Price Paid:  $999.00 at Excel Sports

Favorite Ride:
North of Boulder

Bike Setup:
2001 9 speed campy record/chorus.

Summary:
After 30+ years of riding this is the best riding bike I have ever owned. Great comfort for long rides yet good enough handling. If you like steel this is probably one of the finest modern steel frames made at any price. Muscle fork is great and carbon seat post is good. I am 6' and 205 lbs and this bike shows no sign of fatigue after 3+ years.

Strengths:
Great comfort without much loss of ride agility. Muscle fork is nice.

Weaknesses:
back wheel clearance to seat tube tight - max tire size probably 25cm.

Similar Products Used:
Gitane super corsa (old), custom reynolds (late 70's), Trek Aluminum (painfull!), Trek OLCV (nice ride till carbon fatigue/breaks).

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at International Bicycl

Favorite Ride:
Martha's Vineyard

Bike Setup:
Ultegra 9 speed group. Easton EA70 Bars, EA50 stem, Cervelo Mach 2 Brake calipers, Cervelo Carbon seatpost, Cinelli Cork tape, Shimano WH-R540 wheels, Cervelo Aero carbon fork, Selle Italia Prolink Saddle.

Summary:
The Cervelo Super Prodigy is incredible. It takes right off from underneath me and is extremely smooth and stable at speed. The steel frame is really smooth and it is really light. It takes off on descents and in sprints. An added bonus is that its not a bike that you see every day and it really feels like one of a kind. I have had no problems with it. The Shimano WH-R540 wheels have never been out of true. And the frame's black and white paint stands up to anything. All of the components run perfectly and they have been through a few minor crashes. All in all this bike is a smooth, stiff ride that helps me to go fast, and it can stand up to anything I throw at it.

Strengths:
steady handling, responsive, acceleration

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
None.

Price Paid:  $1700.00 at Melbourne, Australia

Bike Setup:
9 speed Dura-Ace.
Mavic Cosmic Elites

Summary:
it's not possible for a steel bike to be any better than this. Buy one!! Pull out all the positive cliches, coz they'll be apt for this bike. It's stiff (for steel), handles perfectly in all situations, and has the typical springy comfort of good steel.

I have the 58cm model (center to top -- 57.5cm top tube), and I thought the frame would be a little lighter (it's 1670g totally bare), but I'm no weight weenie, so I don't care.

I found the 1" Columbus Muscle a little too flexy, so I swapped it over for an alu-steerer fork.

I paid $1700 Aus for the frameset (includes headset and carbon Cervelo seatpost), which is actually a pretty good price for a steel brand-name import down here. I would've payed more! The predecessor (the Cervelo Renaissance) retailed for double this price.

Strengths:
Comfort, perfect handling, feels fast, looks, value

Weaknesses:
none really, although a 1"1/8 steerer would've given me more future fork options

Similar Products Used:
several SLX and 531 steel frames

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Tri-all 3 sports

Favorite Ride:
Making the selection

Bike Setup:
2004 Cervelo Super Prodigy
DA 10 39/53 11-23
Bontrager Race X-lite wheels
Veloflex pave tires
3T Less Stem & Bars
Fizziik Arione Saddle

Summary:
Absolutely fantastic.
Colombus Thermocrom Foco Steel
Light (for any material) and stiff.
Corners and descends like it's on rails.
Climbs well too.

Strengths:
Ride Quality of fine steel. Must be just about the lightest steel frame made. Team CSC paint scheme is very good looking. Welds are top rate.

Weaknesses:
Really none. Could be lighter but then it wouldn't be steel. Bottom bracket weld could be prettier, not as nice as the other welds. Cervelo has discontinued this frame!

Similar Products Used:
Quattro Assi Easton Scandium