Ketrel Talon...advice please...

I have a 2003 talon and love it. You may want to look at the Cervello... some models are not carbon. My talon is so resonsive and stable I doubt if another frame at 3.0 lbs could be that much better. Only thing I can say is the bike is made in China. I can't understand why more aren't riden in road races... mostly TRI. My talon is RED and it is killer.

Jaguar27 said:

It's the Blue one http://www.kestrel-usa.com/products/road/talon.html and looks fantastic, it comes with Ultegra and Velomax Wheels (which I hear are very hard to maintain)... 🙁

Bike Sport Michigan talks highly of Velomax wheels in this article:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/felt35.shtml

I wish the Talon came in clear like the Evoke and Talon SL so you can see the carbon better.

Jaguar27 said:

Hello everyone,
To make a long story short, I test rode a Ketrel Talon today, it felt just right...in fact, to be honest, it felt fantastic...

It's the Blue one http://www.kestrel-usa.com/products/road/talon.html and looks fantastic, it comes with Ultegra and Velomax Wheels (which I hear are very hard to maintain)... 🙁

It was $2245.00 by the way, is this a good price? I really can't spend more than $2500 on a Bike...

I just thought I'd run it past the esteemed members of this Board before I spend my hard earned spondoolix....

Thanks in advance for any comments, flames or suggestions on anything else I should be drooling over...

😉

I test rode a Talon and thought it was responsive, but looked more of a TT/tri bike than I needed. The new Kestrel Evoke is really nice too, but I guess it costs more. There are a lot of lower-priced Ultegra bikes out there, but If you like the looks, go for it.

The Velomax wheels are a plus, IMO. I bought Velomax wheels for my new frame (the Circuit Comps). They are holding up great at 4000 miles; best wheels I've used. I'd say don't worry about replacing spokes or any other maintenance on these wheels.

antone said:

I have a 2003 talon and love it. You may want to look at the Cervello... some models are not carbon. My talon is so resonsive and stable I doubt if another frame at 3.0 lbs could be that much better. Only thing I can say is the bike is made in China. I can't understand why more aren't riden in road races... mostly TRI. My talon is RED and it is killer.

Thanks for the reply antone...you're right, the red IS very tasty indeed...

I honestly didn't know these bikes were made in China...does this mean there will be cheap imitations now they have the Technology? That's what happened to Calaway Golf Clubs...
😠

Who cares where its made if its a quality offering?
If it was made in the USA it would cost a hell of a lot more and we wouldn't be having this discussion. As long as its not [censored] then the China bit is not an issue, plenty of good quality stuff comes out of China including Mercedes Benz vehicles.
The frame has a lifetime gaurantee which they wouldn't do if it was going to fall apart on you.

I have a white Talon which I think is the 2001/2 model. Love it to death and wouldn't swap it for anything. I run Mavic Cosmics and don't know your wheels. I'm in Australia and have nothing but the highest praise for the factory people who have sent me parts aand given me heaps of advice. Bloody good company and bloody good bike!

It is Made in Tiwian as some of the largest producers of Carbon Fiber are there.

There a re a few contract manufacturers in SE Asia that make many of the high end CF parts for the bike industry with great results.

The last thing I would be worried about is the quailty of the frame. Kestrel has a pretty good record of customer service so regardless of where the frame was Mfg'd you are still dealing with an American company.

If it gives you wood buy it!!!