Woody 2

Maiden voyage around Richmond Park today. Final build weight 8.25kg which is respectable. Initial impression is that it is so much stiffer than my first build. In theory the larger diameter but thinner down tube is only 20-30% stiffer (torsionally, and about the same bending stiffness) than the single speed frame. However, in practice there's a big difference. I'm going to have to change my accustomed rhetoric that the wood absorbs all the vibration and gives totally smooth ride as this just feels like a lot of other stiff road frames. It is certainly in a different league to the lightweight steel frame that I've been using over the summer which feels like spagetti in comparison. In fact the one thing that first impressed me about the single speed frame was that it was totally silent as none of the components shake around due to the smooth ride. This frame makes the bike sound like a normal bike!

So, the initial goal was to try to achieve the same as you read in all the latest carbon frame magazine reviews..... new model compared with previous model, reduced weight by x%, increased stiffness by y%, increased comfort by z%. I've certainly nailed the first 2 but it's definitely a harsher ride than my first frame.

Still no sun for the photos and still need to put the Ligneus logo on the sides so more pics to come in the next few weeks. The logo will mask the slight light patch you can see on the down tube that was caused by overenthusiastic sanding through the epoxy sealer coat before varnishing.

It's certainly not slow but I don't think I've gone far enough that Pinarello will be building the Dogma out of wood next season. Will report back after we've done some proper miles together.