Desalvo ti or steel

[Changster]

Anyone own a Desalvo ti or steel? Interested in your impressions. Mike was awarded best tig for his steel frames at the handmadebike show in Houston. Don't hear his name mentioned alot here and that may be a good thing before the word gets out. His frames are reasonable priced as well:).

[Steve Hampsten]

They look REALLY good - including his ti frames. The word may already be out on Mike; he's selling plenty o' bikes these days.

[jamesau]

I’ve a few thousand miles on the bike pictured and have been extremely pleased. Mike (DeSalvo) was great to deal with throughout the process. He was always extremely helpful and patient. I wanted a responsive all-rounder with generous tire clearance and rack/fender eyelets. I was thinking canti’s but Mike recommended long-reach dual pivot calipers for their better modulation, especially as I wasn’t interested in mud clearance. The bike is custom Ti with a gorgeous Spectrum powder coat finish and IRD Mosaic 57 fork.

Going the custom route with a small-time builder requires something of a leap of faith unless you’ve a lot of experience (I don’t). Have a good idea of what you want beforehand, then trust the craftsman to guide you to the desired realization.

If you’re looking for more testimonials, you’ll find accolades on the mtbr.com forum as well as others from Messrs. Sachs and White (Vanilla) of this board.