why do you ride what you ride?

[vqdriver]

i've been on these boards for a few months now and have picked up on a few things.

1- forumites love boutique builders, ie crumpton, kirk, sachs

2- forumites not only appreciate, but covet beautiful 'traditional' frames. especially anything with custom lugwork

3- you like lugs

4- forumites tend to be 'older' and 'wiser'

i guess the first three all kinda go together. :D
but considering the obvious wherewithal that some forumites possess to be waiting in 6 year lines for a $6000 richard sachs frame, why do you ride the bikes you ride? is the primary factor comfort? craftsmanship? beauty? race-worthiness?

i'll tell you that i'm 34 years old. i have a 1yr old son and wife who's more of a swimmer than a biker.

i have a steel fierte built up with 8sp DA, and a time vx edge with 2008 chorus. the fierte was a replacement for an aging lugged bottechia that was my college racer and is still in my garage. i no longer race, but enjoy riding for completely different reasons now.

the ride quality of the time frame is good, muted and floaty is the what i call it. i'm a heavy rider, but she rides firm and strong. flex? i have no idea, but i can't feel it and it's certainly much less than the bottechia of columbus sl. going from lugged steel to lugged carbon, i'm not sure if the differences are all that obvious. but the ride is quiet. if the campy wheels weren't so loud i'd just coast down every hill and enjoy the breeze. it is my primary ride.

but honestly, when i bought the time frame (which for me was no small investment) i was going almost entirely on reputation and recommendations. there was almost nothing meaningful i could discern from short test rides. i've grown into the frame, tho it remains more bike than i probably need.

how about you?

[jbl]

Fit, looks, grouchiness, and money? How's that. I got my bike to see how I'd like a smaller frame/shorter top tube. I also wanted to try a steel frame (previous bike was a stock off-the-shelf alu job)...and Campy. I bought it because it was about the right size, and had lots of shiny chrome. It gives me grief from time to time (can't take the wheel out without deflating the tire), but I do love it. It's not the last bike I'll ever own --- I like bikes too much to have just one --- but it's a keeper. I'm sure I'd be sad if I ever let go of it.

Now, it's got lots of memories associated with it.

[chuckroast]

Good questions. I can only speak for myself but I like lugged steel bikes because that's what I grew up on and I enjoy how they ride. I've owned aluminum bikes and they were ok and I've ridden carbon rentals and they were ok also. I currently have two lugged steel bikes from the '80's that I ride regularly.

That said, my daily rider is a non-lugged titanium Serotta. I enjoy it for it's long distance comfort and sprightly ride. I'll never sell it and I've joked to my wife that it will outlive me and two more owners.

So uh, what size is your Bottecchia? Is it just gathering dust? :)

[vqdriver]

size 54, and it's in the time box :D
was thinking of rebuilding it for something, haven't decided.

[1centaur]

A slippery slope of discovery - loved the angles on Colnago but wanted a different TT length and the pleasure of custom paint, plus I knew I wanted carbon fiber, owned a Calfee already (which won the test ride battle vs. Trek and Seven) and did not want to pay Parlee money (looks cheap now), so took a gamble on that rookie Crumpton. Good gamble, made me bold about custom - added a Moots custom because I think dbrk got the word "resonance" in my head; added a Parlee custom because I wanted to have all three great American CF bikes to compare; picked up stock bikes I was curious about like the first Six13, the 585, the F4:13 and the Idol. Looking back, it was mostly looks and angles that made my decisions final; I am pretty easy to fit and I settled on CF as the only material I cared about (which added elements of curiosity about the myriad different ways CF could be done).

[vqdriver]

funny thing is that you elected against the colnago because of paint. :D
their sunflowers are dreeeaaamy. wifey wanted it just for the pictures..

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . the store I shopped at had 'Nagos that were all painted like the little cars on the carnival ride at the county fair. Loop de loops and logos all over and neon colors and that little guy on the top tube that you were looking down on all the time. Yuck! I wanted a bike to ride for years and I could simply could not imagine myself looking at any damn thing that's so ugly for all that time. All I could think of were all those neon yellow/green Treks that looked so different and cool in the 1980's that now looked so absolutely ridiculous.

