BOTD #16 - Scapin Hysak

Bike of the Day #16 - Scapin Hysak Scapin Bicycles has been family-run for over 50 years in the heart of Italy.  Makers of road and MTB models utilizing carbon, steel and hydroformed aluminum, and winners of countless European magazine and design awards, including the recent naming of the Scapin Hysak as Cycling Plus [Bike Radar] Super Bike of the Year for 2011.  What do we think? Read on... The Ratings… Ride-quality/Comfort: 8/10 - stiff yet smooth Front-end Stiffness: 9/10 - rock solid BB Stiffness: 9/10 - an immoveable object Style/Aesthetics: 9/10 - looks even better in black Technology/Weight/Value:  9/10 - cutting edge technology for a decent price Total = 44/50 - yes, Italy can still design a real race bike [caption id="attachment_1180" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Fluid-mould technology creates amazing tube shapes for awesome stiffness"][/caption] The Good: While this baby is on the bleeding edge - tapered front-end, internal cable routing, press-fit carbon BB, fluid mould technology, Double-D dropouts, S-Way seat clamp - its Italian heritage still shines through with an all-day geometry that makes you forget that you're riding a vicious race machine until you're ready to unleash fury on the field. As BikeRadar stated: "the Scapin hits the perfect balance of torsional rigidity and superb stiffness when cranking hard, but it has a fine ability to take the edge off rough surfaces that might otherwise set your hands tingling." [caption id="attachment_1179" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Full carbon drop-outs with proprietary anodized Double-D Alloy cover for protection"][/caption] The Bad: Certainly not a comfort bike by any stretch of the imagination...but then that's what Scapin's steel models are for ;) [caption id="attachment_1182" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="C-4 carbon wheels + FSA Plasmas complete the race package"][/caption] The Skinny: As BikeRadar put it "The Hysak elevates Scapin to the pinnacle of Italian built bikes" all at a price that should make Colnago and Pinarello blush. $3899 for the frameset puts the Hysak third in Scapin's range behind the Ivor and Fazer, but still well ahead of most company's flagships in terms of performance. Click HERE for a PDF of the 2012 Scapin catalogue, or contact us for more info!