WheresWaldo

If money is no object there are two frames I would look at, personally since I like the looks of them. They are the Merckx AXM, and the Pinarello Paris FP. In my research under $2000, most of the frames seem to be about the same as far as quality goes. There are many ideas on geometry and some will fit some types of riders better than others, some may be better suited to one purpose or another. Key in all this is to find a shop that has these bikes built up and take them for a ride. When I mean ride I do not mean around the parking lot either. One shop here (Orbea dealer) has a two mile loop on a cue sheet around the shop and they suggest that you take as a test ride. It has one small climb and small descent so that you can actually tell how the bike will handle with you as the rider, a very good idea.

DrPete 

You have STILL failed to provide any evidence beyond reading a LOOK brochure. Has there been any objective testing of Look vs. PF in terms of frame stiffness, compliance, geometry, etc.?

Don't get me wrong. I ride a Pinarello because there are a lot of subjective things that go into a bike purchase. The bike FEELS quicker/more nimble, but that does NOT make it an objectively superior frame to other CF out there, be it Colnago, Look, Trek, Cannondale, Motobecane, whatever.

You sound like someone who desperately needs to justify the amount of money you spent on your bike. There's nothing wrong with buying a fancy euro bike that's ridden in the pro peloton, but that doesn't necessarily make it a BETTER bike. Those decals are pricy.

Other than serving up 6 gallons of marketing Kool-Aid you've done nothing to support your claim, certainly not enough to call the rest of us blissfully ignorant.

More expensive does not always equal better.

terry b

If a Dragonfly is a genuine possibility, I'd certainly consider it. Calfees are recognized as some of the finest carbon frames in the business. In this case, it's his lightweight, flagship model.

One thing to consider - for $250 you can ship a used Calfee back to the shop where they will inspect and re-certify it for a 25 year warranty. I did this with my Tetra Pro. Pretty cool that a builder will stand behind his product beyond the original owner. And, if you have issues or questions, Craig himself is always just an email away.

High chichi value, uncommon and a great ride. If used would work for you, I'd say go for it. I bought mine used back in 1999 and have never regretted it.

coolcamden

Thanks for the replies. I would definitely send a couple of inquiring emails to the dragonfly owner because the pictures of the bike showed a little scratch on the "dragonfly" name on the top tube, this is from the famous bidding website, BTW...

I do not want a complete bike. Only a frame. My current De Rosa has full Campy carbon record and Mavic SL wheels. Love those components and would never change.

Kuota seems interesting, anyone knows a bike shop in the SF bay area that carries a spendid supply of them??

Trek project one is just for that... a custom paint job. I am a little vain for flames :-))

I know Look is awesome, but I've heard that its geometry is very much for speed and racing??... I'd go for a 60/40 split of comfort to speed. I am not racing, just old, senile and decrepit.

Thanks for your throughts so far, keep it coming. There's gotta be more opinions and bikes out there than what's we're seeing here...????

Ramjm_2000

I'd have to say the best deal I've seen for cutom handmade Ti Carbon frame is the Dean el deinte CTI. The dropped the reynolds rear end they were using and went to a 3/4 ti with a 6 inch unidirection carbon insert. Exactly like their more expensive Vador and Animas. I have Vador with this rear configuration. Muy nice. And the best part...$2150.

Deanbikesusa.com

DocRay

73 degree head and seat tube angles, which is the norm now for racing bikes.

What's wrong with your De Rosa?

for different angles, check out the Wilier Le Roi.

DocRay

Save the flames for choppers. Everyone's painting flames on everything these days.

watchman

I dont know the frame prices but the Titus iso and exogrid frames are unique, look good and if they ride as good as their mtn bike frames, then would stack up against any other bike.

DocRay

I think right now Titus exogrid frames are the most expensive frame, around $5000 , frame only.

They have those, "screw the kids college fund" ads...they're not kidding.

coolcamden

So you are saying that Look has racing geometry, right? which is what I believed and stated that I wanted a little more comfort.

