Learsport

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by thebow
Price difference is a bit less..the 105 comes with standard 32 spoke wheels. It is a $200 upgrade to 540 so we're looking at $500 diff at that stage.

from what I have been reading service/durability of the ultegra stuff is something like 6000ml/105 -> 10000 - > ultegra so that is a factor as well.

So the diff is a bit more carbon, more durability from the groupset and add in a little for [censored] factor but not much more as it's only a learsport :-)

I work about 15 mins from the warehouse and test ride bikes are available so I'll have a crack at them sometime next week and make my mind up then.

If the ultegra bike feels $700 better then I'll grab it, otherwise go the 105 bike.

Though my LBS has an ORBEA with campy mirage for $1800 that I may be able to screw them down a bit for.

He was telling me that groupo is the equivalent of 105 but my internet research does not bear that out..1 strike against LBS for fibbing even if it may be a little one...

yeah it was a toss up between the ultegra and 105 for me, i didn't think it was worth $700 or $500 more. after all ultegra is only about $150 more than 105 looking at diff websites. definately check the bikes out.

no way is mirage equivelant to 105, more like centaur or veloce. i find the sti nicer to use than the ergo also. (i hate it when lbs make things up and u know otherwise but you don't want to embarass them or have them tell u your wrong).

what i meant about the welds is that it doesnt look that nice, also there is one 1mm diameter weld splatter or paint blob around where the top tube is welded to the head tube. if it wasn't right in front of my face whenever i ride it probably would irk me less. i'm still debating whether this is a big enough issue to exchange the bike, i've got about 27 days to decide. i went back to the outlet and checked all the stems and they all were angled to some degree i think i can live with it. after adjusting it a bit, it is decent enough.

overall if it wasn't for the splatter and slightly bent stem i would be very happy. forgetting that, it is a great bike and i like it more and more, i'm also starting to like the paint job.

don't forget this bike is $1500. the allez sport, a tiagra bike, is going for $1799 at northside cyclery.

i live at north ryde

sorry about the length

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by M2cycler
yeah it was a toss up between the ultegra and 105 for me, i didn't think it was worth $700 or $500 more. after all ultegra is only about $150 more than 105 looking at diff websites. definately check the bikes out.


don't forget this bike is $1500. the allez sport, a tiagra bike, is going for $1799 at northside cyclery.

i live at north ryde

sorry about the length

Nah, it's all good info I reckon.. I had a chat to them and the guys in Melbourne would do a 2003 8500 for $1999 which is not bad. And I assume a similar discount for the 8000 but depends on the amount of arm twisting.

I did the ebay thing as well and bid $1600 but this was a UK based then and my confort level was not good. I want to be able to go pick up the merchanidse and be able to return it if things go bad.

Is there any appriciable difference between the easton and colombus tubing?

I actually emailed Verisign yesterday to ask them what they thought of this practice. Will let you all know.

SteveD

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Al User

BElguapo said:

Be very careful if you decide to buy via their web site. They claim to be a Verisign scured site.
Nothing could be further from the truth. If you use the online order page all your details will be
sent plain text. I emailed them a couple of months ago about this and have had no response and
checking the web site tonight it seems they still have fixed it. DO NOT believe the blurb about
the order form being 100% secure. Very poor practice as far as I'm concerned. I just hope this
sloppiness isn't reflected in their products.

Good point, If you click to see the details you find

Name WWW.LEARSPORT.COM Status Expired Validity Period 04-AUG-00 - 18-AUG-01

Yet they still claim 100% security. I wonder what VeriSign think about the misuse of the
VeriSign seal!

Al. [/B]

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Al User

Bthebow said:

...My plan is to get one, ride the bum of it and it's it's [censored] after a couple of weeks return it
and get my money back according to their guarantee...

Just be careful of the last lines in the guarantee, "...we will refund your money or replace the
products, *except* in the following cases:... *3. The products are damaged or worn.*"

Al [/B]

Oh I went and had a test ride..good stuff, I like the feel of both bikes and since I couldn't tell the diff between ultegra and 105 I'll go the cheaper one.

The 8500 is noticeably lighter however enough though the website says they are the same.

The salesguy said that you can ride the bike for 29 days if you like and they will still refund/replace. They are onl going to have issues if it has gone down the road.

I'll probably be looking at getting a Lear8000 sometime next week.

after using the bike quite alot i've realised i need the next size down. from the med to the small. luckily for me they have that 30 day thing and i didn't crash it.

the top tube length of the small is 54.5cm approx. this is more equivelant to the avg 54 cm bike which is what i should fit. the medium's top tube length is 56.5, this is a little stretched out for me.

the site lists my size as having a tt of 55cm. while this is true along the slope of the tube. the horizontal measurement is 56.5.

problems i am anticipating are a lack of seat post extension and possibly a low handlebar (the head tube is about 4 cm shorter i think. the table on the website isnt accurate with respect to headtube lengths, for instance the med is 175 and is listed as 135).

hopefully i can do the exchange tomorrow which is tuesday.

while on a bunch ride the other day i noticed that an avanti kona from a few seasons ago had what appeared to be exactly the same frame as the leasport. could it be that learsport bought up surplus or seconds avanti frames. i've been entertaining this thought for a while. checking the avanti website i can't get info from prev years geometry. does anyone have thoughts on this. i know avanti have used and use columbus tubing. This is all becoming very intriguing.

incidently, i prefer that old avanti design better than the current pro road geometry they have now.

no one seems interested in this thread anymore, but i'll keep posting anyway.

changed the bike today to the small, no questions asked. it feels much better. i was wrong in stating they don't have alternative sized stems and seatposts. i asked the mechanic and he nicely got me the sizes requested. once again, great people.

as u can imagine, my bike is now all seatpost. i don't mind though.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by M2cycler
no one seems interested in this thread anymore, but i'll keep posting anyway.

changed the bike today to the small, no questions asked. it feels much better. i was wrong in stating they don't have alternative sized stems and seatposts. i asked the mechanic and he nicely got me the sizes requested. once again, great people.

as u can imagine, my bike is now all seatpost. i don't mind though.

