Orbea Marmolada

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Craigslist

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
san diego

Bike Setup:
stock

Summary:
Great bike.
1st road bike in over 10 yrs. Been riding my mtn bike all over (off-road and road)
Much easier to ride on road.

Strengths:
frame, components, smooth campy shifting.
beautiful paint job. love carbon rear and fork to help smooth out bumps.

Weaknesses:
brakes could be replaced. Cables need replacing too. Stock fork is heavier than higher end orbea forks. Switch to orca fork would be good start. Campy wheels are on heavy side too.

Similar Products Used:
gt avalanche (old school model - 1994)

Price Paid:  $1350.00 at MockOrange Bikes

Model Year:
2004

Favorite Ride:
Just being able to ride

Bike Setup:
Stock-Campy Veloce double 53/39
13/26 cassette
Campy Vento G3 wheels
ITM road bar, Thompaon Elite Stem
Carbon fork, stays, post, Orbea Orange stiching on seat
Hutchinson Basc Excel tires

Summary:
My first road bike at age 61 after a year riding Marin "Urban" mountain/hybrid with slick tires. Wanted to go faster/farther. Tested Specialized Allez and Roubaix, Giant OCR1, Trek 1500, Marin Verona, Felt F60, Bianchi Giro and Orbea Volata. Decided I liked Campy better than Shimano, but by the time I was ready to buy the leftover Volata was gone (as was the Specialized Allez Cr-Mo)(both $300 off list). Was waiting on a Felt F70 and Raleigh Supercourse to come in (both with shimano),Had budgeted $1,000 but saw the 04 Marmolada in my size and decided to spend the extra money. Had a shorter and higher rise Thompson stem put on and couldn't be happier. Weighs about 20lbs. Veloce double 53/39 and 10 spd. 13/26. Climbs great--with the Marin had to go to the 38 and for short distance 28 on the steepest hill, but with the Marmolada can make it up all but the steepest on the 53. I'm 5/8" and 180lbs (more sometime) and this is very stable on downhills. Vento G3 wheels seem rugged. As soon as I get used to clipless pedals without too much embarassment or injury, hope to do group rides. Plan to ride the TT at Lowes Motor Speedway.

Strengths:
Carbon fork and stays
Relatively lightweight for price
Comfortable, stable ride
Bulletproof Thompson stem
Anything Campy
Handpainted frame - no decals
Orange Orange Orange

Weaknesses:
Its rider

Similar Products Used:
First road bike, Marin Urban Cro-Moly, Specialized Crossroads Hybird (stolen in '03). Unkown brand English 3-speed(??) nearly 50 years ago.

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at High Caliper Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
Same

Bike Setup:
Heading toward weight weenie range as described above and in my earlier review. I am not obsessive enough to weigh it but I would guess that it is at the low end of the 17lb range.

Summary:
A follow up to my earlier review, with some new additions. I have added the Orbea Zuess all carbon fork, a Campy Record 1/2 Ti cassette, 12-25, and the big big change is an FSA Compact Carbon Crankset and FSA Platinum Ti bottom bracket. The bike is now a super light climbing machine. I learned that Orbea was putting this crank on the bike for the future, from Orbea directly, and then rather then ponder spending the super big $ on a Campy compact I went FSA. Now with 2000 miles on the bike in various conditions, and 500 or so on the crankset all I can say is that I am extremely happy. It is a joy to ride in any conditions. I have done all day rides and been comfy, short hard training rides, time trials, and even circuit races and this bike just asks for more. Go get one, but at this point, dont be fooled by the cheap price...I have added a lot to it, and it is pushing the $3k price range...but still a bargain.

Strengths:
A do it all machine. Ride it hard, race it, climb with it, time trial, or do a century it is great.

Weaknesses:
Stock parts need some replacing. Brakeset, bottom bracket and cassette are boat anchors that must be upgraded. Wheels are optional, as are stem, seat, bars and seat post, but should strongly be considered. The fork upgrade and crank upgrade I did were purely gilding the lilly but I love the ultimate package.

Similar Products Used:
lots

Price Paid:  $1599.00 at Rocket Cycles, South

Favorite Ride:
2004 Orbea Marmolada

Bike Setup:
All stock, but I'm going to shorten the stem, I'm running Shimano SPL pedals with Specialized Carbon Pro shoes. We'll see about the seat.

