Bear sleeve glued inside with resin and an Italian threaded BB to tighten everything properly… it’s never made any sound or anything! I still love this bike for its simplicity and the way it feels. I’ve tried modern bikes with all the bells and whistles but I always come back to this bike and love it!
I have a SL5 tarmac. I replaced also the press fit BB with a threaded one. I mean the cups don't thread into the frame. The left cup threads to the right cup in the middle of a tube attached to them. Also good for perfect alignment.
The hole in the frame might also have gotten slightly worn over time and a pressfit won't fit snug enough. So a thread together with retaining compound might help 🤔
2016 - a new, modern bike! Actually, a symptom of how things have changed int he last 4 years... I have a 2018 Specialized Roubaix with Ultegra cable gears, just 25C tyres and, compared with today, narrow rims, bought new late 2017 and bought by me second hand at end of 2018. My Roubaix was out of date within a year as tyres and rims got wider and I missed an opportunity to get shorter cranks in the recall. I also have a 2007 Cannondale SystemSix, Ultegra, Ksyrium wheels with 23C tyres. Bought in clearance sale, 2008 as it has front half carbon, rear aluminium and out of date. The frame won the 2007 Giro and three stages of TdF - two mountain and one sprint under different riders for different teams. With supplied Vittoria Diamante Pro tyres, it was gloriously smooth over rough surfaces but, as the reviews said, the tyres only lasted 300 miles and I couldn't afford to replace at that level. Still a great bike but, surprisingly, I rode same circuit at pretty much the same speed on my first gen Tricross - but the SystemSix felt faster!
I find the mid 2000s was the peak for bicycle and any years after are just refinements. Still riding a 2006 LeMond Alpe d'Huez, recently upgraded the worn 105 parts to NOS Ultegra parts from the same generation.🤘
I bought a used SL4 Tarmac with that setup, and I ended up with a crack inside the BB shell because whoever installed it had too much torque on it. I got two full years on it before the creaking started and the crack was discovered. Be careful with the torque. It's hanging on my garage wall as art now, lol!
I have very much the same bike sl5 Peter Sagan edition w/di2. Amazing time capsule in design, style and performance. Not by any means under performer. I have had many great moments on this bike and can run with the best of the crowd. Cheers on the great video.
Watching Contador was amazing. His battles with Froome were brilliant. I remember one stage where he got in a breakaway and nobody noticed. That was racing.
I ride my Cannondale evo nano black more than my new bike, just enjoy it, rim brakes , traditional frame geometry, no areo , complete weight including pedals is 6kg,
Cycling is great. Great sport. I can't get enough of it. One of my core hobbies. Have a '09 madone as my daily and still crush it. Have kept it up to date and taken care of it through the years. Bike still exceeds my expectations and if i'm ever slow, it's because i'm not as fit as the guy next to me. I have never blamed my machine and I don't need to. Bikes are still the same: 2 carbon triangles with a fork, 2 wheels, and gears with pedals. Don't buy what the bike industry wants to sell you: You buy speed. Nope, you buy a discipline and when you're good at it, you are fast on it. Of course Contador's bike is still fast. Who woulda guessed?? Of course it will hang with any local A ride Of course it will fly up mountains Of course Feather can get a KOM on it It's an elite bike. 2016 to 2024 is 8 years when 2016 has had 200+ of years of engineering behind it. Of course it's still phenomenal.
Like many here that still have an S-Works SL5 in their collection, I love mine. DA9000 including the C24 wheels, and running Vittoria Corsa 28c tyres gives no clearance issues for me. It’s still a joy to ride and very light compared to my disc bikes. A future classic you say… worth keeping hold of then!
A pleasant sight to see!! An old bike still holding up well regardless!! A bike with such simplicity, pedaled by A. Contador surprised me. The over sized Jockey Wheels was a good addition.ln the modern world ,a bike like this would be considered old and Dated. Old bikes vs. Modern Technology. Excellent segment
I grew up watching riders like Greg LeMond, Lance, Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, Mario Coppolini, Iban Mayo, and Jan Ulrich. It was once said, "It's not about the bike". And I have to agree. I still much prefer the era when road bikes still had rim brakes and quick release axles. Thanks.
That bike is incredibly fast and very cool. Narrow tires, cable and spring operated shifting. Rim brakes. All it needs to be cooler is a steel frame, alloy wheels, and all external cabling.
Ok, the Alligator Ilink cables are ok... but don't be surprised by the mechanical shifting performance... it was (or may I say it is...) really very very good, comparable to the useless electronic groupsets.
OSBB bottom bracket with Praxis converter. Simple to install as long as you’re careful with the torque. I had one exactly like this only a size 61cm. Was stolen from my van in Frejus in 2019
Such an awesome bike, man! In my opinion, it looks way better than the current bikes and is apparently still more than good enough for most cyclists. Thanks to everyone who sold their rim brakes in recent years… I picked them up for next to nothing!
