Bike Setup: Stock w/ flipped stem, SPD pedals, Cateye Astrale computer, Sports Instruments HRM. Have replaced tires (twice) and replaced chain after 2K miles.
Summary: I held off on reviewing until I racked up some miles -- about 3,000 now -- so that I could speak w/ some authority.
In sum, I would give the bike 5 stars, except that that would imply that I am fully happy with the whole experience, which I'm not: Supergo steered me wrong. Two separate dopes on Supergo's sales/service phone line both independently (and unforgiveably) steered me to the wrong frame size. The bike is so good that the sizing problem didn't become apparent until I had about 1,500 miles on it. Now I'm stuck with a bike that's too small.
But if you can find one in your size, get it (although it would have to be used; Supergo stopped selling the 853 in late 2003).
The bike is excellent in virtually every respect. I'm not sure who made the frame (in Taiwan, one assumes), but they did it well: great welds. I get zero shimmy even at downhill speeds up to 50 mph. It can carve turns better than I can. Even with racing geometry, it's still comfy on 75-mile rides (even in the wrong frame size).
It has but one notable flaw: It's not quite stiff enough, even for a steel bike. I get bottom-bracket flex (chain rub) on hard climbs/hard acceleration. I'd rather have a few episodes of that, though, on a long ride than the constant vibration of an aluminum frame rattling my teeth and bones.
Strengths: Price! Outstanding componentry (Ultegra beats Campy Record, in my book). 853 steel frame smooths out rough roads -- I find the frame comparable to some carbon-fiber bikes. Love the Selle San Marco Race Gel seat.
Weaknesses: Hard to find any, but here are a few nits: Too much BB flex; wishbone chainstays would be an improvement; I love the R-540 wheelset, but some riders may find it a bit stiff/harsh. Paint is prone to small chips, and the touch-up paint is too thin to match up well. Integrated headset is vulnerable to water penetration -- needs overhaul after every really wet ride. Handlebars are too flexy.
Similar Products Used: Calfee w/ Campy Chorus/Record mix; Giant TCR-1; old Miyata 10-speed.
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Bike Setup: Flipped the stem. 26cc tyres @ low pressure. Terry Liberator. Cat-eye led lights. Everything else stock... apart from a thick layer of road grime. I wish I could give a higher score that five out of five. That is how highly I think of this machine. GO BUY ONE.
Summary: I promised a full review once I had put more miles into the bike. It has been one of the best value purchases I have ever made. I ride it hard, most days. I have never washed it! I put it away wet. I never, ever adjust anything on it. Just lube the chain and ride. I just abuse the damn thing, and she just begs for more. I have had all kinds of bikes, but never go so much fun for so little out-lay. Go and try to buy an Ultegra group alone for 900!! This bike truely rocks. I had some problems with FED-EX. Seems they chucked my bike about a bit, as when it was delivered it had some scratches and stuff, Chris B sorted me out. That was the best part... Supergo seemed to care... even AFTER they got my credit card details! BUY THIS BIKE. I don't work for Supergo. I am just blown away by this product and the service I recieved. Call them up and chat about bikes! they love it. Aslo they weren't all pushy on the phone... it was like "here's the info you wanted, anything else you wanna know?" and let me call 'em back a dozen times with stupid little questions that didn't really matter, but no-one ever tried to plam me off, or just make up something. No lies, no exagerations. I will buy from Supergo again.
Strengths: VALUE. Ultegra. for 1000 bucks you get a pretty high end bike. Thats less than half the price of some high end frames!! I was worried that the paint would look crappy... but when I peel back the thick layer of mud off it, it still shines! maby I should hose her down... It would probably lose a few hundred grams! The ride is pretty smooth. This is my first road bike and I was worried that 22cc tires at 120psi would kill me. I fitted some 26's which I run at 65psi in the front and 70 in the rear and that has made the ride MUCH better. I have been very impressed with this bike. I searched and re-searched for a long time... nothing comes close. If you are considering this bike I cannot speak highly enough of it. I have a super Chi-Chi custom Ti MTB that cost me 4 grand. I haven't ridden for ages because the way this thing flys! you can over-take cars! mopeds don't stand a chance! downhill is a real eye opener! 60mph on a bike feels FAST. It looks damn cool. I thought "oh just get it for training" but really... this thing looks hot! mine is blue and I love it. I have had many people coment on how great it looks. The carbon fork looks loads better in the flesh. Carbon fork spacers!;)
Weaknesses: Well. The stock saddel was a real razor. But it looked so good I put it on one of my BMX's. I guess I could complain about the cheesy "Wayless" name that is on the "in-house" parts. But their quality cannot be faulted. The carbon fork has this cool external shape not unlike a leading brands $200 "muscle" fork. It gives a BRILLIANT ride, you can watch it "flutter" back and forth, but it still give information about fron tyre taction... how does it do that?? 3D seat post. All threads on the stem are nicely finished. No sloppy paint. So I guess I can't complain about that! The bars flex a bit when I hammer, but I'm a big bloke, so thats normal. Maby the lack of sizes? I'm 6.4 and the biggest one fits me with a bit of post extension and a thicker saddel. I doesn't say Colnago on the down-tube? It's not a Trek 5200? (it costs less than half as much as a 5200 and only 1/3rd of a nice Colnago, go figure) So bassically... NO WEAKNESSES! Oh... 1. The front brake is on the right side. You can't really swap 'em over as the cable routing would be all messy, I'm told all road bikes are like this, I grew up riding Honda CR's, all motor bikes (and my other pushys) have that brake on the left.