I picked my Legend in 2001 because all the Serotta's at Wheelworks in Boston were flawless in fit and finish and the Legend I rode handled like a dream after my aluminum Vitus with aluminum fork that I'd had for 17 years. The Seven Axiom also handled like a dream, but a one color paint job was something like $350 extra and the bare ti frame looked like something that had come out of a Soviet tractor factory circa 1942 bound directly for the front to hold back the Nazi tide.

For the extra $300 I paid for my custom Serotta paint job I got a CUSTOM paint job that looked like I wanted it to look on the bike that handled like a dream with fit and finish that looked like a piece of jewelery. I put in 47.5 miles on it tonight and it still looks great and still handles like a dream!

BBD

[BoulderGeek]

...because when I rode my stock Nove at a Demo Day, I didn't want a nwe bike, could't afford a new bike, but I came back with a huge smile on my face. I swore that I wasn't buying another expensive bike (even used).

But the ride was sensational. And I had to have it. And I love every ride on it.

There is prestige to having the Serotta name (as there is with the other custom builders with whom this forum is aware). But, even with no decals or badges at all, the ride is truly different and works for me like nothing else has.

[rounder]

I have ridden serotta steel bikes since 1991 (owned 2 most recent was 2007...still have both). I got my first one because that was what Coors Light was racing on at time. Got my second one because i wanted to see what a modern bike was like. During the time, noticed that the bike was trustworthy going down hills and around corners. Liked the way the graphics looked. After awhile, noticed that bikes come and go but everyday i like what i got...still got both. I can afford what have got, but if i had an unlimited budget i would ride everything cool out there to see what they all were like including more exotic serottas. For now, super happy with serotta.

[MarleyMon]

I went to a Fall sale w/ a friend who was shopping for a new bike. They had a steel Fierte that I rode and loved. I had (and still have) a 1.5 year old C'dale Cad5 that worked great, but the Fierte was a qualitatively better ride - smooth, solid - really nice.
I found my way to this board and started researching Serotta. After a few months I went to the local shop and had a session w/ a great fitter.
After many months I found a great deal on an all steel ('04) Fierte w/ uncut fork and a warranty card (on ebay from a Serotta dealer).
I built it up w/ many parts from this forum and have 800 miles on it since early May.
Its a wonderful ride - put together for less than a new low end (insert big brand).
A steel Fierte is a great ride for me - get yours dusted off!.

[Louis]

Because it gets the job done. Inexpensive frame when I bought it. Stiff. Handles well. Don't have to worry about it. Haven't had a chance to build up one of my other frames.

[Frank]

Sold my vintage 9 speed parts and frames so there is no going back for me. I really like the ride of my Specialized Tarmac Elite and look forward to getting in some longer rides soon.

[rwsaunders]

Frank....you are Specialized. Can you say that with an Italian accent? :cool:

[stuckey]

I am down to a Surly LHT and a IRO fixed gear. I ride them because I am waiting on a frame and because they are cheap and have no resale so I am stuck with them... Need to start a collection again.

[PacNW2Ford]

'69 Sting Ray > '73 Continental > '91 Paramount OS > '98 Waterford 2200

[bigbill]

My purpose for riding has changed over the years. I started as a MTB'r who bought a road bike to work on my fitness base. I eventually moved away from MTBing when I lived in South Carolina and started racing road bikes. I commuted in the late winter and early spring for base miles but did all training rides and races from March until September. My bikes were about speed and handling with comfort, fit, and finish being the lowest priority. Now that I am older with more responsibilities, the majority of my miles come from commuting. My commuter is a Gunnar Crosshairs which is welded steel with a steel fork. My special bike for the weekend and the occassional group ride is a Pegoretti Big Leg Emma. I also have a project bike I am building up which is a Merckx MX Leader. Everything is campy including the commuter.

If I ever decide to get serious about racing again, I would probably buy a sloping geometry aluminum frame with a carbon fork. The only criteria would be the geometry and the willingness to crash it (cheap).

If I ever get the "wants" for a new special bike, it will be a Serotta. My midlife crisis will be <$10K.

[Elefantino]

That's easy ... because Serotta pays me.

