Two new models from Hampsten

[MattTuck]

Saw these two on his blog today.

http://hampsten.blogspot.com/

il carbonario
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uCY96Ze83w/UulGrwTAw-I/AAAAAAAADJs/ZQxzHOmO45w/s1600/MagliaRosa_1221_0187.jpg

superissimo
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g2PeKXc9uyw/UulE1xJPLpI/AAAAAAAADIY/3x--qMFIt_k/s1600/MagliaRosa_1221_0845.jpg

Interesting new type of products for Steve, too bad about the 190 lb weight limit on the steel superissimo.

[christian]

Awesome.

Shame about the PF30 on the steelie.

[Pete Mckeon]

Dictates wight limit. just get Steve to use a heavier gauge tubing for your weight or intended riding:banana:

[Joachim]

Dictates wight limit. just get Steve to use a heavier gauge tubing for your weight or intended riding:banana:

I'm pretty sure these are stock frames.

[eddief]

my wallet is glad my curiousity does not care about new bottom bracket standards and oversized headtubes.

[roguedog]

oooh.. good catch christian.

can anyone explain to me what these bikes are or rather, how they're different than the other bike models they have (besides the sb and the travellissimo)?

sorry i must be really obtuse..

[54ny77]

Nice & simple honest explanation. Sure beats a "curated" bike of similar pedigree/hype/marketing:

"Il Carbonario. From Columbus Tubi and ADK Technolgy comes the Columbus Genius carbon frame which we sprinkle with magic Maglia ROSA dust, add an Enve 1.0 tapered fork, sexy-up with our own paint and decals and, voila! - Il Carbonario. No, we didn’t make it ourselves and yes, it comes from a country where one might have noodles-not-pasta for lunch but we’re impressed with the quality of the frames we’ve seen from ADK and the fit, design, and geometry of this frame is right on the money - thanks, Columbus! If you’re looking for a light/strong/comfortable carbon racebike that won’t break the bank but will provide a good alternative to all the GianTrekalized bikes out there we think you should be on this. In limited sizes and availability, two colors - $2600."

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xBin0Ta6LPw/UulGkVWfEWI/AAAAAAAADJM/h_pbrHlpDG4/s1600/MagliaRosa_1221_0127+-+Version+2.jpg

oooh.. good catch christian.

can anyone explain to me what these bikes are or rather, how they're different than the other bike models they have (besides the sb and the travellissimo)?

sorry i must be really obtuse..

[Pete Mckeon]

:mad: "In limited sizes and availability "


sorry:)


pete

[MattTuck]

Nice & simple honest explanation. Sure beats a "curated" bike of similar pedigree/hype/marketing:


Yep, a little honesty goes a long way. Would be interesting if Steve could elaborate on the reason for this addition. Was it customers asking for carbon? I'm kind of glad that they have a different name on the downtube, unlike some other outsourced frames that still carry the original builder's name.

If I didn't mind internally routed cables, and was in the market for a carbon frame, I'd look at this very seriously... like he said, a nice alternative to the big name carbon offerings.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I remember Steve was designing some Parlee-manufactured carbon frames for a while. An affordable Hampsten carbon frameset, with an Enve 1.0 tapered fork? Who knew?

Anybody know anything about ADK? Frame looks familiar.

[phcollard]

Anybody know anything about ADK? Frame looks familiar.

The carbon frame is a Columbus Genius (http://www.columbustubi.com/eng/4_5_3.htm) that if I understand correctly is supplied raw with no paint? And Steve swaps the Columbus fork for an Enve.

Marinoni in QC also sells this same frame with minimal paint but original fork for CA$2275 (which with our super weak dollar makes what... US$2k today?)

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/html/Genius.html

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/Images/Bikes/Genius.jpg

[Kirk Pacenti]

I dig the olive paint!

[beeatnik]

I'm a cheap bastard, but I'm thinking the fork, paint, nostalgic myth-making and straight-dealing is worth a $1600 up-charge (value added) over china carbon.

[hampco]

I dig the olive paint!

Thanks, Kirk!

And Philippe is correct: Genius frame with a $500 paint job and a $450 (at retail) Enve fork. I feel just fine about what I'm charging.

There are a few things at work here and I'll try to explain the thinking. Please keep in mind that this is an early stage of the project and it may end up somewhere totally different in a few years. My desire is to sell a few more bicycles a year while at the same time stepping away from some of the hand-holding and one-on-one interaction that my current bikes require. So the idea of bikes built to a size chart started making sense as did the idea that some of these may come from Asia or other builders in the US - and some might be projects that I simply don't want to offer as customs. And I never wanted to read that "Hampsten is having frames built in China".

