great ride today... for those familiar with LA/socal, we went up angeles crest (hwy2) to the mount wilson observatory.  45mi, 5600ft climbing (72km/1700m).

solid, no creaks.  after the last ride, even though it was rattle free, since i had it open to add an allen toolset to the storage bag, i wrapped some foam around the hydraulic hose that runs down, in the upper downtube area, above where the downtube storage bag sits, just to prevent any potential rattles.  the storage bag pins it down well in the lower part of the downtube so i didn't bother putting foam there... plus foam there would take up space that i want for the contents of the bag.

the biggest revelation is how well and fast the bike descends!  it's a rocket!

there's 3 main descents coming off mount wilson.  the 1st is the shorter drive down from the observatory to angeles crest which i stayed at the back just getting a feel for the bike.  the 2nd from redbox (base of mount wilson) to clear creek, i set a 30sec PR, average speed increasing from 38mph to 41mph (61kph to 66kph) not pedaling 1 stroke... passed my buddies without even trying.  all from the bike's fit, more aero frame, wheels, ceramic bearings who knows.  i consistently saw speeds 60+ kph which was not the case in the past and only missed PRing the longest 3rd segment down angeles crest because i got stuck behind some cars and motorcycles.

not only is the bike fast, but it's also stable.  despite a gusts of wind and the 50mm depth wheels, i felt in control throughout.  the shallower head tube angle and larger BB drop (76 vs 70 on my old bike) gives a more planted and assured ride compared to my old bike.  going from 27mm measured to 31mm (the 30mm have stretched out to 31 in the last week) wide tires, running 58psi front/ 60psi rear, really smoothed the little bumps so they didn't throw me off lines as much as before.  the bike's bars made staying in the drops easy, also helped.

climbing is fine. again because it's about 0.5 kg heavier than my rim brake bike i'm not flying up climbs significantly faster, but the bike's not holding me back.  power out of the saddle is great and no flex in the bottom bracket or head tube.  for those worried about frame flex due to having a downtube storage compartment vs not, it's not a factor for me (180lbs/82kg recreational/enthusiast dude).  PR'd and am now top 8 all-time on a short uphill segment up to clear creek (approx 550watts) because i carried so much speed into the climb and when i started putting down the power, it went directly into the wheels. the m40 carbon fiber is well placed.

loving the bike so far.  and definitely a ton of compliments and questions from other riders out there today.

Great looking bike!  Glad to hear it descends well, I’m more of a mountain biker and am looking for something to replace my 2009 Giant TCR,  I definitely want something fast and composed on the downhills as it’s my favorite part of the ride.   Also I’m in Norcal and was wondering if you had to pay any tariffs?