Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Express

sergiomyth
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby sergiomyth » Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:05 am

I've finally weighed mine with carbon wheels and my old selle italia carbon saddle - used to it I guess - weighed in at 5.95, pretty pleased and a bit amazed with that. Guess i really have no excuses now hey :| If anyone is interested I can post some pics when I get around to it.

Nhutty
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby Nhutty » Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:05 pm

So what are the main differences between the Mezzo Pro and the Mezzo 90?

Specs wise they look the same.

Is one newer than the other and which would would be considered an upgrade etc?

usernameforme
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby usernameforme » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:33 pm

I think the Mezzo Pro is last years, it has a heavier claimed frame weight too (850g v 790g). That difference could be in the paint FWIW, white paint is very heavy and the Mezzo 90 appears to no paint and just a clear coat

chrisbosh
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby chrisbosh » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:18 am

I called Cycling Express a few weeks ago as i had a few questions about the bike.

The guy on the phone told me the Mezzo 90 is an entirely new frame.

Went into the store and had a look. To state the obvious you can see that the two frames don't have anything at all in common, other than the words 'azzurri' and 'mezzo' on them.

That said I've been riding the old Mezzo Pro (blue and white frame) for over a year and I've been very impressed by it so don't see a need to upgrade yet. It's plenty stiff for me and I'm not a small rider by any means!

Cycledelica
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby Cycledelica » Fri Nov 23, 2012 1:05 am

usernameforme wrote:I agree with all of the above comments, but I also have my own perspective. This bike is a racer's bike, its not designed to be a sportif bike. I know some races take you up steeper hills that might require a 25 or even a 27, but the majority of racers should be fine with a 39-23 for most terrain. IMO this isn't a bike designed to comfortably take you up a hill, its one designed to get you up faster than your competitors. That said, they probably used a 23 because it might of been cheaper to get them OEM as few other manufacturers use that on their bikes. I really dislike bike manufacturers who put sportif gearing on bikes that are intended for other purposes (looking at you Specialized, Trek). Just my 2c :wink:
I don't believe this is only a racers bike. The fact is that many people who purchase it (like me) will spend a lot more time training on it than racing. I've raced mtb for years but I just started road racing and I plan to do more (hence buying a race worthy machine). A 25 would probably be that little bit more versatile if you live in a hilly area like I do. Some days I just want to relax and spin rather than have to grind.

That being said, I have a 51-17 fixie and I know that being forced into using higher gearing is a good way to HTFU ;)


J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Sep;23(6):1758-63.
Effects of low- vs. high-cadence interval training on cycling performance.
Paton CD, Hopkins WG, Cook C.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19675486" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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mezla
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby mezla » Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:17 pm

There's nothing non-racing about a 25/27/28... even pros use compacts and big gears for steep racing.

This faux-toughness about hard gearing is a bit silly. Some races have steep bits. Similarity, lots of sportives are flat and a 39-23 is fine.

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clackers
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby clackers » Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:04 am

mezla wrote:There's nothing non-racing about a 25/27/28... even pros use compacts and big gears for steep racing.
Yep, Contador did Alpine stages on a 32, Wiggins last year on a 36.

Not real men, obviously. :-)

usernameforme
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby usernameforme » Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:00 pm

But when they use the 32 or 36 its generally 20%+ for god knows how long

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mezla
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby mezla » Sun Dec 02, 2012 7:43 am

Grinding is bad riding.

boss
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby boss » Sun Dec 02, 2012 11:36 am

mezla wrote:Grinding is bad riding.
Telling other people how to live their life (or ride their bike), making judgements about others riding styles , and being holier than thou is bad.

It's probably worse than riding in the wrong gear to be honest.

:roll:

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mezla
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby mezla » Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:51 pm

There are facts.

You'll have to figure the rest out yourself, sorry.

boss
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby boss » Sun Dec 02, 2012 4:46 pm

mezla wrote:There are opinions on optimal cadence. Lots of them!

