Newbie Intro

[CT Rider]

Hello To All,

I've been lurking here for awhile and finally got around to joining officially! I've been riding actively (from a exercise/recreation standpoint since 1999, averaging about 1500 miles/year. I wish I could find the time to ride more but work and familiy prevent this.

I just placed my order for a Fierte IT frame from my local Serotta dealer in Middletown, CT (PedalPower). Back in 1999 I started out on a Specialized Allez but found a great deal on a used Litespeed Classic at the beginning of season. I took the Litespeed to Gary Nicols, the Serotta Fit Expert, at Pedal Power only to find out that I have one of those body types which doesn't fit well in a Styandard "Classic" frmae geometry. Even given that Gary was able to adjust the Litespeed so it made a MAJOR difference in my riding ability. I've been thinking about a Serotta for a while and decided to treat myself to an early Christamas present. Waiting time for the frame will be about 2-3 weeks and I am looking so forward to receiving the Serotta right before Christmas. When I bought the LS Classic at the beginning of the year the bike had just had a complete Campy 10 Speed RFecord Group installed on it. The Record Group along with my Mavic Kysrium Elite wheels will migrate over to the new Serotta frame.

I really am impressed with the depth of knowledge and experience that I have seen on the Forum so far. I've learned a lot and hope to learn a lot more in the future!

Stan (CT Rider)

[Kevan]

Stan

[OldDog]

:banana: :banana: :banana:

[norcalbiker]

:bike: :bike: :bike:

WELCOME!!!

:bike: :bike: :bike:

[Cadence230]

Yo.

[William]

I see ya from our neck of da woods. :beer:


Welcome brother. ;)



William

[CT Rider]

I see ya from our neck of da woods.

My brother-in-law has rode the "Flattest Century In The East" for about the last 7 yeears. I and a couple of my weekend warrior riding buddies are planning on doing the 2006 century. From what my BIL tells me it sounds like a lot of fun.

[davids]

Fierte IT! Great! You're the first I've heard of to buy one. It's on my short list, and I'll be making the selection soon.

Why did you choose this model over others? I need input, man!

Welcome to the board.

[CT Rider]

Why did you choose this model over others?

David,

When the Serotta Fit Tech did the fit on my Litespeed he found that basically I am a) long in the inseam and short in torso and b) my riding posture has more of a "hunch-back" as oppossed to a classic riding position where your back is almost parallel to the ground. With my Litespeed Classic the handlebars had to be brought up quite a bit - in fact we needed to replace the stock all carbon fiber Reynolds fork with an Easton model which has an aluminum steerer. I have a good 2.5"+ of spacers to raise the stem to the proper height. Bottom line is the traditional flat top tube geometry bikes did'n't seem to be a good match for me. The fit tech said I really should lean towards a frame design with a sloping top tube to reduce the top yube length given my shorter torso. The major candidates were: 1) Trek Pilot, 2) Litespeed Siena and 3) Serotta Fierte/Nove. I was looking for a higher-end frame and (my apology to Trek fans/owners) couldn't see spending that much money on a Trek. My fit tech looked at the Litespeed Sienna and determined the head tube was still too short and would require a fork with an alloy steerer for safety/support. Given my level of riding I couldn't justify to myself (OK, I couldn't convince my wife!) spending the extra money on the Nove compared to the Fierte IT. I decided on the Fierte IT instead of the Fierte Ti based on my desire to get the "best of both worlds" from a ride/performance standpoint.