Threaded BB, a testimony of the old era custom frame tradition, At that time, what Contador (or him and his mech wizard) wanted, Contador had ! a batch of frames with threaded BB, No problemo and if not possible from factory, he would have got a custom threading cut in the carbon, or even an alloy sleeve bonded in from a reputable Spanish, Italian or French, custom shop. theese custom shops where always working to make the best wheels faster, repairing and custom projects, walk in one of those good fellows shop and you could get a Contador motor bike 🙊. Seriously, climbing out of the saddle does putt a hole lot of deformation on those old light full carbon frames, Contador was no track beast but mountain grinding could have required some team tweaking, sure electric bikes where around but in a UCI flandrien race, that's another legend. Wish that detective UCI mandated last year would write a book about his founding 🙈🙉🙊
Great bike! Don't forget at the same age there's the "aero" 1st gen Venge. At first glance I mis-recognized this to the Venge, which happens to be the only bike I want to buy in 2024. I don't think you'll miss much if you change the handlebar/stem to something "modern", you'll have your most aero gains. Next time try source the 2014 or 2015 Cavendish Venge to do something similar? That 49 frame with 140mm is really something.
I have an SWorks SL4 and a SWorks Aethos, the SL4 is pure joy, it transmits speed, emotion! Meanwhile the Aethos is only comfortable, it’s more a commuting bike.
There are nowadays a handful of manufacturers producing "threaded pressfit" bottom brackets: wheels manufacturing, black bearing, and moquai are examples of makers who produce pressfit cups with a connecting threaded tube; that work with pressfit frame shells. You "pressfit" one side, and then thread the other, and it prevents a lot of undisired noises
It's interesting to hear Mr. Feather discuss the climb at the end, specifically about how a 2 minute climb is different than something longer. It would awesome to have a hill climb clinic from the man, the legend.
2014 focus izalco pro ! Ican hardly get off it ! Im 55 ride Seattle mostly, used bike i built myself for 900 2 years ago. Im having a hard time justifying new tech for what gained at what price and routine maintenance wear and security! Certainly would enjoy a new bike but love my focus , rides better than anything i ever had . Ultegra 6800 10spd ...kinda retro.
@@pierrex3226so your saying pogacar bike is way more aero than this?. never thought his current bike is that aero. Bar deeper rim/ bigger tyres... can't say there's gonna be much in it... cables vs big disk brakes in the wind. Surely these wider clearances for tyres on frame is worse for drag🤔.
I was pleased to hear that Andrew Feather pulled back 2 of the 3 KOMs he lost on GCN's recent video. All 3 climbs are near to where I live so I'd love to know which of the 3 he got back 🤔
Press fit bottom bracket to threaded. Easy, press fit, will eventually creak, click, make noise as it works its way out of the frame. That’s the frustration I have on my Venge from the same era. The press fit on mine will eventually be replaced with a threaded option, as soon as I can figure out which one I need.
Feather! What a warrior. I was wondering why have the additional weight of water bottles on a 600m climb? Would that have made a little difference to the 2 second gain made.
I still ride mine, similar spec. Don't see much reason to change until its borked. The Tour de France is won on hour long climbs, for those types of climbs I'm not convinced we'd see much difference over the modern version. As a note, its easy to get these into the low 6's kg, but the big difference compared to something like an Aethos is that these are still bull stiff so potentially faster on a long climb vs something noodlier. Its comfortable 'enough' for how fast it is, on all but the worst roads.
I have a stiff alu bike and a pretty flexible carbon one. I absolutely prefer the carbon flexibility, runs absoltely smooth with 23mm tires and it's measureably faster. Same goes for wheels. Stiff 32 spoke wheels are just terrible. Same weight 16 spoke wheel feels much smoother.
Only "pro" riders can even come close to squeezing max performance out of any road bike--from any era. The fact that so many fools will pay such incredibly high prices for new bikes.... when there are loads of amazing bikes out there on the market--or 1/10th the price--that those same fools can't even come close to maxing out in terms of performance. I love to show up to my Saturday morning group rides on "vintage" pro-level bikes from the 80s and 90s and 00s and stomp all over guys on the newest bikes... guys that are a lot young (and a lot skinnier) than I am. :) It's been a joy of mine for years.
I totally agree, there is nothing more pleasing than flying past the weekend warriors on their 10K plus bikes on a bike from this era that I put together for under a grand. It’s a shame how GCN has brainwashed all the newbies into thinking that these modern bikes will make them faster. All it has done is to make cycling an elitist middle class sport and killed off the domestic racing scene.
Ok. First, I'm American and absolutely love cycling for more years than I will reveal. I own 7 bikes btw. Next, I love your channel and I'm new here. Third, I will take exception to this review. You folks seem to discount the performance of riders over new tech. I absolutely believe a racer can do well on any solid bike. Do you think the latest and greatest give the edge? How about a rider coming in a few lbs lighter? Wouldn't that negate all this ridiculous newer tech? It's not like riders are riding space ships. Too my memory, there is a minimum limit for bikes on the TDF? So let's say that bikes are still bikes even between generations. Stop discounting the weight and fitness of the riders. The machine doesn't win races. Sorry, not sorry. 🎉
Hey Scott, thanks for the comment. For sure, a super bike isn't going to win a race without a super rider on it. However, the difference a super bike can make is quite significant.