In general high cadence is the go but it really is up to the individual as to what cadence they prefer. Plus, there is some benefit pushing a bigger gear than you're used to if you want to build power.

And hey, some people are strong enough to push a 39-23 up a decent climb.
Fixed a couple of typos champ

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MarkG
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby MarkG » Sun Dec 02, 2012 6:17 pm

jimboss wrote:
mezla wrote:Grinding is bad riding.
Telling other people how to live their life (or ride their bike), making judgements about others riding styles , and being holier than thou is bad.

It's probably worse than riding in the wrong gear to be honest.

:roll:
Damn straight jimboss.
Proudly "a hater of academics with helmet cams"

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mezla
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby mezla » Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:47 pm

Wow... what a pair of children!

Edit: Woot, no more will I have to read the inanity!
Last edited by mezla on Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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MarkG
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby MarkG » Tue Dec 04, 2012 9:50 pm

Ok, mr all knowing one with regards to online pricing, in store policies and now even group set ratios.
Proudly "a hater of academics with helmet cams"

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Xplora
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby Xplora » Wed Dec 05, 2012 1:22 am

LOLz... I'm sure I'd bitch out and grab the 36 if I was a professional time trial specialist who had to drag their sorry butt through the Alps for a couple thousand kms over 3 weeks, too.

No point looking at what people with unlimited gear choices are using. If you need 27-28 on the bottom with a racing spec bike, time to work on your training. Few are pumping out TdF kms... they have the ability and sense to recover. Professionals with lots of gear don't have that option.

Now, let's all have a bex and a nice lie down. :idea:

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jules21
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby jules21 » Thu Dec 27, 2012 4:32 pm

just ordered a forzq pro for $2,400 from CN. can't wait :mrgreen:

Arlberg
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby Arlberg » Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:30 pm

I thought I'd revive this thread and see what other owners think about how this bike has held up over the long term. I've had mine 18 months and I'm still happy with it. The bike shop did a sh__ job of setting it up but once I sorted that out the di2 has been faultless. Also a lot of people bagged the frame as being like a 'wet noodle' (some even ditched it as soon as they recieved their bikes) but my frame has been very good with no noticeable increase in flex etc even after doing quite a few is on it.

What do others think of theirs, especially the frame?

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ozzymac
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby ozzymac » Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:10 pm

Hi,
Mine has been fine.
Have done a bit over 6000kms and haven't had any problems.

The frame does seem to pick up all my rough roads a fair bit, but you get use to it.

Would love to try an upmarket frame /bike for comparison though.

Cheers

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Tapatalk 2

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jules21
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby jules21 » Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:16 pm

Arlberg wrote:The bike shop did a sh__ job of setting it up but once I sorted that out the di2 has been faultless.
same here. the LBS i picked it up from gave Azzurri a big serve for going online and also bagged out the frame. nice. he did a crap job of setting it up, and told me he didn't want to see it again and any problems were now Azzurri's. i just make all the necessary adjustments myself. LBS did not cover itself in glory there, and only reinforced my support for online purchasing.
Arlberg wrote:Also a lot of people bagged the frame as being like a 'wet noodle' ?
my previous bike (still training bike) has an alloy frame and it's much stiffer than that.

i don't understand how the same frame can be a flexy 'wet noodle' and transmit too much force to the rider, at the same time. that seems like a contradiction in terms, to me. i think a lot of commentary on frame qualities is like wine reviews - i.e. full of it.

i have no problem with my frame, but i've never ridden a more spendy one either to compare.

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Xplora
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby Xplora » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:14 pm

Yikes. I assume you don't visit that LBS anymore, Jules?

