Summary: 2000 El Diente-
This bike is rigid enough for long, steep Colorado climbing and comfortable enough for century plus rides. The stock geometry is a bit stretched, suitable for longer torso cyclists and much more accomodating than the Colnago-type (stout)geometry. Oversize tubing is stiffer than I expected but absorbs 90% of road vibration while providing a nice (steel-like) road feel. My body feels MUCH better (less fatigued) on this frame after a 60+ mile ride as opposed to my former aluminum frame and even my TSX Italian lugged frame! The welds are smooth, quality tubing, great service from Boulder,CO guys and they did a sweet powdercoat paint for $150. A great value that will last a lifetime, with proper care. If the bike fits, buy it!
Strengths: Pro-grade rigidity for acceleration and efficient climbing. Better climber than descender, or maybe that's my skills...?
Oversize tubing is durable. Compliant ride with incredible energy/power transfer.
Excellent service.
Made in Boulder, Colorado.
Titanium will last a lifetime.
Better value than Big Ego-Bikes like Seven, Litespeed, etc.
**It's FUN to ride!**
Summary: You can't go wrong w/ this frame. Even at the msrp of $1200 this is a bargain, and performance wise it competes with higher end litespeeds (a better frame than the tuscanny or the arenburg, IMHO, much cheaper, and not another freakin' lightspeed like the one your neighbor has). And at $800 for a "web special" direct from DEAN, it was a steal i couldn't pass up. (check out the website--they have these often).
This is my first ti frame and it's not quite as "cushy" or "comfy" as I had heard ti can be; I had been riding a steel serotta for the past 5 years and it is reeeeaaaal comfy. The el diente is not quite as comfy as my steal frame, but definitely not overly rigid either. Pretty decent balance between stiffness/responsiveness and comfort, with the scale leaning towards responsiveness. The bottom bracket on this thing is stiff as all hell. I know it's kind of a cliche to go off about how stiff any given frame is in the bb ("my huffy has zero flex, dude i'm tellin you"), but this frame really is quite resilient in the bb. Step on the pedals and this thing motors like no one's business. This frame makes me feel faster. This frame is definitely race worthy and doesn't hesitate in the least when pushed hard.
Handling is predictable, maybe slightly on the quick side. The bike tracks true with no hands on the bars and feels generally stable. But it also corners easily and feels confident when diving into turns or correcting lines half way through turn. Looking at the frame specs I was concerned w/ the high bb hight that the frame would be twitchy, but it isn't--not at all. In general, it's very balanced ride.
Now the downside . . . Bought this from DEAN a couple months ago based on a "special" they were having on the website on a customer walk-away. I took them up on the price of $800 (sweet) and they said they'd ship the frame right away, two week wait tops. Two months later (and several phone calls), I got my frame. Turns out they promised several customers the same exact "only one at this price" special and ended up having to build mine up from scratch. I had no problem w/ them building me up something from scratch, but the never told me this until 7 weeks into the process, despite several phone calls and many opportunities to let me in on what was going on. Man, just be honest and tell a customer what the deal is. I have no trouble w/ a 2 month frame turn-around if it's being built from scratch--two months is actually not bad at all. Just communicate w/ the customer and let them know what's really going on when they ask. Also, I bought a fork, headset, and bb from dean, which they said they'd install for free. But they didn't so i had to shell out some bucks to have the LBS press in the headset. Again, not a big deal, but if you tell a customer you're going to do something, you should do it.
All things considered, I am real happy w/ this frame and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone in the market for a ti frame that they can race on or just do fast club rides on. As I mentioned, there were some customer service issues, but talk to anyone who's bought a frame from a small builder and they'll tell you the same.
Strengths: fairly light. very stiff in the bb. predictable handling that is slightly in the quick side. not another lightspeed . . .
Weaknesses: rear dropouts are a little odd looking.
customer service was a little disappointing
Similar Products Used: serotta, cannondale
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Bike Setup: Look HSC3 fork, Dura Ace components, Dura Ace Open Pro and Velomax Circuit Comp wheels.
Summary: This review is for the El Vado frameset and not the El Diente. The El Vado has the same demensions but has smaller diameter top and down tubes. I got this on an internet special for $750 new from Dean. The frame finish and welds were clean and equal to other higher price ti frames I've seen. However when I placed a rear wheel in the frame the dropout were off center. The tire was 2-3 mm off center of the seat tube to the right. I had to file the left drop out to get it aligned correctly. I've never seen a frame that far off before, but once filed it's been fine since.
I built the bike with a Look HSC3 fork and Dura Ace components. It's just over 18 lbs. for the 58cm frame (not bad for ti). The ride quality is great. I sold a Trek 5500 to buy this frame and it is much more stable decending and cornering at speed. The Trek is quicker handling but you have to hang on tight over 40mph to keep it straight. Road feel puts the Trek to shame. The Dean is almost on par with ride quality as my hand built Italian SLX bike. To this day I have never been on a better riding bike than my Tommasini. The down side so far is the excessive flex in the bottom bracket. I am 6'1", 190lbs and can get the chain to rub on both sides of the front der. when sprinting in the big ring. I assume the oversize tubing of the El Diente reduces the flex as testified by the other reivews. The flex does not seem to hamper performance as I climb my regular hills at the same speed of the Trek and my ride averages have been equal as well. The flex gives the bike a springy feel without the perception of loss in efficiency.
Overall, for the price it's hard to get more bang for the buck. I would recommend this bike for someone looking for an affordable ti bike with solid handling and great road feel. If your looking for a no flex bike for racing crits you need to keep on looking. This is a good bike for Cat 5 or Master 35+ riders like me who are looking more for ride quality than an all out racer.
Strengths: PRICE!! Handling, good road feel, welds and finish on par with higher priced ti frames.
Weaknesses: Too much flex in the bottom bracket. It took over 2 weeks for Dean to prep and send the frame. It took 3 phone calls before they finally shipped. Build quality may be suspect since dropouts where not aligned upon delivery. Also, the mechanic at my LBS knows someone who owned a Dean, and his rear triangle fatigued and began to flex horribly. They sent it to an independent tester and the rear triangle was out of specs for the type of frame it was. The tester suspected they overheated the tubes and damaged the metal. The mechanic said the had to fight with Dean to resolve the problem.
Similar Products Used: SLX Italian steel, Cannondale CAAD4, Trek 5500
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Summary: the dean ti road frame - from the "castanza" to current models - is one of the best available anywhere at any price. it can withstand the torque of very powerful riders, but is comfortable enough for lighter riders on smaller frames.
Summary: Great frame. I have to agree with the review above. The guys at DEAN work with you on every aspect of the frame. And for the price your getting a custom frame. I had my El Diente built with S&S couplers so I could take the bike apart and travel. The frame rides great...
Strengths: very little lateral flex, 1 1/8 headtube custom rear chainstay diameters. Price...
Weaknesses: None
Similar Products Used: Litespeed Ultimate, Cannondale caad3
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