C4 Integral.

My riding out this morning on a C4 Integral was the product of a fantasy. I guess I really should say fantasizing. I warn you, though, fantasizing is something best kept to yourself unless you want to end up on a fine, carbon-fiber bicycle.

Cruising along with my ride buddy John one day last year I talked about what kind of bike would be my “fantasy” ride. “Something Italian, something carbon, and, you know, something exotic,” was my reply. It was a sunny day with a tailwind and wishes like that were the order of the day. All things were possible on a warm Indian summer evening.

John, I didn’t know at the time, was cooking up a deal with a little-known Italian bicycle maker, C4 Carbonio, to import their rare and decidedly exotic bicycles to the U.S. He apparently took my words to heart and 6 months later asked me to come by his house to see a little something. The little something he had were the first two frames from C4 to make it to the States. A compact “Vyrus” frame and a more traditional “Integral.” Both were Italian beauties; monocoque carbon fiber and designed with a sense of balance, even poetry. “Shoot, if you get this deal with C4, I’ll buy one of those,” I blurted.

He eventually did and the first built up C4s were ready the first week of spring.

So, here I am tooling out of a shopping center parking lot in Carrboro with 45 or so more or less serious riders for a metric century across three counties. The new bike was not unnoticed as we circled the lot, warming up a bit in the cool, gray Easter morning. There were a few “hey man, looks cool” murmurs from other riders and more than one longing glance.

I was thinking of not taking the new bike out that morning for two reasons: first, it was likely to rain and who wants to get a work of art covered in mud, and second, I hadn’t actually paid for the bike yet. New-Bike pride took over and I put the old titanium work horse back inside the truck and clamped the Zipp 404 front wheel into the C4’s forks and committed to the three-plus hour ride on this 15 pounds of Italian craftsmanship. Good call.

The group was committed to a sane pace, trying to keep everyone together for this Easter ride, so there was lots of time for chatting. I spent the first hour of the ride explaining what C4 was (an Italian company that pioneered fabricating carbon fiber that has made bikes for the last 10 years but specializes in aquatic sports gear web site: www.c4carbon.com); whether the Campagnolo compact carbon crankset felt stiff (decidedly so); what I thought of the 50-34 ratio up front (it seemed to suit me, a bigger rider with a ‘hill problem’); and did I like the bike (more and more with each pedal stroke).

The bike was not at all carbon-dead, like the Treks and even the new Orbea, I’d tried out recently. It was quiet on the road, not buzzy, and it felt “lively” like people talk about their old steel bikes. The design and the tracking were not too much different from the Litespeed Vortex that was, until then, my main ride. What was really different from the Vortex was the stiffness. Much, much more power went to the wheels. The Zipps were also noticeably stiffer than the Ksyriums I had on the other bike.On descents I felt I could trust the bike much more than the titanium bike. Being a full-figured rider, I can get going pretty fast on any reasonably long downhill and any flex or tendency to shimmy is noticed. None today, just zip-zoom-whoosh.

What goes down, as anybody who rides a bike knows, must go up. I found I could use the big ring much more effectively and keep the proper cadence when I had to use a bit more air than the other riders getting over the rollers that were dotted all along the course.We had a rest stop and serious bike envy took over as a couple of guys wanted to take the bike around the Silk Hope store lot. That didn’t last long as the group started the ride back homeward, into the wind, and on to a likely horse race somewhere in the final miles. The inevitable ramping up happened after a half hour and I was happy and focused, finding myself up front with the “real” racing cyclists. Maybe the bike was keeping me going, but I could hold on well with the pack keeping the cadence high for the surges. I was moving along strongly and quickly?

Well, that is until we got to the one last sharp hill that I knew stood between us and the finish. The stronger climbing riders jumped up the hill and I was the proverbial toast but really happy to have been with the big boys (and Cat 1 women) that late in a ride.

I had more or less forgotten the bike, a good sign, meaning it was doing what I wanted it to do with no surprises or awkward accommodations. The Campy Record group was very, very sharp, especially the front compact derailleur that had to cope with the big, 16-tooth range. The Fizik saddle was a little firmer than my usual, but that was more reassuring than anything. The FSA flat bars were comfortable though I’d like to have had a bit more horizontal run in the drops.

I got rolled up by the second group at the end of the ride and we eased our way back into the parking lot for a chocolate-bunny fest and more admiring looks, touches and little lifts of the bike. I think I’ll actually pay for the bike, it’s earned its price today.