I am available to the highest bidder. :D

[cadence90]

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[cadence90]

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[soulspinner]

Looks like there are a few Scott Addicts around too with Sram Red :)

[Ti Designs]

My bikes have always been the answer to "I need something to ride". Over the years my position came to where it is now, which meant custom. in the late 80's I was working at Wheelworks when I had Peter Mooney build my first custom. We took the position of my last two racing bikes and built a frame which put everything in the center of it's adjustments - which was something new for me, and it had to be stiff enough. There was no going back from there. Knowing this and racing full time, I had Peter build me a second frame just like the first one. I got a dozen good years out of those. At some point I realized that everyone else's bikes were at least 2 pounds lighter than mine, and people were starting to laugh at my downtube shifters. I had Seven build me up a bike with the same geometry as my Mooneys, and I rode that until it didn't work any more (long story).

This brings me to 2004 where I'm a divorced (in serious financial trouble) ex bike racer with a broken Seven and a Dura-Ace 9-speed kit. I needed something custom, I needed it soon, and I needed it cheap. That combination didn't exist, so with a little help from Andrew we convinced Serotta to come up with a new model. It was a custom version of the Fierte with certain allowences on tubing. At first it was called the Chimera, and mine is #003, later the name was changed to La Corsa. It was the cheap Serotta at the time, now dropped off the bottom of their list, but it fit me which made it better than anything I've tested out.

[Delpo]

My Colnago E1 because it is a monocoque that I can afford and it is the fastest bike I have ever ridden. The stiffness of that frame is amazing.

The Colnago C50 because I could get an all day machine that is very versatile for all types of terrain. Colnago also custom painted it for me in my favorite red wine carbon tint. I can think of the reward while I am suffering.

My Serotta HSG IT because it is a badass race machine with rails. This bike knows where it needs to go before I know...

Echoing some of the thoughts it is the combination of need, lust, and size of performance bonus.

[johnnymossville]

I ride what I ride because it was cheap enough that my wife gave me permission to buy it without too much of a fuss.

[paczki]

I want a Kalavinka because of the head badge. I'm that petty. Would someone please give me one?

[Fixed]

i ride a fix gear i ride in the flat city that is all i need ..

for road racing i have a great race bike a pacenti
cheers

[AndreS]

Cannondale T700, ca 1995. I wanted a bike for commuting to work, after I crashed and totaled my '86 Fuji Del Rey (on which I had been commuting).

Mondonico Futura Leggera. I call it "my equivalent of the mid-life crisis little red sports car". I don't race/never have raced/don't feel a great need to race. So, comfort was #1. But I did want something racier than the T700. And something nice for my 40th b-day.

I test rode a Serotta Ottrot w/the pivoting stays (ST stays??) on one of their demo days, and it still stands out in my mind as the most amazing bike ride of my life. However, I didn't want to spend upwards of $10k on a bike. I liked lugged steel just because I liked the look, so I started looking around and liked the description of the "stage race geometry" and the detail on the manufacturing methods of the Mondonico on the Torelli website. I managed to hit one of A. Mondonico's tours, and got measured for my bike by himself. 4 yrs down the road, still happy (although it still isn't quite as nice as that Ottrot, at 40% of the price).

[Peter P.]

I ride what I ride because it fits and it hasn't broken yet.

I bought my frame (a 1984 Trek 660-a mix of Reynolds 531 and Tange #2) because my previous frame was handbuilt by a hobbyist friend and the frame wasn't straight and couldn't be straightened. It drove my nuts. When the Trek became available, it was only a year old and used, and the price was right-200 bucks with the fork.

It is now 24 years old, it's been repainted twice and rust has decimated the top tube and put two holes in it, but it won't die. As long as this frame fits and is in one piece, I can't justify a new frame. NEW will not make me faster, a better rider, or make me enjoy cycling more because it's not the bike that makes my cycling fun, IT'S THE CYCLING WHICH MAKES MY CYCLING FUN.

I DO lust after a new custom steel frame, but it will have to wait until my frame fails, and there's no feeling like being able to justify such an expenditure because your frame died.

[girlie]

That's a great question......
I ride a Fuji Team Issue hand built in Australia. I don't even really know what that means;)
It was the old Team Mercury bike....which I know for a fact the guys loved! Even repainted a few the next year to race them and not the new sponsors bike.
Scandium with Chorus (1st generation) 10 speed:)! All shiny and pretty!
This bike is a machine and I love it! Wish it was prettier but I like the utilitarian aspects of it. Now that I'm not racing.....I'd love a beauty.

