Description Cycling industry media have dubbed the Odonata "the perfect bike" for its elegant design, light weight, forgiving ride, and impeccable handling. Weighing less than 2.5 lbs., the Odonata is the lightes...
Bike Setup: Dura-Ace, Ksyrium, Chris King, Selle Italia, Carbon Wing, Look Ken, Sidi, Flight Deck etc
Summary: This review is for a 2004 Elium -http://www.sevencycles.com/bikes/elium.html
The bike is custom fitted to my 6'3" 210lb body. Which makes it tricky to sell and buy an Independent Fabrication frame....
Strengths: Amazing ability to do everything extremely well. Light, quick, responsive and extremely comfortable, once you go custom it changes everything. A true life-bike - you would think you would never need to buy another frame. But...
Weaknesses: Customer service and follow-up is deplorable. On several e-mails to Seven, I got a snotty response from Scott Rosenthal. In one case, he critisized me for suggesting there members section of the web-site was unchanged for 6 months! Furthermore, I received no follow-up to my purchase from Seven - nothing. They are a small company and very busy and they use that as an excuse for there post purchase shortcomings. When folks ask me about the bike, I tell them straight - great product, arrogant company, go check out an Independent Fabrication frame...
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Bike Setup: Seven Odonata frame, Seven seatpost, Reynolds ouzo pro fork, Campy record 10, campy eurus wheels
Summary: A custom measured and built frame which fit perfectly on the first ride with no adjustments needed. Marked dimunition of road buzz was immediately noticeable. Tracks straight and speedily on the flats, accelerates great on rollers, climbs very well with no noticeable frame flex, and as speed increases on descents the bike only seems to get more smooth. A very expensive purchase which is justifiable if you are having trouble finding a high end stock frame which fits your measurements or if you want a super performing bike for 10 years or so.
Strengths: custom fit and tubing characteristics. very comfortable. all ride characteristics so far are without compromise
Weaknesses: Very expensive, especially if a high-end stock frame fits you well.
Similar Products Used: Reynold's 853 with Ultegra and Mavic Cosmic elite wheels
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Bike Setup: Record 10 components, AME carbon fork, Mavic Ksyrium wheels
Summary: This bike is flat out one of the best bikes one can buy. Several cycling/sports mags have listed the Odonata at the top of their wish lists. Seven builds the bike to fit the customers requirements. I wanted my Seven to climb well and steer sharply yet be comfortable enough for centuries. Seven met all of my wishes and the bike's fit was stellar. I purchased my Seven through a local dealer, who's customer service and attention to detail has been exemplary. They took all the necessary body measurements and interviewed me as to the type of riding I do and what of performance characteristics I expected. The result was exactly as I wanted. The ride is something that legends are made of.
If you can afford it you will not be disappointed.
Strengths: Attention to detail, rider specific ride characteristics, fit and finish, customer service
Weaknesses: None
Similar Products Used: Specialized S-Works, Cannondale S4000, Klein Race
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Bike Setup: Seven/Wound Up fork; Record 10; Ritchey WCS bar and stem; Campy Moskva rims on Record hubs; CK heads
Summary: Here's the bottom line: There's nothing I would change about this bike. It's light (16lb 10oz); it fits great (nothing aches or goes numb); it handles great; the quality (welds, finish, etc.) is great; the bb is nice and stiff. I also really like the Seven/Wound Up fork. It's more precise-handling than anything else I've ever ridden, yet still absorbs road buzz.
The big deal about Seven is that they will build a bike that does exactly what you want. I wanted a stiff, quick handling bike that fit me perfectly, and that's what I got. It feels a lot like a Vortex, but is a little less "buzzy" and a half-pound lighter. Yours could be a relaxed tourer...it all depends on what you tell Seven you want.
My Odonata loves to climb, yet it is also stable and confidence-inspiring. It's also comfortable enough for long runs (I did an MS150 three days after I picked up the bike, and had no dial-in issues).
If you know exactly what you want, Seven will build a bike that does it for you, and it will fit you perfectly. If not, there are cheaper ways to experiment.
Strengths: Fit, finish, and tailor-made performance.
Weaknesses: You'll no longer have the fun of lusting after something new every few months.
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