I
am concerned with bar reach – in fact, that is how I size my bikes. Looking over Pegoretti’s sizes, a smaller frame would have made the top tube much too short... Here are the sizes for the Love3:
Frame Geometry
I was surprised that Pegorettis apparently are sized for a more upright position than most performance-oriented riders prefer. The test bike had a huge 45 mm head tube extension, so it is sized like a conventional 62.5 cm frame (center-center), yet its top tube measured 57.5 cm. To get the bars 4 cm lower, we would have had to accept a 55 cm top tube! Now that would have affected the bike’s performance! (I know that Pegoretti offers custom frames, but my build is very normal, and I usually fit on stock bikes quite well.)
On to the next: While I enjoy riding long distances, we did not evaluate the Pegoretti as a brevet bike. We tested it as a racing bike – riding it up to 100 miles, climbing hills fast, descending, sprinting. I raced for 10 years, all the way up to Category 2, so I think I have a good idea what racing requires. If you don’t believe it, look at the power figures from our double-blind tests of frame stiffness. We managed to get up to about 900 Watts for uphill sprints, repeatedly, and could sustain 625 Watts. That doesn't put us in the league of Cancellara, but I doubt that many Pegoretti owners put out more. We didn’t complain that the Pegoretti doesn’t accept fenders or wide tires, or that it can’t carry luggage. We don’t expect that from a racing bike. We expect it to perform well, period.
To summarize, the Pegoretti’s sizing gives you a hint at its apparent audience. It’s sized for casual riders who don’t want to/can’t stretch out on the bike like a racer. It feels good under constant efforts, but for us, it worked less well in all-out sprints. But then, casual riders don't sprint... Now you can argue that casual riders might be better on wider tires that offer more comfort, but that overlooks the strong aesthetic appeal of a racing bike with narrow tires. As an aesthetic choice, I can see the Love3's appeal.
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
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