Festka and Sarto - real world experiences wanted

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ichobi
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by ichobi

And on that I agreed. I also tried the Specialissima with Bora and it certainly dances better than the Tarmac. More alive more springy. But thats not what I value the most. I prefer the little more subdued handling of the Tarmac and the fact that it's rather aero and rolls fast on the flat. I guess if someon3 value sure footed descending the heavier custom metal bikes will also be the best bike for them. In any case the op can't go wrong with both choices! You will certainly have one of the more unique bike in your local group ride.

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StevenH72
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by StevenH72

It is a very personal choice. For me, I wouldn't want to be limited to 4 or 5 frame sizes for all body sizes / shapes and having to play around with stem length, spacer height and saddle fore/aft in relation to the BB to get into a position that works to the detriment of weight distribution and handling. I value custom sizing over R&D.

For me, custom sizing and geometry is a no compromise approach and allows me to ride faster than a bike full of R&D expense (that said most of my experience in that department is on a Canyon Aeroad which is now slightly out of date aero wise).

You only have to look at the peloton to see that many riders still prefer round tubed bars and climbing frames over full aero cockpits and frames. Surprisingly these are not confined to riders struggling to hold on to the pack. Personal choice, no right or wrong here.

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zappafile123
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by zappafile123

hannawald wrote:
Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:15 am
You say sou have never ridden better bike than Tarmac, i had a chance to ride s works sl6 with lightweights vs Bianchi Specialissima on Boras at the same ride and Tarmac seemed slightly more comfortable but Specialissima much more responsive, for me definitely better bike..
Wow... you've got it completely wrong. I mean unless we're riding Specialissimas from different factories I would say the opposite it true - the Specialissima is very comfortable and not at all responsive. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Specialissima is, relatively speaking, a bad frame.

The comment on coming out of different factories is serious - an Oltre XR4 out of Vietnam does not ride the same as one of the early ones out of Taiwan (with the latter being way harsher, but more responsive).
FactorOne|SartoSeta|StorckF.3|Enigma EliteHSS|SworksSL6|ColnagoC60/V3Rs|DeRosa Protos|BianchiXR4/2|BMCSLR01 16|Cdale EvoHM|Focus IzMax|RidleyHe SL/SLX|BH Ulight|BassoDiamante|Scapin DyseysS8|TimeRXRS/ZXRS|TCR SL|RidleyNoah|Look585|CerveloS5/S3

csteenbe
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by csteenbe

Owned a Festka ONE and now have a Scalatore, tubing and painting is very special, a bit more as a Sarto but it is taste. Painting of Sarto's is not always very well be aware of that, but they are very nicely made and look stunning.

Both Festka's are very responsive, stiff and agile. Can not comment on Sarto never ridden one.

Service and after sales are very well at Festka.

With both you can not wrong, because I love lovely painting I decided for Festka.. if you want that Festka is your choice.

Lafolie
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by Lafolie

I am a Sarto Lampo owner. I chose Sarto because their build quality is superb. Excellent attention to detail. Certainly the 100 % made in Italy expereince and these guys know how to make a frame. Really lovely people to deal with and nothing was too much. They even colour coded my bars FOC to match the frame. Also, when you message or email them, they reply qite promplty unlike many others I could name. Sarto use Tony Spray for all their paintwork and he's one of the best in Italy. I can't recommend Sarto enough. The riding experience is superb. Fast and comfortable. The frame is dialled in beautifully and you notice that straight away when you ride it. Always get admiring glances when at the coffee house stop. Good luck with your choice !

Alexandrumarian
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by Alexandrumarian

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corky
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Location: The Surrey Hills

by corky

csteenbe wrote:
Thu Oct 24, 2019 5:30 pm
Owned a Festka ONE and now have a Scalatore, tubing and painting is very special, a bit more as a Sarto but it is taste. Painting of Sarto's is not always very well be aware of that, but they are very nicely made and look stunning.

Both Festka's are very responsive, stiff and agile. Can not comment on Sarto never ridden one.

Service and after sales are very well at Festka.

With both you can not wrong, because I love lovely painting I decided for Festka.. if you want that Festka is your choice.
Can you expand on the ride differences between the one and the scalatore?.....thx

csteenbe
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by csteenbe

The ONE does it all it does not excel specific in any area, it climbs well and on flat it is a nice drive, tubes are nicely build in a round shape.