That's my next bike. Sure, my current bike is great, but today I charged the powermeter, charged the batteries for the electronic shifting and charged the bike computer. Rode a few meters and noticed: I couldn't shift with the left shifter (Sram Force). Right, there are additional batteries in the shifters! Good I had a fresh CR2032.
I love my SL5! Full Dura-Ace, Zipp 404 tubs, plus some groovy upgrades. I replaced the PF30 BB with a BB Infinite ceramic conversion that permits the use of my DA cranks without those fiddly spacers. My guess is AC had some form of a conversion as well to run the DA 7900 cranks. Anyway, the bike is crazy light and stiff. Is it the latest and greatest? Nope, nor do I care.
He would have a sleeve in it that allows a threaded bb or and screw together ceramic bb. No creaking and more durable. A lot easier to work on for the mechanics and weight isn’t an issue with the bike
I bought a tarmac s works SL3 in 2024. Used of course, 80000 km on it. But man does it ride great ??!!!! Fucking beast of a bike... 7.2kg and stiff as a rock 😊
A nice reminder of what a nice chap Feather is. Great to see GCN trying to make ammends for their recent faux pas with how they handled the Matt Holmes video challenge. Andrew gracious despite that. Good on him.
I live in the PNW USA, so it’s always wet, and I think disc brakes are solid upgrade, not believing so until after a year here. That being said, I’ve always wondered what would happen if you gave these bikes 28mm clearance and new DI2. Not saying the bike would be better, but, I’d definitely ride it over my 22 TCR
Great vid chaps, i love a subjective romantic bike decision over anything the data might suggest any day.....if it feels fast and looks great then job done right??...definitely. Isn't that how most of select our bikes anyway?
Do you think a bike like Contador's can still perform decently, if put up against more modern bikes?
I bought a tarmac sl5 with da9000 groupset in 2023 just because my idol, Alberto Contador, used to race on one of those when I started to watch cycling back in 2014 as a high school student. It was my dream bike for nearly a decade and last year I finally had the chance and ability to own it. It was amazing to realize the childhood dream, and the bike feels even lighter and stiffer than most of the modern bike. I still enjoy it till this day! I think I may never resell this bike, not only because it feels so good to ride, but also because it holds my childhood dreams.
Yay to the vintage bike and dreams!
Happy for u, u make your dream come true.. 👍
Congratulations!! ....... something similar happened to me with my dream bike, the Storck Aernario G1 when I fell in love with it in 2016 and at that time it was absolutely impossible to buy it. And well, 2 months ago (after 2 years) I managed to put it together completely. Like your Tarmac, they are jewels of cycling engineering (USA ad Germany) they are beasts and they are better than many other top bikes today ....... NEVER sell the Specialized (My Storck goes with me to the grave)
I have an SL2 that I refuse to let go and I still use it on the regular, even with my modern bikes. The lightness, stifness and vibration damping is almost too perfect.
What a great story! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Been a while since Feather was in a video I’d almost forgotten what a nice chap he is. And an absolute machine on the bike, glad to hear he’s taking back his local KOMs!! 👑
He was on here just a few weeks ago
@@FTA38yearfreeride this is such a bad take. His FTP is properly around 6 or 7 w/kg which is elite.
Trust cyclist to eat their own whilst claiming it's a clean sport 🙄 Feather is a great ambassador. Quiet, focused. No ego - unlike make of the keyboard warrior also rans who think he's no good, ignoring his KOMs & palmares. Jealousy is a terrible burden to bear but those afflicted cannot see it
@@FTA38yearfreeride The dude is a mid aged lawyer family guy living in a terrible weather place and riding bikes for fun. Of course there´s nothing sceptional about his numbers, and at the same time there is a lot, depending on how you see it. Doubt you can rank 5th in Mount Ventoux segment surrounded by serious world tour names if you are not somehow special. GCN made a nice docu about that too
@@yeyo9664 then stop calling him the best climber in the world, it is annoying, call him the best amateur climber.
I still ride, and take regular KOMs on my sl5 tarmac. Close to 100,000km on the frame now and still going strong.
Now THAT is gangsta!
100k? Sheeesh
@@mareczuczek I got it in march 2018 as a warranty replacement for my sl3 tarmac. 100k km is only 17k km a year or so. 60km a day for 5 days a week. Bikes last a long time if you maintain them.
@namwens1 what happened to the SL3? And did it have as many miles?
