The Fleet (Part 5)

If anyone thought I was finished posting stuff about The Fleet, they're wrong. I have this bike and two more. The others are the Somec and the Blackbird. Of course, I'm still building the Blackbird.

It was this time last year that I planned what I called project BK_Ultra. Yes, I do love my goofy project names. This was meant to be my ultimate bike and the last one I would do. It's a first in two ways. This is the only one that's all Shimano, and the only one I didn't build myself. I'm an Italian bike snob, this took some attitude adjustment.

The engineers at Cervelo, a Canadian firm, did a good job on selling the bike. They go into a lot of detail at their site about what they wanted it to do and how they did it, without giving away the secrets. Still, the proof lies in the pudding. A test ride was in order.

Did it do all Vroomen and White said it would? Yes.

It took me over a month to get the fit right, this thing is a pain to tweek. The seat developed a creak, I got three flats in the first fourty miles, and more than a few back pains riding it.

I finally got it all dialed in and fixed the creak. It's super comfy, and the bike goes as fast as my meager muscles can push it. I took it down Mt Hood to see what it would do. Stable even up to 45mph. When the aerodynamics go into effect, this thing locks in and doesn't waver. But don't expect me to try that stunt again. You can get killed.

Because of its stability, stiffness, and acceleration, it's the only bike I use to ride the hills. It just loves them.

The specs on the Soloist are at Cervelo.com, so I'll only list the general things.

Bike: Cervelo Soloist Special Edition (It has red paint)
Frame: Aluminum
Nickname: Cervelo-1, The Warbird
Project Name: BK_Ultra
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra

Tires: I did have Vvredstein Fortezza Tri-Comp tires on it, but switched to my trusty Bontrager Race Lite XXX Hardcase. I do all of my century riding on this bike, and I don't want to deal with a flat tire.

Weight: 17 pounds