Quote from aikigreg on Mar 6^th, 2008, 10:21am:

 
Did you miss the fact that he's really just shopping for a bike for Terrie, either buying one so she can ride the XP when they both ride, or just buying her a bike? If he was just doing an upgrade, and getting rid of the XP, I don't think this would be the bike.

Quote from Bud_Bent on Mar 6^th, 2008, 11:11am:

 
 
No, but I remember her saying at the concert how adverse she was to higher BB bikes, so at this point, I assumed he had said to heck with her and was shopping for himself.  
 
However, the idea that he might give his old bike to her and upgrade to this for himself, did escape me

Since it appears you are going to remain a lwb kind of guy, have you considered hitches for both vehicles, and a Draftmaster rack?

PCF has the aluminum version of the V3 on the floor, as of 6/28.  It's VERY light, I could take it off the rack with one hand.
 
It must have just gone up, because it didn't even have pedals on it.  Greg offered to, and I said, "You bet!"  So I got to do a brief test ride (before our RANS trip, ironically enough).  But I didn't take any photos...  
 
One negative, IMHO -- it has the "Zephyr" seat, with a very thin seatpad and carbon fibre seat pan.  This is a very light seat, but for MY rear end and lower back, it is NOT comfortable...  
 

 
It's got the classic "lip" on the back of the seatpan -- which on this particular seat, REALLY digs into my tailbone.  I'm definitely gonna ask Randy about this on Monday....  
 
This bike has the angled riser to bring the grips back further, and for my ~41" XSeam, the seat setting was about 1" from the furthest back position.  I rode it around the lot with the "medium" seatback recline, then laid it significantly further back, and rode up and down the street some.  This seatback is curved somewhat like the "M5" design, and I immediately noticed that when cranking on the pedals hard, you get support for your upper back and shoulders in response -- compared to the "standard" SXP seat, where your push support is more lower-back related.  If I recline too much with that one, I slide up the seatback -- you don't get that with the Zephyr.
 
With the seatback reclined like this, the seatpan was even LESS comfortable, and I could just reach the handlebars enough.  However, with the thinner seatpad, I was also able to reach the ground much easier than on the steel version -- which may have also been a difference in relative seatrail position (near the front vs. near the back).
 
But this bike will MOVE...  and with a different style seat, would be sweet...  It's VERY responsive, although the front end felt a little light to me - but I had just done 64 miles on the SXP...  The ride was sorta stiff, but that's to be expected from an aluminum frame.  The main tube is 2" diameter.
 
[The paint job is BEAUTIFUL -- silver and red metal flake...]
 
I encourage folks to go check it out....  and if nothing else give some feedback on the Zephyr seat concept.  This is a bike to lay back and FLY on....

I'm certain Randy will have a solution for you - even if it's just "Lose some weight!"  

Paul,
 
I have the old zephyr seat on my  home made. The lip on the back is painful on a long ride. Just take the old dremel and cut the lip off as much as you like. I also added a 2" piece of webbing at the base of the seat across the back to prevent my butt from pushing so far back into the back. That's part of what makes the lip uncomfy. The back will stretch and let you sink into it. I also stuck an additional 1/2 inch of foam in the well area. I rode it about 10 miles on father's day and did not even notice the seat.
 
RichardC
 

Quote from FlyingLaZBoy on Jul 1^st, 2008, 10:11am:

 
 
I agree 100%. I test rode a F-5 with the Zephyr seat,& I had to stop just over a mile into the test ride because the seat was so uncomfortable for me. I cannot imagine completing a rando event/club ride on this seat. It appeared to me that the seat had very little padding. My "sit bones" were screaming-"get off this seat".