@@tommyfreckmann6857 formed a crack in the seat stay on the drive side near the dropout. It only had ~20,000km on it when it failed
What I got from this video, that rim brakes rock, old dura ace 9000 is fantastic and it's mechanical, old bikes are super hipper mega stiff and light so... I am glad to keep riding my old SL6 sworks rim, mechanical and super stiff and light bike 😎😎
Dual pivot rim brake 105 on aluminium rims in 1980s was the game changer in braking for me. Before that, whatever quality or brand of brakes I used were relatively useless in the wet. Rim brakes main advantage is not so much in braking as their not wearing out expensive rims - that, and ease of changing wheels for different rim and tyre widths.
Absolutamente !! ....... tienes una JOYA de la ingeniería ciclistica.
SL6 rim brake - top bike 👍
I have the same but DA9100 and a set of Hunt UD 36 wheels. With pedals on and taking my Garmin lights off, it is 14 lbs 11 oz. (6.6) Not even thinking of getting a newer one. I love it. I built it myself from bare frame so it is spec'd a little different from stock.
This bike is BB30. A bb30 to threaded adapter exists basically an alloy sleeve that is pressed in place of the BB30 bearings. BB30 is 68x42mm. The same width as BSA. Shimano axles are longer than the true bb30 axles back then. Either way to fit a shimano 24mm axle, you would either need to run reducers in the standard PF30 or BB30 bracket bearings or fit a wider bottom bracket. Back then fitting solutions were maybe more limited or less widely known as they are now, so they fitted a press fit to threaded adapter.
I had a Ridley bike that was briefly fitted with something similar PF30 to BSA thread adapter. PF30 is like BSA a 68mm wide standard. So adding shimano cups would get you the right width to run a shimano axle. This system didn't work so well actually. Trying to unthread the BSA cups would lead to undoing the presfitt adapter as a whole. Fitted a wheels MFG thread together BB to get to the wider and smaller diameter shimano 24mm axle standard, that worked much better. Beware a thread together and this to BSA thread adapter are not at all the same thing. Nowadays most 30mm axles are longer to also accommodate wider axles standards like BB386, BSA and T47
Ceramicspeed BB30 to 24mm thread in together BB is best solution. I have BB30 frame with Shimano crank.
SRAM PressFit BB30 to BSA 68/73mm English Threaded Bottom Bracket Adapter ftw!
I put in a $30 FSA sleeve on my CAAD10 (BB30) 12 years ago. Stopped the squeaking and made it much easier to replace groupsets
Praxis Works should fix this easily I guess? Today just removed my PF30 to Shimano 24 BB on my bike. The solution is pressfit left side, then screw in the right side to engage the left side and all the way in, so the inter-lock force pull each side evenly into the right place. Actually all these BB stuffs are really silly because they provide no real benefits of any kind except to make you a lot of trouble, a few more trips to the local shops and the $$ to the mechanics or the $$ for the tools you use only once every few years.
Great video. Lovely to have the contextual info provided about Contador and the bike's history (I do know who Contador is, but some people may not, or not yet!). And it was very well presented as usual by Si, of course - he's a great presenter.
I have also this SL5, and you know why, this bike made Sagan 3 times world champion! The S-Works SL5 rocks every time. I have it with the SRAM RED wireless. Stunning combo!
Great setup!
We love a bit of cycling history on the channel now and then. Beautiful bike! 👌
Amazing video, loved it! Dan is the man. 2016 bikes were so great. Still are actually!
I ride a rim brake S-Works SL6, but I’m starting to get nervous taking it out too often. It’s an absolute masterpiece, the peak of bike design. If anything happened to it, replacing it would be next to impossible these days!
I agree, I love that bike too. Still using it to these days.
I have found taking deep section rovals off and putting ksyrium sl on flys up the hills .has more kick to it .but slower most of the time if not going up hill
I have the same issue -- bikes I like too much to risk riding in traffic. This fall, as temperatures are finally dropping and I can ride without dying in the heat and humidity of the US mid-south, I'm thinking my perfectly serviceable but nothing special Tommaso Imola will get a lot more miles than my more prized bikes. If it gets crunched, I can buy another one, or one like it, quite easily.
I got the last rim brake TCR SL for the same reason. Now a collectors item
Sworks SL6 is best bike ever! I own one of them, only 6.2 kg! I have Dogma F too... on climbing SL6 is faster (on 23 mm tyres)...
Long live king Feather! Side note: I really appreciate that GCN has finally gone to 4K in a lot of your videos. Looks great.
Thank you for letting us know !
Just bought another one of these sworks sl5 tarmacs about 2 months ago. 6kg on the nose with pedals , mount and cage, comfortably takes 28c tires, the clx’s are tubeless ready, it’s stiff and super efficient and no road buzz. It’s as fast as my 2023 Orbea orca on the flats and climbs a lot quicker. It’s Peak bike
I'm glad you mentioned the tyre clearance. I've just bought an SL5 sworks frame off of ebay and was hoping I could get 28's in there but the video had me worried.
@@jonathantaylor7064
No worries, you can bring it into 2024 easily.
