Orbea Frames

I'm riding an '03 Orbea XLR8R, carbon stays, carbon fork, Euskaltel team colors. Other than a bit of creaking here and there that I'm still trying to isolate, and a slipping seatpost that I was able to correct with a couple of pop can shims, the fit and build quality are quite good. The paint job is very nice, no decals.

Being an old-school steel guy, I was a little dubious of the durability of AL/carbon frames, but Orbea warranties their frames for life so, should anything go wrong, I'll be looked after. The bike accelerates very smoothly, if not quite as quick from a standing start as some of the all-AL rides I tested. It's a good climber and a stable, steady descender.

I spent a couple of months shopping before finally opting for the Orbea. I tried Trek, sampled Specialized, gave Giant a go, oggled Olmo, considered Crammerotti, dreamed about Pinarello and Colnago, but the Orbea seemed to offer the best value. They also have a bit of a curiousity cachet, as their international dealer network still seems a bit modest, so you just don't see a lot of them around.

Thanks for that

I've got two options on buying the frame

I can buy it with fork and headset from a dealer for $2900 Aus

or i can buy a brand new second hand frame (no fork) from a guy who works in one of the local bike shops for $2000