[jbl]

I DO lust after a new custom steel frame, but it will have to wait until my frame fails, and there's no feeling like being able to justify such an expenditure because your frame died.

Hopefully you've measured that baby up so you can take the numbers to your framebuilder of choice. I need to get around to that. "Just make me another one of these!"

[ThasFACE]

I ride a Spectrum because the build process is awesome, TK is a seriously solid dude and the bike is killer. KILLER.

[maunahaole]

I'm currently riding an old Merckx ti bike. It was a deal I couldn't pass up on the big auction place, and ti makes sense as I do the majority of my riding near the ocean and the salt air does a number on just about everything.

[Ahneida Ride]

Legend Ti Rapid Tour

Why ... ?

Exemplary Quality
Predictable manners, comfortable yet responsive
Will last in Perpetuity
Serotta Customer Service
Great LBS, Mtn Cyclo in Vt.

The Legend Ti is a prime candidate for the best all around bike out there.

[fierte58]

If you really don't know the provenance of your frame- and I can't tell if your emoticon was ironic or not- it was likely built by Peter Teschner, one of Australia's mosy highly regarded builders.

He now works in Queensland, but used to work from Port Macquarie on the north coast of New South Wales. Forum member and all round great guy Rustychisel has a beautiful blue Teschner scandium frame which was originally built for Aussie pro and current tdf rider Mark Renshaw. There is a pic of Rustychisel's bike on the forum in the "in praise of aluminium" thread, if I remember correctly.

[Kervin]

Why I ride what I ride.

I really like looking at lugged, flashy, Italian steel frames. The stiffness, springiness, and tiny lugs of a EL OS bike is just perfect to me. What I ride now is a Scandium Merckx SC. Why do I ride that, because I talked myself into getting rid of my steel ride. Like most things that go wrong with getting bikes, it started with a project. Innocently enough, I wanted a gravel road bike. I got some brand X alum cross frame, built it up with some parts I had around, put on the biggest 10s cassette I could find and then some 32mm tires. The down slide started after the build - the bike felt about 4 pounds lighter than my EL OS record Coppi! The weight thing kept eating at me until I sold the Coppi and got something lighter - the Merckx. The Merckx is the smoothest, most comfortable road bike I have ever ridden. When I'm riding it, it is like the frame disappears beneath me (I know, that has been used 100's of times). It is so easy to ride this bike hard. Here in lies the problem, I what I want is something that is more of a challenge to control. I know it is not going to make me faster, but I miss the "wild" side of frames I had in the past. Steeper angles, less rake, shorter wheel base - I don't know what needs to be different for me to love a frame rather than just like it. I dream back to when I had a green, yellow and white Carrera Zeus, if it would ride the way I remember, that would be my dream bike. Than again, things are not always the way you remember them.....

[Lifelover]

What I ride came about mostly because they were cheap and I'm a impulse buyer. It has developed slightly and kinda has a purpose now.

The bike that got me back in the saddle is a old Cdale Beast of the East, rigid MTB geared for the road. Got it on ebay for around $400 and to this day it is the bike that is ridden most frequently.

I than wanted a road bike and tried an older Cdale 3.0 but hated it. Found a Airborne Zeppelin on ebay and it became my bread and butter "fast" bike.

At some point I decided I wanted to try all the materials and different "fits". Was pissed at the wife one Sunday morning and on a Impulse bid on and won a CF Aegis Aro Svelte. It has bolt on drop outs and came with 130 vertical and 120 mm rear facing horizontal. After a year or so riding it geared I converted it to SS.

I local forum member had a lugged steel Curtlo on ebay and I won it for around $175 (f/f/hs). Built it up with a Dave Thompson provided build kit. Had less than $500 in it. It has been my main ride (milage wise) up until this winter. I'm in the process of striping it for paint so I'm back on the ill fitting Airborne.

Wanted a commuter/tourer so I got a Redline CX bike on the cheap from a forum member. It was too big and I hated the handling.

GVH had a Slawta built steel tourer sitting around for quite a while and Tom gave me a great deal. Been riding it with campy for the last few months. Best handling, most stable bike I have ever ridden.

