Serotta Duetti Pro’s Closest

[Hilltopperny]

I fit a labeled 30mm on a 21 I'd rim and it had decent clearance. They likely measured 32mm or very close to it. I am going to go throw some 32 labeled tires on some winter wheels and see if I am comfortable with the clearance.

I wonder if frame size will determine more or less clearance? I was told by the original owner who never built mine up that it was a MM/51 which is slightly small for me. It was only $375 shipped when they were twice that from Serotta at the time. When it arrived it my hand measurement of the head tube was larger than the MM, but slightly different from the ML.

I ended up ordering the last MM/51 when they dropped to $250, but I had to pay NYS and shipping, so it came out to like $325 when all said and done. This confirmed my built up Duetti is a 52 with a 54ish top tube which works well for me!



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[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by weisan

It even fits 32mm tires! What more can you ask?

I can ask you to help me find a frame in my size for $252

[weisan]

Rear: 2-3 mm clearance on each side of chainstay.
20231218_081831 by Wei Hui, on Flickr

20231218_081905_resized by Wei Hui, on Flickr

20231218_081923 by Wei Hui, on Flickr

20231218_081930_resized by Wei Hui, on Flickr

[nmrt]

Good to hear that at $252 the Duetti is a no brainer. And glad that you like it! Keep the miles coming.

But the realy question I have is: Were the Duetti purchased at $1200 - 1500 for the frameset, would it still be a no brainer? Is the frameset THAT good?

Originally Posted by weisan

I don't get too caught up with whose name is on the downtube, I judge a bike and its ride qualities based on personal preference, riding style and what it translates on the road - if I dislike the ride and have done everything within my power to make it work, and it still doesn't, I will gladly pass it on, no hesitation, no matter what it is, life is too short to settle for less or put in another way, there are so many other bikes in existence that I can try, why obessess with just one.

Ok, now let's talk about this Duetti.

I rode it on my regular route yesterday - meaning, I know how my other bikes would respond in similar terrain or corners at certain speed, when I put the power down, blah blah blah....

I will put it as simply as possible in layman terms:

It's a winner!

If a frameset of this quality is made available to the masses at $252, which is what I paid and I know it's an unrealistic/unsustainable price from a business standpoint, we might as well take the tent down, wrap things up and go home happy.

Unfortunately that's not how the real world works. We like product differentiation, the different options, different geometry, we like to agonize over the little details, we like custom builds, we like to argue the fact that we can tell the slightest difference in tube selection, material etc.

At the end of the day, Serotta Duetti is a well-designed, expertly crafted machine at a killer price. If you can take the emotion/sentiments if any, associated with Ben Serotta or TPC out of the equation, it is a no-brainer, excellent riding frameset that you can outfit with any components of your choice and I will wager it will ride just as good as any of the $12k superbikes.

It even fits 32mm tires! What more can you ask?

[AngryScientist]

It's like TPC wanted the Paceline family to have a Merry Christmas. Heartwarming

[weisan]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Good to hear that at $252 the Duetti is a no brainer. And glad that you like it! Keep the miles coming.

But the realy question I have is: Were the Duetti purchased at $1200 - 1500 for the frameset, would it still be a no brainer? Is the frameset THAT good?

I knew this question will get asked.

If this frame is re-packaged, repainted, re-labeled with my favorite builder name or whatever Specialized top-of-the-line - so I don't know what is underneath - but still thought that i am getting what I am paying for - would I still consider it a great riding frame?

the answer is: Yes.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

It's like TPC wanted the Paceline family to have a Merry Christmas. Heartwarming

It's funny you said that angry pal, I was just thinking of that while I was out riding yesterday...the Duetti is my early Christmas gift.

[ltwtsculler91]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Good to hear that at $252 the Duetti is a no brainer. And glad that you like it! Keep the miles coming.

But the realy question I have is: Were the Duetti purchased at $1200 - 1500 for the frameset, would it still be a no brainer? Is the frameset THAT good?

