Ride report

Here's what a 105km jaunt on the new RS was like earlier today. Did I mention the group decided to ride fast tempo today? Nothing like a shakedown ride with a few 25+ mph effort thrown in for good measure.
The bike is very stiff laterally. I put FSA SL-K cranks on it and the combo of the beefy tubes, tubes joints, chainstays and cranks make for a nice, stiff, firm feeling when standing to climb or jumping to sprint. Probably as stiff (frame only) as my Damocles. The cranks aren't as stiff as the D/A 7800.
It's not a harsh ride whatsoever. It mutes road imperfections, chipseal and other small vibrations very well. It reminds me very much of the way my Ridley Excalibur rode. I really didn't feel anything other than really large hits, which suck on any bike.
The front end is very stiff and very solid. The front end tracks extremely well and isn't twitchy at all. I actually like the way the front end feels on the RS better than my Damocles. The Damocles can get chattery. There's no chatter coming from this fork. The frame and fork are matched very well, which is a hard nut to crack. It's not bad when the front is stiffer than the rear, but it's murder when the rear is stiffer than the front.
Overall, I got a stinky, fat deal on very nice, well built, sublime handling frameset. Out of 5 stars, right now it's got an easy 4.75, and it's only that low because of the Russian judge. It'll make a hell of a race bike.

Now onto the ride itself...
We went out through the flats today and just kept turning away from home. I ended up with 105km when all was said and done. We rode through the Swamp all the way to the Cricket Store, which is so named because they used to sell...get ready for it...crickets. We had a terrible headwind on the way out, which is something of an anomoly. As soon as we turned though, it was a cross/tail to full tailwind all the way home. Robert made the comment that we were coasting at 22 mph. I countered with, "yeah, it's brilliant!"
The sun was out, the wind was at our backs, the group was a good one today, save for one...The Dink. We all began to take him with a grain of salt. That grain is more akin to a salt lick, but I digress.
Overall, it was great ride that included a few bursts of speed...some longer and speedier than others. I didn't go into the Pain Cave(tm) today, but I've become familiar with it's general location. New bike, 65 miles and a sunny day...not a bad Saturday.