Received my SC-R55D a few days ago. Almost 2 months from the order to receiving it at my door. Shipping was only a few days (Fedex International Priority).
Size 535 (more like a 56-58cm).
This is my first carbon bike, I'm not sure what's normal and what isn't.
NOTE I specifically requested it to be unpainted. So, naturally it looks rougher than one you might receive with the standard matte clear coat. Don't judge it too much based on the unfinished appearance. I'll disassemble and paint it in the spring.
Photos (82)
https://imgur.com/a/tJCYRZ4BB ShellI measured the BB with a bore gauge, 6 measurements per side and averaged.
DS: 40.97mm
NDS: 41.02mm
Could be better, could be (far) worse, I think the ideal is like 40.98mm-41.00mm.
DS should be fine, NDS I might use a bit of Loctite 641 for good measure, but will see how it feels first.
Weights| Part | Weight (g) | Notes |
| Frame (size 535) | 842.1 | Unpainted; completely bare (without hanger, FD tab, seatpost wedge clamp, etc) |
| Fork | 393.3 | Unpainted; steerer is 300mm |
| Seatpost (1-bolt setback) | 177.2 | Matte paint, with hardware; 40mm length |
| Seatpost (2-bolt zero-setback) | 171.2 | Matte paint, with hardware; 400mm length |
| Seatpost wedge clamp | 15.5 | |
| Seatpost Di2 battery wedge clamp | 7.4 | |
| Seatpost rubber cover | 4.7 | |
| FD tab + mounting screws | 15.5 | |
| Derailleur hanger (UDH) | 27.9 | Not SRAM-branded |
| Expander plug | 54.8 | |
| Headset top cover | 15.5 | Not FSA-branded; ~10mm height |
| Headset bearings | 61.2 | 51.8 x 40 x 8 mm, 36 x 45 deg |
| Headset spacer (5mm, each) | 5.7 | comes with 5x |
| Headset compression ring | 6.9 | |
| Bottle cage bolt (each) | 2.8 | comes with 5x |
| Bottle cage washer (each) | 0.3 | |
| All cable port plugs (5x) | 1.8 | |
Frame + essential small parts (hanger, FD tab, seatpost clamp, rubber cover): 905.7g
I didn't purchase the offered thru-axles, getting some blue ones from elsewhere.
Notes/Issues- It was packed well
- Carbon looks pretty good on the inside. I assume EPS molded. No large wrinkles
- Brake mounts look good
- Seatpost slides into the frame easily, certainly not too tight, perhaps could be a bit more snug if anything
- Geometry of the frame seems accurate. The fork length however is ~4mm longer than stated (measures in at 374mm)
- Headset bearing seats look good
- Seems to be compatible with mechanical shifting? There's an exit hole behind the ST (in addition to the FD Di2 wire exit hole)
- The seatpost wedge clamp is definitely better finished than the one shown in Peak Torque's Tavelo Arow review (sides are nicely rounded), but could probably still use a couple minutes of sanding to make the top edge smoother where it contacts the post.
The pocket that the clamp sits in is angled, so it falls right into the seat tube when removing the seatpost. And it's not easy to hold it in place with your finger either, again due to the angle on the bottom.- The rubber cover for the seatpost clamp touches the grub screw in the clamp which prevents it from sitting flat on the top tube. Also, it fits kinda loose, not sure if that's common, but I assume it will jump around a bit on rough roads, or even in the wind.
- HT/headset/fork vertical gap is about 1mm on both the top and bottom, which is noticeable from the front and sides. Weatherproofing is poor. Not sure how much of the gap is due to the bearing inset vs. the non-FSA ACR top cover. Might be better with a real FSA cover?
- Lower headset bearing sits kinda high on the bearing seat. But probably fine.
- Cable routing -- there's a guide tube in the NDS chainstay going to the rear brake. And the fork of course. But I don't see anything for the rear derailleur. And it didn't come with a foam sheath to prevent rattling in the DT.
- The DT water bottle could have been placed lower for aero I think. There's a few cm between the two.
- The threads in the fork dropout are kinda rough, one of the first threads is clearly a bit damaged, and there seems to be some excess resin that made its way to the bottom of the threads. I tried threading in a 1.5 pitch thru-axle and it felt quite rough. Ordered a rethreading tap to chase the threads, let's see if that works.
- The additional zero-setback seatpost I purchased has a 2-bolt clamp rather than the 1-bolt Ritchey-style clamp on the setback post. So anyone worried about the 1-bolt clamp slipping might consider the zero-setback seatpost, if your fit allows it.
- Tire clearance -- fork can fit some larger tires for sure. Width between the fork legs is around 50mm, not sure about radial clearance. Wouldn't be surprised if it could fit a 38-40mm tire leaving 5mm around. On the frame, width between the chainstays is ~40mm, so personally I wouldn't use anything wider than 32mm actual.
- Rear flat mount bosses are 20.8mm tall, for those looking to buy the correct length bolts.
- Wish I had thought to order an extra seatpost clamp in case I lose it.
AeroRandom dimensions for unscientific aero weenie comparisons:
- Seatpost is ~21.8 x 33.4mm. Wider than supersix (15mm)/sl8/etc
- Fork legs are ~16.5 x 40mm in the middle. Slightly narrower than supersix
- DT is 43 x 63mm in the middle. Narrower than supersix
- HT is 45 x 73mm in the middle
As I might've mentioned earlier, I'm doing a weird setup with a +17 deg stem to approximate the simplon/cervelo/bianchi/colnago thing and to get enough stack for my tall self. Then I'll design a fairing that encloses the stem/spacers/cables to make it sleeker and more aero. Hoping to finish it up by mid-January and have it ready for spring racing.
