Scattante CFR Race

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at Berkeley, CA

Bike Setup:
Now with Vuelta Corsa Lite wheelset, Specialized presta tubes, Michelin Pro Race 3 and full carbon fork (375g)

Summary:
An excellent all round bike, offering all the benefits of full carbon construction at a price where you'd only usually get seatstays. Reliable Ultegra components shift seamlessly. Hollow carbon FSA crankset is a nice free upgrade from a plain-jane Ultegra and slightly lighter lighter than Dura-Ace. Tektro brakes may not stop as well Dura-Ace head to head but are lighter. Ergo drop bars work ok for me, but this is up to personal preference.

Ksyrium Equipe wheelset is "better" than Aksium but still a far cry from the Elite or SL models. It's still a $300 wheelset however and whatever weakpoints there may be with it is more a fault of Mavic than Performance.

Signing up for the rewards card when buying the bike also got me an essentially free set of pedals and cages, adding to an already great value.

The frame is stiff and compliant as carbon should be and although there may be marginally better riding bikes out there, I don't see a point in paying at least double the money for them.


***The 2008 model has a frame similar to the Pedal Force ZX3 or Max Lelli bikes and are all made by ADK of Taiwan. The 12k weave is slightly heavier than 3k weave versions.

Strengths:
Essentially unbeatable value. The rewards program extends your dollar even further.

Stock components may seem a little mish-mash, but make sense and are lighter than a good many alternatives in the long run.

Weaknesses:
My 58cm as it came from the store with cages and pedals installed weighed in at almost 20 lbs! This bike is not a lightweight, despite being all carbon and Ultegra equipped. Most of the weight is centered on the fork, believe it or not, and that I list here as the biggest fault. The entire fork seems overbuilt, with what seems to be way too much metal in the crown and super thick steerer tube. Swapping this out and the stock Aksiums, I was able to cut the weight to around 17 lbs dead.

Price Paid:  $1250.00 at Performance

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
the loop

Bike Setup:
Carbon everything, Dura Ace brakes, FSA K force seat post,FSA SL-K Saddle, maxis re-fuse tires.

Summary:
I am a Triathlete, who was looking for an inexpensive road bike with decent components to ride with friends for group rides. Tri bikes really don't handle well in a pack. This bike will impress you and for half the $$ it is not listed for selection for posting, but this bike is a 2008 model. You will have to upgrade minor components to improve ride quality, like the seat, brakes, forte brakes are good but lack substantial stopping power

Strengths:
Frame is nice and stiff
Mavic wheels( decent for price paid)
climbs like a billy goat!!!

Weaknesses:
brakes!!!! had to upgrade to a extra set of DA I had from my last bike build.

Similar Products Used:
Cervelo R3, Trek Madone 5.5

Price Paid:  $1440.00 at Performance Bike

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Aurora Reservoir CO

Bike Setup:
The shop replaced the cassette with a 12-27 Ultegra which is important given here in Colorado. They also swapped the 120mm stem with a shorter (90mm) FSA stem.

Summary:
After searching for months for a carbon road bike, I chose the Scattante Race based on value and quality. I'm 6'2" so the 61cm frame fit me best. It rides like a dream. I've had it up to 42mph with no shutter. The bike is a 2008 model. (2008 was not an option on the "year" section above.) Although I liked some other carbon frames more, I couldn't convince myself to pay almost twice over what I paid for this bike. Having ridden it for a few weeks, I know I made the right choice.

Strengths:
High end, Ultegra, components.
Weight, frame guarantee
Dealer support at Performance Bike

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
1982 Silk

Price Paid:  $1399.00 at Performance

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Quebradillas, road 119

Bike Setup:
none

Summary:
Amazing bike, light, great group, is the best compare to other in its range. good on down hill, tektro brakes works well and if you ride on carbon is better to show it. With this bike you make other kill of envy.

Strengths:
light weight, good on sprint and on the climb.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
atala 1990

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Standard Ultegra package.

Summary:
I've had this bike since January, and I am really pleased. It was probably $1K less than comparably equipped competitors. I ride relatively fast and am reasonably heavy (190 lbs), and it has held up extremely well. This bike is excellent for someone wishing to experiment with a road bike, but does not want to pay full freight for the experiment.

Strengths:
Great value & lightweight frame and excellent components for the price. Good durability after almost one year.

Weaknesses:
I agree that the wheels are the weakest link. They're not bad, but don't measure up to the other components.

Similar Products Used:
Specialized Tarmac; Ibis Silk (both clearly better bikes, but more than twice as expensive and not nearly the value)