Seven Axiom SLX, 4-season and all-road

The airy is great for pannier bags but narrow on top. However if you have full panniers you can balance/strap a wider load on top/ between the two panniers.

That's fortunate - I work at London Bridge. I can drop it round tomorrow morning before nine or at lunch, if that works?

Monday would be best... either first thing in the morning or at lunch time.

Tomorrow and Friday my schedule is a bit all over the place.

The Airy would be a temporary solution, for commuting over Winter with my existing Ortlieb panniers.

I'll figure out the permanent rack choice (maybe the Lynskey) and commission an appropriate bag for Spring.

Album of photos (high quality, zoomable):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sWPfZosh9sOfLAO62

Looks great, though the saddle is still quite gaston

Are you happy with it?

Are you happy with it?

Nah, it's shit. I want my money back.

Mentioned that before, now confirmed copied my geo.

On mudguards, Swarf has a mould for a new 48mm that more closely matches the Enve GRD and can easily take a 35mm tyre internally (of the Schwalbe kind).

Thought as much. It's those rim logos.

The bike.

It is a different ride from the Serotta of other bikes I own or have owned.

It's incredibly responsive, and has more of the feeling of the Ceielo 29er when going slower... it feels bombproof. This is in part the wheels, the width of them and the tyres, the lower pressure, the responsiveness of the brakes.

At speed it rolls really nicely. It has the same sporty feel of the Serotta, that it is not wasting energy, and if you push just a little more it comes alive and surges forward. It's really nice.

In terms of acceleration, this is my first time on Shimano Dura Ace and it does not feel as solid as Campagnolo Record. The timing of gear changes, the surety of them... it's very good, but the Campagnolo was sublime. I'm going to have to learn how to get used to this, it's different and I've ridden Campagnolo all my life, it's a re-education.

In many ways it's a really simple bike. I didn't know what to photograph, there's not a lot going on as aside from the colour and the big stickers on the wheels it's actually quite an understated build. It's already a pleasure to ride, but I need to get used to the gears to really feel at home on it.

Other things... fuck me, that Enve GRD fork and mudguard is incredible. Feels great to ride, soaks up enough road noise but feel doesn't seem diminished. And the mudguard is super solid, and was literally 5 seconds to put on, and similar time to remove.

Two things I don't know yet:

• How to get the full synchro working... I swear it's in that mode, I move up and down gears... the other derailleur does not move.
  
• It's tubeless... I have no idea what to do when a puncture occurs. I should look this up.
  

Also rode the Serotta this morning. Dropped the Seven back at Cyclefit for them to change the modulation of the left brake and have ridden the Serotta to work.

The Serotta is pure breed racing. The Seven is all-road all-season with enough CX and endurance racing built in to give it an edge.

But they are different beasts. Nothing beats the Serotta for it's acceleration. It's such an incredible ride. The Campagnolo gearing, the super light wheels... it's a joy.

The only problem with the Serotta is that large and nasty crack on the top tube. Frame failure is not a fun thing to consider when you're enjoying a ride.

I may strip the Serotta frame, put all the bits in a box, and then send the frame off to have the paint removed so that I can see the full extent of the damage more clearly. It was never fully obvious to me whether the frame really did crack straight through, or whether Serotta's insane paint is what cracked and it gives the illusion of frame damage. It's a Ti tube that has the crack.

It is bugging me, and has bugged me since the hit and run, that I don't know whether the bike is safe or not.

I'm really glad the insurance paid out, already in love with the Seven... but it bugs me that I don't know the health of the Serotta even though Cyclefit did the right thing by declaring the whole bike unfit to be ridden.

I want to know.

Can you not get the Serotta x-rayed to see the damage to the tube without stripping the paint?

Nothing beats the Serotta for it's acceleration. It's such an incredible ride.

Its the wheelbase and chainstay length and BB drop and head angle and seat angle ;)

I always hear this... but I actually do not know where to get this done. Both X-ray and ultrasound in an engineering context is niche and expensive. I'd seen quotes in the £250+ range... but that's when I just think stripping the paint and looking must surely be cheaper and more effective... especially considering the damage is on a titanium tube and would be visible once the paint is gone.

Let me have a chat with my father. He used to work for an engineering company and managed their own x-ray bay, so he might be able to get it done on the sly.

Sure... but the Serotta couldn't handle 35mm tyres and really wouldn't be the bike of choice on a dash down the Thames path.

This is where the Seven comes in... all-road, all-season. To forego only a little of the thoroughbred race bike to get something more universal is worth it. The Seven is still super quick, still leaving people for dust this morning (even though it seems everyone must try and race a pink bike with loud wheels).

The Seven isn't slow by any estimation, it's just a fraction slower compared to a thoroughbred race bike.

Does X-ray even work on titanium?

They used to fabricate titanium for special jobs, so he'll know for sure.

Ah, that would be wonderful.

You can't see through Ti with an x-ray but if it's got a crack you'll be able to see a shadow/line where the crack is.

I'd be very interested to see the results. I bet there's all sort of weird irregularities inside a carbon/ti frame what with the hand-madeness of it all and the glue and the bits of production still hanging about.

More bikes is always the answer

Love everything about it (except wheel decals)

What size rotors are those? 140 F+R?

You can put coloured oil on titanium to see if it is cracked.