Know the rules The Paceline Forum Builder's Spotlight


Go Back   The Paceline Forum > General Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #16  
Old 11-09-2024, 08:42 PM
benb benb is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Eastern MA
Posts: 10,651
Quote:
Originally Posted by dvs cycles View Post
Any idea what the weight is on these? My Legend was nothing to brag about on the scales.
That’s weird. My Concours was very close in weight to the Domane I have now. Right around 17lb. Mine was a large bike too, 59cm top tube. The Domane might be 1/4lb lighter but it’s a smaller size.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 11-09-2024, 09:04 PM
Baron Blubba's Avatar
Baron Blubba Baron Blubba is offline
Vendor
 
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 1,802
Quote:
Originally Posted by CNY rider View Post
I guess a complete bike with Ekar and a nice set of wheels for $14K isn’t completely crazy any more……
It's $14k for a nice bike with Ekar and a cheap set of Fulcrums.

The experience of riding a bike is priceless. This bike seems priced to sell to loyalists and instant-cred seekers. But I don't doubt that it's a very nice bike.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 11-09-2024, 09:07 PM
572cv's Avatar
572cv 572cv is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Vermont
Posts: 2,841
Concours, Fierté, Mevici, Colorado….wife and I have four Serottas, two each, none of which ever seem to be disposable. N+4…
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 11-09-2024, 09:07 PM
Baron Blubba's Avatar
Baron Blubba Baron Blubba is offline
Vendor
 
Join Date: Dec 2022
Posts: 1,802
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talrand View Post
$14k for SRAM Force AXS and alloy wheels sounds pretty good! /s

They must somehow recoup the cost of finding the only web designer who was in coma since the '90s.
Ha, yeah, they're website is a disaster, unless they are going for the 'we're too busy making beautiful and perfect bikes to worry about beautiful and grammatically perfect websites' look.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 11-10-2024, 07:09 AM
CNY rider CNY rider is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Hartwick NY
Posts: 5,261
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baron Blubba View Post
It's $14k for a nice bike with Ekar and a cheap set of Fulcrums.

The experience of riding a bike is priceless. This bike seems priced to sell to loyalists and instant-cred seekers. But I don't doubt that it's a very nice bike.
I hear ya.
I’m not familiar with the Fulcrum line so I figured it was something equivalent to a high end Campy wheel.
Wheels are so vital to the ride quality of a bike, that’s one area nobody should be skimping on.
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 11-10-2024, 08:02 AM
glepore glepore is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Charlottesville Va
Posts: 2,701
I don't wish Ben ill at all. But given that a top tier ti bike is pretty much a top tier ti bike regardless of whether it was built yesterday or a while ago, unless you really want discs and must have 30's rather than 27's or have unusual geo needs, I'd be looking at the used market.

Now for all road or something, those options don't exist, but for a pure road bike, 14k with mech shifting and meh wheels?
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 11-10-2024, 12:02 PM
Kirk007 Kirk007 is offline
formerly Landshark_98
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Bainbridge Island WA
Posts: 4,815
I had a Legend in the 90s - wonderful bike albeit a bit flexy. I hope they find success with this but that price tag, ugh I have my doubts. Back in the day when they could command a premium proce there wasn't a lot of competition in the ti space, but now its quite different - Moots, Firefly, No.22, Bingham etc. And that's just US builders. Purchasers of high end ti bikes are definitelyu aware of Bixxis, DeRosa, Passoni etc and these bikes are easier to get than say 20 years ago.

Seems like a good case can be made that they should be coming in lower, not higher, than the competition on price for an equivalent bike. And if you want the premium cache don't put the bike out there with good, functional, but clearly middle tier components
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 11-10-2024, 12:39 PM
BumbleBeeDave's Avatar
BumbleBeeDave BumbleBeeDave is offline
Post Mod-ern
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: The end of the road . . .
Posts: 19,950
I'm not sure why they have that image still on the site . . .

. . . because if you look around the website, it's pretty complete, thought it isn't modern as tomorrow. But they are not alone in that.

Living only a few miles from the past factory and present studio in Saratoga Springs, and owning two Legends, I'm acquainted with Ben and multiple former and current employees. This exact Legend was on the ride I did the other day and it is beautiful. Also expensive as I mentioned. With custom paint job and Campy wireless about $20k.

They are doing just fine in the new company iteration, definitely selling enough bikes to stay in business, so obviously not too expensive for enough people. Just because you personally have not seen them on the road doesn't mean nobody is buying them. The studio in Saratoga is decent sized but understated and customers often come to Saratoga to be fitted. Instead of making everything in-house, the various stages of construction are farmed out to individual craftspeople who obviously know their stuff. I'm sure Ben is not losing any sleep over the judgments of various anonymous critics on this forum of his website or his prices.

