Serotta: Return of the Legend

[benb]

Originally Posted by dvs cycles

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.

[Baron Blubba]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

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.

[572cv]

Concours, Fierté, Mevici, Colorado….wife and I have four Serottas, two each, none of which ever seem to be disposable. N+4…

[Baron Blubba]

Originally Posted by Talrand

$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.

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

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.

[glepore]

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?

[Kirk007]

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

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . 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

[texbike]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

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

[Blown Reek]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

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.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by texbike

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.

[cmg]

Is there a photo of the prototype? Would of been nice if the website had posted one.

[Buzz Killington]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeeDave

. . .

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.

[nmrt]

I'm curious now: Are you sure the butting is done overseas? As in China or Taiwan?
Also, are the titanium tubes US sourced?

Originally Posted by Buzz Killington

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.

[rwsaunders]

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.