YOUR THOUGHTS: IMOLA or QUEST or CROIX DE FER

LikeBike said:

Hi All --
There are three bikes which made my final cut and are similar: Bianchi Imola, Jamis Quest and Lemond Croix De Fer. All three are steel and Shimano 105 group (Jamis has some Ultegra), Bianchi and Jamis are Taiwan made, Lemond is USA. I ride 20-30 miles per ride, 3-4x per week in season.

I was also down to the Croix de Fer and the Quest about a month ago. I was able to get a 2004 Quest 3 weeks ago for $1170. That made the difference for me. The 04 model has Ultegra shifters and deraillers, with 105 brakes and Truvativ Crank. I think the Lemond may be a little better frame, but not enough better to go with that component group, its not even a complete 105 group. The paint job of the Quest looks much better as well, All black. I've put about 150 miles on it in the last week and I like it quite a bit. The steel rides smooth as glass.

Thanks, Shane. Actually, I'm down to either a Bianchi or Lemond--although the Jamis is a nicely spec'd bike. All the bikes in the original post are Shimano 105 group--but it has been suggested to look at the Campy sets on both the Veloce and Sarthe. Hope I can make a decision soon.