He has made mistakes in the past with his business. I won't argue that. But he has managed to run various editions of his company and stay in business for over fifty years now. How many custom bike builders can make that claim? Maybe E-Richie? Who else . . . That's OK, I'll wait . . .

So I'm just puzzled at the snarky reception the name seems to get every time it's mentioned here in a way I just don't see with other custom frame builders. I've been here since 2003, and for the nine years before we went independent as The Paceline it was the "Serotta Forum" with Ben paying the bills without complaint, and never making any kinds of demands about content or moderating, even while he paid for it to stay online. I know because I was a moderator for part of that time.

If you don't like the new bikes, don't buy one. If you see faults with them, explain intelligently why you feel that way. But have a little class and respect.

BBD
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 800_Clearance_Bikes_Serotta.jpg (70.1 KB, 306 views)
File Type: jpg Blue legend.jpg (23.5 KB, 307 views)
__________________
--- __0 __0 __0
----_-\<,_ -\<,
_(_)(_)/_(_)/ (_)
A thing of beauty is a joy forever--Keats
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 11-10-2024, 12:48 PM
texbike's Avatar
texbike texbike is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 6,161
Quote:
Originally Posted by Baron Blubba View Post
This bike seems priced to sell to loyalists and instant-cred seekers.
Does Serotta really have a reputation or the name-brand recognition at this point to have a dedicated set of loyalists or status seekers to drive significant sales of their creations? We all love Serotta, but for the most part, I feel that it's essentially a dead brand.

Texbike
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 11-10-2024, 01:07 PM
Blown Reek Blown Reek is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1,725
Quote:
Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave View Post
Have YOU run a successful bike building business for over 40 years? When you have, come on back and I'll be happy to listen to your snark.
I'd say more like a good 10 years whose run ended some time in the 90s. During that time, I'd call it successful. Sure ain't been 40 years of success.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 11-10-2024, 03:32 PM
Elefantino's Avatar
Elefantino Elefantino is offline
50 bpm
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pittsboro, NC
Posts: 10,680
Quote:
Originally Posted by texbike View Post
Does Serotta really have a reputation or the name-brand recognition at this point to have a dedicated set of loyalists or status seekers to drive significant sales of their creations? We all love Serotta, but for the most part, I feel that it's essentially a dead brand.

Texbike
If they make a few frames here and there, I can see the appeal for retired or soon-to-be-retired dentists. () But as a semi-major player making many bikes, I agree that it's dead. Time and other manufacturers have passed it by.
__________________
©2004 The Elefantino Corp. All rights reserved.
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 11-10-2024, 05:47 PM
cmg's Avatar
cmg cmg is offline
cmg
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: san antonio, texas
Posts: 4,658
Is there a photo of the prototype? Would of been nice if the website had posted one.
__________________
Cuando era joven
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 11-10-2024, 05:58 PM
Buzz Killington Buzz Killington is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Rosendale NY
Posts: 409
Quote:
Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave View Post
. . .

Instead of making everything in-house, the various stages of construction are farmed out to individual craftspeople who obviously know their stuff


BBD
This is my issue. Serotta doesn’t make ANYTHING anymore. Tubing and butting overseas, tubing cutting/coping/mitering farmed out. Welding and brazing farmed out. Paint farmed out. So strictly a design studio, which admittedly has lots of experience. Wish him the best. Met him in the 80’s when I was a member of the Adirondack Spokes and living in Queensbury. Nice guy and great bikes. Even thought about getting a job there at one point.

Last edited by Buzz Killington; 11-10-2024 at 06:01 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 11-10-2024, 06:10 PM
nmrt nmrt is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,117
I'm curious now: Are you sure the butting is done overseas? As in China or Taiwan?
Also, are the titanium tubes US sourced?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzz Killington View Post
This is my issue. Serotta doesn’t make ANYTHING anymore. Tubing and butting overseas, tubing cutting/coping/mitering farmed out. Welding and brazing farmed out. Paint farmed out. So strictly a design studio, which admittedly has lots of experience. Wish him the best. Met him in the 80’s when I was a member of the Adirondack Spokes and living in Queensbury. Nice guy and great bikes. Even thought about getting a job there at one point.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 11-11-2024, 11:12 AM
rwsaunders's Avatar
rwsaunders rwsaunders is offline
Everything is connected
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Seaburgh
Posts: 11,367
I had a 2000 Legend that I never should have sold, although I found a 2001 CSi a year or so ago that rides just as well and looks just as good. Tough to beat Ti though, in terms of road feel and being able to wipe dried worms from your frame with lemon Pledge.

Lots of knowledge shared and bikes/parts bought and sold on Paceline over the years, and many folks here were brought together by Ben et al through the Serotta Forum. I will always be appreciative of that, so good luck to Ben and his clients and long live the dancing banana.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:05 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.