If the rims were 23mm internally I’d run 30c corsa pro’s instead. it’s not a tight fit with the calipers, frame or fork so not sure why they’ve said otherwise, I’ve ran 28c corsa 2.0 on the other Sl5 on Zipp 303 nsw too, room to spare 👍🏼.
Thanks for bringing Feather back! This was a really interesting video
He will never leave, not as long as we can keep him with us.
Unbelievable! Ollie, you are a hero! Your ride, with that great support from your GCN colleagues is inspiring and motivating me to continue with my sports activities! A huge congratulation to you and your team! Amazing!
So the conclusion at 12:25 on how this compares with current gen bikes - "i think this bike is the slower bike" : which was.seemingly based on literally nothing shown in the preceding.12 minutes . Brilliant test protocol GCN.!! 😂
marketing ruling this channel one more time.
He did explain it and said it would be slower except on the steepest climbs. BUT, I think it all might be marketing BS too. I have a 2018 Cannondale SuperSix and earlier this year bought an aero bike. With the same depth wheels, I honestly cannot tell a difference on the flat and the Cannondale is much nicer to climb on. I know it isn't scientific, but I will still make PRs on flatter sections with the Cannondale. On the other hand, I crushed a PR on a short climb with the aero bike. But, just that one.
Bike companies must be having trouble with riders not keen on upgrading their existing, perfectly good (& just a fast, if not faster) bikes. - throw some more $$$ to GCN and get them to label old bikes slow....
Love that era of Dura Ace, gorgeous groupset
Para mí el crankset Dura Ace 9000 es el más hermoso que ha diseñado Shimano en su historia en su acabado natural con negro ....... absolutamente único, hermoso y atemporal.
Totally agree
love the look of the 9000 SRM arm & spider too
These top end rim brake bike were phenomenal, quite more responsive than today top end disc brake bike.
I bought a Bernard Carre frame off a bike breaker in the north of England.
It turned up to being built for Bernard Borreau in 1974. It was liveried Peugeot. 531 26.4mm seatpost. Stronglight headset. Stronglight French B/B.
Got all the 1974 Box Deluxe parts, including Mafac 'Top 63' brake set. Stronglight 49D. Simplex Super LJ mechanisms and DT levers. Mavic Championat du Monde rims on Maillard 700 hubs. Chromed spokes. AVA bars and stem. Unicanitor saddle. 8.5 kg.
I'll gladly watch more old pro bike content. This was a fantastic video!
That bike is still a proper weapon!
I bought a brand new bike this year and I love it. Within 5 months I've done more kilometers on this new bike than any other bike before and countless commutes to work. My commute hasn't changed. It's the same route that it was 2 years ago but I only came within 2 minutes of my record which I still hold on a 2009 Cervélo (TdF/ Paris-Roubaix winning bike). That bike holds multiple PRs. It's almost scary how good these old bikes are. I still have it and I really need to build it back up this winter
@@triggamusician they are lighter
There are a tonne to press fit to threaded BB adapters. They are insets that are pressed into the BB are threaded internally and spaced to accept the applicable BB shells.
Bottom Bracket… OSBB of Specialized sucked big time… I still ride my Tarmac SW Project Black from 2011 with a C-Bear sleeve glued inside with resin and an Italian threaded BB to tighten everything properly… it’s never made any sound or anything! I still love this bike for its simplicity and the way it feels. I’ve tried modern bikes with all the bells and whistles but I always come back to this bike and love it!
I have a SL5 tarmac. I replaced also the press fit BB with a threaded one. I mean the cups don't thread into the frame. The left cup threads to the right cup in the middle of a tube attached to them. Also good for perfect alignment.
The hole in the frame might also have gotten slightly worn over time and a pressfit won't fit snug enough. So a thread together with retaining compound might help 🤔
I did the same on my SL4 with a praxis. I've used the Shimano and campy versions. Neither ever creaked.
Really enjoy the hill climb videos, especially with Si and Andrew. Great work!
2016 - a new, modern bike!
Actually, a symptom of how things have changed int he last 4 years... I have a 2018 Specialized Roubaix with Ultegra cable gears, just 25C tyres and, compared with today, narrow rims, bought new late 2017 and bought by me second hand at end of 2018. My Roubaix was out of date within a year as tyres and rims got wider and I missed an opportunity to get shorter cranks in the recall.
I also have a 2007 Cannondale SystemSix, Ultegra, Ksyrium wheels with 23C tyres. Bought in clearance sale, 2008 as it has front half carbon, rear aluminium and out of date. The frame won the 2007 Giro and three stages of TdF - two mountain and one sprint under different riders for different teams. With supplied Vittoria Diamante Pro tyres, it was gloriously smooth over rough surfaces but, as the reviews said, the tyres only lasted 300 miles and I couldn't afford to replace at that level. Still a great bike but, surprisingly, I rode same circuit at pretty much the same speed on my first gen Tricross - but the SystemSix felt faster!
Best era of bikes. Looks great.
I find the mid 2000s was the peak for bicycle and any years after are just refinements. Still riding a 2006 LeMond Alpe d'Huez, recently upgraded the worn 105 parts to NOS Ultegra parts from the same generation.🤘
I'm on a 2009 Wilier Cento. It's perfect.
