Product Review – Swift Carbon R838 ISP

It was with great anticipation that I took my Swift Carbon R838 ISP out for its maiden voyage Saturday, April 2nd. I had driven to Bicycle Village in Westminster to pick it up and get fit (thanks Tim and Leo!) earlier in the week — 14.26lbs fully built with SRAM Red, Time iClic pedals, Deda stem and handlebars, Fizik Arione saddle and Rolf Elan Aero clinchers. Very nice. I then spun on the trainer for 1:15 early Friday just to be sure everything was dialed in for Saturday’s ride. It would be a big one — 108.5 miles in 5.5 hours. For those who know the Front Range riding scene, I went out Hygiene to Carter Lake, climbed up to the dams, descended and then headed out to Hwy 34 and up to Estes Park via Glen Haven. I then came down through Lyons, back to Hygiene and home.

When I first saw the bike, I must admit I felt a bit trepid. It looked so small compared to my old Tarmac! The top tube is a full 2cm shorter. However, putting them side-by-side proved the wheel bases were identical, which put my mind at ease and assured me I had chosen the proper size frame. The 120mm Deda stem the bike came with made for a perfect stretch between handlebars and saddle, again identical to my position on my old bike. A couple of cuts to the ISP and my fit was surprisingly quickly dialed in. The first thing I noticed as I rolled out of my neighborhood Saturday morning was that I was situated more forward; which makes sense with the shorter top tube. My weight was evenly distributed fore-and-aft, so my position was different than on the Tarmac, not better or worse. Getting out of the saddle at first felt weird given the different dynamics felt with any new bike, but soon felt natural.

The bike ride itself was excellent, a solid all-around performance. I was tearing across the rolling flats, covering 43 miles in the first 2 hours without really pressing the effort. Descending the backside of Carter Lake, I hit 53.7mph. The R838 flew down the road like it was on a rail. Whereas the Tarmac would start to shimmy anytime I topped 50mph, the Swift Carbon was extremely straight and sure; I can’t wait to get it above 60mph! The 20-mile climb up to Estes was very comfortable. I noticed that I sit a little more upright when climbing due to the shorter top tube, but am actually glad for this slight alteration. It feels more comfortable and less like I’m hunched over (which I didn’t even know I felt until I sat astride the R383 and compared it to the Tarmac). Climbing out of the saddle felt rock solid — every watt of power was transfered directly to the pedals via the ultra-stiff BB30 bottom bracket. In fact, climbing out of the saddle was just plain easy, like I could have stayed out of the saddle all day.

I had heard that vertical compliance was lacking, so I was expecting my low back and backside to “feel the miles.” But the stiffness never came. I even purposefully hit some bumps and stayed seated when I nailed whatever RR tracks I crossed. None of it was nearly as bad as I anticipated. In fact, I felt great. Fatigued from a long, challenging ride, sure. But at the same time, energized.

The Swift Carbon R838 ISP is the best bike I’ve ridden. It’s a great combination of stiffness and compliance, aggressiveness and surety. It’s uber responsive and just wants to be ridden fast, fast, fast. I can’t wait to get back in the saddle!

Editor’s Notes: Yes I know I am late in posting this.  My bad.  Give a shout out to Lori Llerandi for the great pics of Nate.  Maybe next time he will smile in one!