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#1
03-29-2017, 11:13 PM
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Zanc vs Hampco Shootout
Taking a break during our Sunday ride my riding buddy and I started talking about the ultimate steel road bike for mixed surface rides wearing 32mm tires. We both agreed the Hampsten Strada Bianca & Zanconato Road 32 would be our leading candidates.
Any Paceliners out there that has owned & ridden either of these framesets. Double pts for anybody that has ridden both and can offer a comparison. Of course, pics are always welcome 
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#3
03-30-2017, 01:35 AM
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Fellas, it turns out that I've got the Divine line on this.
I bought the Hamp a while back, and shortly after, I came this close --><-- to having both. (Picture it! Girls from all over the world would have flocked to write my name on the toilet walls of the Whiskey A-Go-Go, if I'd owned BOTH of those two.) But at the last minute, the connection didn't quite happen for the Zanconato. But, I've got the Hampsten. And fifty percent ain't lookin' that bad. Because whattaya think happened next? Stung from losing the Zanc, I bought another high-grade steel bike, a Gaulzetti. Yup, that Cazzo from the guy in Australia. This time I got as far as paying him. And then he cancelled the sale! (I didn't even know you could do that. Live and learn.) So, manifestly: in the opinion of the Bike Gods, it's Hamp or nuttin'.
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#5
03-30-2017, 02:32 AM
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For a couple of years the gods smiled on me and I was lucky enough to own a lugged Zank Cross bike and a TIG Hampsten Mudpig at the same time. Not exactly the same thing as a strada and Road 32, but kind of close since I mostly used my Hamp and Zank as gravel bikes. Both were really awesome bikes, well built, beautiful paint, two great guys to work with...
A couple of years ago I sold the Hampsten. I was riding the Zank 90% of the time because I liked the geometry better, and I attribute the hand made fork for the sweet ride. Also, the Hampsten always felt much taller than the Zank. Who is welding the strada these days? Last edited by yashcha; 03-30-2017 at 03:10 AM.
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#6
03-30-2017, 05:44 AM
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I have a Hampsten Strada Bianca and a Zanconato fat-tire road bike. The Hampsten is tigged and the Zanc is lugged. I've previously owned a filleted Zanconato CX bike and a lugged Hampsten Team Pro, too.
The Zanconato 's not technically a Road32 because it predates that moniker by years, but it's a canti-brake road bike that takes 35mm tires. It is distinctly a road bike, with road bike geometry and downtube cable routing. The Zanc has a steel fork, and the Hampsten has a Wound Up. I am getting a steel fork (and rack) from Winter for the Hampsten. The reason for this is that the Zanc is really the perfect dirt road bike, so I am making the Hampsten a dedicated randonneur/commuter. Mind you, the Hampsten is a perfectly capable dirt road bike too, but it has fender mounts (the Zanc does not), and a slightly lower front-end, so it is ever so much "roadier." There's not much between them, honestly. I prefer the standard drop outs on the Zanc to the Breezer-style drop outs on the Hampsten. And I think the Shimano R650 brakes have a bit more modulation than the Paul cantis on the Zanc. But they both have an incredibly nice ride, with that springiness that thin-gauge steel has. They're both built with Campy Centaur/Chrous 10. At the moment, I am enjoying dirt roads more than regular road riding, so the Zanc gets more miles. But check back with me in six months after I've had a chance to ride the Hampsten with the new fork. You really cannot go wrong. If you can get to New York and ride a 55-56, you can ride mine back to back for as long as you like.      
Last edited by christian; 03-30-2017 at 06:20 AM.
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#9
03-30-2017, 07:15 AM
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When I read this thread earlier before christian had posted, I was thinking of posting, "christian has both, perhaps he'll chime in."
As I had expected, the differences are subtle. I think the bikes would be even closer depending on the controls--christian's strada bianca was Steve's personal "show" bike (the one he took the luscious pictures of with the pistachio-green pickup truck). If the frame were lugged (and would be welded by Martin Tweedy iirc), or if the Zanc were tig'd, the comparisons would probably be even closer. Differences in ride quality would most likely be due to variations in geometry, and even there I wouldn't expect major differences since their design philosophies seem to be similar (read: smart and practical). This reminds me of a "shoot-out" I did years ago with a proto Seven Evergreen ti disc, a Moots Psychlo-X YBB disc, and a Hampsten Strada Bianca ti. Unlike christian's Zanc and Hampsten, those were three very distinct vehicles. Agree with Big Dan, you really can't go wrong working with Mike or Steve. If I were looking for a steel bike in this genre, I would certainly add Dave Kirk to the list. christian, we need to do a mega dirt-road shootout this spring...
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#10
03-30-2017, 07:45 AM
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Yeah, Happycampyer nails it. It's not really a shoot-out, because you've already picked two winners, and the differences are incredibly subtle.
From a steering geometry standpoint, I would say that the Hampsten handles more like a classic Italian Italian road bike, where the Zanc seems to steer a little slower - very similar to my Merckx MX Leader. That said, I've only run 32mm Grand Bois on the Zanc and I have run 22mm tubulars through 35mm Paselas on the Hampsten. I love bikes that have a heavier feel on the bars, so the Zanc is my fave there. I think. We are talking micro-splitting of tiny hairs. I suppose I could run the same loop back to back on them with the same wheels/tires on Sunday. But I don't think it will make me much the wiser. I should also point out that -neither- of these bikes were built for me. The Zanc was built for and belonged to DarrenCT and the Hampsten was Steve's personal bike and came to me via alexstar and zetroc.
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#12
03-30-2017, 08:22 AM
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I think in large part it's a matter of who you want to give your money to. You could pick from dozens of builders and end up with similar quality and spec.
People gravitate to things they identify with in some way, be it regionality, history, press or what their friends and peers are into. Obviously don't buy a SEVEN if you want a trad lugged steel frame. Loads of good bikes and good builders to choose from. Buy what you like.
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#13
03-30-2017, 08:54 AM
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One thing complicating the comparison with or even among Hampsten is that they seem to have been made by different builders at different times, often with different tube specs.
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#14
03-30-2017, 09:04 AM
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Quote:
which reminds of my cross bikes. one's an Indy Fab Ti Planet X and the other is a Moots PsychloX. geometry is basically identical, other than a shorter head tube on the Moots, but a spacer solves that. people ask me all the time "which is your favorite?" cuz, you know, both are awesome... I always say the Indy Fab, because I have more history with it and it's my "A" race bike. it's also lighter (even with the same build spec). but the truth is, on any given day riding them, I'd have to look down to see which one I'm on. as I said, they're both awesome. it also reminds me of a shootout I did yesterday with an aluminum Zank and one of the new Spooky road bikes. that was fun! 
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#15
03-30-2017, 09:06 AM
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Quote:
Zancawhato? 32s for life yo [IMG]  Snowmobile by Matt.zilliox, on Flickr[/IMG]
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