Does anyone have any familiarity with Airborne (Sceptre) bikes. Looking at a titanium frame, but would like to know about quality etc.
I have an Airborn Manhattan project and I love it. It’s a road bike frame, all titanium except for the seat stays which are carbon.
I don’t really have a lot to compare it to, since it is my first high end frame, but it is nice and stiff and accelarates nicely compared to my old Specialized Allez. It is very lively.
Here is a link to some reviews that I used to help me decide to buy it. (Bought off Ebay)
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/2002-bikes/2002-road-bike/airborne/PRD_111874_4229crx.aspx
I can’t find Airborne’s web site anymore so not sure if they are out of business or not.
This is a helpful review, thanks. Anyone with specifics on their tri bikes?
Airborne bicycles became Flyte bicycles when their license for the name “Airborne” ran out. Go here:
http://www.flyte1.com/soar/janette/home.asp?cust_type=NAC#
They didn’t appear to have a tri bike when I last checked their website.
Spot
Cant tell you anything about their bikes except that they look good!And all that will tell you is that you may or may not look good finishing!
Either way, if anyone has feedback on quality I’d love to hear it, $900 for a hardtail titanium MTB is pretty awesome, I’m tempted.
Are you sure it is Sceptre and not Spectre ? I put Airborne Spectre into google quite by accident and came back with more hits, including one on SlowTwitch
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/features/buyabike.html
About a quarter of the way down the page there is a little blurb on the Spectre. Basically says it is somewhere in a happy medium between a Road Bike and a full on TT Bike.
They are now made by Flyte I believe. Here’s some older reviews.
http://www.roadbikereview.com/mfr/airborne/2003-road-bike/MPL_6488_4338crx.aspx
It is the Sceptre. I got the geometery on the bike and the SA is 76. The titanium is what interested me, but I definately want a tri fit with a steeper seat (78) as this wil be for racing.
Opinions on the difference those 2 degrees would make over the long haul - I do 1/2 IM’s and like to do most of my training on my tri bike.
Yep, Airborne became Flyte…except in europe where they are still Airborne I think. There was a licensure problem with the name Airborne with IIRC, Huffy of all brands. I can’t remember the exact timeline or occurence of events, but they had to change their name in the US to Flyte. They were able to keep their name and company in Europe though…I think.
I have an Airborne aluminum hard tail, will full XTR and crossmax wheels and a SID Race, which I love but am selling because I am moving and rarely ever ride it (I really love my BLUR) here in Texas. The bike is a great build and the quality is excellent with a tough clear coat.
I have an Airborne spectre that I used for my road racing TT bike for the last two years. It is significantly lighter than the p3 SL that I replaced it with and was a very good bike, no problems with it. I still have the frame sitting around and would be willing to sell it on the cheap if you are interested.
-andrew
Does anyone have an experience on how different a seat angle of 76 will ride from a 78?
Airborne bikes are now Van Nicholas in the UK and have a fairly good reputation. They seemed to have bypassed the younger generations and become the bike of choice for the old boys looking to replace thier Steel.
The spectre in the Uk was around for a few years, before becoming the X1, the spectre then became a track bike, before disappering. Dan emplfield did a recivew of the X1 in an old issue of triathlete magazine and (forgive me if i’m worng) sumised that the only configuration worth playing with was the 78deg tri version and not the 73deg TT version.
I used to own an X1 and it rode well, had all the normal benefitsof Ti and seemed generally well made. I imagine the spectre would not let you down.
It’s not Sceptre, it’s Spectre. I have one (2002 model) but they are not made any more. I like the bike and would recommend one to someone looking for something less expensive than a Litespeed. The welds are a thing of beauty.
If you can find a used frame or bike on Ebay or somewhere else, go for it.
Do you have any thoughts or preferences on the “hybrid” nature of the bike, namely that it has a 76 degree seat angle (as opposed to a true tri 78 dgr).
I am after titanium, but I want to make sure I can go for 50 miles (plus) and run well.
i have an A1 and their ti seatpost. i reversed the seat post and have about 77-78* postion with a Azoto saddle. combined with oval a700 bars, renn disk and zipp 404 front i was first in my AG at IMFL. the bike won’t slow you down.
as for being able to run well off the bike, that will be much more based on your training and fitness than on the bike. this bike is as good as any other in it’s price range for a tri.
My thoughts are that 2 degrees (76 vs. 78) is a pretty insignificant difference when you consider that other variables (seat position, seat height, stem length, etc.) can all offset, mitigate, or increase the effective seat post angle. Since I am an old man (52), a little more relaxed position is probably good for me anyway.