I now have put a few hours of riding into the LCR018-D so just want to give everyone the final specs of the bike and a quick initial impression.
Specification:Size 54 frameset
Raw carbon, gloss finish, laser silver decals (absolutely superb - despite my love of hyper chameleon finishes, this raw carbon is by far my favourite finish).
380/80 Handlebar
Inline Seatpost
Ultegra 8170 Groupset with titanium bolt upgrades on the groupset and throughout the bike
Frames & Gear UDH Direct Mount Hanger
CeramicSpeed T47 BB
Go-Zone 45mm Carbon Wheelset, 24mm internal, CX Ray Spokes, brass rainbow nipples, GP5000 30mm Tyres, Ridenow TPU tubes
Galfer Wave Rotors, Swissstop 34RS brake pads
YBN S12 TIC rainbow chain, waxed with Dynamic Wander Wax (soon to be moving to UFO Ultra Endurance Wax)
Lightcarbon 3D print saddle and carbon bottle cages
Lightcarbon titanium garmin mount
Assembly:Putting the bike together was a pleasure - has to go down as the easiest bike I have ever built - and this is my first disc brake bike so that is saying something!
Everything is finished to a very high standard, no problem routing any cables - handlebars are easy to route through as well - everything just works.
Di2 battery holder in the seatpost is custom made to fit and is a really nice finishing touch.
Another feature not really mentioned is the little GoPro mount which attaches to the Garmin mount in where the mount meets the bar - not out front at the actual Garmin faceplate. This is such a great little addition - it allows me to add a light to the bike but keep it nicely tucked in close to the frame - so compact and neat and not something ive seen before, so kudos to LightCarbon for this!
Initial Impressions:If there is one word I would use to describe this bike, it would be smooth.
It's exactly as I hoped for, and exactly the bike I wanted.
Is it as responsive as a TCR? No. Is it as fast as an Aeroad? No. Dont get me wrong, its fun and a pleasure to ride, but im trying to give an objective feel of the actual ride compared to some other bikes.
BUT - its smoother than anything else ive ridden, and im willing to bet I might actually be faster over 4-5 hours on this bike than the other 2 listed, because this bike does not beat me up at all.
It is so easy on the body that after 2 hours I find myself physically in far better shape than I would be on any of my other race bikes - and thats the key.
I bought this bike for endurance, and it's ticking all the boxes - and then some.
I went for Ultegra 8170 Di2 and ive never been as blown away by a groupset.
I've been using 9150 Di2 on my Cervelo S3 which is very, very good - but this 8170 is ridiculous. Absolutely silent and shifts faster than any groupset ive ever used - even the front shifts feel like a rear shift - so smooth, fast and quiet.
I wasn't expecting that much of a difference - but it is a big difference to any groupset ive used and I couldn't recommend highly enough.
Ive added the little button "exaggerators" that slip in under the hoods to make the hidden buttons more pronounced (I got them off Aliexpress) - what a difference they make! I can press even with winter gloves and feel the clicks so clearly - a small but massive improvement.
Another big motivator for this bike was the shift to disc brakes - I have hand and wrist problems at the minute and needed something to ease the pressure and force going through my hands - especially on wet winter roads.
Overall, I am delighted with disc braking. Bleeding the 8170 was so simple as to be a joke - took 5 minutes to do both front and back. Aligning the rotors did keep me busy for half an hour as I wrapped my head around it, but now all set and silent.
I was surprised by the gradual nature of the braking - to me it feels much like a very well setup rim brake bike, but the key difference being that it feels the same even in the wet! So this is a huge improvement.
Im using Swissstop 34RS pads, so maybe other pads would give a different feel, but I am very happy with how these perform.
Another interesting bonus is the lack of external cables. The bike looks so sleek and clean - and to that point, no cables makes cleaning down the bike SO much easier!
It is such a well rounded package overall, so smooth, confidence inspiring in its stability, still agile and absolutely silent, which always brings a smile to my face when riding.
One point to mention is the handlebars. I love the look of the design, and the sloping shape gives an extra few mm of height to the shifters. However that sloping shape is not great for riding on the tops as it angles your shoulders in towards each other and feels rather cramped. As someone who loves to climb, I can see this being a slight point of annoyance in the future, so I may revisit the bars after a while and think about changing them out. Its a small point, but something worth mentioning.
It will be interesting to see when the good weather comes around again what I think of taking my Cervleo S3 out again - the LCR018-D is such a well rounded bike that covers every scenario so well, that I can see it becoming my go-to bike for most rides.
Future Plans:There's not much more to do to the bike, but I have a couple of things i'd like to try.
1. A "best" wheel upgrade for the good days. A 50/55 ish deep set of wheels around 1200g to really make the bike shine. The Go Zones are great, and the brass nipples give me all year round confidence, but at 1380g they are a do it all workhorse. Id love a set of all out performance wheels for big days out. I'm trying to decide between DFS Carbon custom build, Serenade 50mm, Aero Raptor 50mm, XM Carbon custom build, or 9Velo - any thoughts here much appreciated!
2. A second fork. I have my current fork cut with a couple of extra spacers for maximum comfort, I'd love to get another one and cut it slammed for better aero performance on fast days. Its not that big a deal to switch the fork out, so currently debating the cost if an extra fork and an extra caliper.
Sorry for the rambling, hope this is of some use to users on the forum. Anything else you'd like to know about the bike, just reach out and I'd be glad to help.
