Just a thread for fun. List out the top 5 frames that you have ridden for a decent enough of time to be able to tell enough about the frame. Whether you owned it, took a decent test ride, borrowed a buddy's bike or did a test day ride from a particular bike manufacturer. Mine are in no particular oder:
- 1988? Eddy Merckx Grand Prix
- Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod
- Look 585
- Look 595
- Colnago C40
- 1986? Colnago Master
Thinking about this, I wish I had a Colnago C40 in Mapei colors in my stable of bikes. I know there are several other bikes that should receive notable mention like the CAAD.
Top 5 frames you have ever ridden
Moderator: robbosmans
Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓
www.starbike.com
-
btompkins0112
- Posts: 2635
- Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:04 am
- Location: Mississippi
Don't have much of a history, but I will contribute mine:
1. Fuji Altamira
2. CAAD 10
3. Cannondale Six
1. Fuji Altamira
2. CAAD 10
3. Cannondale Six
Mosaic RS-1
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=138478
Cielo by Chris King Cross Racer
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=134376
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=138478
Cielo by Chris King Cross Racer
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=134376
5 is the number of frames I've ridden, so it doesn't do much good for me to answer....
-
boolinwall
- Posts: 195
- Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:19 pm
Top carbon frame. Guru Evolo.
Fastest frame. GIOS New A-90
Best frames in order.
1. 1996 Lemond Zurich. First road bike love.
2. Duell Passion (current ride) Stiff as hell, comfy as heaven.
3. Cinelli spirit. Perfect geometry, comfy as hell, could have stood to be a tad stiffer in the front end.
4 and 5. Toss up between the GIOS A-90. Super fast frame with jet fighter geometry. Tough bike to ride every day due to the harsh ride qualities. And My Guru Evolo (current "B" bike) By far the best balance of stiffness, comfort, weight and fit I've ever ridden in a carbon bike.
Worst bikes ever. Dedacciai Nerissimo. The back end was out of alignment from day one and they've done nothing to take care of the issue. It's got 200k's on it and sits in a closet.
Wilier LeRoi. Gorgeous bike. But,,,,,, Why make a bike that is both harsh riding, and has no BB stiffness. Seems like the exact opposite of what you'd want in a bike.
Scapin Avus. To be fair, it likely wasn't built for my riding style. Stiffness suffered, but comfort was top notch. Beautifully built and a high RPM riders dream.
Top 5 I'd like to own.
1- Big leg emma
2- Duell Vogue VSO
3- Passoni (any of them)
3- Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
4- Guru Praemio R
5- Waterford R-33.
Fastest frame. GIOS New A-90
Best frames in order.
1. 1996 Lemond Zurich. First road bike love.
2. Duell Passion (current ride) Stiff as hell, comfy as heaven.
3. Cinelli spirit. Perfect geometry, comfy as hell, could have stood to be a tad stiffer in the front end.
4 and 5. Toss up between the GIOS A-90. Super fast frame with jet fighter geometry. Tough bike to ride every day due to the harsh ride qualities. And My Guru Evolo (current "B" bike) By far the best balance of stiffness, comfort, weight and fit I've ever ridden in a carbon bike.
Worst bikes ever. Dedacciai Nerissimo. The back end was out of alignment from day one and they've done nothing to take care of the issue. It's got 200k's on it and sits in a closet.
Wilier LeRoi. Gorgeous bike. But,,,,,, Why make a bike that is both harsh riding, and has no BB stiffness. Seems like the exact opposite of what you'd want in a bike.
Scapin Avus. To be fair, it likely wasn't built for my riding style. Stiffness suffered, but comfort was top notch. Beautifully built and a high RPM riders dream.
Top 5 I'd like to own.
1- Big leg emma
2- Duell Vogue VSO
3- Passoni (any of them)
3- Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
4- Guru Praemio R
5- Waterford R-33.
I only have ridden 4 bikes, but I only needed to ride it once to know that everything else is going to come up short, : ) ( 1/2 seriously 1/2 teasing)
1.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
2.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
3.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
4.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
5.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
C
1.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
2.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
3.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
4.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
5.Eddy Merckx MX-Leader
C
Interesting question. I've owned a lot of high end bikes over the last 20 years and have ridden a few others that I didn't own. Being an old semi-retired guy with time on his hands and money I don't need to leave my kids, I try lots.
For me, the #1 bike of all time is a late, pre HP stay Colnago C40. I own three of them plus two HP stays that are my bad weather bikes (two of the bikes are reserves for when the first three bikes wear out). I also had an original C40 and although it got me into Colnagos and was a nice bike, I think the Star fork is better riding than the Precisa and the B stay rides a little better than the earliest stays.
After that, it gets tough. I could just list other Colnagos I own and like but I've owned or ridden two other bikes that I thought were really good:
- my younger son has a Look 585. I think I'd rate it second to the C40 and above other Colnagos I own and have owned. Handles and rides well.
