Fastback Comp

Rocky Mountain Sports, May 2007 - "In search of that perfect "do anything" road bike? Look no further than the Fastback Comp. A comfortable and smooth-riding bike_courtesy of the vibration dampening carbon stays and carbon fork_the Fastback Comp will keep you pedaling happily on casual club rides, daily training or full-day tours."

Bicycling, April 2007 - "A SUPER DEAL. Every year there's one bike that, out of all those I test for the Buyer's Guide, jumps out at me as being an exceedingly evolved example of its breed. This season, much to the consternation of my elitist roadie friends, it's the mid-level Fastback Comp. that's all the more remarkable because - full disclosure - I was not looking forward to testing the Fastback. I was coming off several weeks of intense riding on the Specialized S-Works Tarmac, which costs almost six times as much as this version of the Fastback, and is one of those nearly faultless modern-day superbikes.

But the Fastback Comp just kept charming me. the ride is velvety smooth, courtesy of the carbon stays and carbon fork, yet the N'Litened aluminum frame doesn't waver when the pedal-mashing starts. The geometry is an interesting mix and match that somehow contributes to this at-ease aggression. On our size-medium test bike, for instance, the chainstays are the same 41cm as those of my personal race/all-around bike, yet the overall feel of the cockpit is upright, so newbies will perceive speed, while feeling safe and in control. There's no chatter from the fork under hard braking, no wobbling at slow speeds. The triple ring lets you spin while pals plod up steep pitches. The Tiagra shifgers have a window on top of the hoods, where an orange indicator clearly shows what gear you're in.

The bike streams happily along, betraying it's weight and limitations only under extremes - when trying to stay with the aerobic freaks, or in the final hour of a fast-paced, full day of riding. But for just about anything anyone would realistically try on a 1000 bike - club rides, daily training, noodling around the neighborhood - the Fastback Comp is its own kind of superbike."