BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING & OUTRAGEOUS: INSIDE THE HANDMADE BIKE SHOW. Best of Show: Plus, a Good Look at the Top Contenders

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1 BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING & OUTRAGEOUS: INSIDE THE HANDMADE BIKE SHOW ROAD BIKE ACTION CCC JUNE 2014 JUNE 2014 A Real Chance to Win a FREE Bike Page 118 HANDMADE BIKE SHOW Best of Show: Plus, a Good Look at the Top Contenders 3 NEW AL L O Y H O O PS : Save Money & Roll Faster DIRT Y KAN ZA: RBA Challenges All Comers Be There! PRO T IPS: How to Train Your Sprint

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3 FEZZARI FORE CR4 Consumer-direct equals big value Utah-based Fezzari Bicycles began with humble ambitions, but has grown to become a major player in the consumer-direct bicycle market. The brand has long put a premium on carbon frames with clean lines and unique graphics combined with value-laden mixed-component selections. Fezzari also offers a 23-point custom bike setup that ensures customers select the right parts for their correct fit, along with making sure the bike is ready to ride right out of the box with minimal assembly. The allure of low prices has helped Fezzari develop a loyal customer base for its line of road, triathlon and mountain bikes, but is going consumer-direct really a better choice than shopping at your local bike shop? Fezzari thinks so, and it has unveiled its latest Fore CR4 road bike model to prove it

4 THE FRAME Like all of the bikes in Fezzari s Fore CR line, the CR4 features a carbon monocoque frame that s paired with a carbon fork. From the BB30 bottom bracket, an oval-shaped downtube morphs into a triangle shape as it extends toward an hourglass-shaped, 1 1/8- to 1 1/2-inch tapered head tube. A round seat tube completes the front triangle and houses a 31.6mm seatpost. The Fore CR4 also features an internally run rear brake cable, while the shifter cables are positioned on the outside of the frame with barrel adjusters located underneath the downtube near the head tube for easy access on the fly. THE PARTS The Fore CR4 is built with a grab bag of drivetrain parts from FSA and Shimano, including the former s SL-K Light crankset and the latter s Ultegra 6800 shifters and front derailleur, along with a Dura-Ace 9000 rear derailleur. The cockpit components also represent a blending of different brands, including Fezzari s own aluminum stem and R1 saddle, an FSA SL-K 31.6mm carbon seatpost and SL-K carbon compact handlebars. The Shimano Ultegra 6800 tubeless-ready aluminum clinchers are wrapped in a set of Maxxis Xenith Hors Categorie 23c tires. Fezzari offers a total of eight models in the carbon Fore CR line. So if you re looking to spend a bit less than $2999 for the CR4, then you can pick up a CR3 for $2799, which includes a similar component list in the vein of Shimano Ultegra 6700 shifters and front derailleur, Dura-Ace 7900 rear derailleur, the same FSA SL-K carbon crankset, and Shimano Ultegra 6700 aluminum clinchers. On the other end of the price spectrum, just above our CR4 test bike, is the CR5, which Fezzari sells for $4599, and it features Shimano Dura- Ace 9000 shifters and derailleurs, an FSA K-Force Light crankset, and Reynolds Assault carbon clinchers. THE RIDE After several weeks of testing and hundreds of miles in the Fezzari Fore CR4 s saddle, we came away impressed with the bike s all-around capabilities. This is noteworthy due to the growing trend among manufacturers to design bikes for very specific purposes. From super-stiff carbon racing platforms to comfort-oriented endurance bikes, from slippery-in-the-wind aero road models to disc brake-equipped gravel bikes, there are fewer and fewer new models coming to market that can lay claim to the title of all-rounder. The CR4 proved stiff enough to keep pace on fast group rides, but the torsional stiffness we felt at the bottom bracket when climbing out of the saddle was lacking compared to some other comparably priced carbon bikes we ve tested recently, feeling what one tester described as flexy. But this also aided in making the rear triangle compliant enough to keep us happy on all-day rides. Conversely, the front end offered up a stiffer feel, making for very capable, precise steering while being just compliant enough to keep the front wheel planted through rough-paved corners. Somewhat of a jack of all trades and master of none, Fezzari s latest bike proved a terrific all-around bike that would appeal to most cyclists looking for a well-balanced bike at a great value. THE VERDICT The Fore CR4 carbon frameset offers a respectable blend of performance and

5 The Fore CR4 s chainstays appear to extend straight out from the BB30 bottom bracket, but they actually bow outward ever so slightly before thinning out near the full-carbon rear dropouts. comfort. It doesn t excel in one particular area in terms of an overly compliant ride quality or a super-stiff chassis, but it s another solid, allaround offering from a company wellversed in the concept of value, a bike that most any cyclist would appreciate. Its selection of parts and a sub-$3000 price tag is a combination that you d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. And while you ll miss out on the local bike-shop experience, Fezzari s great customer service and 23-point custom bike setup make it a top choice for online shoppers. PUNCH LINES Carbon frameset offers respectable balance of stiffness and compliance Parts selection is high value, hard to beat for the price Consumer-direct price, but no local bike-shop experience STATS Price: $2999 Weight: 16.2 pounds Sizes: 50 (tested), 53, 55, 58, 61cm A 1 1/8- to 1 1/2-inch tapered head tube and a straight-bladed fork give the Fore CR4 stiff handling characteristics, while the internally routed rear brake cable cleans up the aesthetics. Fezzari has spec d the Fore CR4 with a 31.6mm FSA carbon SL-K seatpost and topped it with a modestly padded, cutout saddle from its own line of housebranded components.