Frame and Wheel reviews the Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 road bike

Frame and Wheel reviews Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 

The Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 road bike is a modern day version of the Austro-Daimler Superleicht racing bike used by amateur and professional cyclists in the 1980s. It is wildly different from its ancestor in terms of technology and materials, but the spirit and beauty of the bicycle is unchanged. Frame and Wheel has been riding this Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 for six months now and provides some thoughts about it below.

Designed for Di2

The frame is designed expressly for Shimano’s Di2 electronic drive train. Cable stops are absent and there is an opening on the bottom bracket and the down tube to accommodate wires and junctions. Frame and Wheel’s view on electronic shifting is that it is like air conditioning: once you start using it, you never go back. The practical benefits include a very easy shift from small chain ring into big chain ring and quick and easy rear derailleur adjustment. Frame and Wheel notes that when your hands are numb with cold, electronic shifting is very useful. It is also useful for master’s category hands that have been weakened by a life time of keyboard work. There also seems to be less chain slap when riding over rough road. A single charge lasts a long time and the the battery charges up very quickly. It is very easy to forget to charge the battery and even easier to forget to bring the charger to training camps or stage races. These are iTronskis (for more about iTronskis, please read this post) that the user will commit only once. Frame and Wheel’s 50 cm frame set is built up with Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 Di2, 3T stem and 3T Rotundo bars and Zipp 303 tubular wheels. The weight for the bike as shown is 14.8 pounds.

Think powerful luxury sedan

The Superleicht’s geometry is slack (71.5 head tube angle and 74 degrees seat tube angle) and the wheel base is long (98.4 cm) and thus the bicycle tracks very well and feels stable on the descents and in the corners. Frame and Wheel likens the ride to a powerful, luxury sedan: smooth, silent and very comfortable for long rides. The chain stays, down tube and seat tube are oversized and explain the bike’s wonderful stiffness and acceleration. Other features of the frame set include tapered head tube, asymmetrical top tube, a full carbon Austro-Daimler 37SL front fork, full carbon Austro-Daimler 31.6 mm seat post, full internal cabling, front and rear carbon drop outs, English thread bottom bracket (68 mm), replaceable rear derailleur hanger, braze-on front derailleur hanger and pearl white paint finish. 

Frame and Wheel rides an Austro-Daimler Superleicht in 1986.

Frame and Wheel rides an Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 in 2011.

The voice

Every bicycle has a voice that speaks directly to its rider. For Frame and Wheel, the Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 speaks sentimentally of the days of racing in New England, Colorado and France in the 80s and 90s and youthful but unrequited dreams of glory. For others, the Superleicht will perhaps speak invitingly of electronic shifting, 1980s styling and comfortable geometry. For some, no voice will be heard. Frame and Wheel’s view is that the bicycle is a great pleasure to ride and looks forward to racing it in 2012. 

Specifications:

Brand: Austro-Daimler

Model: Superleicht Carbon Di2

Material: Unidirectional high modulus carbon fiber

Frame design: compact geometry road

Front fork: Austro-Daimler 37SL

Seat post: Austro-Daimler carbon

Front and rear derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 Di2

Dual control levers: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 Di2

Cassette, bottom bracket, chain: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900

Crank set: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 170 mm 53T/39T

Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 SL Carbon

Bar and stem: 3T Rotundo carbon classic and 3T ARX Team alloy stem

Seat: Fizik Aliante Ti

Wheel set: Zipp 303 carbon tubular

Tires: Vittoria Corsa EVO CX 21-28

Total weight  as shown: 14 pounds 12 ounces (6.7 kg) size 50 cm as shown

The frame sets are available through no-reserve auction at the at the Frame and Wheel eBay Store. Please sign up for the news letter to learn of upcoming auctions. For more information about Frame and Wheel and the frame set, please visit the website.

Frame and Wheel Puerto Rico winter training camp

Puerto Rico is fine destination for a winter training camp. The climate is warm, terrain is challenging and there are plenty of things to do when the riding is done (the beach, Old San Juan, great restaurants). Additionally, there are numerous direct flights from the east coast, there are good bike shops and there is a local cycling scene. Isle Verde is a good area to stay. There is a super market nearby, it is near the city and it provides for convenient access to the rides around El Yunque National Park. There are many apartments for rent in Puerto Rico, but you have to book in advance as Christmas and New Years is peak time for Puerto Rico. Renting a car also requires booking in advance. The traffic is not too bad outside of San Juan, and it is very light on the back roads in the mountains. Drivers are respectful of cyclists for the most part, but caution is required. Frame and Wheel notes that there is no yellow line on the roads in the mountains so staying under control and well to the right is essential (many drivers coming uphill swing well over the yellow line). "Oyo" means pot hole and is an important word when riding in a group. "Ola" is an informal greeting and an effective warning for others.  The temperatures are in the 80s during the day. In the early morning there can be light rain. In the mountains, temperatures are cooler and the roads can be wet and slick. There is no cell phone coverage in El Yunque national park, but coverage is fine everywhere else.

Route 187 leads from Isla Verde to Loiza, Suarez and Rio Grande and is the primary thorough fare for getting to the rides in the hills east and south of the city. It is straight and flat and requires 100 percent vigilance for cars passing in the other direction. In the afternoon, there also iguanas to look out for. There are deep and large potholes on all the roads and they can appear out of nowhere on otherwise smooth pavement. In the mountains and in El Yunque national park, the roads can be rough, especially in the corners of the switchbacks. Clinchers with some tough tires are a must. There are dogs too. Most are confined to their owners compounds, but some escape and give chase (Frame and Wheel was pursued twice by the same Rotweiller). A good rule of thumb is to not to build up too much speed on the downhills so that there is extra reaction time for those hazards and the more typical ones: cars backing out of driveways, pedestrians, drainage grates).

The rides are productive and can be viewed at Frame and Wheel on Strava Cycling. Frame and Wheel recommends repeats on the El Yunque park road from the welcome center to the top. The traffic gets busy with tourists, but then it calms down. It allows for a good ride without having to venture too far out and away from home base. A harder ride is to go south on Route 956 to the peak and then down the back side on Route 957, turn around and head back up Route 957 and down Route 956. There are some very steep sections here. Route 185 after Benitiez is quite busy and not worth the stress. Route 3 is rideable, but it is a busy big road that is more effective as a means for getting to the smaller roads in the hills. Frame and Wheel just scratched the surface of the potential rides in Puerto Rico. Renting a car and heading an hour out of town will open up some great terrain.

Roland Marrero is a great guide and mechanic from The Bike Stop. Jose at B.Bikes runs a nice shop and is in the Isla Verde area. It is worth calling these shops in advance to find out about local rides. The fortress at Old San Juan is a great visit, but do not drive into town. Traffic is terrible. 

A note on flying: Frame and Wheel used JetBlue. The flight was on time and comfortable. If you can get your bike into the standard size travel case (around 60 x 40 x 10 inches) and it weighs less than 50 pounds, it will count as your checked in bag and thus will not incur an oversize or overweight fee. IF you have another checked in bag, you will have to pay $30.00 for that one. Be sure you know the rules as the agents checking you in do not always know how it works.

Route 956

The blue pave of of Old San Juan

The fort at Old San Juan

Flats along Route 187

Drainage grating in Loiza

Clinchers and Paves

Top of El Yunque park road

Back road climbs

Route 181 above Gurabo

Route 9966 into El Yunque National Park

Water falls in El Yunque National Park

El Yunque Park roads

View from Route 956

View from Route 956