This post is the next in my series about my journey to having a custom bike built. It covers my first visit to Enigma on 30 July 2013, which was while I was still in negotiations with Cyclefit/Seven.
In July, I began going through the design > order > build process at Cyclefit with a view to buying a custom Seven Axiom S frame. However, I was pursuing that avenue essentially on the basis of Seven's incredible reputation for quality workmanship. There was no possibility of test riding a Seven anywhere. Having not seen one of their bikes in the flesh, I suppose it was a form of blind faith.
However, I hadn't given up altogether on the idea of a test ride of a titanium bike -- any titanium bike. As the weeks went by (and with some frustration with the Cyclefit/Seven process beginning to creep in), I set out to contact a few UK manufacturers of titanium bikes (whether stock or custom), to see if I couldn't at least have a little ride on one of their bikes, to see for myself what titanium feels like to ride.
Two days later, I had an e-mail from Jim Walker, founder of Enigma Titanium in East Sussex, apologising for the delay in his replying (due to picking up a nasty bug while on a business trip). Frankly, I thought two days for a reply was pretty darn good! In any case, we quickly agreed that I would go down to Hailsham to visit them to test ride one of their bikes. I had indicated that any bike I might be interested in purchasing (or having custom built) would need to be able to accommodate mudguards and potentially a rack. This narrowed down the options within Enigma's range of models to the Etape. Jim confirmed they could have an Etape in a standard size Small (~54cm) ready for me to try out during my visit. We agreed that first I would have a fitting - partly as I wanted to see how theirs compared to those I'd had at Cyclefit, but also so that they could set up the Etape to fit me as best as they could.
I'll post separately about the fit experience. Meanwhile, here is the bike I test rode.
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| Bright brush finish, with black graphics. |
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| Campagnolo Veloce rear derailleur |
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| Campagnolo Veloce rear derailleur |
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| Campagnolo Athena compact double crankset. |
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| Very tidy welds. Rack mounts. |
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| Again, very clean welds. Evolution headset. Carbon fork and spacers. |
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| Fulcrum wheelset. |
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| SKS Bluemels mudguards with Longboard flaps. |
The Test Ride
Firstly, the caveats which formed the background:
Condition: This bike was an ex-demo that had provided quite a few test rides while based at a dealer's bike shop! It was, as the workshop guy said, "mullered". In other words, various components were getting worn and "tired" and were due for replacement.
Components: The entire groupset, as you can see from the above photos, was Campagnolo. I had never ridden a bike with Campagnolo before! The shape of the brake/STI levers is quite different from the various Shimano ones I've used, and the shifting action is very different as well! The lever (more of a button, really) to shift down (to a lower gear) was especially strange to me: rather than being positioned in-line behind the long "up-shift" lever, it was a button behind the hoods. I found this quite tricky to operate, partly because it was unfamiliar but also because physically I found it difficult to access the button comfortably. It certainly did not feel intuitive.
Wheelset: The tyres were 25mm, a little narrower than my usual 28mm. I wondered if I would feel less stable on these.
Weather: It was a very wet and windy day. The local roads are very flat. In some places, there are hedges lining the roads, which gave some protection from the wind. In many places, though, I was exposed to the full force of the gusts. This, too, would have an impact on how stable the bike felt.
With these factors in mind, I tried to focus on the "feel" of the bike, how it rode and handled, and to not be influenced by any difficulties I might have with the drivechain/groupset. I also had to try and factor out any discomfort that might arise from a less-than-perfect fit. As I found out, however, it's very hard to block out things like that, which you do inevitably notice - the trick is to ignore them!
I had the bike out for about 40 minutes, an out and back route from the factory to Hillier Garden Centre (a total of approx. 7.5 miles) with a couple of stops to look at the bike and once to take a phone call.
I very quickly realised that the bike was indeed much too long for me - I really had to lean low and stretch out to put my hands on the hoods. At first, it felt quite racy and exciting. On my way back though (after about 5 miles?), my upper back and shoulders began to ache.
Up to about that point -- 5 miles, 20-30 minutes -- I couldn't really tell much difference in the "feel" of the bike and the feel of my steel roadbike. Of course, this was while trying to filter out impressions due to the differences in their builds. But at some point on the return leg, I inadvertently hit a rough patch of tarmack where a pothole had been filled in. All too often, the patch stands 'proud' of the original hole, so the new tarmack sits higher, with a rough edge on each side. It's usually a coarser mixture of stones and tar than the original surfacing. Now I try and avoid potholes when I can, whatever bike I'm riding, but in the UK that's a never-ending dodging exercise, so when the road is full of patches, I just ride over them, however rough they are. On the Pacer, I feel both the edges of the patch and the roughness of the surface of the patch itself. On the Etape, I felt the edges but then.... nothing of note. That is, the patch surface felt little different than the surrounding road surfaces.
How did that happen then?
After that, I saw upcoming patches as further test and sailed over them with an increasing feeling of... I don't know, almost glee. I revelled in the silky feel over lots of uneven surfaces that, taken in small doses are hardly worth mentioning but, after, say 60 miles on a night ride, begin to really beat you up. The titanium bike soaked it all up and left a shimmery trail behind me.
I was smitten. Carbon? Stupidly light but also harsh and dead. Titanium? Pretty much like steel only better over the rough stuff.
I was now fully prepared to believe people who claim that a long ride on a titanium bike leaves them feeling much less fatigued than any other bike. Another touted advantage is lightness, but I'm no racer and comfort will always trump speed.
I arrived back at the factory grinning ear to ear. I could not stop smiling. I was so won over that, to be honest, if that bike had been my size, I'd have bought it there and then........ and then of course would have had to entirely strip it down and rebuild it to my specification!
After handing the bike back over, I had a little tour of the factory.
Up to the point of actually visiting Enigma, I was still researching other possible custom titanium framebuilders. In addition to Sabbath and Enigma, the third contender was Justin Burls who is renowned (it seems especially in audax circles) for just about the best quality titanium bikes it is possible to buy. Unfortunately, while he's a very respected framebuilder, he works mostly with steel; his titanium bikes are actually manufactured in Russia. That wasn't an absolute deal breaker for me, as it's all done with aerospace-grade titanium, by builders with decades of experience working with this very difficult metal. Mr Burls would, I'm sure, have built me an exquisite bike that fit me. What did niggle -- and this is so shallow of me -- was his logo/graphics. Just don't like them. Now, I do believe that form should follow function, but frankly if I'm going to pay a lot of money for a "bike for life", in reality "my dream bike", then I want to find myself compelled to look at it and admire it. I'll only ride it more, then.
As for Sabbath, well, they never answered my e-mail or returned the message I left on their phone.
But in the end, my visit to Enigma made my mind up. This is exactly the right company to build me my perfect bike.
Next up - the Enigma custom experience, from Fit to Design to Choosing Components to Placing an Order.
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