The Airplane tubeset is Columbus' highest production tubeset, here mated to a genuine Columbus Carve carbon monostay/seatstay assembly, and Columbus Carve carbon fork. Finer details include the ne...
Bike Setup: VeloMax wheels, variety of lightweight yet rugged components. Only Dura-Ace is shifters,derailleurs,cassette. Rest of bike is bike store "bargains".
Summary: Purchased because it was a bargain, I have no complaints about handling, acceleration, stability, paint quality, or weld quality. The frame was very straight, and rides and tracks beautifully. At 190 lbs, the frame is moderately stiff to ride. Caution to lighter riders. Frame weight was low, and produced a 17.5 lb bike with only moderately expensive components (not much Dura Ace or C. Record). The longer top tube fits me like a glove, and the sloping top tube eliminated any need for headset stack-height spacers because of the longer head tube. I was dubious about the integrated headset, but it's proven quite durable--not a single "nick" in the turning, yet. Quite a deal. I understand it's no longer available, but it would be a coup to find one used.
Strengths: Stiff BB for acceleration.
Beautiful paint job.
Replaceable derailleur hanger.
Superb welds.
Comfortable ride (at 190 lbs).
Great seatpost.
Weaknesses: Weird brake bolt nut stops.
Front derailleur cable rattles on downtube (fixed with rubber tape on frame).
Aluminum steerer on fork.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale R900
Specialized M2 Road
"sample" pre-production OS alum.frame.
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Bike Setup: Full ultegra drive train with Mavic wheels. Great set up!
Summary: Great bike! I absolutely love it! Best value out there--easily compares to bikes in the $3000 range. Stiff enough to handle my size and yet still comfortable! You cant go wrong with this bike. Get one if you still can!
Strengths: Stiff, responsive and comfortable!
Weaknesses: Havent found one yet.
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Bike Setup: Ultegra w/triple chainring, Mavic Cosmos wheelset
Summary: I've been riding the same road bike since 1983 and had been more into mountain biking for the past 10 or so years. I wanted something relatively affordable, reasonably lightweight and a decent climber to get me back on the road. If a name brand isn't important to you, this is a lot of bike for the money. Before deciding to buy, I comparison shopped similar frames that included Airplane tubing with Columbus Carve fork and seatstays. You can expect to pay twice this amount or more for a frame from one of the big names. The ride is stable, stiff and very smooth. The carbon rear stay and fork makes the bike surprisingly comfortable - much more so than some much more expensive aluminum bikes I test road without the carbon seat stay. Even though I'm a heavy rider, the bike makes climbing a joy and descends at speeds of 40 mph plus comfortably. The paint finish is quite attractive and the welds and build quality are more than acceptable. I couldn't be happier with the ride and quality and I got a lot more bike than I thought I could at this price point.
Strengths: Great price.
Fast, stiff, and stable at speed.
Weaknesses: No-name brand.
Decals seem of questionable quality.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Allez, Masi Gran Criterium
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Summary: This bike has exceeded my expectations by far! Beautiful paint job, nice stiff frame, carbon stays and fork, Ultegra for only $1500. I was really worried about having purchased a "catalog bike", but when I took my first ride al thos worries went out the window. This bike is just an amazing value.
Strengths: Value, ride and looks.
Weaknesses: The top tube is a bit long for me so I had to purchase a shorter stem than the one it was spec'd with to .
Similar Products Used: Specialized Allez
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Bike Setup: Dura Ace with lots of custom Ti and CNC stuff. 17.5 lbs.
Summary: Frame is a superb climber and is stiff enough for my 190 lbs. Might be a little harsh for a 110 lb rider. Geometry is not long in the wheelbase, but slightly long on top for comfort in long road racing or for a long armed or long torsoed rider. Sloping top tube requires a little more length in seatpost, but the 7075 post provided filled the bill. Runs straight and descends like it's on rails. Why pay twice or more for a similar frame from Italy and get bad welds or sloppy paint? Recommended--especially in the wine red metallic finish (beautiful!).
Strengths: Stiff in BB, good handler (adequate trail),
excellent climber, great paint finish, very clean welds, light weight
Weaknesses: Aluminum fork steerer, more side-to-side flex in fork than front-to-rear, strange brakebolt nut stops, F.Der cable rattles against downtube
Similar Products Used: Cannondale R900, Custom Aluminum frame
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