What a gorgeous looking rig! The clean lines of the “traditional” seat stays are lovely
I replaced my SL4 BB30 to Shimano 24mm with a Praxis conversion kit which is a press fit one side & threaded the other.
I bought a used SL4 Tarmac with that setup, and I ended up with a crack inside the BB shell because whoever installed it had too much torque on it. I got two full years on it before the creaking started and the crack was discovered. Be careful with the torque. It's hanging on my garage wall as art now, lol!
Great ride! Hard to beat Dura Ace 9000/9100 mechanical (my current bike). Butter smooth shifting and braking.
It's always good to see Andrew "The Mighty Twig" Feather in action.
I have very much the same bike sl5 Peter Sagan edition w/di2. Amazing time capsule in design, style and performance. Not by any means under performer. I have had many great moments on this bike and can run with the best of the crowd. Cheers on the great video.
Watching Contador was amazing. His battles with Froome were brilliant. I remember one stage where he got in a breakaway and nobody noticed. That was racing.
Pogačar would win the tour on this easy.
True 💯
I ride my Cannondale evo nano black more than my new bike, just enjoy it, rim brakes , traditional frame geometry, no areo , complete weight including pedals is 6kg,
Cycling is great. Great sport. I can't get enough of it. One of my core hobbies. Have a '09 madone as my daily and still crush it. Have kept it up to date and taken care of it through the years. Bike still exceeds my expectations and if i'm ever slow, it's because i'm not as fit as the guy next to me. I have never blamed my machine and I don't need to. Bikes are still the same: 2 carbon triangles with a fork, 2 wheels, and gears with pedals. Don't buy what the bike industry wants to sell you: You buy speed. Nope, you buy a discipline and when you're good at it, you are fast on it.
Of course Contador's bike is still fast. Who woulda guessed??
Of course it will hang with any local A ride
Of course it will fly up mountains
Of course Feather can get a KOM on it
It's an elite bike. 2016 to 2024 is 8 years when 2016 has had 200+ of years of engineering behind it. Of course it's still phenomenal.
Like many here that still have an S-Works SL5 in their collection, I love mine. DA9000 including the C24 wheels, and running Vittoria Corsa 28c tyres gives no clearance issues for me. It’s still a joy to ride and very light compared to my disc bikes. A future classic you say… worth keeping hold of then!
A pleasant sight to see!! An old bike still holding up well regardless!! A bike with such simplicity, pedaled by A. Contador surprised me. The over sized Jockey Wheels was a good addition.ln the modern world ,a bike like this would be considered old and Dated. Old bikes vs. Modern Technology. Excellent segment
I grew up watching riders like Greg LeMond, Lance, Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, Mario Coppolini, Iban Mayo, and Jan Ulrich. It was once said, "It's not about the bike". And I have to agree. I still much prefer the era when road bikes still had rim brakes and quick release axles. Thanks.
OMG I'm feeling old - still riding a Giant OCR 😃
so glad, andrew feather is back. he's not just a great athlete but also a nice character and he fits perfectly in those formats.
Thank you for your kind words!
That bike is incredibly fast and very cool. Narrow tires, cable and spring operated shifting. Rim brakes. All it needs to be cooler is a steel frame, alloy wheels, and all external cabling.
I’m loving the recent climbing videos @gc! Do more videos on hill climbing and climbing science.
Thanks for the support!
Ok, the Alligator Ilink cables are ok... but don't be surprised by the mechanical shifting performance... it was (or may I say it is...) really very very good, comparable to the useless electronic groupsets.
OSBB bottom bracket with Praxis converter. Simple to install as long as you’re careful with the torque. I had one exactly like this only a size 61cm. Was stolen from my van in Frejus in 2019
Such an awesome bike, man! In my opinion, it looks way better than the current bikes and is apparently still more than good enough for most cyclists. Thanks to everyone who sold their rim brakes in recent years… I picked them up for next to nothing!
Threaded BB,
a testimony of the old era custom frame tradition,
At that time, what Contador (or him and his mech wizard) wanted, Contador had !
a batch of frames with threaded BB, No problemo
and if not possible from factory, he would have got
a custom threading cut in the carbon, or even an alloy sleeve bonded in from a reputable Spanish, Italian or French, custom shop.
theese custom shops where always working to make the best wheels faster, repairing and custom projects, walk in one of those good fellows shop and you could get a Contador motor bike 🙊.
Seriously, climbing out of the saddle does putt a hole lot of deformation on those old light full carbon frames, Contador was no track beast but mountain grinding could have required some team tweaking, sure electric bikes where around but in a UCI flandrien race, that's another legend.