The Scalatore is a lighter bike and excels in the mountains and hilly area, not bad on the flats but it does not excels not on this area. Tubing is different, shape is wider on the area where it is needed like the bb for instance.

I live in a hilly area and do GF in the alps so for me the Scalatore is the perfect fit.

I did like the ONE a lot and for general usage it is a good choice, for my personal usage the Scalatore is the better choice.

In general both are very well build and support of Festka is great, you will have a nice journey!

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corky
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by corky

Thanks for your response, I’m still trying to work out what will be best for me..... I live in a hilly area but short punchy climbs, crappy road surface but some fast group riding......,nice problem to have......

csteenbe
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by csteenbe

I would than choose the Scalatore !

mriddle
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Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:18 am

by mriddle

I ordered what was likely my last carbon frame last year. After several C series frames from Colnago I really wanted a handmade, Italian tube to tube frame and Sarto was an obvious choice.

However, due to communications and overall experience I bought a Casati and could not be happier.

I'm sure I would have been equally pleased with Sarto, of the 2 choices the OP asks about they would be my choice.

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kgt
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by kgt

Casati make amazing frames as well.

XCProMD
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by XCProMD

So does Ciöcc also


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Belisarius
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by Belisarius

ichobi wrote:
Thu Oct 24, 2019 4:57 am
I rode Sarto Lampo and Dinamica. Both tube to tube construction. Similar to what people describe above both they ride well. Subdued enough, nimble enough, and fun enough but not just as good (performance wise) as the heavily engineered frame. If you are looking for the ultimate performance like really want the best of the best performance the small manufacturer still cannot match the big brands.

Look at Specialized or BMC they use server farm to run thousands of iteration of frame modelling to get the optimum tube shape to match given criterias at the same time like aero, stiffness, and comfort. No millimeters of carbon fiber is wasted hence no excess use of material either. It is just a better science. I still have not ridden any frame that's better than my Tarmac SL6 and as a bike media owner I have ridden most of the modern frames as well as some boutique customs. True they might not have the exquesite craftsmanship or paint as custom frames but frame like Tarmac and TCR are just very hard to beat as far as pure performance goes.

This doesn't mean performance should be your only criteria. I am planning my next custom steel bike from Prova which has a combination of custom carbon seat tube, Reynolds 953 and Columbus XCR with Columbus carbon fork. I know it might not perform as neat as the Tarmac but I will enjoy every minute on it for sure.

For choices from Sarto and Festka, the latter seems to invest more on a development side and in my opinion has a fancier paint. It feels more hip. Sarto had the heritage going for it, so both would attract different value. I wouldn't mind order from both but I will know what to expect.

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Hey Ichobi, thank you for your input and have a question- Sarto or.. v3rs? SL-7? I am also looking for a new faster frame to replace my current Columbus Genius Carbon, 2014. 30,000 kms on, it is still a superb rider, 6.9kg with ENVE SES 4.5, though evidently not as fast as recent aero geometries.. Around 40-43 Km/hr the aero limitations are clear, I can sustain that for only 10 kms. What it lacks in terms of pure speed, it makes in comfort, to this day it being a low resonance, compliant a very quiet frame. If tapping it anywhere, it is a solid toc toc toc! Whereas other wel hyped brands, not the least Giant, are more like dongggg, donggggg, and says it all. The Columbus Genius is so good in fact, that I ordered two new dropouts as spares, and am keeping it for relaxed day rides.

However, I do need a racier more modern frame as well, and I am debating between tarmac SL-7, Colnago v3rs, or Pinarello Dogma F12 (or F14 coming next). I attempted to reach Calnago, but foudn out yesterday that he passed away RIP. Anyways, the three bikes I just mentioned, have one thing in common, threaded BB. The SL-7 has good reviews, BUT, also, reports of clattery and resonance noises. Yes, I just started considering Sarto, but then your input was perfect, it will certainly be faster than my 2014, but your input states that besides a great paint job, it does sport an average carbon performance and geometry. Any thoughts?

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

Perhaps you would consider what "style/looks" you want to?
Does Sarto and Festka offer bikes with dropped seatstays and aero futures?
I'd look at Wyndymilla (new) Massive Attack or Saw Doctor aswell.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

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