I also want my co-workers - Max, Adam, Martin - to have skin in the game and to have some design input. Another aspect is that I want these to be bikes that don't look like "custom" bikes per se but rather look like bikes you may find in your local high-end bike boutique. And, if fact, some of them may end up being sold in bike shops if things go well.

So thanks for your responses and I'll be paying close attention to what folks say about these. I think you'll see some good ideas - and good bikes - come out the brand but I also want to hear what people say about the bad ideas! While no one was asking for Chinese carbon frames or the latest tubes from Columbus, these are simply ideas I have been interested in and wanted to work with. I have put in many miles on the carbon frame and I'm quite happy with the ride, handling, and construction - and with the silly wheels it is quite light. The steel bike I haven't ridden yet but as soon as the weather shapes up I will. It feels like we have two winners here for a small subset of the market but only time will tell.

Cheers,

Steve

[firerescuefin]

I'm a cheap bastard, but I'm thinking the fork, paint, nostalgic myth-making and straight-dealing is worth a $1600 up-charge (value added) over china carbon.

Bingo...I'm diggin it!

Steve and his folks always seem transparent/are straight shooters in their business practices/ niche of their industry.

[Climb01742]

Thanks, Kirk!

And Philippe is correct: Genius frame with a $500 paint job and a $450 (at retail) Enve fork. I feel just fine about what I'm charging.

There are a few things at work here and I'll try to explain the thinking. Please keep in mind that this is an early stage of the project and it may end up somewhere totally different in a few years. My desire is to sell a few more bicycles a year while at the same time stepping away from some of the hand-holding and one-on-one interaction that my current bikes require. So the idea of bikes built to a size chart started making sense as did the idea that some of these may come from Asia or other builders in the US - and some might be projects that I simply don't want to offer as customs. And I never wanted to read that "Hampsten is having frames built in China".

I also want my co-workers - Max, Adam, Martin - to have skin in the game and to have some design input. Another aspect is that I want these to be bikes that don't look like "custom" bikes per se but rather look like bikes you may find in your local high-end bike boutique. And, if fact, some of them may end up being sold in bike shops if things go well.

So thanks for your responses and I'll be paying close attention to what folks say about these. I think you'll see some good ideas - and good bikes - come out the brand but I also want to hear what people say about the bad ideas! While no one was asking for Chinese carbon frames or the latest tubes from Columbus, these are simply ideas I have been interested in and wanted to work with. I have put in many miles on the carbon frame and I'm quite happy with the ride, handling, and construction - and with the silly wheels it is quite light. The steel bike I haven't ridden yet but as soon as the weather shapes up I will. It feels like we have two winners here for a small subset of the market but only time will tell.

Cheers,

Steve

steve,

from what i can see, these bikes make a lot of sense to me. they fill a niche, or phrased more positively, they allow us to scratch a particular itch. sometime you want a high zoot, full monty, ultra custom bike...and the price tag and time-wait that comes with that. but there are other times when you want a more utilitarian tool to ride...at a good price and delivered soon. case in point, the parlee Z5 has been the most sensible bike on the market, IMO, for awhile now. and your carbon offering out-does it, it might appear. cool, very cool.

please keep us up-to-date on progress and announcements, ok? best of luck.

[54ny77]

steve that explanation was like a breath of fresh air. here's wishing you success.

if i was in market for one, i'd go for it over a giadaletrekadized any day.

:cool:

[hampco]

Thanks folks! (and James...)

Based on the input I've gotten here - and some grumbling elsewhere - I think we'll see a second, more robust version of the Superissimo using different tubes, a headset that has some Serotta DNA, and no weight limit. I'm trying to avoid overlap with my existing custom models but I think we can do that as well.

[jmoore]

I hope these bikes sell well for Hampsten. From everything I have heard, they are great people up there and easy to deal with. Steve's post just confirms all that.

[wooly]

I hope these bikes sell well for Hampsten. From everything I have heard, they are great people up there and easy to deal with. Steve's post just confirms all that.

I echo this sentiment. I wish the best to Steve and team. In my mind, they have their custom shop which will scratch the passion itch. But you now have the magia rosa line that can reach a broader audience who want a brand that has some history behind with Andy and affiliated with a team of great guys. I see no reason for success. Best of luck!

[JonSnow]

I think the carbon bike is an excellent idea, and I hope they do make it into a couple small retailers. I'd take this thing over a Trek, Giant, Specialized, etc. any day given equal price points and ride quality parity.

If access to Chinese manufacturing allows for a great small business like Steve has to expand in a market dominated by corporate interests who've been doing it for years, I'm all for it. If I ever add a carbon bike to the stable, it'll likely be an olive green Maglia Rosa at this point.

disclaimer: I ride a Hampsten Max.

[JonSnow]

By the way Steve, what's the size of the demo?

[hampco]

The demos have top tubes at 55cm, saddle at 74cm - my size, oddly enough.

