Price Paid:
$500.00
at Westerville Bike Sho Model Year:
2007 Favorite Ride:
any Bike Setup:
stock Summary:
Can't say that I've ridden very many modern road bikes -- my other cycles are all '80s chrome-moly steel frames, so this bike is more than acceptably lightweight by my (admittedly low) standards.
Bike feels very solid over rough surfaces, brakes & handles excellently.
That there are three crank gears seems to mean that there are a few "off limits" gear settings where the chain is most diagonal (innermost crank gear & outermost wheel gear and vice versa). This is mostly irrelevant since those particular gears are in the middle of all possible gears, and therefore reproducible by other combinations of gearing. I have only ever tried using the smallest crank gear once, and when I did the chain slipped off, but I'm not too concerned considering it's a really ridiculously tiny gear that I don't imagine I'll ever need anyway.
The tubes must be really thin. I randomly noticed a rather large dent in the frame only 2 weeks after purchase -- no recollection of any incident which could have caused this, so I can't really say that it's a weak frame necessarily, though whatever caused it would not likely have so much as phased my '80s peugeot tanks.
In summary, bike seems to be a viable alternative to aluminum bikes for those who can't afford carbon. Lighter than some aluminums I've come across, heavier than some others (doesn't touch carbon, of course). Supposed to far outlast a comparable aluminum bike, and provide better comfort/stability. At $500, mine was cheaper than any (new) aluminum bike I could find anyway. Strengths:
Price. ($500 !?!?! A STEAL)
Durability (versus aluminum, so I'm told).
Lightweight (versus oldschool steel*).
* Just in case, like me, that's your primary reference point, as opposed to aluminums. Weaknesses:
Heavy (versus some aluminum and carbon).
Fragile (versus oldschool thicker steel*)
Similar Products Used:
'80s Peugeot Corbier steel
Cannondale R300 (or was it 500?) aluminum
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