A-D Superleicht Carbon Limited reviewed by Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine

A-D Bikes tops the charts with a Superleicht remix

A-D Bikes is the company remixing the iconic Austro-Daimler Superleicht for the twenty-first century and reintroducing it to the global performance racing bicycle market. Masters category cyclist Fred Thomas founded A-D Bikes in 2010. 

"I wanted to race the bike I raced when I was sixteen years old." Mr. Thomas said recently during a test ride with Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine. "Austro-Daimler had long since closed it doors, so I did what BMW did with Mini Cooper." Four years up the road, Mr. Thomas' knowledge of cycling products, experience working and living in Asia and dedication to the sport have come through in the form of the A-D Limited Series frame sets. Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine recently tested the Superleicht Carbon Limited road bike with Mr. Thomas on his 80 mile Tuesday night training ride outside of Portland, Maine. Part of it, anyway. Mr. Thomas rides with the Downeast Racing team out of Brunswick, Maine and thus is riding the hours necessary to compete in the New England Pro 1 2 category. "You have to live the dream if you are going to sell the dream." Mr. Thomas quipped at one point during the ride.    

Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine is impressed. The Superleicht is a stable and comfortable bike to ride and a fine choice for the no-nonsense racing cyclist. It is steady on the downhills, smooth in the corners, responsive in the accelerations and built up with Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 Di2 eleven speed group set and FOS 38T tubular wheels, the bike (50 cm) weighs fifteen pounds (6.8 kg). The Champagne finish respects the original spirit of the brand and we like the way Mr. Thomas has innovated traditional bicycle graphic design by transposing the A-D logo on the down tube. "I wanted to remix the graphics to leverage the beauty of the A-D logo and give the bike a modern voice. Just ten years ago, this kind of graphic touch was not possible." Mr. Thomas says.

The Limited Series improves on the previous generation Superleicht by offering dual mechanical and electronic cable routing compatibility and a BB30 bottom bracket. "The Limited Series gives the consumer more choice of group set and bottom bracket and it is also a lot easier for your mechanic to build." Mr. Thomas points out. Among the features that are unchanged include the A-D 37SL full carbon front fork, the A-D carbon seat post (31.6 mm), the tapered head tube and the Cane Creek 110 Series head set in the blue finish. 

Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine cannot help but think that Mr. Thomas has his work cut out. The market for performance frame sets is very competitive and the secondary market is awash with lightly used brand name performance bicycles. Why buy an A-D? Mr. Thomas puts it this way. "These frame sets are inexpensive premium products that offer better value and better performance than many other frame sets in its class. They are well made and all that you will ever need to be competitive in races and group rides." Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine is inclined to agree and has to say that there is something authentic and essential about the Superleicht frame sets that gives the completed bike a distinctive and classic voice. Perhaps it was that voice that got us out of bed at dawn the next day to fit in one more ride on our Superleicht before returning it.

A-D Bikes runs a standard crash replacement program in addition to the refreshingly simple and innovative  A-D Bikes Cash or Credit program. This allows the original owner of an A-D frame set to return it in exchange for a credit towards a new frame set or a fair market value cash payment. This means that A-D owners can easily extract the remaining value of their A-D frame set without having to deal with Craig's List or eBay. The full line of A-D Limited Series road, time trial and cyclocross frame sets are available at The Chain Station in Brunswick, Maine (Please ask for Jeff Yingling). The frame sets can also be obtained through Fit Werx 2 in Peabody, Massachusetts (Please ask for Marty Miserandino). For customers outside of New England, the frame sets can be obtained through the A-D Bikes Shopify Store. Please call Fred Thomas or Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine directly on 207 221 5151 with any questions. Dealer enquires are welcomed.

By Fred Thomas
Editor
Cycling Pro Road Review Magazine