the c.s.i. how good was it ?

[Fixed]

bro any bike conasewers want to tell how the the csi compairs to some of the steel bikes that the bros are ridding now? like the v.'s ..z'.s..k's.. and the s.'s
cheers .

[saab2000]

My CSI is nice. But not like some kind of Wunder Bike. Rides nicely, non-race bike handling and average torsional rigidity. Mine was from the mid-90s. I suspect the later model CSIs were more rigid.

Mine is nice, but my CIII is nicer.

[Elefantino]

I sold my CSI when I climbed aboard the Specialized Allez Comp Cro-Mo, the last steel bike that Mr. Sinyard made (and the best, he said).

For me, it was night and (all-)day.

Call me a heretic.

[Fixed]

custom is as custom does .. bro are the bikes made for you.?. sabb i know you are a big powerful rider who would need a strong racing frame ..i don't know very much about this stuff but if you had orded the bike and had it made to you would you cats still say that? all my bike come fron the 2nd hand store but maybe new is better some times
cheers imho :beer:

[Hardlyrob]

For me the CSi is the best riding bike I've ever thrown a leg over. Granted I have a bias for steel, and have not spent a lot of time on other materials. Some on Ti, not a lot on carbon as I've never tried one I like even a little, and as little as possible on Aluminum (ugh!). And there are a ton of other variables - wheels, fitness, pedal stroke, terrain etc. that can change anyones opinion of any specific bike.

I'm betting, since these bikes along with the Otrott, Legend, CIII, Atlanta etc. are all designed by Kelly Bedford, that if you are in the normal weight to height range for cyclists, the stock bikes will be well suited to you. As Ben Serotta has said many times - it's all about the tubes. Buying someone else's custom without knowing who it was built for, what's custom about it, and how it relates to your needs / desires is a different game. I think you can always tell a custom Serotta by looking at the serial number on the BB - there's an extra C in it for custom.

Not for nothing, but up to the last couple of years of the CSi Serotta said it was the standard for ride quality among all of their offerings - so it was better than most.

Cheers!

Rob

[Hardlyrob]

custom is as custom does .. bro are the bikes made for you.?. sabb i know you are a big powerful rider who would need a strong racing frame ..i don't know very much about this stuff but if you had orded the bike and had it made to you would you cats still say that? all my bike come fron the 2nd hand store but maybe new is better some times
cheers imho :beer:

What Serotta is doing today with custom and stock versions of similar bikes is what they have done in the past. When I bought my CSi you could buy stock geo or custom. The difference was $100 and several weeks wait time - either one is designed by Kelly B - as good as they get.

Cheers!

Rob

[Bill Bove]

I'd put my close to 20 year old Nova Special X up to anything being put out today.

It's not that Kirk, Sacha and the others are building better bikes today than they were then, it's that the mass produced bikes are dropping so.

[Avispa]

I raced on a CSI back when the Coors Light boys were around... I loved it. I just could never show its real identity, because of sponsors, etc. ;) Sold it after 1992 and soon started to ride/test a Legend Ti... But not before I rode/raced some of Calfee's Carbon Frames.

In late 95, quit riding 'till 2002.... And had new a CSI made in 04.. The bike was lighter, more rigid and had better handling than any previous steel bike I owned. Certainly a much better bike than my 90's CSI... Or the old LandSharks or Calfees... I just sold it to keep up with the Joneses, really!

Here's an old picture of it:

http://129.171.38.97/russ/CSI.jpg

..A..

[Fixed]

bro that's some serious bicycle there
thanks for showing
cheers :beer:

[Ken Robb]

the 58cm. CSI that we owned was agreat ride with F1 fork. The 60cm. Legend with O2 fork was a bit smoother springier vertically. Both stock and as quick handling as I would want. I prefer slightly slower handling bikes ala Rivendell/Hampsten Strada Bianca. Zero BB flex under my 200lbs. Maybe that's because my thighs are 12" around?

[saab2000]

I have to be honest when I say I expected more out of mine. Don't misunderstand. It is a nice bike in all respects - balanced, smooth, etc. But it is not what I had hoped for. The handling is not razor sharp like a race bike. The top tube will shimmy if induced or allowed to start down a hill. It's heavier than I had expected it would turn out. The top tube is not very rigid - i.e. there is less torsional rigidity than I would expect in a bike of this caliber.

It is a step up over the Croll it nominally replaces, but not so much a quantum leap forward as just noticably better. And I had expected a quantum leap.

If all this sounds like damning with faint praise, it's not. This bike would have been great for me in it's day. With the caveat that better handling would be on order. The past two days I rode my Grandis and was once again reminded what really great handling is like. Absolute stability no-handed. Just change direction with the slightest shift of the hips. The Serotta CSI doesn't do that. It feels squirrely when riding no-handed.

[rounder]

I never road a csi but bet that my nhx is reasonably close. I mainly ride my ciii these days, which I like. Both of them are built pretty much the same with record components. We had great weather recently and I was riding my nhx for the past two weeks. To me, everything felt a little more integrated on the nhx (i don't race so take for what it's worth) and still like the way it looks with the lugs and horizontal dropouts. Riding-wise, I think the nhx felt smoother and better going down hills. The ciii felt a little vague (to me) going downhill. The nhx had a steel fork...the ciii had a F3 carbon fork. Going uphill, it was no contest...loved the lighter ciii.

