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Hands On: Volagi Liscio Disc Brake Road Bike – Weights, Details

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights
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volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

When we first laid eyes on Volagi’s disc brake equipped road bikes, we drooled and totally wanted a size run in the office…everyone here wants to ride one. (and now we have one on the way!)

The Volagi Liscio, which means “smooth” in Italian, is now fully in production in all sizes and will be ready to ship May 23. They had several builds on display at Sea Otter, but all revolve around Avid’s mechanical disc brakes coming standard. While that’s certainly the initial “whoa” factor, the frame itself is worthy of attention. So, jump past the break and check this thing out…

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

Available with either red or white paint details, the bikes are really well thought out beyond including discs. This one is a prototype – the seatpost collar on this was a concept, but it didn’t allow for enough strength in that section of the frame…the other photos below show production versions – but it’s representative of complete bike weights of all the ones we lifted there.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

This is the production seatpost binder…still pretty good looking. The seatpost is Volagi’s as it’s shaped to fit the seattube.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

Their fork runs the brake cable inside the leg, and it has a mounting hole in the crown for traditional road brakes should you decide to go “old school.” Oh, and check out those rack mounts on the inside of the leg. Rear brake cable runs internally through the downtube.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

The top tube has cable stop mounts preinstalled, letting you install standard road calipers if you want. The seatstay bridge has a hole in it for the brake.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

The rear brake is mounted inside the triangle, which looks much more appropriate for a sleek road bike. The rear has rack/fender mounts, too.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

The Liscio uses a BB30 bottom bracket.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

So, what wheels are these? Volagi’s! Since there aren’t really any disc-specific road rims, they actually did sort of reinvent the wheel. Their new Ignite SL disc-specific wheels have carbon clincher rims and new hubs. Rim width is a respectable 24mm wide on the outside. Claimed weight is 1490g per pair, and they’ll come as a spec option or be available for $1495.

volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights volagi luscio disc brake road bike close up details and weights

They use 130 rear hub spacing, rims are 30mm tall, and these are almost final spec.

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murpes
murpes
12 years ago

Very cool. Who are they shipping to? Where are the dealers?

Gillis
Gillis
12 years ago

The future is here. 5 years from now this is the kind of bike we’ll be seeing at the Tour.

I don’t know what all fuss is over hydros is, cable/discs are just fine.

This is a pretty sweet ride.

Gillis
Gillis
12 years ago

That seatube cluster is very reminiscent of the old GT’s.

steve m
steve m
12 years ago

Pretty swank

flech1454
flech1454
12 years ago

@Gillis
the fuss over hyrdo levers comes from the mountain bikers not the roadies. They are also the same people that want mountain rear spacing so they can use 29er wheels in the back and front. I dont think the levers are all that complicated to make( in fact you can hack your own) but i agree there is no reason for it considering there is no suspenesion.
also
I dont really think this is a tour bike at all, the geometry is wrong and poor weather, which is were this bike would shine in, isn’t really seen that much at the tour. Even when that weather is seen there i dont really think disc brakes would stop the crashes. If anything, i would venture to say that a bike like this will be seen at Roubaix some time in the next 3 to 4 years sense there are cyclocross bikes that are coming made with them from larger brands now like felt.

topcap
topcap
12 years ago

Gillis, you are correct, really no need for hydro disc for road or even CX as cable actuated disc has way more power than road calipers and cantis. Hyro disc, however IS needed for mtn bikes. People want hydro simply becuase its a macho thing to have, not because the riding use calls for it.

Also finally debunks retro crouches grumblings about discs being heavy. No more.

David
12 years ago

it isn’t about power it is about modulation and maintenance, you pinheads!

Mustaches, chest hair, and Corvettes are macho, not hydro brake levers.

Flech, I would like to see the levers you “hack on your own”!

Tom
Tom
12 years ago

Hydraulics are great, but I think its a smart move to stick with mechanical until the hydraulic sti-levers get developed. I’d much rather run a set of BB7’s versus some ridiculous unsightly mechanical to hydraulic conversion unit. This bike looks pretty cool.

I could have sworn I posted a jab earlier about the nice cable routing to the front fork, in light of 3T’s ugly solution for their fork. Not sure what happened to that post.

Alex
Alex
12 years ago

Guys, here’s a field note on using a disc brake on a CX bike. Just raced Paris-Ancaster this weekend, a 60K cyclocross (roads, rail trails, some single track) in Southern Ontario. Weather: Rain and snow, 2 inches of rain the day before and tons of mud. I fitted my CX bike with a front disc just a few weeks ago (Avid BB-7) and the modulation is fantastic. I don’t find the ultimate stopping power to be as great as the TRP CX-9 V-brake I removed to make the disc upgrade, but I also don’t really need so much power that I can endo. What was really reassuring was the ability to dive into every corner and descent knowing that the front brake response was going to be the same regardless of how much slop my front wheel was rolling through at the time. To me, that’s a big advantage, the consistency.

Now, I just need a frame with a rear disc capability…

Alex
Alex
12 years ago

Oh, yeah – and maintenance. Disc brake condition was perfect was perfect after the race, whereas I am sure a rim brake would’ve chewed through a good portion of the pads that day.

Tom
Tom
12 years ago

Also raced P2A, what a blast (read: sufferfest). That is strange that the overall stopping power of the BB7 seems less. I’ve never in my life used a v-brake that stopped better than a set of properly setup BB7’s. Were the pads bedded in and such? The modulation is something I always thought the BB7’s lacked.