Not a thing wrong with my De Rosa. I just want something new (to me at least). Either I am an equipment *****, or vain and fickle... Never had carbon nor Ti frame, so I want to try them. For me, the "never had" part is very dangerous to my pocket book.

t4mv

I wouldn't say the LOOKs are set up for speed and racing, per se. I have a 481 SL and it *seems* relatively traditional in its geometry and design (non-sloping TT, etc). From a purely subjective POV, compared with other Ti and steel bikes I have, I will say that the LOOK is more about a comfortable ride. Like I said, this is just my opinion based upon my butt (and palms, and arms and shoulders...). YButtMMV.

As others have pointed out in this thread, though, you've got a ton of new and used CF that'll fit your budget, you just have to do do your homework and find out which one will have the characteristics you seek. Good luck.

DocRay

For comfort, you will not beat titanium.

For a decent Ti frame, the Everti models are about $1600...custom made.



the project 13 is comparable to a Ghisallo, at $1675.



These are designed in British Columbia and built in Russia.

coolcamden

Here's an excerpt from an article when I googled Wilier Le Roi:

"The Le Roi's comfort and ergonomic aspects put it in the category of bikes for hard racing specialists"

Doesn't sound like me! Is there a dealer in SF bay area to test ride 1 of these bikes? I only saw 1 in Laguna Beach, 300+ miles from here.

DrPete 

Wasn't the Ghisallo famous for its uber-noodly lack of stiffness?

coolcamden

Thanks for your input. I am considering asking this forum for opinion is part of my "doing homeworld" To me it's like a bunch of guys (and gals) sitting at a bar talking about bicycling, (instead of the collapse of the Patriots (which has been talked about ad nausea :-)) I really like this forum and beleive I get from it as much as I've contributed to it. Good people here.

DocRay

yep. pasta city. Same deal here, but noodly is comfortable.

The guy at Everti is very honest in his recommendations, he even advised me away from this frame for my needs to a less expensive frame.

DocRay

Cycling plus reviewed the frame and noted the long wheelbase and slow turning geometry.
Regardless, I think these are way above $3000.

BigSean

Check out Leopard Bikes, sweet looking frames.
https://www.leopardcycles.com/

Serpico

excelsports.com has merlin works 3/2.5 frames for $1300

awesome deal imho

c_bake

[URL="www.lynskeyperformance.com/frames/"]www.lynskeyperformance.com/frames/[/URL

biker7

You can see how passionate some get about the best frame for your price point...lol. Truth is any of the name brand frames mentioned are great...how they achieved name brand status. So it really comes down to geometry and what you can get the best deal on if you aren't predisposed. I like pretty much all frames mentioned and would consider and be grateful to ride any one of them. I recently chose a Look 555 because of its outstanding ride relative to stiffness. I looked hard and found a new '06 frameset on e-bay...with HSC-4 fork for $1300 which is well below your price target. This is an excellent frame for the money. Perhaps some are even better but hard for me to tell. I too am a geezer and decrepit although in denial and still like to race the young guns. You can pretty much set up any bike to ride how you like.
Look frames...and most noteably the '06 555 has a medium geometry in terms of comfort versus raciness which can normally be correlated to the ratio of TT to head tube length. They have moderate head tube lengths and top tube lengths...middle of road. STA's are well suited for those like myself with long femurs. They are horizontal bar bikes and measured C-to-C so consider geometry carefully if you chose one. On my last bike, I ran the stem down. It had a longer head tube. On my new bike, I run the stem up...with only 6 degrees of rise. Keep in mind flipping even a modest rise stem accounts for almost an inch differential in head tube length. Again, you can tune in many frames to fit as I have to get the bars only a couple of inches below the saddle which helps my aging neck and back.
Good Luck in your hunt.
George

HolyInstantRice

@coolcamden:

Cupertino Bike Shop is a Kuota dealer, but no framesets in stock.

FrankBattle 

someone drank big business Kool-aid

NealH

I have been very pleased with my Calfee Tetra. It's a bit over $2K, though I paid a bit under, but the Luna is virtually identical in geometry and ride. Quality of construction is excellent as well. The Luna would get my vote. Questions like "best of" are very subjective though so, take your answers with the usual grain of salt.

onkey

this is pretty sweet. where do u order 1 of these from?