Summary:
I decided to take the plunge and buy my first road bike after riding a hybrid for about 10 years. I put thousands of miles on the hybrid (I had a Univega and a Giant) but figured the time was right to try a road bike. After test riding the Treks 2100-2300, Specialized, LeMond, Bianchi, Cannondale, etc. I decided I liked Campy better than Shimano, but wanted the lightness of aluminum and some carbon if possible. I figured if I was spending the cash, I should not be stuck with steel. Using this website I stumbled on the Marmolada and was sold. I've done about 100 miles in the last couple of weeks, what a beautiful ride!

Strengths:
Campy Veloche components, minus the brakes. It looks stunning, better than any other bike in this price range in my opinion. It's fast, light (about 20lbs) and hand made in Spain. I couldn't fathom spending the same price for a steel Bianchi made in Tiawan. I know I sound like a snob, but I wasn't going to spend $1500 on a bike made in Tiawan. This bike has better components than the Trek 2300 and looks a hell of a lot better too. Just try and find a campy/carbon and aluminum combo for this price.

Weaknesses:
At first I didn't like the seat, but I'm kinda getting used to it now. I'm going to buy some new riding shorts to see if they smooth out the remaining bumps. I'm going to buy a new stem as I have a 60cm frame and I'm 5'11, and this stem seems a bit too long, but that's just personal. The other review didn't like the welds. My nextdoor neighbor (a crotchrocket, speed teen) thought the welds and carbon "were trick." So I guess it depends on what you think there. The brakes are Orbea's brand but aren't bad. Much better than the no name brakes on the Trek 2100

Similar Products Used:
Trek 2100, 2200, 2300, Specialized Allez, Bianchi Veloche, Cannondale, LeMond, I rode them all

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at Hi Caliper Bike Comp

Favorite Ride:
Gimble's Route, only early

Bike Setup:
The bike setup is set forth in full in my profile, and if you are considering this bike I highly recommend thinking about all of the changes that I made. I made most of them with the $/gram formula and they all make a heck of a lot of sense. Accounting for taste of course, you could go with Deda, TTT, ITM, Selle San Marco stuff rather then the route I took, but please please please please please dont put any of those Japanese components on this bike, after all this nice Spanish company went to an extreme effort to give you a real all European ride at a more then fair price. All of that and the pride you will have in owning this bike means that you must stick with Campy!

Summary:
The company web site is right, this little bike rides beyond its price. Little it is, but so am I, I have a 48 and with the sloping tube this bike is tiny, but that adds to its accelleration and climbing abilities. My first aluminum and/or carbon bike and forget that old axiom that small aluminum bikes knock your teeth out, this bike is smooth,fast, competent and best of all exciting. It is a bit outrageous looking in the orange and blue colors, especially after adding orange tires (dropped quickly) orange bar tape and a blue saddle, and maybe all the weight saving I have from my old steel Merckx is used up by the fact that all of the admiring stares at the local coffee shop and on the trusty ride route have caused me to start riding with a Kriptonite City Lock! All kiding aside it looks fast, it is fast, it climbs fast and it doesnt cost a ton. In the words of LA, lets just hope the rider can keep up with the ride!

Strengths:
Price price price. You get so much for so little with this bike. Even though they skimped on the tires, the saddle, the bars, the stem and the brakes to get it in so cheap, at that price point your still getting a ton and you have the money flexiblity to upgrade where you want. On the road the strongest point of this bike, with my setup, is the way it climbs. Even though I have a lite 10 sp.12-15 bike, compared with my old ride I am a cog or two down on each and every climb. Walls that I used to stand and grind with a 39-23 are now sit and spin in that gear or simply crush with a 39-19! Those long semi-steep leg crushers that were spin in the 39-21 are 39-17 accellerations!!!! I am older and less it so it has to be the bike. By this a climb, almost, like a goat!

Weaknesses:
The worst thing about this bike is the welds, they are simply not pretty, they are the "roll of nickels" ordinarily found on a sub $1k mountain bike, but hey, they gotta save money somewhere to get you the rest for the price. Obviously, the spec on the "replacement" parts (bars, stem, seat tube, saddle, tires and saddle) is low and ripe for changing, but there really is no excuse for shipping this bike with Zeus brakes, they were the second thing to get changed. I also didnt like the Zonda wheel set, ugly and heavy, they were the first thing changed, a couple of bucks up the Campy line into the Protons makes a huge difference.

Similar Products Used:
I have a 1991 Merckx Corsa SL with mixed Campy Record and Chorus and a 1994 Specialized Allez Comp with Campy Veloce through and through.