Carver Bikes

[Bentley]

Any opinions here? Apparently designed in the US and made in China. Not as cheap as buying in Alibaba or direct but at least you have someone that can navigate the language/culture barrier. Price for custom frame and Whisky fork about $2000 which ain’t bad.

Thoughts, or have I missed this in a previous thread...😀😀

TIA

Ray

[MattTuck]

not sure about that. But there are several well regarded builders in the US that can build for under $2,000.

[foo_fighter]

Custom Ti frame AND fork for less than 2k? Which builders? Habanero is about 1.5K for a stock frame and fork. About 2k for custom.

not sure about that. But there are several well regarded builders in the US that can build for under $2,000.

[mhespenheide]

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=131641&highlight=carver

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=175727&highlight=carver

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=176392&highlight=carver

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=176468&highlight=carver

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=170063&highlight=carver

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=167040&highlight=carver

Eddief is the most visible owner of one on this forum. I'm curious about them, but haven't bought one or talked to the owners/designers.

[MattTuck]

Ti frame AND fork for less than 2k? Which builders?

Oh, got it. Didn't see the Ti specified in the OP. Yeah, that isn't happening.

The three I was thinking of were Rock Lobster, Desalvo and Zanconato.

[Bentley]

Oh, got it. Didn't see the Ti specified in the OP. Yeah, that isn't happening.

The three I was thinking of were Rock Lobster, Desalvo and Zanconato.

If it were Steel or Aluminum these guys are on the list for sure.

There are others, but the Ti thing is the difference. At the end of the day does it really matter if you Chinese, European or American if you can weld Ti properly.

My sense is the big difference is the tubes, straight tubes will be heavier and less lively. You probably get 85% of a high dollar Custom without some of the technology that you get in a domestic Custom.

BTW, I spoke to Davis Carver over the phone, super good guy and seems very customer focused

[sokyroadie]

I have had one for a couple of years, custom Ti for $1200.00 (frame only) is mighty hard to beat. Great service and ride. Highly recommend.

Jeff

[eddief]

Have owned many many bikes and my Carver is my all time favorite. It fits just right and rides smooth and the welds are neat and tidy. Davis has designed hundreds by now and seems to know his stuff.

In fact I rode it 40 miles yesterday after not choosing it for a couple of weeks in favor of the Domane. I got on it and it was like best old friend. The Domane is a bit lighter and seems a bit more quick but the Carver is a bit smoother.

[commonguy001]

A buddy has the Gravel bike they currently sell and I'm pretty sure it's built by Lynskey. He doesn't have many miles on it yet but know he's pretty smitten with everything about it.

[AngryScientist]

At the end of the day does it really matter if you Chinese, European or American if you can weld Ti properly.



i'm not making any judgements about Carver, but making a good bicycle is about much more than welding. the joining method for the tubes is only one facet of what makes a good bicycle.

[sandyrs]

A buddy has the Gravel bike they currently sell and I'm pretty sure it's built by Lynskey. He doesn't have many miles on it yet but know he's pretty smitten with everything about it.

They have two versions, one built overseas and one built by Lynksey. The "gravel grinder" is made domestically. I have a friend who has the all road and he likes it quite a lot as well. They seem very versatile, even if they aren't exceptional at any one discipline.

http://carverbikes.com/frames/ti-gravel-grinder/

http://carverbikes.com/frames/ti-all-road/

[commonguy001]

They have two versions, one built overseas and one built by Lynksey. The "gravel grinder" is made domestically. I have a friend who has the all road and he likes it quite a lot as well. They seem very versatile, even if they aren't exceptional at any one discipline.

http://carverbikes.com/frames/ti-gravel-grinder/

http://carverbikes.com/frames/ti-all-road/

He has the Gravel Grinder version so it's a Lynskey. His drive side chainstay is the same design as my Urbano so I assumed it was built by the same guys.

[campy man]

I think part of the decision should include the intended use and budget.