- Parlee Z1. I had a custom with Italian geometry and it was a really sweet bike until I screwed up and put on a lighter fork (originally had the heavier Alpha Q and switched it for the light one, can't recall the numbers). It was lighter than the C40, handled well and when my son and I did a ride test against the C50 I was riding at the time, we both agreed that it had a better ride. My LBS gave me a deal on a second Z1 with factory geo and it just didn't grab my heart in the same way.
Next on my list would be close between Wilier Cento Uno and the next Colnagos. I'd call it pretty much a toss up. Wilier is a little lighter and has EPS shifting so it probably ranks ahead because of those factors.
After that, I guess I'd have to go down the list of Colnagos I've owned in order of preference:
Extreme Power - I find the ride nicer than C50
C50
Master
EPS - even though I prefer carbon to steel, I just find this bike harsh
Tecnos
I'll leave the bititan off the list though. Soft ride, handled great but lousy under power.
I've ridden all those bikes at least 5,000 km except the Look (about 500 on it).
I have a Pegoretti Responsorium, have had a Parlee Z4, Pinarello Dogma with Di2, Lemond carbon back in the 90s. All pretty good bikes but I'd rate them behind the ones listed above.
For me, the #1 bike of all time is a late, pre HP stay Colnago C40. I own three of them plus two HP stays that are my bad weather bikes (two of the bikes are reserves for when the first three bikes wear out). I also had an original C40 and although it got me into Colnagos and was a nice bike, I think the Star fork is better riding than the Precisa and the B stay rides a little better than the earliest stays.
After that, it gets tough. I could just list other Colnagos I own and like but I've owned or ridden two other bikes that I thought were really good:
- my younger son has a Look 585. I think I'd rate it second to the C40 and above other Colnagos I own and have owned. Handles and rides well.
- Parlee Z1. I had a custom with Italian geometry and it was a really sweet bike until I screwed up and put on a lighter fork (originally had the heavier Alpha Q and switched it for the light one, can't recall the numbers). It was lighter than the C40, handled well and when my son and I did a ride test against the C50 I was riding at the time, we both agreed that it had a better ride. My LBS gave me a deal on a second Z1 with factory geo and it just didn't grab my heart in the same way.
Next on my list would be close between Wilier Cento Uno and the next Colnagos. I'd call it pretty much a toss up. Wilier is a little lighter and has EPS shifting so it probably ranks ahead because of those factors.
After that, I guess I'd have to go down the list of Colnagos I've owned in order of preference:
Extreme Power - I find the ride nicer than C50
C50
Master
EPS - even though I prefer carbon to steel, I just find this bike harsh
Tecnos
I'll leave the bititan off the list though. Soft ride, handled great but lousy under power.
I've ridden all those bikes at least 5,000 km except the Look (about 500 on it).
I have a Pegoretti Responsorium, have had a Parlee Z4, Pinarello Dogma with Di2, Lemond carbon back in the 90s. All pretty good bikes but I'd rate them behind the ones listed above.
Yes .. I rate the B-Stay C40 and the Look 585 way up there too !
Maybe because I find that both are great bikes that you can ride all day and yet handle everything a novice rider like me can throw at it. And at the end of day still have a big smile on my face after a long ride and not feel beaten up.
They are indeed "modern classics" .
Maybe because I find that both are great bikes that you can ride all day and yet handle everything a novice rider like me can throw at it. And at the end of day still have a big smile on my face after a long ride and not feel beaten up.
They are indeed "modern classics" .
Best Carbon ( power wise ) - TCR advanced
best carbon ( comfort ) TCR composite - thats armchair !
best steel - mike Kowal 753 ( mid 90s )
best TT frame ( steel ) Raleigh spec products 753 lo pro
best aluminium - TCR Anodised 2006 ( trashed it on car roof )
worst
raleigh dynatech ( castorama ) - metal matrix - floppy fell to bits
Bianchi ( cant remember model ) - was an Alu & beat you up something chronic
best carbon ( comfort ) TCR composite - thats armchair !
best steel - mike Kowal 753 ( mid 90s )
best TT frame ( steel ) Raleigh spec products 753 lo pro
best aluminium - TCR Anodised 2006 ( trashed it on car roof )
worst
raleigh dynatech ( castorama ) - metal matrix - floppy fell to bits
Bianchi ( cant remember model ) - was an Alu & beat you up something chronic
djconnel wrote:5 is the number of frames I've ridden, so it doesn't do much good for me to answer....
djconnel most people haven't owned or ridden enough to count more than 5 bikes. It's still interesting to hear of the bikes owned/ridden by any one person which order would they be put in.
I've only owed/ridden enough to tell 3 bikes but this is the order I would put them in, best first.
1. Storck Fascenario 0.6
2. Cervelo R3 SL
5. Cervello R5
They are all great bikes but I rate my Storck the best by some wide margin. Wheels make a big difference though. The Storck is a Shimano set up and I have 3 beautiful sets of tubular wheelsets (Lightweight, Dura Ace, Ax Lightness) for it. My Cervelos are Campy and I only have mid range clinchers for them. The gap would be closed if I had Leightweights on my Cervelos.