Wish that detective UCI mandated last year would write a book about his founding 🙈🙉🙊
Great bike! Don't forget at the same age there's the "aero" 1st gen Venge. At first glance I mis-recognized this to the Venge, which happens to be the only bike I want to buy in 2024. I don't think you'll miss much if you change the handlebar/stem to something "modern", you'll have your most aero gains. Next time try source the 2014 or 2015 Cavendish Venge to do something similar? That 49 frame with 140mm is really something.
Super dooper video Si. Enjoyed that.
I have an SWorks SL4 and a SWorks Aethos, the SL4 is pure joy, it transmits speed, emotion! Meanwhile the Aethos is only comfortable, it’s more a commuting bike.
Vintage For The Win 🤙🤙
Other conclusion would be to worry more about your fitness than your bike specs (unless you are a WT rider)
There are nowadays a handful of manufacturers producing "threaded pressfit" bottom brackets: wheels manufacturing, black bearing, and moquai are examples of makers who produce pressfit cups with a connecting threaded tube; that work with pressfit frame shells. You "pressfit" one side, and then thread the other, and it prevents a lot of undisired noises
It's interesting to hear Mr. Feather discuss the climb at the end, specifically about how a 2 minute climb is different than something longer. It would awesome to have a hill climb clinic from the man, the legend.
Andy Schleck ❤ What a great time it was when Contador and Schleck were battling for the TdF
That BB will probably have something like a Praxis convertor fitted, especially for Shimano cranks. I had the same thing on my first carbon bike.
This is great content for GCN. Really enjoyed it!
Thank you!
Of course the SL6 was an improvement and generally more modern and aero, would love to see a proper head to head of that vs the disc SL8
You can get converters that enable a press fit BB to work with threaded BB’S
I have a Sl7, but i am still in love to my limited Kwiatkowski SL5 with WM Decals.
Looks so much better as well than the super aero bikes theses days
Any bike which was top flight in its day will ALWAYS be good.
Great video and congratulations Andrew Feather! He mentioned a nationals competition. Make a video!
2014 focus izalco pro ! Ican hardly get off it ! Im 55 ride Seattle mostly, used bike i built myself for 900 2 years ago. Im having a hard time justifying new tech for what gained at what price and routine maintenance wear and security! Certainly would enjoy a new bike but love my focus , rides better than anything i ever had . Ultegra 6800 10spd ...kinda retro.
This is peak bike. Don't let the cycling industry scam you into buying "upgrades" anymore.
Why you watching gcn then?
And for shure my 30mm tubeless tires are less comfortable and slower than old 23mm tubulars with 10bar
100% New bikes are heavy and fragile
Certainly peak lightness and stiffness.
You said it.@@laurenz323
Todays bikes would struggle against this machine for climbing. I had the SL4 and it’s still the best bike I’ve ever owned
Durianrider is that you?
Aerodynamics, so no. At the speed you're going, probably. With pogacar climbing at 27kmh, aero matters a huge deal.
@@pierrex3226so your saying pogacar bike is way more aero than this?. never thought his current bike is that aero. Bar deeper rim/ bigger tyres... can't say there's gonna be much in it... cables vs big disk brakes in the wind. Surely these wider clearances for tyres on frame is worse for drag🤔.
I guess I was more thinking about it on a steep climb like this. The new stuff is definitely better if gradient is under 12%
Put aero cockpit and modern tyres on any older bike and there's hardly any difference even on flats.
I was pleased to hear that Andrew Feather pulled back 2 of the 3 KOMs he lost on GCN's recent video. All 3 climbs are near to where I live so I'd love to know which of the 3 he got back 🤔
I love that Feather is getting his revenge already! What a legend!
Contadore didn't need a bike. That man has wings
Sl5 and Sl6 was peak rim brake tech . Most noobs are too afraid to touch anything without discs these days
Amazing bicycle and rider...great video.
Kudos to Dan at vintage Vellos and his awesome Channel!
@GCN: Can you pl make a video interviewing Andrew for his strength and training routine?
Press fit bottom bracket to threaded. Easy, press fit, will eventually creak, click, make noise as it works its way out of the frame. That’s the frustration I have on my Venge from the same era. The press fit on mine will eventually be replaced with a threaded option, as soon as I can figure out which one I need.
Great video, I also have ex pro bike from last years soudal quick step team. Welcome to do a comparison with an updateted S-WORKS
that Dura Ace Crank design and color scheme tho
Feather! What a warrior. I was wondering why have the additional weight of water bottles on a 600m climb? Would that have made a little difference to the 2 second gain made.
Probably for forward momentum when he turned onto the climb. Or, Si forgot to take his bottles off 🤣
Empty bottles don’t weigh much and are part of Contador’s bike look.
Touken Ninga BB is my guess. It is press fit however the center cup is treaded with a special socket.
When you look at the upper body muscles you wouldn't think Andrew was the hill climber :D
Fortunately, there’s no KOM for winning arm-wrestling matches.
@@gcn sounds like a new challenge fir Hank :D
I still ride mine, similar spec. Don't see much reason to change until its borked. The Tour de France is won on hour long climbs, for those types of climbs I'm not convinced we'd see much difference over the modern version. As a note, its easy to get these into the low 6's kg, but the big difference compared to something like an Aethos is that these are still bull stiff so potentially faster on a long climb vs something noodlier. Its comfortable 'enough' for how fast it is, on all but the worst roads.
