Climbing, long rides, comfort, handling, sprinting, adaptability.

No longer made.

Out of all the road bikes I've ever owned this one is by far my favorite. The steel frame is stiff yet forgiving. It's geometry is second to none (for me), and it doesn't weight alot (compared to its peers). I seriously can't say enough good things about this bike, it's been a rock star from road races to the mountains to aero triathlons.

Similar Products Used:

Bianchi, Specialized, Giant, Trek

Comfort, handling and nice components as described above. I would also expect a quality steel frame like this to last for many years.

While it’s not a big issue to me, my LeMond is hardly the lightest bike on the road. I don’t have a super accurate scale, but it seems to be about 20 lbs. Spend a couple thousand on lighter components if you want to shed some weight, or just skip a few meals and ride more. :)

I used to do a lot of mountain biking and I’ve been a year-round commuter for many years, but I’m pretty new to serious road riding. The LeMond Buenos Aires is my first “serious” road bike in over 20 years so take my opinion for what it’s worth.

I bought my BA used on eBay. Supposedly it had only about 250 miles on it when I got it. I’ve added another 750 or so in the two months I’ve had it including two century rides. So far my impressions are:

Comfort – My commuter bike is a Bianchi Volpe. With its bombproof steel frame it’s supposed to be my solid, comfortable, cushy, Cadillac-style ride. But the LeMond actually feels smoother and more stable despite the fact that the Bianchi outweighs it by 3 – 4 pounds. The steel frame does a great job of absorbing vibration, yet it still feels fairly light and lively. Geometry is a personal thing, but the BA’s geometry works perfectly for me. With a slightly longer top tube, I’ve heard that LeMond geometry is best suited for people with relatively shorter legs/longer body (which unfortunately describes me pretty well).

Handling – Above I mentioned smooth and stable, but it’s not at the cost of responsiveness. The BA seems to love diving into corners. It’s not twitchy, but it responds quickly in a very predictable way. On descents the BA tracks smooth and straight and inspires confidence. I’ve never experienced any high-speed wobbles, and I’ve had it well over 40 mph a couple of times.

Nice Components – Full Ultegra except for a 105 bottom bracket. Shifting is flawless and much smoother and quicker than on my Tiagra equipped Bianchi. The saddle is the only thing that needed to change.

I did test rides on bikes that were both lighter and stiffer than the BA. While they may climb and accelerate a little better, I’d much rather be on my BA for any ride longer than 40 - 50 miles. In the long run, comfort = speed.

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Bianchi Volpe (my commuter). Also test rode Cannondale Synapse Carbon 3, Cannondale R1000, Bianchi Veloce, LeMond Chantery, LeMond Alpe d' Huez, LeMond Sarthe.

Well made steel frame Full Ultegra group. Price

Saddle (too soft) Seat post (hard to adjust and heavy)

Purchased from ebay. I was a little hesitant, but the bike arrive with no sign of use -- like new. Mine had full Ultegra. I swapped the saddle for a terry fly, and put on Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. Great bike. I can outsprint my friends on lighter (slightly) aluminum bikes and can always outlast them with the smooth steel ride. Hated to see this frame go for 2004.

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Simonci frame Various mountain bikes

Steel frame, geometry.

Stock saddle, unexciting paint scheme (the '04s look even worse to me.)

I am 6' 5" and more of my height is in my upper body, which is why I was originally drawn to the LeMond geometry. I am also a diehard fan of steel frames. I love this bike and have riden it for about 1500 miles. It is smooth and responsive. Like others, I have swapped out the stock saddle for a San Marco. I have also added a set of aero bars. For the money, the BA is a great value. I know folks who spent quite a bit more to get an equivalent bike.

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Cannondale

Shimano Ultegra group. Smooth ride.

Paint scheme. Saddle.

Great bike if you like stretched out geometry, it inspires confidence to ride fast! Smooth, stable at speed. Light weight for steel frame. Great components. Crappy saddle.

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Trek, Giant, Specialized, Bianchi

The biggest strength is the Lemond geometry that gives you the added top tube length. I test rode a dozen bikes and this one is the only one that "felt" good.

For the price paid it should offer an all ultegra grupo.

This is my first serious road bike and I could not be happier. Bike is comfortable light and easy to maintain.

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I was riding a converted moiuntain bike. The difference is night and day on the road. I'll keep the mountain bike for dirt trails...

It's all good.

Seat has to go. After about 30 minutes on the trainer I was numb where it counts. Looks like a lot of people are going with the sella italia slr, I may go that route.

Wow. nice bike! This is my first road bike I have owned. I have ridden many, mostly aluminum, and I knew I'd stick with my love for steel. I have had an old 92 GT karakoram steel mt. bike forever and have no intention of veering away from that frame, so I figured a long top tube stretched out steel frame would work for me as well on the road. I'm 6' tall and the 57mm frame fit like a glove. The carbon fork and frame absorbs bumbs like a freakin mt. bike nearly. I weigh about 185lb and the stock wheels hold up to my crankin up these mountains around here. I have the double crank and it is a real job getting up these hills around here; I wish I got a three ring to avoid a heart attack down the road.

Smooth ride Quality components Surprisingly light weight for a steel bike

I swapped my favorite saddle for the stock one on the Lemond, much better. Although I like the ride with the stock Bontrager Select wheels, I wonder how they will hold up.

I ride 120-150 miles/week. This is my first real road bike. It replaces my TREK 7500 after 8-10,000 miles. There is no comparison, the Lemond is smooth over the same terrain where the TREK sends every jolt directly to your bones. The drive train power transfer is very efficient.

Pretty much all ultegra but not the bottom bracket and front derailleur bike handles very good and is very fast in the sprints

A little to heavy and select wheels go out of tune very easy

I was getting into road biking from mountain bike racing and wanted a bike to start on and it was the one of my choice. It is a pretty go to but for starters in road racing.

Almost everything. For my taste this bike is just about perfect. It’s fast, comfortable, reliable, stable, and smooooooth!!

The saddle. It’s not hard but it’s not comfortable either. The stock chain was noisy. Maybe it was defective. The Dura Ace chain I put on is very quiet.

I have put 1200 miles on this bike and I couldn’t be happier with it. I was looking for a fast comfortable bike with the emphasis on comfort. This bike fits the bill completely. The frame fits me perfectly, and it inspires confidence like no other bike I have ridden. I ride longer and faster than I did on my old Cannondale. After a 50 mile ride I feel tired but not beat up like I did on my old bike. I was skeptable about all the steel hype, but on long rides it is definitely more comfortable than aluminum. The Ultegra components perform very well and have been trouble free. The Bontager wheels have stayed perfectly true, inspite of taking some pretty good hits. I would recomend 25cm tires to anyone who places a priority on comfort; they make a very smooth bike even smoother with a negligible difference in speed. I love riding this bike.

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The bike shop I went to rents bikes for a day so that you can really evaluate them. I rented a Giant OCR1 and a Specialized Allez Comp. Both were very nice bikes and were a big improvement over my old