1- Lynskey R320 , my first Ti: lively, comfortable , good handling, not as demanding as a stiff frame but as fast (at least for my weight and power ), especially efficient on rough surfaced roads (better motricity).
2-Cannondale CAAD 9 : good value, quite comfortable , well balanced stiffness , fast but not too demanding
3- Giant Cadex: my first carbon frames, heavy but comfortable and efficient
4- Colnago C40 : super fast, great handling but very demanding and uncomfortable on rough roads
5- Look KG 271 : a noodle even for my 63 kgs, not too bad on climbs but could hardly go faster than 30 km/h on flat roads,
bikes tried for a test :
-Giant carbon (some years old) : too stiff and uncomfortable
- Merlin Cielo ti/carbon : felt not as good as my Lynskey (not as comfortable or efficient)
2-Cannondale CAAD 9 : good value, quite comfortable , well balanced stiffness , fast but not too demanding
3- Giant Cadex: my first carbon frames, heavy but comfortable and efficient
4- Colnago C40 : super fast, great handling but very demanding and uncomfortable on rough roads
5- Look KG 271 : a noodle even for my 63 kgs, not too bad on climbs but could hardly go faster than 30 km/h on flat roads,
bikes tried for a test :
-Giant carbon (some years old) : too stiff and uncomfortable
- Merlin Cielo ti/carbon : felt not as good as my Lynskey (not as comfortable or efficient)
Good thread, not ridden or owned too many but in descending order from favorite to worst:
1. Look 595 till it broke in a massive crash
2. Crumpton Corsa Team current ride
3. Kinesis t2, heavy but fits spot on, will last me forever and was cheap as.
4. Giant TCR 2005 slightly flexy front end but otherwise solid frame.
5. Cervelo soloist Al, turned me off aero, not noticeably faster to me under most conditions and seat post clamp design was not ideal.
6. Time RXRS Ulteam, unrideable - could visibly see front end twist under low load and terrible carbon quality in head tube, couldn't turn fork out of the box.
Ok that's 6, but lot of history and time with each one.
Should be noted that fit and wheels seem to make the biggest difference, edge 65s on the Kinesis made it ride like a pure race machine and all these were are in the biggest size available.
1. Look 595 till it broke in a massive crash
2. Crumpton Corsa Team current ride
3. Kinesis t2, heavy but fits spot on, will last me forever and was cheap as.
4. Giant TCR 2005 slightly flexy front end but otherwise solid frame.
5. Cervelo soloist Al, turned me off aero, not noticeably faster to me under most conditions and seat post clamp design was not ideal.
6. Time RXRS Ulteam, unrideable - could visibly see front end twist under low load and terrible carbon quality in head tube, couldn't turn fork out of the box.
Ok that's 6, but lot of history and time with each one.
Should be noted that fit and wheels seem to make the biggest difference, edge 65s on the Kinesis made it ride like a pure race machine and all these were are in the biggest size available.
-
michel2
- Posts: 1144
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:47 am
- Location: somewere floating between here and the other side
As an ex bike mechanic i had a fair few bikes under my arse,
For the last five years i had a colnago extra power, and every time i come back from a ride in the hills im convinced that bike wont get any better than this one, im 88 kilo's and 193 cm.
I also have an mx leader and really don't understand the hype around these bike's im not a fan of the lazy geometry even if it is for touring..im building her up again and if its not working for me again than she will be in the classifieds (;also have a bmc cross-hack bike
Tcr's advance or sl any of them, in my size the work just fine for me too !!!
In the past i had pinarello stelvio, gios ( cant remember the model, duel,concorde and a pegoretti marcello.
I would love to try a moots or any other oversized ti frame, but i imagine if there good they might ride similair with a hefty weight penalty !(;
Me and my extreme power..(;
For the last five years i had a colnago extra power, and every time i come back from a ride in the hills im convinced that bike wont get any better than this one, im 88 kilo's and 193 cm.
I also have an mx leader and really don't understand the hype around these bike's im not a fan of the lazy geometry even if it is for touring..im building her up again and if its not working for me again than she will be in the classifieds (;also have a bmc cross-hack bike
Tcr's advance or sl any of them, in my size the work just fine for me too !!!
In the past i had pinarello stelvio, gios ( cant remember the model, duel,concorde and a pegoretti marcello.
I would love to try a moots or any other oversized ti frame, but i imagine if there good they might ride similair with a hefty weight penalty !(;
Me and my extreme power..(;
Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓
www.starbike.com
I've had some great times on a BMC Pro Machine. Unfortunately all my other bikes were too large for me and that greatly compromised the handling and pleasure of riding them. I now ride a Rose Xeon RS which feels like it was tailor made for me, thus I enjoy it very much. I doubt it is a "better" bike than, say a Cervelo R3 (which I also owned) but it certainly feels a lot better due to the geometry.
