Strengths: wide tire clearance, good paint, clean looking, great ride!
Weaknesses: Plain frame, no fancy at all. big weakness is that made by Trek roumer.
Bottom Line:
Old steel frames like this will be highly sought in 100years. Bought only frameset, used. Its straight in alignment, not too heavy, strong, has a good tang to it, Watch for cracks, suposed to crack on the water bottle mounts. Mine has been perfect, I put some 10 speed campy stuff on this frame. Its solid, no opinion on junky stock parts, Just wanted an 853 ride. I still seem to like my crooked oversized columbus thoron framed univega most though. Best thing is it corners so much better than the carbon bike I was using. Stole all the parts and now I got a carbon frame that is a POS just nockin around the garage I am thinkin hybrid junk wagon for that one. This frame and steel fork from 2002 is just lovely in my opinion. 56 cm frame for a 5'11
Similar Products Used: 10 yeas rider, Surly1x1, Old steel Diamondback, old Schwinn, supersport 1972, Super Letour 1980, GT outpost, Univega Modolovolare, Raleigh Prestige, Specialized stumpy FSR, Fixed generic, 2 heavy weight cruisers.
Bike Setup: 10 speed campy voloche poo with a moderen ultegra crank. Mavic rims on some itialian shiet hubs. Thompson bits. weight is just fine not a heavy frame in my eyes.
Strengths: 853 is Reynolds top tubeset, and this frame rides like it. 700x25c tires are more forgiving than 23s. Geometry is perfect. Classic steel frame look. Great subdued paint job. Nice comfy San Marco saddle is an update of an older design, retro enough to fit the bike but don't fear the rain; it isn't leather like the old ones.
Weaknesses: Sora can't shift from the drops [but how often do I need to do that?!], and the bike did not come with clipless pedals.
Bottom Line:
This 2002 model uses Reynolds 853 tubing. I had long wanted a classic steel bike liek the 2nd hand ones I grew up with; narrow tubes, that special ride quality. But without the rust and "can i still get a wheel with that spacing" worry that comes with riding old or second hand bikes regularly.
In short, I wanted a new old-style bike. But the Lemond was all that and more.
Originally known for their narrow steel tubing and unique ride, Lemond -- named for the famous racer, whose "signature" adorns the bike -- has recently made aluminum frames and, indeed, only carries High end steel now. The Nevada City was their entry-entry-level bike, the cheapest -- but with a nice frame and quality to match. The paint job, a subtly metalic grey/silver, is perfect, with a clear coat you can practically see. The end of the top tube, by the seat cluster, bears Greg Lemond's "signature", and the headbadge is unique and colorful [in the cycling world, "racing stripes" are multicolored] without being tacky. Similarly multi-colored bands edge the seat and downtube decals with "lemond" on them.
The bike rides as good as it looks -- oddly enough, better than I expected. Hey, Sora is cheap-cheap if dependable, and not a hot-ticket item -- but ridign this bike I felt like a kid again. I had just come out of surgery -- still had stitches in my shoulder, in fact -- but taking Synder Ave I got up to nearly 35mph. For a guy nealry ridign one-handed you'd think it was hairy, but the bike was totally stable.
The 'Vada is comfortable at crusing speeds of 30mph, or just cruising around the backroads at 15 mph. Unlike some modern designs it doesn't push you to immitate a racer; but if you wanna bomb down that hill at speeds approaching 40mph, it'll take it.
Climbing is easy; the slogan "a ride like no other" is truly what it is. I climbed a hill I have trouble with on other bikes when standing -- sitting down. Okay, the triple really helped out in this department, but the truth is, the frame geometry is an all-around winner. Just like the bike. In fact, except for the Sora and lack of stock clipless pedals I could find no fault in it. But then, Sora makes possible the tripel chainring and keeprs the price low. And it is easy to operate -- this coming from a guy who grew up on Suntour downtube friction shifters! And unlike most entry-levels, it had decent rims, which will save lotsa money over the long haul -- which this machine appears built for.
In my mind, discontinuing the entry level steel frames, including the Nevada City, was the worst thing Lemond could do. Sure it has techy bikes that are part Ti and part carbon, but Steel is still Real.
Strengths: Steel is Real! 24 pounds of comfort, very durable, great stock saddle, nice thumb shifters, good bike for centuries, touring, etc.
Weaknesses: None, It maybe heavy, but you wouldn't buy a bike like this for racing anyway.
Bottom Line:
A great comfortable ride, as soon as I test rode it, the bike was calling my name ! A no brainer, very durable and steady, nice and quiet, easy shifting, I did put on speedplay pedals and clip on aerobars for about a dozen triathlons. It is heavy for racing but if you provide the motor it will keep up with the lightweights. I will replace this bike with a quicker lighter one for tris and group riding but I know I'm going to miss it alot.
Similar Products Used: My old mountain bike, This was my first real road bike,
Bike Setup: all stock, except speedplay pedals, and profile design century aerobars that I only use for tris.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
wittwer43
a Recreational Rider
from Alexandria, VA, Farifax County
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003
Strengths: Beautiful color scheme on the '01, great ride, good value, no mechanical problems. The welds are very well finished; they don't show. I wish I had time to ride it more often.
Weaknesses: The Sora triple shifting was iffy but adequate (see below). If you ride a lot, you may tire of the Sora gear real fast. In the future, I will not go below Shimano 105 STI shifters, worth the extra money. The stock seat was poor, but I was too lazy to replace it until it began to disintegrate along the lower edges after about a year. Not the bikes problem, but mine: I got a frame (57 cm) that is slightly too large for me. Also, the stem was too long and the dealer wouldn't swap it out so I had to buy a new one.
Bottom Line:
The bike is a 2001 model, midnight blue & white, very pretty, & generates positive comments from other riders. I don't care for the color schemes of subsequent years. The steel frame is responsive, quiet, & quick enough for the style of riding that I do; I like to go fast, but I do not race. I have over 1,200 miles on it without a tune-up or problems except as noted below. I am happy I got it & have enjoyed riding it enormously.
Similar Products Used: I test-rode Cannondales, carbon-fiber, and titanium-framed bikes. I considered the rides on all of them too harsh, & the bikes too expensive (I have to admit that one carbon-fiber bike, a Talon, was t
Bike Setup: The saddle on the Nevada City has been replaced by a Terry Fly, & I had a shop upgrade the shifting system to Ultegra STI Triple a month ago. Both changes made for a superior ride. I have the toe-strap equipped pedals that came stock. I went to a threadless steerer and the shortest stem I could find within a couple of months of buying the bike. I have a Cat Eye computer, & I am crazy enough to ride at night, so I added a Cygo-Lite Night Rider dual headlight system with a water-bottle battery holder.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tom McRoy
a Commuter
from Portland, OR, USA
Weaknesses: the sora rear derailleurs look kinda chintsy and they are a pain to fine tune...the bike is a tad on the heavy side too...
Bottom Line:
I like this bike alot...Im not really to keen on the sora components but they will do for now....I use this as my "fun" bike and commute on a gary fisher with slicks....overall, i like the retro/subdued aesthetics of the bike and the bikes well natured road manners....
Hello, here's a link to possible coverage of today's Nevada City race with Levi, Lance and Horner(?) I went online just now and got the link working, saw their programming schedua Read More »
I haven't posted to RBR for years, but thought ya'll might like this. It's geared towards folks who don't know much about road racing.
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Somebody asked for more pics, happy to oblige, a few random shots, enjoy :D
This was during the Womans Pro warm up. The 3 Amigo's just came out of nowhere for a practice lap. Read More »
