Photograph courtesy of Alchemy Bicycle Company
I wrote an early review of my Alchemy Eros in October 2015. At that time I had ridden the bike 1,400 km / 870 mi. Today it has more than 4,000 km / 2,500 mi on it. I have had some long days on this bike, including a 220 km / 137 mi brevet.
My impressions from last October still hold true. This is a stiff frame with sharp handling, thanks to the large-diameter titanium tubes and the excellent welds, which meet the American Welding Society guidelines. It tracks precisely through turns. I have yet to induce any shimmy at high speeds. This frame flexes very little, if at all. The integrated rear derailleur dropout helps in that regard.
The tradeoff for this degree of stiffness is that the frame does transmit road vibration to the saddle and bar. This is not a silky-smooth riding Ti bike. I continue to steer around as many of the ruts, cracks, patches and other rough stuff on the roads as I can.
Fortunately the wheels that were specified with the bike, ROL Race SLs, certainly help to smooth out the ride quality of this frame.
Photograph courtesy of ROL Wheels
The rims are 23mm wide, which allow me to use 25mm Continental Grand Prix 4000s. I can run 80psi in the rear and 70psi in the front, which certainly helps dampen road chatter. The ROL Race SLs are not super light at 1,555grams for the wheel set , but they are excellent value for the USD675 asking price. The build quality is excellent, and the wheels have taken some significant hits – potholes and the like – without any ill effects. The wheels are as true today as they were when I took delivery of this bike.
A few days ago the bike went in for its first tuneup since it left the Alchemy Bicycle Company. The SRAM drivetrain needed a slight adjustment to offset the normal cable stretch / housing compression that happens during a new drivetrain break-in period. And the Cane Creek 40-Series IS headset that came with the frame had loosened slightly, probably from clattering over speed bumps and the like.
I reckon it will be another 4,000 km before this bike needs another tuneup. Assuming I don’t inflict any damage on the bike by dropping it, or, heaven forbid, crashing it. By then I will be looking to replace the chain, and perhaps the brake pads. In the meantime, this “Twin Towers” Eros will continue to be my ‘go to’ bike.
Photograph courtesy of Alchemy Bicycle Company
Old Roots, New Routes 