Part of the magic of spending extra money is that they can get away with lots of improvements IF they spend the time doing R&D. Changing carbon lay ups, adjusting the frame. You can create more and less flex... but WHERE do you get the flex? You could have insufficient vertical compliance putting the road buzz into the rider, yet badly adjusted lateral compliance creating insufficient stiffness to resist the rider's power. It comes down to tuning the frame design and that costs money. I reckon it's only going to be 10% between a good and bad frame (maybe a total 2-3mm compliance) but that's enough. Can you feel the difference between BB30 and the 24mm cranks? Some can.

That said - if you are satisfied, that's great. A lot of people are snobs when they can afford to be. Me? I'll take the best I can ;)

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jules21
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby jules21 » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:19 pm

Xplora wrote: Yikes. I assume you don't visit that LBS anymore, Jules?
i actually think i bought a bike from them about 10 years ago, but i don't really use LBSs anymore, at all..
Xplora wrote:That said - if you are satisfied, that's great. A lot of people are snobs when they can afford to be. Me? I'll take the best I can ;)
the ride does feel harsh, but i can't tell how much that is due to the prologo saddle - they are notorious. i'm getting used to it. if i was inclined to spend the money, i'd buy a name-brand bike. i was just on a budget and the Azzurri was fantastic VFM.

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rebilda
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby rebilda » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:33 pm

My Forza Pro Di2 was on the first container load, into C.E.

It now has about 5500km on it and I haven't had any issues with the frame apart from a rock (the size of half a house brick) flying up off my front wheel and into the under side of my downtube. the small crack was repaired professionally and no problems since.
I did have a cable failure in the Di2, at the junction box, which was repaired at an LBS and the repair invoice value, credited to me by C.E.
I have heard all the trash talk about how crap these bikes are, all over the forums, but for me this bike was the bike I could only ever dream of owning, suddenly presented at a price I could get past the Minister for Finances and War.

I have not regretted my purchase for a second.

It is a great looking bike with a good wheel set, Ultegra Di2 and a comfortable saddle, for $2500, what's not to love about it?? - Ok, I wasn't wrapped with the tyres, but they were changed after 1500km anyway.
My Garage = Restored Paino - the "Fixie" - Giant Trance X2 - Azzurri Forza Pro Di2 - GT Avalanche 1 & 2

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jules21
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby jules21 » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:43 pm

rebilda wrote: I have heard all the trash talk about how crap these bikes are
how can they be crap? the only point of difference is the frame. even if it is 'crap' it's only one component. the rest is stuff you find on other brands, Di2, etc.
rebilda wrote: Ok, I wasn't wrapped with the tyres, but they were changed after 1500km anyway.
these are crap, i changed to GP4000s. but almost all new bikes come with crap tyres.

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rebilda
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Re: Reviews of the Azzurri Di2 Forza Pro from Cycling Expres

Postby rebilda » Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:02 pm

jules21 wrote:
rebilda wrote: I have heard all the trash talk about how crap these bikes are
how can they be crap? the only point of difference is the frame. even if it is 'crap' it's only one component. the rest is stuff you find on other brands, Di2, etc.
.

This is the point - the bikes are NOT crap, but there are (or were) plenty of "Experts" out there explaining why I should have bought something else, from someone else. I guess there was a bit of "sour grapes" from people who had only months earlier paid double the price for a bike of similar or lesser quality.

They are a great bike for me, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending them to riders wanting to buy their first (or even 2nd) CF bike. I don't do any Club racing so I cant comment on the bikes use in that situation, but I am also no slouch when I do ride.

This promotion had an effect on the Market in Australia. Bike shops immediately HATED!! C.E. - Azzurri was already a strained relationship with agent LBS sellers, because they were being undercut by Azzurri direct, on-line. This would explain why your LBS was less than helpful when you picked yours up, Jules21. After this all started to roll out, bike prices began to tumble. 2nd hand bike were worth Nothing, and all of a sudden a CF bike was pretty affordable for anyone.
My Garage = Restored Paino - the "Fixie" - Giant Trance X2 - Azzurri Forza Pro Di2 - GT Avalanche 1 & 2

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