Similar Products Used: I have had lots of BMX's and MTB's but this is my first road bike. from crappy department store bikes to 4000 custom Ti's. This is my current fave. Go buy one.
Bike Setup: Stock components. Added Vetta cyclometer/hrm with cadence and my own look style pedals.
Summary: This bike is fantastic if you are not hung up on specific brand 'images'.
Solid spec, great riding frame/fork, and (after a lot of shopping) high value. I've had this bike for 1 road race and 2 crits already and it has been a joy to ride in all of them. I also train on a lot of not-so-great back country blacktop and it handles all of it with no problems.
When I can't ride outside I ride on rollers and the bike is stable as a rock there also. On paper the overall parts spec convinced me to take the plunge without even riding it first. In real life this has been a great bike for training and racing. Some may gripe about being a pound or two heavy, but I'm not a pro - don't want to be one - and prefer to have a ride that won't beat me up.
Strengths: All the parts seem to be high quality even though some are house brand. The wheels seem to allow some shock absorbtion which works with the frame and fork to make a majic carpet ride. Never thought I would care about tires that much but these are awesome at being efficient but still grippy pumped up all the way to 125psi. Bike arrived in perfect condition and presented a fun easy assembly. I honestly did not expect the paint to be perfect (and didn't really care) but I have cleaned it several times and still don't see any imperfections.
Weaknesses: If I have to nitpick I would say the saddle was a little hard at first but is breaking in nicely and shows a LOT of promise.
Similar Products Used: Old Fuji Super Road Racer - not very similar I know
Had been comparing bikes on line and test rode a few locally: All similar spec
Fuji Team
Motobecane LeChampion
LeMond Buenos Aires
And just abo
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Bike Setup: Stock except for the seat. It comes with a nice Sella gel seat, but my rear is accustomed to a padded body geometry seat.
Summary: I've put on about 300 miles and I'm very pleased in my first month. I live near Supergo, so I was able to test ride numerous bike at their shop. They charge $100 to assemble the bike so the cost is $100 more than the $999 on the net. The service was great. They fitted me (not a full professional fit) and swapped the stem to a smaller size (for free) and swapped the 25t for a 27t for added climbing ease. Compared to the 25lb old Schwinn I was using, this bike is a dream. For my money it's a great deal. A similar equipped Lemond is several hundred dollars more. I opted for the heavier steel vs aluminum for the added comfort. The bike has a smooth ride. I'm not sure that I could tell the difference b/n this bike and a more expensive model and frankly $1,185 with tax is alot of money. I ride in a club and we do 30 to 60 mile rides on the weekends and most of the riders own Lightspeed or custom Holland Titanium bikes which go for $2,500 to $4,000. Of course most guys in my club outweigh me (155 lbs) by 30 to 60 lbs so they rely on a lighter bike to make a difference. Maybe they should lay off the doughnuts instead.
Strengths: Nicely equipped, full Ultegra, Shimano R540 Wheelset. Nice blue paint job. I didn't have to go into debt to buy a nice bike.
Weaknesses: None that I've encountered except that it's not a Colnago or Lightspeed. Everyone will know that you bought a discount brand with a fake Italian name. Supergo wanted $200 to install a triple vs. the stock double so I stayed with the double. Of course you have to buy pedals and shoes separately, but that's pretty standard.
Similar Products Used: Test rode lots of bikes, but only owned an early 80's Schwin Prelude- steel. It's hard to tell the difference riding around in the parking lot. I tried, Felts, Specialized, Lemonds and all of the othe
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