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Reviews 1 - 5 (7 Reviews Total)
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Submitted by
B-radical
a Recreational Rider
from Date Reviewed: July 5, 2011
Strengths: Price, cool looking frame w/ shaped tubes and tapered carbom fork and aero post.Weaknesses: a bit twitchy on downhill corners.Bottom Line: Great price on ebay for frame/fork/post. Very stiff, lively for aluminum. Everything seemed aligned.
Favorite Ride: CO National Monument Loop
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At: ebay
Similar Products Used: nothing similar, Carbon bikes before.
Bike Setup: Carbon compact crank, Dura ace drive w/ sram red compact frt der, new Baby Zipp wheels, the Sram S30 Race wheelset and Conti GP4000 tires, FSA carbon compact Bars, FSA stem, Look Carbon pedals. Right at 17# w/ pedals.
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Submitted by
LJ
a Recreational Rider
from Date Reviewed: December 11, 2009
Strengths: Stiff, fast, nice lookingWeaknesses: quality issues with the early model. customer service sucks ass.Bottom Line: Really mixed reviews. Purchased the fame, fork, headset and seat post on ebay, and built up. No doubt the bike is stiff and fast. Much more so than my 853 Lemomd Zurich. It looks great too. However there are some quality and customer service issues that need to be considered before you buy one of these. Like the first reviewer, I could not put my 25m tires on the back. In my case the problem was an improperly placed rear brake bridge. I spoke to Van Dessel about this and they said some of the early models were placed incorrectly and as a reult the brake calipers sit lower than they're supposed to. So low that the tire hit the bottom of the rear caliper. So it was necessary to go to a 23m tire which allowed clearance under the brakes, but another problem arose in that the rear brake pad could not be raised high enough to fit inside the brake surface on the rear wheel. In other words, part of the brake pad was below the wheel's brake surface. Concerned about uneven brake and wheel wear, I adjusted the pads on an angle. Finally I think Van Dessel's customer service sucks. When I first mentioned this issuse to them, the asked me to remove the rear brake, and insert an allen key into the hole and twist the brake bridge into it's proper place. Hmmm, sounds like a broken frame to me. I'm also having trouble centering the saddle. The bike has one of thiose aero seat posts. I don't see how it's possible to adjust, but maybe it can be, but I just don't how how. And finally after 3 months, several calls, and several broken promises to send it, I finally received a paint touch up kit. Again, not totally disatisfied, but buyers need to be diligent before buying. I would not buy another Van Dessel bike.
Favorite Ride: They're all good
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At: ebay
Similar Products Used: Lemond Zurich
Specialized Allez
Bike Setup: Full campy Chorus
Fulcrum wheels, speedplay X/2 pedals
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
JoshLeibowitz
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: October 11, 2009
Strengths: Best race bike for the money period and it won't shatter in a crash. It is very light for an aluminum bike (mine weighs in at exactly 16 pounds w/o pedals). The frame has several aero features that do make a difference you can feel on flats and descents. Best of all since it is from a small shop each bike is custom built and any setup is possible.Weaknesses: Harsher ride than carbon (not a problem for most racers). It is slightly heavier than a carbon bike, however for the similar price range it is actually lighter than most low end carbon bikes.Bottom Line: I highly recommend this bike. Van Dessel sells unique, incredible bikes and has great customer service to back it up. Overall I could not be more pleased with this purchase. I have already done several crits on it and it is quick, stiff, and very responsive. The only problems I have had are just the typical new bike problems. For example, upon purchase it creaked terribly and I couldn't figure out why. I thought the crank was defective or the BB30 bearings weren't sitting right, but it turned out I forgot to grease the pedal threads. Throughout this process their customer service was outstanding. The shop owner even rebuilt the bottom bracket and resat the BB30 crank bearings free of charge to make sure the crankset was not the cause of the noise. I highly recommend this bike to anyone interested in high quality race bike while saving some money at the same time.
Purchased At: Mendham, NJ
Bike Setup: 2009 Hellafaster:
Full Sram RED
FSA K-Force Light Carbon Crank
Easton EA90 Aero Wheels
Look Keo Sprint Pedals
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Submitted by
seakay
a Triathlete
from Date Reviewed: April 14, 2009
Strengths: Design, construction, weight, strength, price.Weaknesses: None!Bottom Line: This is an incredible frame. Very light, torsionally stiff, yet absorbs vibration like no other aluminum frame. The design of the seat and chain stays are very well thought out, designed and constructed. Carbon striaght rake fork tracks well and corners like mad. Sprints tremendous, climbs with ease and speeds very well. Best to order frame from your LBS and have them fit and build it. No bike should be built without you around.
Price Paid:
$899.00
Purchased At: Evolution
Similar Products Used: Vast array of Allez
Bike Setup: Mostly Ultegra
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
kaplanmaxe
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: January 2, 2009
Strengths: Stiffness, cornering, dents instead of cracking, can be a road or TT bike, PriceWeaknesses: None. The only thing I would say bad about this bike was the way Van Dessel set it up. They didn't put the components on correctly. I brought it to the bike shop and now I love itBottom Line: This bike is absolutely amazing! I love it. This bike simply puts the power down. I have had no problems with it. I went from a top end carbon bike to the hellafaster and I am so glad I did. I feel so much faster on this baby. Even though it is aluminum, it is not that heavy. You can get it to around 16 pounds. You can also easily turn this into a TT bike. One of the best parts about this bike is that you don't have to worry about it breaking. If you crash, it will dent it won't crack. I wouldn't trade it in for any other bike. Plus this thing is dirt cheap!
Purchased At: Van Dessel
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: SRAM red shifters and crank and the rest SRAM rival.
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