Cyfac - Le Mythique

I did promise to do a quick review of the gear that the sponsors of the Cadence Kona Challenge were kind enough to give us. I am going to start with the bike which is a Cyfac Le Mythique.

Before I start I want to put this review in context. I would describe myself as a keen amateur triathlete but I am only in my second season. Therefore in order for you to understand where I am coming from here is my cycle history:

Late 70s/Early 80s - Red Steel Trike;

80s - Raleigh Boxer - Great Bike, most comfortable saddle ever built;

Late 80s - Raleigh Racer - Mine was blue and white I believe and my first 'proper' road bike;

Late 90s/Early 00s - I had a couple of mountain bikes both of which were stolen;

2004 Orbea Mitis - Nice Spanish Road Bike, Aluminium Frame, Carbon Stays, forks and seat post. Shimano Ultegra groupset. Still use it occassionally - mine was silver with red detailing;

2007 Felt S22 (2006 Model) - After training through the winter months on my Orbea I decided to go out on a limb and buy a dedicated Tri bike even before my first race. Like the Orbea this bike has an Aluminium frame and some carbon parts. The 2006 model was actually better spec'd than the 2007 model and had Dura Ace groupset with carbon cranks and Carbon Aero bars. It looked good in matt black;

So that brings us upto date and back to the Cyfac. In reality I guess that when I comment on the Cyfac I am really comparing it to the only other dedicated Tri bike I have owned, the Felt S22. The Cyfac is therefore up against some stiff competition as I really liked the Felt.

The Cyfac Le Mythique, or the mythical one (its not a myth its in my garage), is part of Cyfac's small but varied inventory. Here is the history of the company taken straight from their website:

Cyfac has had an interesting trajectory through the cycling industry. Originally focusing as a frame-builder to the professionals, Francis Quillon was hired by some of the sports biggest companies to build the frames that their sponsored riders actually rode. Systeme-U, Castorama, Carrera, GAN, Festina, Cofidis, Chocolade Jaques, and more provided re-badged Cyfac frames to their athletes.

In the tight-knit French cycling community many other pros, amateurs, and cycling afficianados learned of Francis' work and went sraight to the source, helping to slowly build the Cyfac brand.

In an age of distinct monocoque frames and very unique looks per manufacturer the use of custom frames is reserved for only a select few. Sponsors want their riders on their frames. While Cyfac still makes some specialty framesets and training bikes for a large group of pros, we reserve our best work for you, our Cyfac customer.

They make two versions of their CLM timetrial and triathlon frame. One is the Carbon frame called the Gothica and the other is the Aluminium Le Mythique.

Now before you turn your noses up at the idea of an aluminium frame on a high end bike Cyfac point out that this is not your "mothers aluminium", this is "Triple-butted, multi-shaped Columbus 7000 series Altec 2+ aluminum alloy with airwing profile downtube, aero slice top tube and bladed rear seat/chain stays".

Reading through the blurb in effect what they are saying is that traditionally aluminium was hard to shape and resulted in a rigid frame. They use the latest technology to be able to shape the aluminium far better than ever before. It is also worth pointing out that they claim to have produced the first full-custom carbon frame and pioneered aluminium TIG welding and the use of Aluminium appears to be a deliberate choice.

The bike is not what one would consider cheap and the frameset costs $3099 dollars (the 2 carbon waterbottle holders by the way retail for $100 each!!) but;

You get a Cyfac ultralight XC102 full-carbon straight-blade fork with integrated headset included (which is important otherwise your front wheel will roll away).

All frames are custom built.

The frames are all hand built in one rural factory in France.

So what is it like to ride?

Probably the best thing about this bike is how comfortable it is to ride whilst aero. I am not talking about soaking up road bumps, a carbon frame may be more comfortable in that respect, but rather I am talking about frame geometry. On their website Cyfac make a big point that Tri bikes are not all about an aggressive seat angle. They will offer a more aggressive angled Time trial frame but mindful of a Triathletes need to get off the bike and run they offer a less aggressive angle.

I do not intend to go into seat angles as some people will know what I am talking about and those that don't will be able to find better explanations by googling the term but Cyfac are advocates of a less aggressive angle for Triathletes who are going to need a reserve of energy for the run and they quote some very successful cyclists with less aggressive seat angles e.g.

EDDY MERCKX
1969: Tour de France TT Créteil -Paris

Seat Angle: 72°
Head Angle: 71.5°
Saddle to bar height difference: 4cm

Another interesting point they raise is the idea that with squats and other weight exercises you don't want your knee getting in front off your foot as it stresses the joints. They claim that if you repeatedly ride in a very aggressive position, like poor quality weightlifting, you are unduly stressing your joints. This argument does appear to make sense to me and there is no doubt that the less aggressive angle is more comfortable. Do not think that I am not that aero on this bike because I am pretty aero but the biggest bonus is that I am less likely to sit up out of the bars than some one riding more aggressively. Of course as you sit up you lose all your aero advantage.

This is turning into a really long blog so that is enough theory.

The bike looks gorgeous in its deep blue and black colours and the paint finish is clearly top quality. I am not an engineer but all the butting looks great to me and very, very smooth. Without access to windtunnels and labs I can still happily say that the frame looks very aero and the rear wheel cut out is slick. The cable run is on the outside of the frame which although ever so slightly less aero makes maintenance much easier and it has neat touches such as a welded attachment point for your race number.

There really is very little I can say about this bike that I do not like. The only thing that springs to mind is the fact that this bike has horizontal hangers for the rear wheel. These make sense on single speed bikes when you may wish to adjust the chain tension but it does not make sense on this bike. The problem with horizontal verses vertical hangers is that it makes it dirtier and slightly more awkward to get the chain off the cassette and you have to be careful that the spindle is all the way home or you can easily miss align the wheel and push it against the seat stays.

It is also worth pointing out that unless you are totally objective when it comes to buying your bikes it is hard to ignore the fact that this bike is that little bit exclusive. You are very unlikely to see another one at a race and you know the company has a great history and pedigree. This is brought home by the wording "fait a la main a la fuye" written down the seat tube which I eventually managed to work out means built by hand in La Fuye.

As an aside my bike came with SRAM Force groupset which has been great so far and a Fizik Arione saddle which was convenient as it was already my saddle of choice.

So Merci Beaucoup Cyfac pour la Bicyclette. Le Mythique est Tres Bien (and thats coming from a Brit).