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.