Ottrott ST purchase/spec.

[Carpe Diem]

Hi,
I was bitten by the bicycle bug a couple of years ago, being a cycling novice I borrowed (and subsequently purchased) a second hand CSI (Campa Chorus) and have been a Serotta fan ever since, this Winter I want to buy an Ottrot ST. Whilst I ride long and hard and get a lot out of my bike, my knowledge of wheels, tyres, groupsets, forks, headsets etc is very limited. The local dealer (Frankfurt, Germany) has so far been very helpful (not surprising considering the cost !) but I figured I´d log onto the forum in the hope of getting some help from Ottrot riders and people with an encyclopedic bike knowledge, regarding the spec for my new purchase.
Cost isn´t necessarily an option (if a job´s worth doing, it´s worth doing well) but I want a set up that is robust, durable (but light) and will enable me to ride 20 mile sprints (workdays) and 100 mile slogs (weekends), please bare in mind it´s hilly over here in Europe !
I´m 36, 5.11 tall, weigh 73 kilos, I´m not a cycling purist and I leave all maintenance to the guys in the shop, but whenever I get on my bike I give 101%
Thanks in advance for the help/suggestions .......

[spiderman]

parallel lives.
i am also new to biking/road riding in the last 5 years...
going from a lemond alpe du huez as an introductory aluminum frame,
then buying a steel '93 serotta colorado crl with shimano 105s...
...in april i purchased an ottrott st (03) from the serotta website auction
for one third the price and then purchased my LBS owners
one-year old dura ace group (9) with shimano carbon wheelset/sew ups...
i also really like the FSA carbon bars and arione saddle...
i've been totally impressed with the ride
and am well on my way to 6400 miles this year
clocking 20 mile noon sprints and 100 mile weekend trips
enjoying every mile...
there's a 56 cm ottrott st frame/fork on the serotta website,
but the price is still pretty high...
...maybe they'll have another auction...
there's also a great looking ottrott on ebay right now
but it's probably a little big at 60 cm...
keep your eyes open...
and enjoy the ride...

[wisdom-doc]

I too took up cycling several years ago as a result of the wear and tear on my knees from years of running. I'd be happy to share my experience with you, but, I found the process of educating myself about all the new products/technology a rewarding experience worthwhile in itself. I purchased a new 04 Ottrott st after test riding 4-5 upper end bikes. Ride, workmanship, and history affected my decision. I wanted a comfortable yet responsive bike that I would not be tempted to upgrade in a year or two. The fit of the bike I feel is perfect. My riding style would appear to be similar to yours. I'm 5'10'' and weigh 165, train at about 20mph and enjoy rides from 25-100miles. I take pride in my climbing ability and try to improve in this area. The bike: Otrott st red tint carbon, black with gold decals, 04DA10 speed groupo, Topolino clinchers with Vittoria Evo Corsa tires, Campy carbon seatpost, Fizik alliante saddle (gold), Zipp b2 aero carbon bars, Easton carbon stem, Kris King headset, DA pedals, and Shimano flight deck computer. I originally set the bike up with Zipp 404's but found the free wheel chatter annoying. I feel I made no comprimises with this bike and feel it has rerwarded me with the most superb ride I could have expected. Good luck with your purchase and rest assured it will be worth it.

[Wood]

Carpe,
First off, I am way envious! I've visited the Frankfurt area several times and just love it. There must be some incredible rides hidden away in that part of the country that a visitor like me will never know about.

I picked up my '04 Ottrott ST a couple months ago and have logged around 1000 miles on it so far. The speed, comfort and its almost effortless acceleration are definitely worth the money, in my opinion. Except for the crank, I went with the Campy Record 10 groupo because I like the style and the fact that the cables around the handles are cleanly out of site. One decision I made that I'm very happy with and something you might want to consider, (especially given the hilly terrain in Germany), is to take a look at a compact crank set. I went with the FSA compact carbon crank (with a 11-23 cog set) and have been very happy with it. With the compact crank you'll loose a little over 2 MPH at 90 RPMs (approx 31 vs. 33 MPH) with the highest gears, but at the low end you'll gain a lot of flexibility when climbing big hills. There are lot of threads of threads throughout the forum concerning compact cranks, so you may want to take a look. Good luck! Wood

[Needs Help]

First, get fit by more than one Serotta dealer, and hopefully by fitters that have both a long and a distinguished reputation for fitting. Tell both fitters what you want, but don't guide the second fitter towards the measurments of the first fitter--let him come up with his own fit, and you just give him input into whether it feels good or not. After your fit sessions, if there is a big discrepancy talk it over with each fitter, and try to find out why. Then, either get a third opinion, or go with the fitter you trust the most.

If you are going to invest over $8k in a bike, you want to make sure there are no problems.

Good luck.

[MarinRider]

If you're relatively new to cycling, your fit and position on the bike might change drastically as you gain fitness and flexibility. I can ride much longer and lower and in the drops all day than I can 8 years ago. In addition there is no "ideal" fit as different geometry might fit some events better than others.

Therefore if you're going to invest is a good custom bike now, don't be surprised two years from now you want a shorter headtube, steeper seat tube, shorter chainstay or vice versa.

[vaxn8r]

Marin, you are making one of my points about "custom". If you really want a race bike, (and I assume people who buy Serottas want race bikes but maybe that isn't a safe assumption) why not actually ride a real race bike and not fiddle with weird geometry and tall HT's with bars up over the saddle. Get a race bike and get used to it. It will reward.

If you don't want a race bike that's OK too. It'll still be a good bike because it is a Serotta after all. Some people have to have unusual fit positions because of injury. I do believe others are getting steered to ride something other than a race bike because their fitter found they were more comfortable sitting on the fit cycle in the shop upright. "Doesn't that feel good? Let's get you a good comfort bike with a Serotta name on the DT."

Get a race/road bike, get some miles under your belt and see how fun it is to ride a perfectly balanced machine at speed. You can never go back to a comfort bike.

Flame away. It's all supposed to be fun.

[Louis]

Guys,

Carpe D says s/he already owns a CSi, rides long and hard, and has been doing so for “a couple years.” I’d say by now Carpe ought to know what s/he’s looking for from a frame and a fitting done today should be pretty close to the right numbers, if the fitter knows his business.

As far as components go, it isn’t that complicated: For that bike DA if you like Shimano (my choice because of a wider range of gear options), Record if you like Campy, Open Pro rims for the wheels and you’re good to go.

Louis