My latest plan to complete the my stable by replacing the Airborne with and USA made Ti or multi material bike. There are ZERO funds available for this now but I hope it to be a used Legend or maybe even an Ottrott. If I can never get the funds together for a Serotta, a Ti or CF/Ti Lemond might be the ticket.

In the end I want to have a USA made bike in all the primary materials. I'm counting my Cdale MTB as my Alum bike for now. If it were ever to crack and fail I would have to consider a Alum Cdale road frame or maybe an older Klien.

What I ride and what I like to look at are not the same. For the most part I'm pretty unconcerned with the look of my bikes. While I do enjoy the look of something like a classic Sachs with the JB painted team colors, I don't want the responsibility of owning it.

[Samster]

reason=dario.

[TAW]

The first serious bike I had was a Serotta CSI which I liked, but it was too long in the TT. I now have a couple of Colnagos and some other cheaper bikes, but I like the Colnagos because they fit me well, the angles are good, and I like the way they handle. For my riding, they do everything I want them to do and are good all around bikes.

[SimonC]

I lucked out, perhaps the third road bike I brought was a Merckx Corsa Extra - I loved that thing. I convinced myself to sell it in favour of a Merlin Extralight, but it was too small and just didn't work for me. I went through a few more frames before I found an MX Leader in my size, and I was happy again.

The whole experiment may flounder at this point, because I've just brought an MXM. It was giveaway cheap, and I know for sure I'll like the geometry, but there's still a question-mark over whether I'll get on with the (supposedly flexy front end yet harsh rear end) handling and the fact it's a plastic bike. Some of which may be assuaged by the fact it's at least 4lbs lighter than the MXL.

[frogpirate]

Interesting thread.

I started riding seriously in 2004. At the time I had an acient cheep French 10 speed that weighed in at around 26 lbs. I went to the Cycle Oregon kick-off party in February with my now-wife and got all excited about riding CO. Payed my entry fee and started looking for a bike. I rode everything I could, an Al Orbea with Carbon rear & fork that was a ROCKET, but felt so thin that I could imagine the tube crushing the first time I forgot to unclip. Plus it was out of my price range. The best ride was a Lemond steel frame that was in budget, but my wife does not like Greg and was providing funding so that was out. The same shop (River City Bikes, Portland OR) had some left over 2001 Litespeed Arunburg's that they had bought cheep and built up with Ultegra. Great ride, good price, and they had one in my size. I rode it in CO and for a total of ~ 5K miles.

I am not a featherweight, and the one issue with the Litespeed was the bottom bracket. I was always taking the BB out and cleaning/regreasing it as it would start creaking. The big issue is I like to stand and climb and my 195 Lbs was flexing the bottom bracket. In 2005 we did an Ultra race, with 40K feet of climbing. I needed a climbing bike, and could get a Giant at cost + 10%, so I bought a TCR 0. Great bike, no flex and rides nice. Not particularly inspiring maybe, but I still have it and ride it a lot. Goes up hill better than I do :rolleyes: and it is plenty stiff. I had to put on a wierd stem to get the bars high enough, and the slick CF stem and bars are gathering dust in the garage in favor of AL parts that fit me.

I was doing some Cyclo-cross on an old Mtn Bike, and decided I needed a CC bike, so I bought a IRO single speed. Built it up myself, and love the ride. Have not ridden CC in a couple years, but I love riding the IRO on the street. It's a cheep Taiwan frame and heavy, but has that nice steel ride. No shifting changes how you ride as well, and I like it.

I sold the Litespeed this winter to order my new century bike, a Co-Motion Nor'wester. It's in the garage getting built up with 9 speed Campy brifters, Shimano XTR rear and pretty much no carbon fibre. Once it is done, I need to decide what to do about the Giant; keep it for crit and hillclimbs, or get Slawta to build me a nice racer. :-)

[sevencyclist]

I ride my Richard Sachs because it is the only road bike I have. I waited for over three years without a road bike, and the moment I got on the bike, I knew it was definitely worth the wait.

I spent a lot of time dreaming up of the color schemes and the build, but at the end, it was the ride that made the bike. Of course, the bike is a beautiful thing to look at, and I appreciate how much effort went into the aesthetics of the bike.