I put together a custom Carver with a Whiskey fork ... built into a nice Road32 type bike compatible with caliper brakes. Compared to my Legend Ti and a couple Moots I have owned in the past ... the welds aren't as pretty but they are pretty dang good.

I think Davis did a really good job designing the frame and the factory is simply welding per the drawing. I would love a Kish or 333Fab frame but it didn't want to spend +$3K for a frame that would build into a back-up bike.

[Kontact]

A Ti Cycles' semi-custom road frame is $1950. A Columbus Minimal fork is $160 from Henry James. I would pay $2110 for a US made frame and name brand fork before $2000 for a foreign frameset.

[krhea]

I'm a Carver owner and mine was one of the first "customer ordered" gravel frames they built back in 2015. Super easy to deal with and Davis is incredibly knowledgeable. They hit the nail on the head for me. I spent a couple months looking at every gravel bikes geometry at the time. Took what I liked from each, combined them, Davis made some recommendations to fine tune my numbers and build me a great frame that fits like a glove. At the time I owned multiple ti bikes, probably 7-10 and this bike performed as good as any of the other "branded" bikes. I wanted to build a somewhat "budget"( remember, "budget" means different things to different people) ti gravel bike so US builders were off my radar. I spoke to number of very satisfied Carver owners before placing my order and don't regret the order for a minute. I sourced the Lynskey fork years ago...kinda ironic Carver is now associated with Lynskey. Each time I've ordered from them the frame has either been delivered early or literally to the stated date. Now with a direct Lynskey connection I'd guess the product has only gotten better.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5742/21914456288_597fcec5fe_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zovjnf)IMG_7239 (https://flic.kr/p/zovjnf) by KRhea FrzFrmFoto (https://www.flickr.com/photos/krheapvpics/), on Flickr
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[Bentley]

So I have to call Davis back today with a deposit.

My plan is to buy the "Newsboy" frame set up for wide (up to 700x45) canti's. He offered to include the disc mounts on the frame so its "upgradeable". I am going with the Whisky fork.

He did not offer that any of his bikes are built domestically, and he had that opportunity in our chat since I thought they were actually made in Maine. He in fact said that his bikes are made in China, under contract and that the final finish works is done in Maine.

Anyway, that is my plan

Ray

[campy man]

A Ti Cycles' semi-custom road frame is $1950. A Columbus Minimal fork is $160 from Henry James. I would pay $2110 for a US made frame and name brand fork before $2000 for a foreign frameset.

The beauty of Paceline ... lots of good information and choices :beer:

[sokyroadie]

A Ti Cycles' semi-custom road frame is $1950. A Columbus Minimal fork is $160 from Henry James. I would pay $2110 for a US made frame and name brand fork before $2000 for a foreign frameset.

Where are the semi-custom frames made? Website say's welded by trusted subcontractor?? overseas ??

[marciero]

i'm not making any judgements about Carver, but making a good bicycle is about much more than welding. the joining method for the tubes is only one facet of what makes a good bicycle.

There are three- design, materials, and construction, with some overlap of design and materials. But construction is the only one that is on the overseas factory. So assuming the designer has control over the materials, as far as the factory goes, it comes down to just welding. I think at this stage of the game selected Chinese factories have proven to be capable of producing very high quality frames. So the question of domestic vs foreign production comes down to whether the designer has chosen the factory well and can control the process.

[Kontact]

Where are the semi-custom frames made? Website say's welded by trusted subcontractor?? overseas ??

I didn't see that section before:
https://www.ticycles.com/bikes/#custom-vs-semi-custom

And you're right - it might be overseas, or it might be Lynskey. Clearly it would be worth asking if you were interested.

[heartattackride]

Thanks for all the input on this thread. I have seen them often but wasn't feeling to confident of shortlisting until this.

[ColonelJLloyd]

I've said this in other threads, but when I was deciding on an all road frame I was so, so close to choosing the Carver All Road with a steel fork from Clockwork or Hunter. In the end I chose a full on custom steel frame and fork, but the Carver All Road still ticks a lot of boxes and presents a great value for my purposes, and I think those of many others.