I paid around $700 for mine, and then another $50 or so for actual Robert Axle Project bolt on axles, and I'd still call it a no brainer but at $1200 I'd still say it's a good value. Part of me is tempted to get another, since I have an extra set of disc wheels now and could in theory stick a bike at my in-laws in Miami, but I've got other ideas for those....

I posted this earlier, I think this thing is like comparing a Peg to an All City when you look at these Duettis to a CAAD/Allez/Emonda ALR. It's still made of the same material, but the tube shapes are more manipulated (swaged, butted, bent) and the ride more refined than the mass market stuff. Ben really sweated the details on these frames, and they do ride wonderfully.

I will fully admit to being the tire naysayer who didn't want to go bigger than 30s on these, but I also had some wide-ish 28s and liked the clearance. Seems like others have pushed it a bit more than me, which is funny considering I was the one who stuck 30s on my rim brake Emonda ALR. These have about the same clearance as the Allez, Emonda ALRs, and CAADs that were around when it came out I guess.

[Hilltopperny]

Mine fits a true 32mm tire. The tightest spot in mine is the seat tube, but it still has around 3-4mm of clearance.

These bikes ride at least as good as any high end boutique aluminum bike I have owned. Maybe better! Smooth, efficient and balanced with plenty of clearance for a road bike! I ride mine in the dirt/gravel roads here and it handles everything I can throw at it! It doesn't get skittish or nervous at all!

With Enve bars and 2.3s, Force AXS 1x and Red 22 crank with Wolftooth 44t ring the bike is the lightest I own.

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[DeBike]

Sold out

[TrackSmart]

Originally Posted by weisan

Rear: 2-3 mm clearance on each side of chainstay.
20231218_081831 by Wei Hui, on Flickr

Awesome! Thanks so much for doing that! This is very helpful as I need to order some tires for the new build. 2-3mm is the minimum clearance I would want, so 32mm *actual measured size* appears to be the maximum safe tire size for the rear (by my standards, anyway).

This supports what Ben Serotta said in one of the interviews I found online. BS: "I grew up making race bikes and they had really skinny little tires, but because of where I live in Upstate New York, I rarely go on a ride that doesn’t include a little bit ofthe dirt road or something being repaved or whatever. With 25mm or 28mm tires, the Duetti is plenty buoyant for riding on a lot rougher or somewhat looser surfaces. The disc brake version will also fit some 32mm road tires."

Clearly, he means tires that actually measure 32mm will have enough clearance in the back -- but not necessarily oversized tires.

[TrackSmart]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

Mine fits a true 32mm tire. The tightest spot in mine is the seat tube, but it still has around 3-4mm of clearance.

These bikes ride at least as good as any high end boutique aluminum bike I have owned. Maybe better! Smooth, efficient and balanced with plenty of clearance for a road bike! I ride mine in the dirt/gravel roads here and it handles everything I can throw at it! It doesn't get skittish or nervous at all!

With Enve bars and 2.3s, Force AXS 1x and Red 22 crank with Wolftooth 44t ring the bike is the lightest I own.

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Thanks for the additional tire clearance info! I have an ML (52.5cm translated size), so same size as your built-up bike. So the seat tube will likely also be the limiting factor for back tire clearance on mine. I'm glad it rides nicely!

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by DeBike

Sold out

[Clean39T]

Slowly pulling this one together but am quite happy with the accent color tie-ins.. will be finishing it off with Force AXS wide from here.

The 30mm tires seem to have a ton of room - 32mm should fit fine, if not slightly larger.

Minor niggle - the rear wheel is a little rough slotting in to the frame - like the channel on the drive-side is a little too tight for a standard axle.. I'll have to dremel the inside of the hanger a bit I think.


Kind of fun that I no longer have to cut steerer tubes

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[weisan]

Hey look at that!

Clean pal and I rode the same size bike.

He's 6'3" and I am 5'8".

Ben is a genius when it comes to designing a bike that can fit both ends of the spectrum.