This September I was lucky enough to spend ten gruelling days in the magnificent French Cévennes Mountains riding the Silverback SBC 2.1. The countryside and autumnal vistas were the things of dreams, where as the climbs and descents was the stuff of nightmares.
With twelve riders from Team LMT, the ten-day trip was to raise funds and awareness for the Lucy Monro Memorial Trust, a charity founded in memory of Lucy Monro, the founder of Team LMT who tragically died on the UAE Coast to Coast ride in early 2015.
Each of the 10 days averaged 200km with over 3700m of climbing (and descending), making a total trip distance of 2,000km with 37,000m of climbing. To put that in perspective, that is the same amount of climbing that riders complete in the Tour de France in two thirds of the distance. However, whereas the “TdF” guys do it in 23 days, we had a mere 10 days — brutal doesn’t even come close.
But what better way to put Silverback Bicycle’s flagship ride through its paces. Lucy would have been proud.
So what about the bike? My steed was the Silverback SBC 2.1 bike – A graceful animal in the signature matt black carbon and fluorescent green livery. The frame is based on Silverback’s award winning Scalera model (Eurobike Gold Award) but has a more refined and optimized carbon layup for the frame.
The bike was equipped with a full Dura-Ace Di2 9000 group set, ZIPP 404 rims (although I’d opted to swap these out for standard box rims due to my dubious descending skills), Deda carbon seat post and a massive gloriously oversized Deda35mm handlebar and stem.
The first impression of the bike is imposing. From the front, with the massive oversized head tube, down along the aero profiled down tube to the equally impressive over sized bottom bracket, the bike radiates an air of confidence. The rear of the bike displays more finesse with elegant and slender wind cheating chainstays.
The morning of the first day was pedestrian compared to the rest of the trip. Nothing too taxing, but the bike had already started to show its colours. The aerodynamic attributes of the bike had me zipping along on the flat with considerably less effort than I would have expected at 35-40kmh. The handling through some sweeping turns was exceptional.
It was after lunch on the first day that the big climbs began, the majority of the day’s 4,400m lay in store for the afternoon with gradients of up to 22% over the Col Du Vent, Col De La Lusette, Mont Aigoual and Col De Solpérière.This is the terrain where aero frames normally start to struggle. Thankfully the designers of the Silverback SBC had decided to do away with the traditional stereotype and the Scalera inspired frame is as stiff and responsive when climbing as it is fast on the flat. The higher we got, the better the bike performed. On the hills, you want every pedal stroke to count, there isn’t room to waste any energy. The SBC continued to deliver in spades with every ounce of effort being rewarded with relentless progress up the mountain.
Inevitably, what goes up must come down. And just as every cloud has a silver lining, every climb has a descent. For most people this is true, the descents are the reward for the climbs. For me, the descent is not a reward, it is punishment. In all honesty, the descents were the part of this trip that held the most dread for me. I don’t mind going up the hills, but I have a deep-rooted fear of coming down them. I am not a natural descender, in fact quite the opposite. I have worn the label of mountain snail for many years with good reason. Therefore, when the roadbook shows a descent of 30km on damp and wet roads strewn with gravel, it sends a chill through me much colder than the summit temperature of three degrees.
After we crested the high point of the day, I had prepared myself for the usual terror and anguish that can only be understood by someone who shares my loathing for downhills. Yet for me, it was on the descents that the SBC played its trump card and really showed its design pedigree. The machine was so planted and so stable, that I felt comfortable going through bends and straights without the need to constantly ride the brakes. This was a truly liberating experience. The bike enabled me to conquer many of my descending fears and turned me into a better rider. I am not saying for one instant it turned me into a good descender, but the bike gave me the confidence to descend with some credibility.
At the end of day one, the bike was a revelation, much better than I had ever hoped for. Through the remaining nine days, I summited over 100 mountains, battled against eight hours of gale force winds, storms and driving rain that sadly claimed the lives of so many in southern France, came across roads blocked by landslides, descended roads of 25% that were nothing more than muddy gravel tracks, hit climbs over 30%, found probably the best cycling road in Europe and saw some of the most memorable landscapes that France has to offer. Through all of this, my Silverback SBC didn’t falter, complain, breakdown or puncture – it simply devoured the road. It is without doubt one of the best bikes I have ever ridden. Quite simply a masterpiece of bicycle design.
Words By: Simon Marshall
