Why so little love for Calfee?

[m4rk540]

Originally Posted by John H.

Maybe they have changed- But I put a few together 15 or so years ago.
Too many wonky things and/or details that were off.
Barely enough clearance (or not any clearance), clearance on left side but not right, chainrings that barely clear the stays, head and seat angles not the same as spec'd- that sort of thing.

Are we talking about Calfee or Stinner?

[bfd]

Originally Posted by Climb01742

Is the original premise of this thread even true? Couldn’t you say, equally, why no love for DeRosa? Why no love for Bianchi? Why no love for Pinarello?

There are countless brands we rarely mention. Calfee isn’t unique. Just one name in a long list of brands that, for whatever reason, simply aren’t talked about much.

Calfee isn’t special in that it isn’t special here. Lots of frames snooze here.

I don't know if Calfee is "special," but what made them unique is he was the first carbon frame builder to offer custom geometry on his frames. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, no other carbon builder - Kestrel, Aegis, Trek, Look, Colnago and a few others I can't remember only offered frames with standard geonmetry.

Of course, 90% of the population doesn't need frames with custom geometry. But, someone like Greg LeMond did and why he ended up buying the then Carbonframes brand.

Today, there are many carbon builders who can do customs - Parlee, Nic Crumpton and Appleman to name a few. All of them can also made really nice carbon frames that arguably are lighter and some think better build than a Calfee.

But Craig Calfee was the pioneer back then and that made him unique.

Good Luck!

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by weisan

I bought this Merlin after it sat here for almost a month not getting any love.

And you know what....it's one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Ever wonder why I exercise so much independent thinking (I like clamping my top tube on the bike stand) ?

Because if I don't, I will get sucked into the herd mentality and life experience has taught me that's not always a good thing (neither is the majority view always right).

How the stank did that Merlin sit so long? I’d have bought that if it were my size in a hot minute...

Glad you are enjoying it tho

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

How the stank did that Merlin sit so long? I’d have bought that if it were my size in a hot minute...

Glad you are enjoying it tho

Clean pal, I like it so much that I am seriously considering whether I should go ahead and have Bilenky chop it up and install an S&S coupling on it. I am having wet dreams about riding it in the French Alps and the Pyrenees.

[bobswire]

Originally Posted by fogrider

This. Lots of guys here are steel riders...I have 2 steel bikes myself...but I do love carbon too...for that matter, I love just about any material made into a bike as long as its a quality build and it rides well. Today, with so many options and choices in material, builders, etc., to choose from, it's tough to compete with so many great bikes out there.

Don't get me wrong I've owned at least 3 CF frames, Trek Madone, early Look and a sweet Pedal Force QS3 import (that was a nice ride picture below) but none of them ride like a steel frame for my liking, different strokes. I've also owned a Moots, Seven and 3 Merlin Ti frames (4 of those frames I resold here), loved them but steel is still my fav.

[oldpotatoe]

Ever wonder why I exercise so much independent thinking (I like clamping my top tube on the bike stand) ?

Glad decent bike shop mechanics exercise ‘herd’ thinking when clamping a bike

[oldguy00]

My Tetra Pro, from around 2001, was one of my favorite bikes ever. I thought the lugs were sexy as hell, and I had wanted one for 10 years after seeing LeMond using one in '90 or '91.
If I were still heavy into road biking, I'd be very interested in the Manta.

[Vientomas]

Luv's me some Calfee

[Plum Hill]

Calfee is buying recumbent company Easy Racer.

[54ny77]

Little love? Calfee's are awesome. Unique, well crafted, and the finish work is really somethin' else. As in really, really somethin'. They're on my very short list to send a frame for refinishing this summer.

[Climb01742]

Originally Posted by bfd

I don't know if Calfee is "special," but what made them unique is he was the first carbon frame builder to offer custom geometry on his frames. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, no other carbon builder - Kestrel, Aegis, Trek, Look, Colnago and a few others I can't remember only offered frames with standard geonmetry.

Of course, 90% of the population doesn't need frames with custom geometry. But, someone like Greg LeMond did and why he ended up buying the then Carbonframes brand.

Today, there are many carbon builders who can do customs - Parlee, Nic Crumpton and Appleman to name a few. All of them can also made really nice carbon frames that arguably are lighter and some think better build than a Calfee.

But Craig Calfee was the pioneer back then and that made him unique.

Good Luck!

I'm sorry. I didn't make my point very clearly or well.

I didn't mean that Calfee frames weren't, themselves, unique or good. They are.

What I tried to say was that, like many exceptional builders, Calfee doesn't get talked about much here. In that sense, Calfee doesn't stand out. It has lots of company in builders that are, for whatever reason, off our collective radar by and large. I don't mean that as a critique or judgement. Just an observation that there's rather a good sized group of fine builders we rarely talk about. Hope that's better said.

[dddd]

I think that there might be a regional aspect to this. A lot of people closer to their factory might make up a larger percentage of owners and of proponents, but this is a place where year-round cycling is more likely and which leaves owners with less time for forums activity.

There is also the marketing benefit of sponsoring racers, where some builders do more than others, and there is advertising and forum participation and sponsorship and things like that which play into it as well.

To Calfee's credit they do have a presence at all of the handbuilt shows that I've attended, and have never made me feel rushed to ask my questions at interbike.

I never knew about the right chainstay clearance issue before now, it might possibly have affected a purchase decision had I known, but that is all in the past at this point in time. I just might even build my first 1x with the very old (#20 serial, and factory-refinished at some point) frameset that I bought from a local triathlete several years ago.

[steamer]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Calfee is buying recumbent company Easy Racer.

Last I heard, the deal wasn't going down. That was as of April 14th. Is your info newer than that?

[Plum Hill]

Originally Posted by steamer

Last I heard, the deal wasn't going down. That was as of April 14th. Is your info newer than that?

No; info from end of March.

[Kontact]

I bought a Luna frame because I wanted something that was reasonably light and rode like carbon fiber, without any of the common downsides of carbon construction. Calfee's weirdo lug construction is very strong and prevents voids and other problems that can cause poor lamination. The Ti dropouts, BB and small parts prevent galvanic corrosion and bonding problems from between materials with different thermal expansion rates. The smaller diameter tubes have thicker, ding resistant walls. It is about the least disposable carbon frame I can think of, and it rides nice.


But it is very conservative, and conservative is usually the realm of metal frames.