Bicycles

Technical Analysis: FRW Napa Valley 2012

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Parent Category: Bicycles

Category: FRW

Published on Thursday, 15 September 2011 07:59

Written by Luca Salvatelli

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FRW has completely revised its frame Napa Valley, so that the only thing in common with the previous version is just the name, stayed the same, as FRW tradition.

Remains the monocoque construction, but changes the carbon fiber, now high modulus and a different stratification, even the fork uses a different type of carbon, now equal to that used for the frame. The new head tube sees the adoption of bearings and 1 inch ½ below and 1inch 1/8 above. Larger size of the outer section of the head tube itself, so as to further improve rigidity. The down tube has a polygonal cross-section and, with several edges which further enhance the rigidity of the tube. It connects with a large area of stiffening the head tube and bottom bracket with oversized, with standard Shimano Press Fit. Yet again the top tube, even in this case polygonal section, with several sharp edges for enhanced stiffness and slightly curved profile. Always well-sized area of union of the top tube to head tube. The rear triangle sees the adoption of horizontal tubes high and narrow, while the vertical pipes are of smaller size, a pattern that allows for excellent rigidity without compromising comfort. The vertical tube houses the seatpost of 31.6 mm, has a direct connection for the front derailleur and a large section in the area near the bottom bracket, and then go after the derailleur, with the classic round profile. The new fork has straight stems characterized by an aerodynamic profile and big size. Two graphics are available: carbon-black and carbon-white-yellow, while the sizes are six. In addition to the bike, frame kit is available with various assemblies. For all the new seatpost adopted is Ritchey WCS Monolink, with its saddle Selle Italia SLR Monolink. The Ritchey seatpost can also be transformed to accommodate a traditional saddle. Always Ritchey WCS stem with the new C-260 and always Ritchey WCS the handlebar. The group-set (Sram Red, Campagnolo Record, Shimano Dura Ace, Ultegra and Di2) is always used in full, while there are neither pedals nor bottle cage. The wheels, models assembled in Red, Super Record and Dura Ace, may be Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR WTS or R-SYS SLR WTS with tires Mavic Yksion Griplink/Powerlink, differentiated in the profile of the compound between front and rear. A choice of traditional or compact crankset. In the lightest configuration the bike reaches a weight of 6.6kg. For a detailed list of the different versions and prices refer readers to previous articles.