Volagi

If you ever go to www.bikerumor.com, you've probably noticed an ad for a disk brake equipped bike with a want-to-be Italian name. A couple of weeks back, they stopped in our store to see if we wanted to carry their bikes. From the information and reactions I got from my questions, the company is made up of freaky endurance riders (one of them has ridden for 38+ hours straight), the majority of whom have worked at Specialized. My impression is that they were not believers in a lot of what Specialized has been doing with fit accessories and frame making, and wanted to start a new company.

Enough about the company, here's my riding impression. To clarify, They had a 55cm demo bike with Ultegra mostly, FSA carbon crank (which I hate. FSA makes great bars & seatposts, but their carbon cranks are TERRIBLE) and whatever company they use for their cable actuated disk brakes. I have no idea about what tires and wheels were on there, the saddle was their own, and made to be somewhere between a Fizik and some saddle from Specialized, and I have no idea what PSI the tires were at. I didn't adjust the saddle, I just hopped on it and went for a spin.

The whole point of this bike is to be a comfortable endurance bike. Read that as "Roubaix." Specialized practically started the plush road bike category and they still do it better than everyone else. It's no secret that I like Specialized products. I think they're awesome. If I didn't, I would have a hard time selling them. I hate the Roubaix. I don't like riding that bike at all. It is super comfortable (28cc tires will do that to just about any bike), climbs well enough and looks great, it just turns like shit. Every time I ride one I am disappointed. They Idea of riding an endurance road bike made to be comfortable above all else just isn't my thing. So I was a little skeptical to ride the Liscio (I shit you not, that's what they call this thing).

The parking lot behind the shop is really not interesting. It is slightly uphill (false flat) and choppy. Riding into it from the shop, there is a curb that is supposed to be a flat transition, but it's about an inch high and 3 inches across, then an inch drop back down. It's a good gauge for how comfortable a bike is. My tarmac is not comfortable going over this bump. It's not painful, but it's something I stand up for when going over it. The Liscio was downright jarring. It could be the most uncomfortable bike I've ever been on while going over that bump. It was terrible. The disk brakes, on the other hand, had the most modulation of any bike I've ever ridden. The levers felt spongy and the stopping power was embarrassingly weak (I couldn't lock the wheels at all), but I could feel everything and had absolute adjustment. It was a weird feeling because I was expecting disk brakes on a road bike to be super touchy and over powering, but it was the exact opposite.

The handling was absolutely fantastic. The front end feels just like my tarmac, but stiffer. I was expecting it to be just like the Roubaix and be truck-ish with its turn in, but it was sharp, direct, and focused. I think that if the brakes had more stopping power, but kept the feel and control, that the Liscio would be an amazing bike for descents.

When I came back in, I immediately grabbed a 54cm fully Ultegra equipped Roubaix and pumped the tires up to 100PSI front and rear. I went out and did the same things I had done on the Liscio. The Roubaix was so poised going over "the bump." I'm constantly amazed by its comfort. The rest of the test ride was exactly what I remembered; average handling with terrible turn in feel.

When I came back in and talked to them, they were surprised that I didn't find the bike to be comfortable, but not shocked at all that I loved the handling. Isaac went out right after me and thought it was very comfortable. I can't figure out why.

All in all, I liked the bike. It's good looking, I like the idea of a disk brake equipped road bike and they make a 55cm, which fits me better. I wish they wouldn't use an FSA carbon crank, but specialized and Cervelo are using either the exact same, or a BBright version of the same crank, so I'm sure the price is right for them. I think the name of the company is fine, only because it's Latin and not Italian (Volagi means "the will to go). I like the bird logo. I think the bike name is awful (it's Italian for "smooth"). I know they're fighting it, but they need to make a cross frame and quick. It doesn't look like High Road Cycles will be carrying them, but I hope someone in the area grabs them because they make a better bike than a lot of much larger companies.

http://www.volagi.com