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

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The Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 Champagne is the modern day version of the Austro-Daimler Superleicht that Frame and Wheel raced almost thirty years ago. The technology and the materials are wildly different, but the spirit and the finish are the same (Frame and Wheel got out the Pantone Color Bridge and found the color that was closest to the finish on the Austro-Daimler Superleicht frame set that sits in the Frame and Wheel office). Frame and Wheel has been racing and training on an Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 for the past year (a white one) and provides some thoughts about it below.

The features

The frame set is designed expressly for electronic shifting. Cable stops are absent on the down tube and chain stay and there is an opening on the bottom bracket to accommodate wiring and junction boxes. Customers ask if it can be converted. The answer is no. Frame and Wheel learned from customers that using Shimano Ultegra Di2 requires the opening under the bottom bracket to be enlarged in order to accommodate the larger junction boxes (Shimano Dura Ace junction boxes are smaller). This can be done by an experienced mechanic with the proper tools. One customer also successfully used Campagnolo EPS on this frame set. Frame and Wheel remains an electronic shifting convert. The practical benefits include a very easy shift from the small ring to the big ring and quick and easy rear derailleur adjustment (that can be done while you are riding). Frame and Wheel notes that when your hands are numb with cold, electronic shifting is very useful. It is also very useful for masters category hands that have been weakened by a lifetime of keyboard work. There also seems to be less chain slap when riding on rough road. The battery charges quickly and lasts a very long time. Frame and Wheel learned that when the battery does run out, the front derailleur stops shifting first. This not a problem on a training ride, but if it happens in a race, it will be a problem. It is easy to forget to charge the battery and even easier to forget to remove the battery from the charger. Forgetting to bring the charger to a training camp or a stage race is also very easy to do. Frame and Wheel notes that it is easy to shift, and thus one can shift excessively or by accident. 

Smooth ride

The Superleicht has a slack geometry (71.5 degrees head tube angle and 74 degree seat tube angle) and the wheel base is long (98.4 cm for the fifty centimeter size frame).  and thus the bicycle tracks very well and feels stable on the descents and in the corners. The down tube and the chain stays are oversized and explain the bicycles wonderful stiffness and acceleration. Other features include Austro-Daimler 37SL carbon front fork, Austro-Daimler 31.6 mm carbon seat post in Champagne finish (which  creates the impression of an integrated seat post without actually having one), English thread bottom bracket, full internal cabling, asymmetrical top tube, bolt-on front derailleur hanger for braze-on front derailleurs, replaceable rear derailleur hanger and painted rear drop outs.

The voice

Every bicycle has a voice that speaks directly to its rider. For Frame and Wheel, the Austro-Daimler Superleicht Carbon Di2 Champagne speaks personally of a cycling past and a cycling future. For others, the Superleicht will perhaps speak invitingly of electronic shifting, light weight and comfortable geometry. For others, 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 2013.

Specifications

Brand: Austro-Daimler

Model: Superleicht Carbon Di2

Finish: Champagne

Material: Unidirectional high modulus carbon fiber

Design: sloping top tube

Series: 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 Arione

Wheel set: Zipp 303 carbon tubular

Tires: Vittoria Corsa EVO CX 23-28

Total weight  as shown: 14 pounds 14 ounces (6.9 kg) size 50 cm as shown

Rider: Fred Thomas OA/Cyclemania Masters Cycling Team

Build and fit: Fit Werx 2 Peabody, Massachusetts