[wooly]

The demos have top tubes at 55cm, saddle at 74cm - my size, oddly enough.

And mine...:eek:

[JMacII]

Something about the carbon frame just makes me a little sad. I appreciate the transparency, yet I can't escape that it's just paint on a generic frame. It seems incongruous that on the one hand you can extol the virtues of fit and tailoring every tube etc etc and then on the other hand just offer a generic frame without even a mention of what makes that frame good, why you selected it, etc. And naming it after the Giro is just...I don't know, tacky. All hail Andy, but this just seems like shameless exploitation. Maybe that's the point; it's deliberately ironic and I'm just missing it.

If I were in the market for another custom, I'd be looking hard at Hampsten Ti. This carbon frame does nothing for me.

[firerescuefin]

Something about the carbon frame just makes me a little sad. I appreciate the transparency, yet I can't escape that it's just paint on a generic frame. It seems incongruous that on the one hand you can extol the virtues of fit and tailoring every tube etc etc and then on the other hand just offer a generic frame without even a mention of what makes that frame good, why you selected it, etc. And naming it after the Giro is just...I don't know, tacky. All hail Andy, but this just seems like shameless exploitation. Maybe that's the point; it's deliberately ironic and I'm just missing it.

If I were in the market for another custom, I'd be looking hard at Hampsten Ti. This carbon frame does nothing for me.

It's neither custom, nor pretends to be, nor is priced to be. It comes in stock sizes (which fit most people quite well) and is aimed at someone considering a Trek, Specialized, Cannondale...insert carbon bike manufactured in Asia. I have a Parlee Z5, and I don't pretend or think it's a Z1, but I love it, it's a hell of a bike, and it was at a pricepoint I could afford.

[staggerwing]

I don't mind what you are doing one iota, and understand how the customization and fine paint will be worth the premium to select customers.

From what I gather these are labeled "Maglia ROSA" as parallel brand, to distinguish from a purely custom Hampsten? If that is the case, I do have a slight issue with the name, and how it seems to suggest Italian pedigree, if not content. Would much rather see an imprint with some other variation of your own name, which suggests the magic that was added was of your own doing, which it is.

[sandyrs]

...without even a mention of what makes that frame good, why you selected it, etc.

We're talking about a blog post, not a page full of copy trying to convince you to actually buy the thing. That will come later and I'm sure it will include far more information.

I think that Steve has earned some trust through his years of building bikes he wants to build and turning down ideas he doesn't approve of (e.g. front derailleur tabs for Ti frames). I would assume that his attitude toward the carbon frame follows the same logic: if he didn't like riding the frame and have some interest in riding it himself, he wouldn't sell it.

[velotrack]

Something about the carbon frame just makes me a little sad. I appreciate the transparency, yet I can't escape that it's just paint on a generic frame. It seems incongruous that on the one hand you can extol the virtues of fit and tailoring every tube etc etc and then on the other hand just offer a generic frame without even a mention of what makes that frame good, why you selected it, etc. And naming it after the Giro is just...I don't know, tacky. All hail Andy, but this just seems like shameless exploitation. Maybe that's the point; it's deliberately ironic and I'm just missing it.

If I were in the market for another custom, I'd be looking hard at Hampsten Ti. This carbon frame does nothing for me.

I would be in this same boat. I'm afraid I feel like this is toward the wrong direction, and while it may be a nice riding frame - it seems like a decision away from what makes people like Hampsten frames, one designed without the input and without the custom fit and feel a custom frame provides. Sure, it is made well, but that goes for just about all the carbon frames at this price point and even below. All this is to me is a carbon frame with some paint, at 2600$.

I like the steel frame though. Nice spec, without a wait (hopefully). Hopefully it's also made in the US.

[teleguy57]

I'm in the queue for a ti Gran Paradiso, with a start date shortly. I have the utmost confidence in Steve & co on the custom side, and as I've talked with Steve about the MR project he's looking to bring his beliefs about what makes a great bike to a larger audience at a less-than-custom price point. Add to that quality standards (vs taking the risk personally via Alibaba or other direct source).

Across the hall there's a similar thread, and in it Steve commented about a carbon SB being under consideration. That excites me.

Everyone has a right to his/her opinion; I for one like the MR marque as recognition of Andy's spectacular win and all his palmares, and think it's a stretch to see it as some allusion to country of manufacture. Last I recall Columbus is still an Italian company...

I think it's great that cyclists have so many options -- the Trek/Giant/spec route, custom builders of all varieties, and folks like Hampco who bring a middle ground. You can choose which works for your vision, values and pocketbook.

I'm eager for outdoor road riding to become realistic here in deep winter WI, although I'm loving the kick-butt ski season were having here.

Ride the bike you enjoy!