No,

I am still interested at least.. The learsports are still an option for me as well. I am going to ask the LBS to give me some timeframes.

If they aren't forthcoming then it'll be a lear 8000 for me assuming you seem to be quite happy with yours. Did you manage to get extra $$$ off or was the bike $1699 with 540's?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by thebow
No,

I am still interested at least.. The learsports are still an option for me as well. I am going to ask the LBS to give me some timeframes.

If they aren't forthcoming then it'll be a lear 8000 for me assuming you seem to be quite happy with yours. Did you manage to get extra $$$ off or was the bike $1699 with 540's?

I'm still following too. I've got the *.pdf of Avanti's 2003 geometries if you're interested - or did you want further back?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Cletus75
I'm still following too. I've got the *.pdf of Avanti's 2003 geometries if you're interested - or did you want further back?

i was thinking 2001 or 2002. thanks anyway.

i paid $1500 for the 8000 with the standard wheelset. it used to be $1600 but they lowered the price.

since i use the bike on rough roads i didn't think it would be wise to spend more money on what looks like a less durable wheel. besides, i find the 105 hubs and rl2002 rims work great.

i got a stem with more rise so the hb wasn't too low. it doesn't look as good as having the stem parrallel with the top tube though.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by M2cycler
i was thinking 2001 or 2002. thanks anyway.

i paid $1500 for the 8000 with the standard wheelset. it used to be $1600 but they lowered the price.

since i use the bike on rough roads i didn't think it would be wise to spend more money on what looks like a less durable wheel. besides, i find the 105 hubs and rl2002 rims work great.

No further discounts then but it's still a "cheap" bike anyway.

From an earlier post it seems that the 540's are pretty durable with people logging quite a bit of distance on them without worries.

I guess it depends on your wieght and the size of the potholes though..

swapped the stem again, boy are they getting sick of me :P.

hopefully now i'll be content, no more buyers remorse creeping around.

i clocked a pr on my commute. second commute on new bike, first time with speedo rigged.

i can definately tell its lighter up climbs and the easily reached gear changing makes everything so good. now when flying downhill i can concentrate on the road in front of me instead of reaching for the downtube.

hew thebow, did u get a new bike yet. when u do, tell us what u got

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by M2cycler
swapped the stem again, boy are they getting sick of me :P.

hopefully now i'll be content, no more buyers remorse creeping around.

i clocked a pr on my commute. second commute on new bike, first time with speedo rigged.

i can definately tell its lighter up climbs and the easily reached gear changing makes everything so good. now when flying downhill i can concentrate on the road in front of me instead of reaching for the downtube.

hew thebow, did u get a new bike yet. when u do, tell us what u got

Bike is on hold for the short term :-( My dog did a cruciate ligament and is going to need an operation. Funny thing is it's exactly the amount I was going to spend on a new road bike, life's funny like that isn't it?

So next year is going to be the time I guess unless my finances start swinging more inthe way of incoming that outgoing.

I'm tossing up between a Learsport 8000, 8500 or Avanti Kona (2004 model). Have been following this thread with much interest. Any further thoughts/comments on the merit of Learsport and their medium to long term reliability? Given I'm currently on a pretty ordinary bike that's a few years old (and heavy) a Learsport would be a definite improvement.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Mossy1976
I'm tossing up between a Learsport 8000, 8500 or Avanti Kona (2004 model). Have been following this thread with much interest. Any further thoughts/comments on the merit of Learsport and their medium to long term reliability? Given I'm currently on a pretty ordinary bike that's a few years old (and heavy) a Learsport would be a definite improvement.

Well after a lot of looking around I just put a deposit on a leearsport 8000 with 540 wheelset. I haven't been able to get anything close to that spec at any LBS in Sydney.

A few people on the forums have them and like them,.if you're not a campy/euro snob then I think they provide a well specced bike for the price.

Oh and they have that 30 day guarantee thing so if you purchase and don't like it you can upgrade/swap or get a refund.

If you can hold of for a week or so I'll post my review once I have ridden it for a while.

How's the Learsport treating you, or is it to early to make an informed call?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Mossy1976
How's the Learsport treating you, or is it to early to make an informed call?

Had a touch of the flu so haven't done any long rides yet.

But from the short rides I have and a few tweaks I'm very impressed with it.

!) It looks great in red/black with the 540 wheels.
2)got the same components as everything else.
3)Nice and light
4)Very comfortable after a bit of tweaking.

All in all I would not hesitate to reccomend it.

Really if you were to takre the plaunge do what I am doing..get it ride it for a few weeks and if you're not happy return it for a refund.

I however won't be returning it at this stage as I'm really happy with it.

glad to hear you got your bike after all the trials and tribulations thebow.

my bike is still going strong after ~1500 km, you can get a look at it in the, "show me ur bike and i'll show u mine," thread.

only thing is a slight creaking noise. i'm not sure where it is coming from but my thinking is that the crank is coming a bit loose. also needed to adjust the rear and front derailer. this is easily done following the instruction sheet. (taking it too the outlet for service is very difficult as i have no other transport. also, they are very busy.)

only gripe is when i picked up someones tcr 2. it was slightly lighter. on the other hand i have the alex and 105 hub wheels, and they are relatively heavy.

I was hoping i would take a little more care of this bike but it has ended up being my everyday bike now. so far it has stood up to the test.