Anyone have a good comparison against the fancy plastic bikes that grace this forum?

Thoughts on Baums in general against say the colnagos, piners, specializeds etc....

Aside from the fact that the paint job is brilliant.

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Just ride ..

I live about 125 miles / 200 km from Baum. I've been on several rides, both road and off-road, with one of their employees so I have seen their road bikes and mountain bikes in action. Baums sure are pretty: they are beautifully made and I was inspired to discuss prices and specifications with them.

The result was that I bought a custom-made titanium frame from Burls in England. I bought all the rest of the components and built up the bike myself. I then had enough money left over from the price of a Baum to buy an off-the-rack van Nicholas road bike (titanium frame + Ultegra) and to pay for a return air fare to Europe, where I will take my Burls hill-climbing special on a tour of the Pyrenees next (northern hemisphere) summer .

Cosmetically, Baums are a big step beyond my titanium bikes. What difference does that make to the ride? De gustibus non est disputandum.

Baums are beautiful but hideously expensive! And for the price they charge I'd like to design my own fully custom unique paint scheme, not decide from one of their schemes.

Still, they are meant to ride great and they sure do look the part.

I'm curious, can you show a price breakdown/camparison of the various bikes/parts (and the flight if you like).

I'm also interested in the price differences that you experienced ausrandoman.
Could you chart out the price of the baum quoted to you, the price of the Burls, price of components, price of the Van Nicholas, and the airfare?

My face when I read what you wrote:

While there is far more than just price as a factor in determining which custom builder to go with - factors such as turnaround, que, finish quality, customer service, personalization, materials, location, etcetera - it would be interesting if a thread was created where a single post would list various custom builders and approximate price quotes/turnaround/material/location/website for sake of comparison.

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Exp001

While I do appreciate the price disparities and issues with a toy that costs ... well a lot ...

I was more or less curious about the ride and weight

The finish quality on it is amazing to me which is definitely apart of the package as I was more or less looking for that bike you would never want to sell meaning it has a bit more than ride quality to it's name.

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Just ride ..

I know, a terrible iPhone photo. Here is my Buam Corretto. I now have 11000 miles on it. It replaced 3 other Ti (insert big names here) bikes I had around. It is worth it. I probably will never sell this bike. It is exceptional!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/metanoize/ ... /lightbox/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am surprised that Rich-Ti hasn't posted here yet....

I'm drawn to Baums like a moth to a flame. I find them appealing on so many levels. I have heard nothing but overwhelmingly positive comments from those who have ridden them or own them. If you want a Baum, life is too short not to have one!

Here is a link to a thread I started a while back about Ti & carbon. It started some lively debate.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=58113&hilit=titanium+vs+carbon

I have steel, Ti, and carbon bikes...

1992 called, it would like its frame material back.

I have ridden owned two titanium bikes, neither were as good as the better of the carbon road bikes I have owned (a supersix and a bmc race machine).

I have seen a few come through work. I do not think they look that great in real life. Anything looks pretty if you use mood lighting and a dropsheet when taking photographs.

Carbon bikes are lighter, stiffer, have a better warranty, and are replaceable. For me, bikes are a tool. Unless you are of ape/NBA player proportions, there is no need to but a custom frame. If you just want to buy things that you like the look of, maybe model railway collecting is a better choice of hobby.

Wow...good thing you don't have an opinion!

Carbon bikes are lighter/stiffer/better warranty....really? I own and ride regularly steel, carbon and ti. I must admit a preference for steel and ti. Good carbon bikes are just that...good bikes. It is not about the material. Better warranty...really? How much "better" can you get than a lifetime warranty? Stiffer....? My Moots RSL seems to be pretty good in that department. The trick is to provide forward momentum with every pedal effort while not beating the cr*& out of the rider.

No need for a custom frame? Maybe. The first thing that is always recommended to anyone looking for a new frame or complete build is "buy what fits". Hard to get anything to fit better than a well designed frame that was built for you.

Carbon frames (the best carbon frames) have a far high stiffness to weight ratio than Ti frames, so in that important sense Tokyo Drifter's statement is defensible.

Custom fit can obviously be done for either material, though in almost all cases is unnecessary.

Again - I appreciate all the comments and spirited debate. Figured I would provoke something with my original questions albeit I still haven't seen much a response directly related to it

That being said - I race full time - have a snazzy team race bike - and it does the job rather well.

However - I would love a bike that has a bit more personality that I can call my own for a rather long time. I do have a couple bits on the bike that I manage through part selection that I could have differently through custom geometry. Nothing that's a neccesity but on the front of making something MINE and since I can do it - I want to.

Perhaps I should look at some of the custom carbon frames as well such as crumpton and what have you but the Baums just really looked amazing and im willing to consider titanium can be a quick handling stiff and light enough material to have for a bike.

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Just ride ..

Sorry, no personal experiences vs other bikes but I spoke with the Baum guys a few weeks ago. Unfortunately their frame prices are a fair bit more than what I wanted to spend, but they were very happy to spend time even after I made it clear the price was too high for me. Have only heard positives from guys who ride in a bunch with a couple of Baum riders. Haven't spoken directly with the owners though.

As for 'need' - do any of us 'need' any of this stuff?! A $150 tank from K-mart will get us the same place, but anyone should be free to spend their money on whatever bike they like without being criticised for it - beauty (and desirability) is in the eye of the beholder.

Get yourself a Baum if you want it, because you're the one who'll be riding it.

What's personality in a bike? That's the question you have to ask. And there is not only one answer.
What do you like, what do you consider important on a bike?

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Wilier Cento Uno
Colnago Master X-light
Wilier 18carati