[medlem]

Are these the top models within the chosen brands for parts?


Handlebar: Syntace Racelite2 Carbon 31.8

Stem: Syntace Force 99 Road

Headset: Chris King NoThreadSet

Saddle: Specialized Toupe Team

Seat post: Specialized S-WORKS Pavé SL Advanced Composite

 

[Kerry Irons]

You left out a few

Are these the top models within the chosen brands for parts?
Handlebar: Syntace Racelite2 Carbon 31.8
Stem: Syntace Force 99 Road
Headset: Chris King NoThreadSet
Saddle: Specialized Toupe Team
Seat post: Specialized S-WORKS Pavé SL Advanced Composite

How about Record, Dura Ace, and Red? Brand of spokes? Which wheels? Which tires? In case you're not getting my sarcasm, for any given component on the bike, there are typically several competitors for the top spot, and it is not possible to actually determine which is best. For one thing, different people have different criteria. For some, only weight matters, while others may favor durability, color, "style," serviceability, finish, or some other issue. You're wasting time with questions like this.

 

[Dr_John]

I have a Specialized S-WORKS Pavé SL Advanced Composite seat post; it came with my frame set. It is their top-of-the-line seatpost. I'm not impressed with it.

Problems:

1) Creaks-o-plenty: Finally solved to some degree by cutting it down and using Tacx carbon prep. Still creaks occasionally, but not as annoying.

2) Crap satin finish: For adjusting seat height, many people I know and fitters I've been to mark the height with tape. Removing tape I had on my Pave SL peeled the finish off. Unbelievable.

3) Seat-clamp mechanism not compatible with all seats: I can't use my SLR with that seat post. It just doesn't fit right. Fortunately Specialized got it right for their Toupe . It works fine.

It does look pretty nice. That's about all I can say good about it. No idea how accurate the reported weight is.

 

[FatTireFred]

How about Record, Dura Ace, and Red? Brand of spokes? Which wheels? Which tires? In case you're not getting my sarcasm, for any given component on the bike, there are typically several competitors for the top spot, and it is not possible to actually determine which is best. For one thing, different people have different criteria. For some, only weight matters, while others may favor durability, color, "style," serviceability, finish, or some other issue. You're wasting time with questions like this.

sounds like he's simply asking if those are the top-of-line parts for each given brand, not the best of each component across all brands... at least that's how he's worded his question:

Are these the top models within the chosen brands for parts?

 

[Mr. Versatile]

Yeah. Those are good. But like Kerry said, there's a lot of good stuff out there. Just as an example, My favorite saddle sells for about $40. There are saddles that cost close to $200 and beyond. Are they better than mine? Not in my opinion.

 

[medlem]

But are these the top-of-the-line products from the brands I want to get my stuff from?

 

[unit]

I understand

But are these the top-of-the-line products from the brands I want to get my stuff from?

I understand your question. However it still is not a simple "yes" or "no" in all cases.

The headset for example...you could opt for the Ti version of the brand you mention (you did not specify if you were talking about the Al or Ti). The Ti version costs more and weighs more....so is it better? It is for the guy who wants Ti.

The other components you listed I am not extremely familiar with, but again it is really tough to call out top-of-the-line when there are so many metrics by which consumers grade preference.

If by top-of-the-line you mean most expensive, that is easy to answer your self. OTOH if top-of-the-line means lowest weight, you will have to go to the manufacturers website and trust their data on their products. OTOH2 top-of-the-line could be defined some other way...so you see, it is a very difficult question for us to answer for you.

Where I sell, I define top-of-the-line to mean the highest priced (not necessarily the "best") example that I carry. For example, a Specialized dealer may or may not (qualify to) carry the S-Works line. Perhaps another example to consider is Lexus and Toyota...technically both made by Toyota, but is the top-of-the-line Toyota Avalon really the best offering from the company? And what if you consider the Toyota offerings in another country (that are not available here)?

The parts you list are all very nice, and perhaps the top of someone's stocking line. They may all serve you or others very well...then again they may not fit your (or someone else's) needs at all.