De Bernardi Zona

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at on line (new)

Favorite Ride:
Upper & Lower Rock Creek

Bike Setup:
All Ultegra STI triple. Mavic cosmic rims, cane creek headset, forgie stem and bars, thompsom, tried and true vetta sl saddle. and conti gran prix tires.

Summary:
Been in bike business most of my life. Grew up racing but now just cruise. Wanted a steel frame with short top tube. ride is amazingly supple but still has great accelaration. I'm 220 and it does'nt feel mushy out of the saddle. Stable on decents, great overall geometry. Compared lots of framesets and bang for buck it rocks.

Strengths:
Geometry, ride, quality, price

Weaknesses:
Paint is a bit fragile, but lets not be weenies.

Similar Products Used:
Lemond Zurich (does'nt come close)

Price Paid:  $1250.00 at Berlin Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
uphill!

Bike Setup:
Shimano 105 triple
cheap tires
Matrix rims with Tiagra hubs

Summary:
I defected from mountain biking and wanted a good beginner road bike for when I couldn't make it to the trails. I haven't been able to stay off this bike since! When I first looked at some bikes I was undecided on frame material but one test ride was all I needed to convince me. I had never heard of De Bernardi before but the frame quality is top-notch. My bike does not have top level components so it could be lighter, but it rides somooth and is very responsive. It was a leftover from last year built up with beginner/recreation level components so I got a good deal. The frame also comes with a matching carbon fork. The finish does have a couple scratches and chips, but at least it looks like I ride it.

Strengths:
Construction (nice welds)
Materials (steel is real, folks)
Rides great
Looks great
Unique name
I got a real "steel" on mine (pun intended)!

Weaknesses:
Paint job quality is not on par with its construction, but I'll live with it. No serious scratches or peeling.

My poor MTB is sitting in my apartment collecting dust.

Similar Products Used:
This is my first road bike.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at wrenchscience.com

Favorite Ride:
Prospect Park

Bike Setup:
Full Ultegra

Summary:
I actually have the 2003 frame, but it's identical to the 2002 so no matter. The frame is surprisingly light and it handles like a dream.

My criteria when purchasing a bike were: 1) I wanted a steel frame and 2) I needed a relatively short top tube to fit my proportions. I looked around and several bikes made the grade, but none in the price range of the De Bernardi. I have a 58cm C-C frame with a 56.5cm TT. My main concern when buying the frame was with the steep seat tube angle of 74 degrees. This seemed geared toward crits and short sprints, but it has proven to be comfortable over longer distances. The steering is smooth and not too twitchy and this thing climbs and descends with the best of them.

Strengths:
-Price
-Columbus Zona
-Gorgeous paintjob
-Geometry

Weaknesses:
-Hard to find a dealer with frames in stock

Similar Products Used:
Various Bianchis, Lemonds, Ciocc Com 12.5