The Ride
I wasn't expecting my first ride to be a hard 40 miles of climbing with a group of guys who are all great riders, but that is exactly what it was. The bike is pretty enough to make the guys take notice, and fast to enough to make them nervous. I had an excellent first ride—absolutely no pain—and I enjoyed myself immensely. Sure, the company was good, but the bike made me feel competitive, and my performance that day surprised most of the regulars.
Geometry: What I found amazing was how much of a difference the seat angle made to my riding. The 74.2-degree seat tube angle changed my position on the bike, and although I wish I had power meter data to measure the improvement, it doesn't matter—I have more power and less pain. I am faster and more comfortable than on any bike before the BH. That's all the data I need.
My climbs are faster, and I can push harder gears from this new position. Technically, I don't know why, but the Cristal makes an unbelievable difference for me. My hip flexors are loving it.
Downhills: Going downhill is a confidence-builder. The BH holds a line like no other bike. Although it's really light, there was absolutely no twitch or vibration, no "skipping" on the road, and I rode my fastest downhill on it with total confidence. Even on the roughest of downhills with wind gusts (like Lower Latigo Canyon in Malibu, California), the bike never became unstable.
Uphills: Climbing with the BH was a thrill. I've been able to do some of my training climbs with new personal bests. It's easy to move, it's super-lightweight and the Dura-Ace group never missed a shift, even under full-climbing torque. Just to be sure, I did a session of hill repeats on the infamous Rock Store climb (the final stage of the 2010 Tour of California), and the bike never flexed, never missed a shift and moved uphill willingly and with ease. It's a rare day for me to say I enjoyed hill repeats, but I did.
The Verdict
The BH Cristal is a perfect bike for women who want high performance and serious engineering without compromising on design and style. The stiffness and stability of this bike will give confidence to riders who race and/or train hard, without sacrificing comfort for long-distance or endurance riders.
On another note, the Cristal is an attraction for both men and women. I've been stopped so many times and asked about it. BH bikes are not seen a lot, so it surprised me how many people knew about their reputation for design.
Basically, you'll have to pry my cold, dead fingers off the bike to get it back. I am like a new person on the Cristal. It makes riding a total joy. I just want to go faster, harder and farther every day on the BH.
Price: $5,999 (Dura-Ace)
Weight: 13.8 pounds
Info: www.BHbikes-us.com