I have a stiff alu bike and a pretty flexible carbon one. I absolutely prefer the carbon flexibility, runs absoltely smooth with 23mm tires and it's measureably faster. Same goes for wheels. Stiff 32 spoke wheels are just terrible. Same weight 16 spoke wheel feels much smoother.
Only "pro" riders can even come close to squeezing max performance out of any road bike--from any era. The fact that so many fools will pay such incredibly high prices for new bikes.... when there are loads of amazing bikes out there on the market--or 1/10th the price--that those same fools can't even come close to maxing out in terms of performance. I love to show up to my Saturday morning group rides on "vintage" pro-level bikes from the 80s and 90s and 00s and stomp all over guys on the newest bikes... guys that are a lot young (and a lot skinnier) than I am. :) It's been a joy of mine for years.
Spot on
Can people not just buy something they like? 🙄
@@rob-c. Sure, but it's still fun to drop posers.
@@charliedillon1400 🤦♂️
I totally agree, there is nothing more pleasing than flying past the weekend warriors on their 10K plus bikes on a bike from this era that I put together for under a grand.
It’s a shame how GCN has brainwashed all the newbies into thinking that these modern bikes will make them faster.
All it has done is to make cycling an elitist middle class sport and killed off the domestic racing scene.
so happy to see feather back！！！！！
Ok. First, I'm American and absolutely love cycling for more years than I will reveal. I own 7 bikes btw. Next, I love your channel and I'm new here. Third, I will take exception to this review. You folks seem to discount the performance of riders over new tech. I absolutely believe a racer can do well on any solid bike. Do you think the latest and greatest give the edge? How about a rider coming in a few lbs lighter? Wouldn't that negate all this ridiculous newer tech? It's not like riders are riding space ships. Too my memory, there is a minimum limit for bikes on the TDF? So let's say that bikes are still bikes even between generations. Stop discounting the weight and fitness of the riders. The machine doesn't win races. Sorry, not sorry. 🎉
Hey Scott, thanks for the comment. For sure, a super bike isn't going to win a race without a super rider on it. However, the difference a super bike can make is quite significant.
Should also consider the fact that the new KOM’s might’ve been achieved on newer or modern bikes versus the 2015 or 16 specialized
Si & feather - what excellent ambassadors for cycling. Though i'm not a fan of Alberto Comtadol ...
I rode my old Swork SL3 to the course(the highest moutain of Taiwan)
53KM 2780M Climb cost 4hour8mins at 9/7
Finally 4k videos, welcome to 2010 GCN
Well, this bike is from 2016, so it’s not that bad.
I think these comparisons are far more relevant than comparing with 20+ year old bikes.
That's my next bike. Sure, my current bike is great, but today I charged the powermeter, charged the batteries for the electronic shifting and charged the bike computer. Rode a few meters and noticed: I couldn't shift with the left shifter (Sram Force). Right, there are additional batteries in the shifters! Good I had a fresh CR2032.
The bottom bracket is most likely a wheels manufactured bb30 adapter I’ve the same frame and use this system as it’s stiffer and no creaks
I love my SL5! Full Dura-Ace, Zipp 404 tubs, plus some groovy upgrades. I replaced the PF30 BB with a BB Infinite ceramic conversion that permits the use of my DA cranks without those fiddly spacers. My guess is AC had some form of a conversion as well to run the DA 7900 cranks. Anyway, the bike is crazy light and stiff. Is it the latest and greatest? Nope, nor do I care.
What a great setup you have there!
He would have a sleeve in it that allows a threaded bb or and screw together ceramic bb. No creaking and more durable. A lot easier to work on for the mechanics and weight isn’t an issue with the bike
I bought a tarmac s works SL3 in 2024. Used of course, 80000 km on it. But man does it ride great ??!!!! Fucking beast of a bike... 7.2kg and stiff as a rock 😊
A nice reminder of what a nice chap Feather is. Great to see GCN trying to make ammends for their recent faux pas with how they handled the Matt Holmes video challenge. Andrew gracious despite that. Good on him.
I live in the PNW USA, so it’s always wet, and I think disc brakes are solid upgrade, not believing so until after a year here. That being said, I’ve always wondered what would happen if you gave these bikes 28mm clearance and new DI2. Not saying the bike would be better, but, I’d definitely ride it over my 22 TCR
Great vid chaps, i love a subjective romantic bike decision over anything the data might suggest any day.....if it feels fast and looks great then job done right??...definitely. Isn't that how most of select our bikes anyway?
The best bike is the one that fills your heart with the joy of cycling. ❤
If the SL5 is a classic then that's fine by me. I have one and for me it goes like a rocket
Great video as always. An interesting video would be an insight into what stretches/exercises you guys do off the bike to prevent injury. Thanks!