Alex
Alex
12 years ago

A sufferfest indeed! Can’t wait ’til next year. The discs are pretty much new – I had about 3 rides on them before P2A, but that was fairweather riding with deliberate front brake application along the way to get them bedded in. I am sure they are well worn-in now and I believe I have them set up correctly using SRAM Rival levers. I will admit that I mostly ride on the hoods rather than in the the drops, but that shouldn’t make a difference since I do that with the shorty V-brake, as well. I did have some brake squeal after the first ride that I corrected by a) readjusting everything, which helped but still had some shudder, and b) a couple of drops of automotive brake squeal-stop ‘goo’ between the fixed pad and the caliper. After b) and few trips up and down the laneway to my house, the shudder was gone and held up perfectly for P2A. When I am referring to ultimate power, I am thinking of dry conditions. You know the two downhill hairpins (right, then left) just before the final climbs to Ancaster, right? I sort of forgot about those and came screaming in way too hot on the soaking wet road, put the front and back brake on and put the bike through the corner in perfect control. With rim brakes and that much water on the road, I am sure I would have straight-lined it into some local’s driveway or the guardrail. I am definitely not complaining about the set-up, but I can easily do low speed endos with my TRP CX-9 on the front and not so easily with the BB-7. Open to any and all recommendations.

Jose
Jose
12 years ago

Tom, I too felt BB7 had great modulation. I feel the key is setup is more finicky to get that modulation.

Alex, once I enlarged the rotors up one size larger than I usually run on hydros, stopping power of the BB7 came pretty close to Vs. Run a larger rotor up front, too. Also, stopping power is plenty with BB7 as they have been specd on tandems for years, including my own tandem.

David, I can tell you haven’t used mechanical discs. If set up with sealed cables, maintenance is rarely an issue with BB7. Hydros have their own issues of boiling, leaking, and proprietary bleeding parts. My experience is that hyro and mech disc is more of a trade off than one being superior than the other.

I agree with Alex that for now, simpler is better, and simpler is mechanical….for now. The converter really needs to be integrated into the shifters.

Jose
Jose
12 years ago

And yes! I too feel that the usual argument for hyros is a macho thing! Mech dics are a fine choice!

flech1454
flech1454
12 years ago

hold the hell up guys
the weight is for the prototype
what is the production weight, or better question, why is there no listed weight on a production model?

mountguitars
mountguitars
12 years ago

some people obviously haven’t tried riding mountain bikes with mechanical and switched over to hydraulic brakes. the difference is huge: modulation, light lever action, weight and maintenance are all in favor of a hydraulic brake system.

topcap
topcap
12 years ago

@ mtnguitars: your comment is what myself and others are referring to: macho response with the assumption that hydro is the only solution for everything. Did you even rationally/intelligently think about your response based on documented facts?

– Road bikes don’t need power, so hydro is an overkill.

– hydro on road bikes require a converter which ADDS weight and potentially REDUCES reliability in the fact that you are adding another mechanical component to the braking system.

– hydro is currently NOT superior to mechanicals on road bikes because you CANT purchase even the converter. Can’t calm superiority over something that isn’t available on the market.

– Maintenance? well, it’s been documented that even out of the box, hydro can have issues for example:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/disc-brake-systems/product/review-formula-rx-brake-11-35528

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/disc-brake-systems/product/review-avid-elixir-r-11-37524

Like to highlight, ” Crucially, there’s no rotating bite point adjuster at the far end, which removes most of the bleeding and reliability problems of the family. ”

Meaning there are maintenance issues on hyros! go figure!

– Lever action? it’s yet to be determine if the hydro converter positively or negatively effects lever action AND modulation on a STI road lever. So where is your proof that road lever hydro action is superior to mech action on a product that hasn’t been available to purchase? My hunch is that anytime you add another component/layer to a braking system, you could potentially negatively effect the lever feel/action. More mechanically direct contact/connection with the caliper is always best.

Thus “in favor of hydro” simply doesn’t stand true when you look at it rationally with facts, rather than applying mtn bike hydro experience to the a road bike hydro system (which largely is still in prototype stages). Thus is more of a grey area of which system is best for this new “category” in road bike braking system.

So before you criticize other people, please do your homework and back it up with facts.

vlocityboy
vlocityboy
12 years ago

Congratulations to the guys at Volagi for conceiving and executing such an innovative, clean, purposeful design – all at real-world prices. Doesn’t hurt that it’s snap yo head drop-dead gorgeous. I’m really looking forward to reading all the gory details in the your upcoming evaluation. How will it stack up against the other plush/performance bikes (i.e. roubaix, madone etc.) in terms of compliance/vibration damping vs overall feel? can’t wait….

Big Gooner
Big Gooner
12 years ago

I got to demo the Volagi at the Sea Otter, also test rode at Spec Roubaix, Trek 5.2, Cervelo RS, Giant Daphne? I’m no expert but the Volagi was very different from all the rest. The rear of the bike was noticable more compliant over rough road (I tested it over the Laguna Seca Road Race course rumple strips) compared to ALL the other bikes. The front or forks felt about the same maybe a little smoother. Power transfer? I don’t know? it felt about the same as the other bikes like I said I’m no expert. Handling seemed good to me, brakes felt good. It is a very nice looking bike.

dash of truth
dash of truth
12 years ago

130 = fail

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