I was in Birmingham, England in February and saw very sexy all-carbon time trial/triathlon bike called an Issac Joule at a Birmingham LBS. It looks a lot like the old Guru Crono–you know the one with the integrated aero seat tube–but in carbon. A few months later, I see another bike called the Kuota Kalibur that is very similar. So I check both web sites out and the bikes’ are virtually identical. Does anyone out there “KNOW” if they are the same bike marketed under different names? Today I checked this link on frames sold at La Bicicletta in Toronto, Ontarion–not Vancouver, British Columbia–and they are selling both bikes. Check them out at this link:
Sorry, I don’t know for sure but it looks from the pictures that the seatstays are different. The Kuota’s seem to be flatter and wider, sort of like the Trek TT’s.
I was looking at a Kuota road bike at my local shop today (lucky local racing team got them cheap-cheap) and the shop guy told me some Kuota bikes have a 1-1/4 inch steerer (not 1-1/8’). Kinda funky, eh?
A) Kuota is monocoque, I don’t think the Isaac is.
2) The head tube on the Kuota is 1 1/8 at the top, 1 1/4 at the bottom.
Tres) Kaliber frame/fork is about 2500US, lots cheaper than the Isaac
IV) Isaac, part of Principia, is about tits-up.
I’m getting a Kaliber in soon for a local kid, I’ll report in when it’s built up.
-b
What I want to know is. . .if all these other new kids on the block building cf bikes can make cf aero posts to fit their proprietary frame needs. . .Why in the hell am I saddled with this boat anchor from Kestrel. . .hell, they are old school cf builders. You’d think a decent multiposition cf post would be a simple piece of engineering for them. . .
Kalibur is retail at about 2,500.00$ USD, including Monocoque Fork KR-1 (Aero) + Monocoque Aero seat post + FSA Orbit Headset. That bike is fast !!! I using a Kalibur size Large outstanding. Normann Staddler said that he only need a ingnition to fly as a Rocket !!!
