I'm not a racer, just a schmo looking to upgrade to a really nice bike. I'm 5.7" 155 lbs, who does longer rides, but an occasional short distance tri. I'm riding a smooth late 90's Lemond Zurich.
I'm considering a custom Seven/Serotta/IF bike. I have pretty short legs relative to my body. I've read many posts regarding the benefits of custom bikes for oddly shaped persons like myself and they are all compelling. I have never heard anyone complain about the three aforementioned brands. What I want to know is if a bike builder can change tube sizes, geometry, wall thicknesses etc to fit exactly your body and riding style, doesn't it at some point compromise the original integrity and ride of their intended design? E.g, I often hear about the magical feel of Serotta's steel or Seven's ti. But if wall thicknesses and lengths are all being parametered to the rider, won't that deter from the intended "target ride quality"?
Any help or advice in clarifying this to me is appreciated.
"skim500" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I'm not a racer, just a schmo looking to upgrade to a really nice bike. I'm 5.7" 155 lbs, who does longer rides, but an occasional short distance tri. I'm riding a smooth late 90's Lemond Zurich.
I'm considering a custom Seven/Serotta/IF bike. I have pretty short legs relative to my body. I've read many posts regarding the benefits of custom bikes for oddly shaped persons like myself and they are all compelling. I have never heard anyone complain about the three aforementioned brands. What I want to know is if a bike builder can change tube sizes, geometry, wall thicknesses etc to fit exactly your body and riding style, doesn't it at some point compromise the original integrity and ride of their intended design? E.g, I often hear about the magical feel of Serotta's steel or Seven's ti. But if wall thicknesses and lengths are all being parametered to the rider, won't that deter from the intended "target ride quality"?
Any help or advice in clarifying this to me is appreciated.
skim
Why don't you contact a custom builder, such as Dave Kirk: http://www.kirkframeworks.com/ and ask him? He's knowledgable (worked for Serotta as builder/head of R&D and built the 7/11 TdF frames) and willing to discuss most anything bicycle.
"skim500" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I'm considering a custom Seven/Serotta/IF bike. I have pretty short legs relative to my body. I've read many posts regarding the benefits of custom bikes for oddly shaped persons like myself and they are all compelling. I have never heard anyone complain about the three aforementioned brands. What I want to know is if a bike builder can change tube sizes, geometry, wall thicknesses etc to fit exactly your body and riding style, doesn't it at some point compromise the original integrity and ride of their intended design? E.g, I often hear about the magical feel of Serotta's steel or Seven's ti. But if wall thicknesses and lengths are all being parametered to the rider, won't that deter from the intended "target ride quality"?
Skim,
Different builders have different approaches. The best way to find out what builders do is call/write/visit them and ask them how they build their bikes. Personally I did a frame search a few years ago for a similar short leg/long torso body. I ended up going to Bernie Mikkelsen (http://www.mikkelsenframes.com/) in the bay area. He was relatively inexpensive, would make my bike with S&S couplers, and most importantly, had a bike that was fully adjustable. This adjustable bike could have any dimension, angle, length changed on it. We adjusted stuff so it fit me and my riding style, then he built the frame off of those measurements. Tubing choices were based off of my riding style and my build. (short & stocky)
If you'd like to talk more about my experiences, I'd be happy to chat offline. Email me: simondotdoddatalumdotmitdotedu
I'm not a racer, just a schmo looking to upgrade to a really nice bike. I'm 5.7" 155 lbs, who does longer rides, but an occasional short distance tri. I'm riding a smooth late 90's Lemond Zurich.
I'm considering a custom Seven/Serotta/IF bike. I have pretty short legs relative to my body. I've read many posts regarding the benefits of custom bikes for oddly shaped persons like myself and they are all compelling. I have never heard anyone complain about the three aforementioned brands. What I want to know is if a bike builder can change tube sizes, geometry, wall thicknesses etc to fit exactly your body and riding style, doesn't it at some point compromise the original integrity and ride of their intended design? E.g, I often hear about the magical feel of Serotta's steel or Seven's ti. But if wall thicknesses and lengths are all being parametered to the rider, won't that deter from the intended "target ride quality"?
I think you're missing the point, the tubes are selected to OBTAIN the "target ride quality."
To fit your leg and torso and arm lengths, all they need to do is cut the tubes longer or shorter. No big deal and those are all measurents of the skeleton really. To go to the next level, what does the builder do to accomodate riders with different body types on the same size frame. Guys who need the same tube lengths on a frame are not necessarily built anything alike, some fat, some lean, some muscular, etc.. So that's where the tube selection comes in. And it is done to obtain a good ride. A skinny guy doesn't need the rigidity of sprinter, or a fattie.
"skim500" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I'm not a racer, just a schmo looking to upgrade to a really nice bike. I'm 5.7" 155 lbs, who does longer rides, but an occasional short distance tri. I'm riding a smooth late 90's Lemond Zurich.
I'm considering a custom Seven/Serotta/IF bike. I have pretty short legs relative to my body. I've read many posts regarding the benefits of custom bikes for oddly shaped persons like myself and they are all compelling. I have never heard anyone complain about the three aforementioned brands. What I want to know is if a bike builder can change tube sizes, geometry, wall thicknesses etc to fit exactly your body and riding style, doesn't it at some point compromise the original integrity and ride of their intended design? E.g, I often hear about the magical feel of Serotta's steel or Seven's ti. But if wall thicknesses and lengths are all being parametered to the rider, won't that deter from the intended "target ride quality"?
Any help or advice in clarifying this to me is appreciated.
There a so many things a custom frame can accomplish that requires a work-around on a stock frame. Chainstays can be built to a heavier gauge to stiffen up the drive train while leaving the rest of the bike's compliance relatively unaltered. A head tube can be lengthened to allow a less flexible rider to find the right bar height without resorting to a large spacer stack. The head angle and/or trail can be modified to make the bike quicker to steer or more stable. Seat tube angle can be changed to accommodate unusual leg lengths.
A stock frame can serve over 90% of the riders out there and can with rare exception be equipped to fit almost all the rest. But a custom will fit dead-solid-perfect and reflect the owner's choices in ride, handling and appearance to a "T."
