Serotta Purchase For Racing Help

[ltlfreightcente]

Hello,

Have been monitoring the forums for some time and here is my first stab. Looking for a pure road race bike. Been racing a few years and just max out on all the name brand stuff. I'm 6'4 with long femur bones and arms. The carbon Specialized SL2 I ride now in XL still is too small as is Trek, Cannondale etc. The Felt F1 is close to what I need in terms of size and hear it is a really fast geometry and setup. I'm need @ 60.5 TT.
Is the Serotta HSG the ticket? A few guys have Serotta in Houston but not many. I've read the boards and everyone talks about the ride quality which I've yet to experience. A Serotta isn't cheap. Frame price looks to be about double what a wholesale deal on a Felt would be. Any and all feedback I'd appreciate including the most cost effective method to purchase a Serotta if I go that route.

Dean
www.ltlfreightcenter.com

[nahtnoj]

Have you even been fitted?

What is your stem length?

How have you determined that you need a 60.5TT?

[Ahneida Ride]

Consider a CDA or a custom tig frame from a leading builder.

Serotta can make a kick *** racing frame ..... They just need to know that.

[ltlfreightcente]

I just did a custom fit and my ideal stem length is 130 with the XL Specialized SL2.

It works ok we are just running out of room. Plus, the relaxed angles of the bike appear to be not ideal for a pure race machine.

[Peter P.]

The relaxed angles have little to do with whether a bike is a "race" machine.

The seat angle is used to locate you properly over the pedals.

Races have been won on bikes with a variety of head angles.

Focus on a bike with that top tube length you need. You don't need to buy a higher tier HSG model Serotta to get a race-worthy bike. There's a Colorado Ready Custom that'll fit the bill that costs less. Check out the frame specifications (http://www.serotta.com/assets/documents/2010_ready_custom_geometry.pdf) on the Serotta web site.

I'd highly consider you get LONG cranks for your legs. Lennard Zinn (http://zinncycles.com/Zinn/index.php/components/custom-cranks) is the guru of tall people, since he's a framebuilder and a tall guy himself; it's a passion of his.

[soulspinner]

If money is an issue dont forget to purchase peace of mind with the Serotta, the HSG aint cheap. That being said , if I was racing today I would race an alu bike like the Spooky skeletor and train on a bike like a Serotta.

[AngryScientist]

this is obviously not what you asked specifically, but if budget is an issue, i've heard great things about tsunami custom bikes. this guy builds full custom aluminum bikes, and they're a pretty great bargain, and since the geometry is completely custom, and the builder knows his stuff, you could wind up with a very race worthy machine. just a thought. if you can afford the serotta, by all means, pull the trigger:)

http://www.tsunamibikes.com/home.html

[oldpotatoe]

Hello,

Have been monitoring the forums for some time and here is my first stab. Looking for a pure road race bike. Been racing a few years and just max out on all the name brand stuff. I'm 6'4 with long femur bones and arms. The carbon Specialized SL2 I ride now in XL still is too small as is Trek, Cannondale etc. The Felt F1 is close to what I need in terms of size and hear it is a really fast geometry and setup. I'm need @ 60.5 TT.
Is the Serotta HSG the ticket? A few guys have Serotta in Houston but not many. I've read the boards and everyone talks about the ride quality which I've yet to experience. A Serotta isn't cheap. Frame price looks to be about double what a wholesale deal on a Felt would be. Any and all feedback I'd appreciate including the most cost effective method to purchase a Serotta if I go that route.

Dean
www.ltlfreightcenter.com

http://www.waterfordbikes.com

Custom steel made for you. Got a local dealer?

[nahtnoj]

If the SL2 geometry is the same as SL3, then the TT length of your frame is 60cm.

Are you running a 130 now?

If all you are looking for is another 5mm of reach, there are a lot of ways to get that which don't require the purchase of a new frame.

-140 stem
-bar with more reach
-reposition hoods so they are further away

Where you fitted using the Specialized system? I never have been, but have heard mixed reviews.

I just did a custom fit and my ideal stem length is 130 with the XL Specialized SL2.

It works ok we are just running out of room. Plus, the relaxed angles of the bike appear to be not ideal for a pure race machine.

[Louis]

http://www.waterfordbikes.com

Custom steel made for you. Got a local dealer?

I'm not sure what our hosts think of posts like this, but IMO this is not appropriate.

Granted, Serotta no longer offers an all-steel frame. Nevertheless, you are a Waterford dealer and you are not a Serotta dealer, but you are advertising Waterford bikes on a Serotta forum. Just doesn't seem right to me. (BTW, I have several Waterfords, and love the brand.)

[PaMtbRider]

I'm not sure what our hosts think of posts like this, but IMO this is not appropriate.

Granted, Serotta no longer offers an all-steel frame. Nevertheless, you are a Waterford dealer and you are not a Serotta dealer, but you are advertising Waterford bikes on a Serotta forum. Just doesn't seem right to me. (BTW, I have several Waterfords, and love the brand.)
Do we really need to continue to beat this dead horse? Yea, the forum is sponsored by Serotta. I think we all know and appreciate that. If all we ever talked about or recommended was a Serotta things would get stale pretty quickly. BTW, I love my new Serotta Ottrott.

[false_Aest]

Hommé,

Serotta gets it right when you have a fitter-person who gets it right.

Their bikes are dope. Their bikes are 'spensive. Whatever you need, they'll make it happen. They could probably make a racing geometry trike for ya.

DIG?

Some hommé on the forum always says something like "Don't race something on Sunday you can't afford to replace on Monday."

That dude is pretty wise. People are boneheads during races. Doesn't matter how awesome you are the guy in front probably isn't as awesome.

I hate seeing dudes get sketchy on the last lap. Some cat is nervous and goes too early. Some kids freak and follow. Some tired dude is gonna miss judge something and take someone out. I hate seeing a crash. I hate seeing dudes cry over the bikes more.

Some other hommé is gonna say "Yeah but Serotta offers crash protection."
----

A cheaper bike will probably get you over the line just as fast.
A Serotta is gonna get you over the line in style.

[92degrees]

I believe in training on your race bike. Racing and training are a big time commitment with a lot of hours in the saddle. Might as well be on something you love. I've done everything on my Ottrott -- from office park crits to NRC stage races. I've never regretted it. That said (and with respect to the host) there are a lot of custom builders that seem to be more directly involved in racing now than Serotta. There is no question in my mind that Serotta can build a great race bike -- you will be relying a lot on your fitter to make that happen.

[jmoore]

if I was racing today I would race an alu bike ... and train on a bike like a Serotta.

this.

If you got the legs, then it pretty much won't matter what frame is underneath you.

I've got a 2001 alu Trek 2300 frameset in my garage, 63cm with a 60cm top tube. Throw an Ultegra group on it and it would be a great crit bike. I rode it for 8 years and it looks the part, but it's very solid. Not a lot of cache though. You could crash it and wouldn't be crying like if you crashed a nice new Serotta. I'd let it go cheap if you wanted to go that route. It's just hanging there gathering dust now.

[Louis]

I think we all know and appreciate that.

Apparently some folks need to be reminded every now and then.

[Fixed]

get fitted get fit win some races imho
cheers