Quest's speed vs Silvio

[bokes]

I've been waiting to buy a Quest 26 to replace my upright sport touring bike. At first the Quest seemed like to right choice because I would often like to carry a light load, and the folding ability would be really useful (but not essential for my needs).
Yesterday however I was riding my heavy upright touring bike, and I was really missing the speed and zippyness of my sport tourer (now sold). Since that was what I enjoyed most about the bike, I'm wondering if a Silvio might be the better choice.
Now I wouldn't expect the Quest to be as fast and zippy as the Silvio, but for the few of you who have ridden both, could the Quest keep up with a Silvio? Could you tell a significant difference in speed?
Also, would the Quest 26 have clearance for a 650c wheel? I'm also thinking of maybe trying out a 24" road wheelset.
thanks in advance.

 

[John Zabriskie]

I've only ridden the Quest 451 on my 10-mile demo route, but have put over 850 miles on my Silvio. (I've got a Quest 559 on order, though.) The Quest 451 is a wonderful bike to ride. It's feels light, nimble & very responsive, since it has a head tube angle of 72.5°, but is still very stable at high speed. The disk brakes are very reassuring, stopping very quickly once set up properly. The riding position is quite comfortable, but a little less aero than the Silvio. It's easy to just get on the Quest & go; it is zippy & fast, at least until you run out of gears. Nanda's done some good work exploring the carrying capacity (see his rack photos). The stock rear suspension happens to be very well tuned to dealing with the chipseal on these Idaho roads -- much better than the Silvio.

On the other hand, the Silvio is just outstanding to ride, fast, comfortable & efficient. I second Mark's riding impressions (in the Silvio forum). Mine is set up with the Campy Centaur groupset & Xerolite wheels with 28mm Gatorskins, it comes in at 26#. Every time I ride it, I come back with a big grin. It's the best bike investment I've ever made & is also the reason I became a dealer. I've made a couple of politically correct (recycled political signs from coroplast) carriers for the Silvio seat, . . . but that's another posting. You can carry stuff, just not as much as on the Quest.

I can't answer your question about the Quest 559 acommodating a 650c wheel, yet. I'll see if I can borrow one from one of my shorter friends, once the Q559 gets here. However, based on the info @ the late Sheldon Brown's tire web page <http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html>, I suspect it should be OK with tires in the 23 - 25mm range. This is for the front fork, which has a capacity radius of 314 mm. The rear subframe has a larger capacity radius of 330 mm. Changing over to a 24" wheelset should be no problem with the disk brake setup.

I think the Quest 559 is probably the best match for your upright sport tour bike, due to it's versatility. However, if you want really fast transport on paved surfaces, the Silvio wins. My recommendation: if you can afford it, go for the Silvio. If you can't afford it yet, get the Quest first & then save up for the Silvio.

 

[bokes]

John that was very helpful, thank you very much! Please let us know your thoughts about the Quest 559 (vs. Silvio) once you have a few miles on it.

 

[teacherbill]

I will also be waiting ............ already starting to save the end of the month extra for a Quest.

 

[Lief]

John Zabriskie wrote: I've made a couple of politically correct (recycled political signs from coroplast) carriers for the Silvio seat, . . . but that's another posting.

John,
I am interested in your Kent Peterson specials that you have made for your Silvio. I have considered going down that road but haven't taken the time to think about / design what I would want and need.

Lief

 

[John Zabriskie]

The politically correct corroplast holder I've got on my Silvio now is sized to handle both a hydration bladder & Camelback .75L water bottle. It took a couple of tries to get it right, but at least I had plenty of material to work with. I used some Krylon satin black spray paint (in the specially formulated for plastic variety) so it doesn't look quite as ugly as homemade sin. However, I forgot to paint the inside. I'll pull it off this weekend & take some photos (& also paint the inside). I'll also include a PDF of the pattern I used & show it mounted. It's held together with some small bolts & has a couple of extra pieces of corroplast taped over the heads in critical spots to prevent the bladder from getting a hole worn in it.