Awsome bike for the price! Only bike that even came close was the Bianchi Giro, which was slightly more pricy. Light-weight(16 1/2pounds)and slick look.

Hated the seat- but hey, easily replaced! apparently, easily scratched, but I've been careful adn haven't run across that problem yet.

I love this bike! I've had it for a year and a few months, and have put over 1,200 road miles on it. This fabulous steel frame and carbon fork takes the bump out of the unavoidable potholes, which is important on crappy Massachusetts roads, and after a long century- or 3 in a row, you are still able to plug away because its so comfortable. Have gotten up over 40mph on this bike, and still felt like it were 20- its so smooth.

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Bianchi, spacialized, lamond

Value, light weight, 853 steel frame, Shimano Ultegra 16 spoke wheelset.

Seat, power tool pedals, very poor paint that scratches when you look at it.

I bought this bike after reading the reviews and seeing it listed for $879 at DiscountBikes.com. I added Dura Ace cranks, BB, deralliers, and cassette as well as aerobars for an additional $400. At under $1300 the bike is light, strong, fast, and equipped better than any other offering in the price range. The frame is comfortable with excellent geometry. Opt for one size smaller as the bike is a litle "longer" than comparable models.I ride about 100 miles a week and love the bike. It is superior in every way to the Trek 1200 it replaced. The 853 steel has a great feel and the carbon fork softens the ride.

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Trek 1200

Frame Geometery
Reynolds OS 853 Tubing
Ultegra/Dura-Ace Gruppo
Rolf Vector Comps w/ Panaracer Stradius Tires
Carbon Fork
Trans AM Saddle

Thin Paint that scrathes easily, but hey sooner or later any ride will get scratched.

I'm relatively new to road biking and I've found this bike to be comfortable! So far this summer I've ridden this bike on two metrics, one 80 miler and a number of club rides and I've experinced no major discomfort. I chalk that up to the vibration damping of the carbon fork, the over-sized steel frame and the ergo saddle. The lite-weight Rolf Vector Comp wheels are suprizingly strong. I weigh near 240 pounds and have taken some hits with these wheels and they are still true. At my weight I think it's necessary to run high pressure (140psi) to avoid snake-bites and the Panaracer Stradius tire fit the bill there too. Plus, there was this extremely loud BANG-FOR-THE-BUCK that came with this rig - It was hard to beat that. I will ride this bike for many years.

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none

I bought the Flite 800 frame and built it up, so I can only comment on the frame & fork. The 853 frame is smooth riding and light, and the carbon fork is a godsend. This bike transmits very little road noise, and is great for a long rec. rider who goes for the miles more than the speed. If you're going to spend a lot of time on the bike, this is a great combo.

This is not the bike to buy if you want to impress your bike snob friends. Its not high zoot or cutting edge. There is little to no frame manipulation, and I believe only the main tubes are butted. That said, I would take this bike over a Cannondale CADD 4 frame anyday. The KHS is compariable in weight, and rides a lot smoother. Paint job is pretty plain and scratches a bit easily. Welds are not art, but they get the job done.

I don't think you can get a better platform for a better price. Buy the frame and build it up in order to avoid the tiagra and tawianeese components they spec with the current version. I hated road biking before this bike, because I had only road cheap steel or moderatly cheal AL frames. I doubt if you would want to race with this bike, but I don't think you can beat it for fun century rides and training. I skimped on the wheels to keep the price down, but this is a frame I'll have for a long time.

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This is my first road bike since a mid 80's Univega

Beautifully tig-welded Reynolds 853 frameset, enough said.

paint quality is a little on the low-end scale

If the geometry fits your needs, look no further. KHS is offering a superbly tig-welded Reynolds 853 frame at a price that is simply unheard-of. I'd put this frame up against just about any high-pedigree Italian bike. Extremely light, responsive, and comfortable. Don't waste your time with anything lower-end than the 800, though. And don't buy the bike direct from KHS--they stick Ultegra components on the frame. Find a bare frame and build it up with Dura Ace or Record.

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Trek 1220, Bridgestone RB2

Classy black color, Reynolds 853 steel, perfect road geometry, responsive yet compliant.

Slightly heavy

I'm a triathlete who trains in a very hilly environment not suitable to time trial geometry. I got this frame and fork for a steal (about US$300) but after more than six months on this bike I would pay three times as much. This bike is a stealth Italian killer--.not flashy, but it delivers everything I need for training and occasional road racing. I have a Softride for triathlon races, but the steel KHS is comfortable enough for long rides that the Softride stays on my wall until my triathlons.

As for performance, it's stiff on climbs and extremely quick on descents. It's a bit on the heavy side if you're concerned about that, but swap out a few parts and upgrade to Dura-Ace or Record and you can get it on the low side of steel frames.

I'd recommend this bike to anyone looking for a solid, fast, comfortable bike that gives nothing up to the big names. Save the money for traveling to races.

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Look 131 road frame

This bike has a very comfortable steel frame -
(and still under 19 pounds with the right components)

I have to go along with the other reviewers on this one -
the paint seems to scratch easily. There are places where
I've kicked it with a cleat and then scratches where the
cable rubs (it's not horrible, just not top quality)

I took the helpful advice of the first reviewer who posted
on this bike -- I went with the dura-ace and upgraded to some really fine light wheels -- it has turned out to be
a really sweet bike.

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old team fuji steel bikes, and other many others borrowed over the years.

853 steel is real......this frame is a no frills performer......no flex when you hammer, but still compliant on the long hauls.....full ultegra components, at this price!!

Haven't had the problem with the paint (see other reviews), but then again I'm being very careful.....the finish is beautiful....let's hope it stays this way.

I bought this bike as a training tool for my aspiring MB racing career (haha)......I'm very pleased......the frame is sooooo sweet, I really love steel......this bike flies, holds the line and goes where it's pointed.......overall it's very balanced....

I've already taken this bike on some long endurance rides and it just wants to keep going.....it loves to climb, it just sets up perfect once the going heads skyward....

If you want a solid bike that can really do it all (train, group ride, race for the fun of it) this is a great deal.....if you're wanting to be the next lance a. go get a weight weenie machine and slowly vibrate and beat your body to death...

Great quality at an even better price....this is easily a $2k bike!!!

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Lemond Chamborie.....

Oversized 853 Tube Set, Decent Parts Build

VP Pedals

Fast & Smooth Ride. The panaracer tires and rolf vector comp wheels are a great team. No problems with paint or welds.

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None

Weight, Geometry (for me) and Price. You can not get a better bike for the price. As a matter of fact you can probably pay more than twice as much and you still will not get a bike that comes close to matching the ride quality of this Bike.

Finish! The welds are terrible and the paint quality is sub standard. But none of these factors can take away from the overall ride quality. However if you are looking for a bike that will be more of a decoration in your house than a bike you will ride or if you want to impress you ride buddies this isn't the bike for you.

Can not beat this bike. Climbs hills like you are riding in the middle of Nebraska. 853 steel has the same strength to weight ratio as TI but without the cost. If you want a bike that goes everywhere you want to go this is the bike you want. IF you want a status symbol this isn't the bike you want. I gave it an all around 5 star rating because I wasn't concerned with the welds or paint. If you are looking give GVH bikes a look, best prices around and a ton of options www.gvhbikes.com.

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Test rode every bike from Trek to Merlin.