[SPOKE]

i happen to be a fan of the CSI. i own two of them. the first one was built in 2003 with a flat crown steel fork. it's a wondeful riding bike! the steel fork really adds to the personality IMO. the second one was built in 2006 by Kelly Bedford and has an F3 carbon fork. it's also a wonderfull riding bike but a bit different. i'm sure some of the differnce is due to the fork but if i'm not mistaken the tubing is from a different supplier. the newer one feels a bit smoother overall. hope this helps.

[SPOKE]

i happen to be a fan of the CSI. i own two of them. the first one was built in 2003 with a flat crown steel fork. it's a wondeful riding bike! the steel fork really adds to the personality IMO. the second one was built in 2006 by Kelly Bedford and has an F3 carbon fork. it's also a wonderfull riding bike but a bit different. i'm sure some of the differnce is due to the fork but if i'm not mistaken the tubing is from a different supplier. the newer one feels a bit smoother overall. hope this helps.

[saab2000]

This is a recent picture of my CSI. Taken under the influence of Erdinger Hefe-Weizen.

Nice bike. But golldarnit I wish the steering was better. That is my main gripe. :fight:

It needs the 8-cm drop, razer steering of an italian race bike and more torsional stiffness. Then it'd be (close to) perfect.

Looks good though! :D

But at the end of the day, the CSI is a lugged steel bike. Ain't no rocket science or even alchemy here. Well, maybe some alchemy 'cuz this one don't have the magic steering I lust after. Only Grandis and Look know how to do that evidently...........

BTW, Mr. Fixed, I am NOT the big strong rider you imagine. 'Cept maybe a beer Bauch. And fat flabby legs. Big ego, but a follower mostly. A couple o' times I had the legs when it mattered, but mostly I am a wheezer and cougher and spitter and gobber about nr. 12 in line in a 12 man team time trial tuesday night world championships.

[Elefantino]

I have to be honest when I say I expected more out of mine. Don't misunderstand. It is a nice bike in all respects - balanced, smooth, etc. But it is not what I had hoped for. The handling is not razor sharp like a race bike. The top tube will shimmy if induced or allowed to start down a hill. It's heavier than I had expected it would turn out. The top tube is not very rigid - i.e. there is less torsional rigidity than I would expect in a bike of this caliber.

It is a step up over the Croll it nominally replaces, but not so much a quantum leap forward as just noticably better. And I had expected a quantum leap.

If all this sounds like damning with faint praise, it's not. This bike would have been great for me in it's day. With the caveat that better handling would be on order. The past two days I rode my Grandis and was once again reminded what really great handling is like. Absolute stability no-handed. Just change direction with the slightest shift of the hips. The Serotta CSI doesn't do that. It feels squirrely when riding no-handed.
Heretic … :no:

[saab2000]

Heretic … :no:

Realist.

I ride my steeds. Hard sometimes. At the ragged edge you can tell a small difference.

But yeah, it's the legs and lungs at the end of the day.

[Elefantino]

Seriously, I also never felt comfortable riding the CSI no-handed.

Concours? Different story. I barely have to be on the saddle. But it's a stock 62 vs. a custom that wasn't for me.

But I don't ride as hard as you do, probably. I'm looking more for comfort and stability than the ability to translate raw power, because I have none.

[saab2000]

Seriously, I also never felt comfortable riding the CSI no-handed.

Concours? Different story. I barely have to be on the saddle. But it's a stock 62 vs. a custom that wasn't for me.

But I don't ride as hard as you do, probably. I'm looking more for comfort and stability than the ability to translate raw power, because I have none.

It's not about raw power. I don't have that anymore. But handling isn't about that. And the razor sharp steering I am after seems to be an elusive thing.

Putting on a new stem which is longer helped. Lowering the stem helped too. But in the end it is mysterious to me.

I know that the no-handed thing is an odd test, but to me it is a benchmark of stability. Yesterday on the Grandis I am descending a short, sharp hill near Appleton, WI. Sit and and have a drink. Feel absolutely safe at 40+MPH weaving back and forth with just shifts of weight of the hips. Can't do that on the other bikes. And that stability translates to the rest of the hands-on steering too. And at slower speeds too.

This ain't about being a pro. Good steering and handling is something everyone can appreciate at all speeds and ability levels.

My CSI just don't have the black art steering.......

[Avispa]

I have to be honest when I say I expected more out of mine. Don't misunderstand...

Hey Saab,

Was this bike custom built for you? I mean your was your height, weight and riding style taken into consideration when Serotta built this bike?

I also wonder if two riders of different size (a big guy and a small guy, a fat guy and a skinny guy, for instance) and of different riding styles (a climber vs. a sprinter) would feel the same of a bike that was built with similar tubing and geometry to fit each other....

..A..

[saab2000]

Hey Saab,

Was this bike custom built for you? I mean your was your height, weight and riding style taken into consideration when Serotta built this bike?



No. It was bought out of the Classifieds here for a great price. Had it repaired with a new head tube and paint job and it looks like new.

It's a stock 57L and I think it is about a '96 model or so. Fit is fine.

[mflaherty37]

My 05 is solid and at least a 4.5lb 60cm. It doesn't ride as nice as some other steel bikes. The front is less stiff as the drivetrain. It's the best bike I've ridden.

[Fixed]

cool bike
cheers imho