BOTD # 12 - Pantani Corsair TdF Edition

Bike of the Day #12 – Pantani Corsair TdF Edition Pantani Bikes are built by Carrera for Marco's family, who donate proceeds to the ONLUS foundation, which provides sports programs for troubled Italian youth. Today we are testing Pantani's mid-range model, the Corsair.  A monocoque race-oriented bike from 3K T40 carbon with a 350 gram tapered fork. Mmmmm.... [caption id="attachment_1110" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Toronto Skyline view from Lakeshore Blvd with a 15.2 lb Pantani Corsair"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1112" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="You know what it is...black and yellow, black and yellow..."][/caption] The Details: 2011 Pantani Corsair monocoque - new 2012 available in a range of colours and with or without integrated-seatpost - tapered headtube and classic Carrera geometry The Build: SRAM Red Yellow Edition, Fulcrum Racing Speed tubulars with custom decals (a service which we offer customers, btw), Dash 55 gram saddle, Ritchey WCS carbon stem and classic bend bar, Tune kevlar bottle cages (6 grams each!), and Veloflex carbon tires as the cherry on top. The Ratings… Ride-quality/Comfort: 8/10 Front-end Stiffness: 9/10 BB Stiffness: 8/10 Style/Aesthetics: 8/10 Technology/Weight/Value:  8/10 Total = 41/50  [caption id="attachment_1116" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Stiff front end with classic bend carbon bars and some sweet tubulars...my favourite"][/caption] The Good: Time-tested Carrera geometry is the perfect blend of agility and stability, stiff platform that somehow manages to absorb road-shock well, and simple design gives you some technology (tapered BB + ISP) without the overkill of some other brands The Bad: Not particularly exceptional in any one category - weight, stiffness, comfort - adequate in all areas but does not really blow you away either.  Looks are a bit much, but with matte-black and white options, there are plenty of choices. The Skinny: It's a shame more people don't know the feeling of a nice Italian bike...fast when it needs to be, but otherwise docile and comfortable, like an old pair of sneakers. This is all the stiffness and light-weight most of us need, with some Euro-style thrown in. Not to mention that I like seeing Marco's signature - it makes me go harder on the climbs. Luckily, I'm so tall we didn't even have to cut the ISP for this review. Yay. Check out Pantani Bikes Facebook Page for the latest pictures and updates and stop by to see (or ride) our bumblebee. I'll also review my Pantani Nero custom carbon in a future BOTD, so stay tuned... [caption id="attachment_1117" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Pantani Nero - custom carbon made in Italy. Review coming soon..."][/caption]