Double Take — Procycling Magazine, January 2006
By Robert Millar
We've given Marcel Wust some tough assignments before, but we had him scratching his head when we asked him to test two Seven bikes with a similar set-up. The major difference was the titanium tubing used—which can't be that different, can it? We left Marcel to find out more.
When the guys at procycling gave me my assignment, I was a touch confused and a little daunted. My mission: to 'blind test' two bikes built by the same manufacturer, in broadly the same way, but using different types of titanium tubing, and to report back on how their performance differed on the road. I frankly couldn't imagine how there could be any difference; or not one discernible to my so-called expert eye, anyway. Titanium is titanium in the same way that a spade is a spade. How, then, was I supposed to feel the difference?
Still none the wiser, diary in hand, I called the people from Seven and found a slot in a packed pre-Tour de France agenda. Nice people, they agreed to bring the bikes to my place in Germany's Rheinland region, or at least meet me at a mutually convenient though unprepossessing motorway exit not far from my house. Greetings exchanged, we unloaded the bikes and commenced a test which began like an identity parade. The bikes looked identical, confirming my worst fears—very desirable but also very identical. Their only distinguishing traits were slightly different frame decor and the model names printed on the top tube of each frame: Axiom Race and Axiom SG. Nope, still no idea what I was meant to be looking for...
My fear of not noticing the slightest difference, being exposed as a fraud, losing the procycling gig and having to beg my old colleagues to let me even make the tea was dispelled after several seconds and a few hearty stomps in each of the matching San Marco Aspide saddles. The SG immediately distinguished itself as the more comfortable of the two bikes; the frame barely flinched as it cruised over one section of particularly bumpy cobble-stones. And before I am given my notice, I should point out that the Race was fitted with identical wheels and tires at identical pressure. The answer could therefore only be in the frame.
The Race model does, though, have the clear edge over its twin in terms of rigidity. Riding it, you feel as though you're in the saddle of a real racing thoroughbred. The stiff frame telegraphs power directly to the pedals, and even the slightly aggressive feedback on the cobblestones was exactly what you would expect from a bona fide racing machine.
The cornering characteristics of the two bikes also mark them out as two very different animals; I could never have imagined that two bikes with the same geometry could behave so differently in this department. The Axiom SG was a smooth, if unexciting, negotiator of corners, perhaps to the point where a fast acceleration out of a bend might have cost me a second or two to riders on sharper machines. By comparison, the Race was much more nervous, while at the same time showing remarkable stability on the corners. This, though, comes at a price when the rider is required to brake, with the Race much less tolerant of rider error than its sibling. This despite the fact that the two bikes were equipped with same fork—a Five E carbon fork from Seven.
I solved the mystery with the help of Mario Sillack from Seven and his technical data on each of the two test models. The wheel-base on the Race turned out to be slightly shorter, or rather the SG's fork rake was three millimeters longer. The difference may be almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but you soon notice it in the way the bikes perform.
One feature of both bikes which shouldn't escape attention is the titanium tubing cast assembled by Seven's welders. Anyone who considers themselves a bicycle aesthete can't fail to appreciate the Seven frames' beautiful welding and pristine finishing. The same applies to the construction of the gorgeous-looking titanium tubes—clearly the result of meticulous and highly-skilled craftsmanship.
As is often the case with parents of twins, Seven chose not to discriminate when it came to choosing their babies' togs. The wheels from DT Swiss prove to be a good choice—quite light, but also stiff and aerodynamic. The Schwalbe tires provided enough grip on fast curves to keep me feeling safe through-out, while still earning points for their lack of rolling resistance.
On 'Big Ben', a 17-percent ramp I used to use for interval training in my racing days, the Shimano components under-went a stiff examination: as one can imagine. I didn't want to think twice about reaching for the gear levers when pushing hard on the pedals on the steepest stretches. The Dura-Ace groupset took the challenge in its stride: the chain skipped smoothly and almost silently up the sprockets and switched from big to small chain-ring and vice versa with equal aplomb.
The Seven handlebars were pleasantly ergonomic—as it said on the tin. When riding uphill, in particular, my hands always found a comfortable resting place. In a sprinting position, on the other hand, I found myself needing to keep my center of gravity set back to avoid my wrists turning the handlebars when I was on the drops. As regular readers will have gathered by now, us sprinters are pretty choosy when it comes to handlebars, and the anatomic variety usually aren't the best suited to our needs.
I was impressed overall—whether we're talking about the Axiom range's full-blooded racing machine or its comfortable but classy turbo tourer. The fact that I had no input into the geometry of either bike made their performance in test conditions doubly impressive. My favorite, though, is without doubt the Race. I was, and will always remain, a racer—if not in my legs then at least in my heart—and I will always be a sucker for speedy rather than comfortable bike-handling. My only regret is that my choice is a hypothetical one. Forget what I said about those "nice people" from Seven: no sooner had the test ended than the blighters had packed up both bikes and headed back to Stuttgart. Whatever happened to perks of the job...?
Conclusion
Two different bikes for two different purposes—sensible, no? In terms of comfort and bike-handling, the Axiom Race and the Axiom SG are as different as night and day, just as the men who built them intended. Any cyclist who wants to stand out from their weekend warrior mates could do a lot worse than look up Seven, where the customer's wish is their command. These are not cheap bikes, but any punter who knows exactly what they want will get exactly what they order—which, ultimately, is the way it should be. Providing you can wait for Seven to deliver your brand new dream machine, you'll be glad you did, and your patience will be rewarded with a perfectly, painstakingly constructed collector's piece you'll be proud to call your own.