I have stopped looking at other bikes and have focus more on riding my bike.

[CaptStash]

I have two biked that I ride consistentlya Felt F1R scamnsium (all Dura Ace) and an IF CrownJewel (Record/Choreus/Centaur). I love both of them, The question though was why? The answer is that they both fell into my lap.

aI started my riding ourney on a LeMond Zurich that was a touch too small for me. As I have grown into cycl;ing I have learned a lot abvout bikes. I knwo that I am not yet at a plavce where I know I have exactly the right bike. I love the handling and suppleness ogf the IF,. And I love the quickness and and ultralight feel of the sub 16 lb. Felt. I can stay on the IF for 60plus without stopping. I can accelarate and climb on the Felt like a rocket.

Why do I ride what I ride? Because riding mirrors lfe. It is a jpourney. At som point I will find what I want really want and get it. For now I keep trying.

CaptStash....

PS: I have a sneaking suspicion that what I really want is a Richie Sachs and that it is slipping out of my grasp. Life wortks that way, yet I am still wistful.

[legacysti888]

I ride to escape from reality and it is my only therapy that keeps me sane.

It releases all my negativity and stress for the day and absorbs all the goodness from exercise.

I love lugged steel, aluminum and carbon and stainless steel and I have owned everything in between at any one point in my life.

It has been a blessing that I can still ride, but no longer competitive ever since I endured bi-lateral knee surgery.

[vqdriver]

I ride to escape from reality and it is my only therapy that keeps me sane.

It releases all my negativity and stress for the day and absorbs all the goodness from exercise.

I love lugged steel, aluminum and carbon and stainless steel and I have owned everything in between at any one point in my life.

It has been a blessing that I can still ride, but no longer competitive ever since I endured bi-lateral knee surgery.

+1 to all of the above.
i too used to compete. but no longer for me due to omnidirectional weight gain.

[beungood]

I ride a '04 Specialized Allez comp Cromo (Foco steel) that was recomended by Forumite William after looking at many. The minute I saw it I had to have it. after a test ride ,it was the best out of many I tired out. I love riding this on my shorter loops but seem to be be sore on longer ones. But I can't seem to get rid of it in spite of offers when I go the LBS.

My other bike is a Spectrum custom based on a Softride beam that used to be Znfdl's old bike. I was difdferent looking and I thought why not. I love this bike and can ride forever on it. its fast on flats and downhills and I like this for all day rides. I kind of like this for when I get a weekend off. Dont think I can sell this one either.

Have one redline frameset hanging not yet built.

I have plans for a cyclocross/all around Zank after seeing william's rig. Something to look forward to....




I have a Zank in my plans at some point ,but just cant seem to part with either of these.

[fourflys]

I currently ride a Rivendell Bleriot lugged steel. I got the Bleriot because I wanted to try a quality steel bike and I really liked the looks of lugs and Rivendell paint. I'll have to say though that I'm not really head over heels in love with the Riv, it's an ok bike for just crusing around and commutes but that really about it. I recently picked up a Soma Smoothie ES to try (and because the Riv feels a little big) and found a frame crack while building it up... I'm working with the seller (bought on CL) to try and get the frame replaced.

I've been really jonesing over a high end steel or ti bike though....which is why I'm hanging out at the Serotta site! :)

Chris

[darylb]

I ride my Coeur D'Acier (Sierra Nevada team bike) because I found it on ebay for a great price. It is a way better bike than the Lemond it replaced. It isnt a perfect fit but it works and its purty.

I dont ride a Kirk because I dont have the money. Maybe the bailout plan will include a custom bike voucher. :banana:

[14max]

In theory, I have two bikes (both are getting painted). The first is a Kirk which I bought based on Dave's reputation and the work I've seen here and elsewhere. The second is a Serotta Colorado II. I bought it based, again, on reputation, having had a great experience with a previous Serotta, and the $500 pricetag. It's also unique being 1/2 lugged and 1/2 fillet brazed. Further, it's within 1/2 centimeter and degree of the custom geo that Dave built into my Kirk.

Both bikes are similar but different. The Kirk can handle fenders and the Serotta can't. The Kirk is modern, the Serotta was built in 1990. I'm certain the ride qualities will have that 'same but different' feel as well.