Talk to me about Lemond Bikes, especially this model (price $2,499)
I can not comment on the zurich but I have the LeMond Buenos Aires.
I am very happy with it. Comfortable ride, good component group (for the price).
Talk to me in 24 hrs!!
I just bought this same frame over the winter. Carbon and steel, a mix of tradition and the latest high tech material . Now can it get any cooler than that.
I’ve just finished transferrng all the parts off my aluminium Giant TCR and I’m taking my new Lemond on it’s maiden run tomorrow. It’s got 9 sp Dura Ace, Kestrel Pro EMS carbon bars, Profile Jammer GT’s, kept the Giant carbon aero post, Stronglight compact cranks and Reynolds Uzo Pro fork. Can’t wait to ride. I’m like a little kid I’m so excited. The snow only left a week or so ago up here and I’ve only had four rides so far this season, all on my P2K. This will be the first on a road bike.
One thing for sure, I expect this frame/fork combo to make the roads feel like as smooth as butter compared to my TCR aluminium frame. You won’t notice it that much on the evening group rides but on the centuries we do in summer I expect to feel a lot less beat up.
I’ll send you a PM tomorrow if you would like. Just let me know.
I’d like to get the Ti/carbon frame. The cheapest in the Victoire, but the dealer says $3,700 which is maybe a little much.
Let me know your impressions.
I drooled over the ti/carbon frame also but when you really think about it what’s the point. I’ve seen ti frame manufacturers advertising proudly that their frames “ride just like steel”.
That’s a lot of extra money in order to save about 1/3 lb of weight.
I have a 2002 Buenos Aires, and I like it a lot. It has been very good to me.
I am not sure about this composite frame thing, since Lemond was founded as the alternative brand building old-fashioned European-style steel bikes in opposition to the big companies making fancy bikes out of all kinds of material. this causes me some amount of confusion. I know that they need to make money, but considering that Trek, which owns Lemond, makes both Ti and carbon bikes, I am not sure what niche these bikes fill.
My 2002 steel Buenos Aires cost $1500 new, spec’d with full Ultegra. The 2004, with the composite frame, was 105 blend for $1999.
Anyway, that’s my rant. FWIW.
Good point. There’s obviously a marketing factor involved. A lot of serious roadies LOVE their Lemond steel frames. And these are often serious riders that have tried all the other materials and go back to steel. I know a few.
I bought mine because it was available at a bargain price. Probably no real advantage over steel other than the coolness factor and a bit lighter frame weight. A friend has a same size Lemond steel frame so I’ll test them both out some time. Might not be an accurate comparison though because the geometries are different between the steel and carbon/steel bikes.
Greg is right when he says Trek hasn’t been marketing his bikes properly.
I look forward to hearing your impression of the difference. Ultimately, it is what the people who ride the bikes think, not what the marketers think, that determines a bike’s worth(I mean in absolute terms, not strictly in terms of profit).
I hope that for the extra money, the composite frame does add some perceptible value beyond the coolness factor. As a guy who has tried various newfangled technologies(e.g. dual suspension MTB) and been disappointed, I would like to think that Trek has not sold out a brand that earned my loyalty by selling good product at a reasonable price.
I’m not expecting a lot of difference except it to feel nicer than my aluminium TCR. If anything the differences between the Lemonds will most likely be from the geometry differences and not the material. But one guy told me that the carbon/steel Lemond feels like wood (carbon) at low speeds and then springs to life(steel) at higher effort. He’s an experienced roadie so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Let’s be honest, carbon is totally over hyped.
They were trying to sell me this one for $3,400. I love the old school look of the bikes.
I once owned a 2000 Lemond Alp Du Heuz. It was an aluminum frame and I love it dearly. Fit like a glove and the geometery was perfect. I miss her. I miss her bad.
Don’t let Bunnyman read this. Sounds like the ultimate Frankenbike!
Not to belabor the point, but it sounds like they decided to jump on the Colnago/Merlin bandwagon, but for the relative low-end.
Ah, whatever. I’m just a bitter man. I’m expecting next month’s Bicycling centerfold to be 50 Cent’s new $1.5 Million dollar bicycle that consists of uranium-enriched platinum tubing mystically joined to buttes made of diamond clusters and featuring a drivetrain made of the bones of Nobel-winning physicists.
That way, on MTV cribs, he can point at his bike and say, “Yo! Here my ride. It’s dead f**kin’ nuclear, y’all! And shiny, too.”
Succintly put, J.
I can buy a 2004 Zurich model with 300 miles on it on ebay for $1,500, or buy a new one at LBS for $2,400. Maybe less if I go through the bid.
"Talk to me about Lemond Bikes, especially this model "
OK. Just got back from my first ride of the year on my new OCLV/steel Lemond. Did about 40 kms on our regular training route right from the house. I’ve rode this route a thousand times so knew all the rough patches to check out the new frame.
First off, I’m very impressed. This bike is everything that I hoped/expected. It is definately less harsh on the bumps than my aluminium TCR, but it would be more fair to compare against a carbon TCR.
They’re both compact frames and both climb very well. My climbing legs are a little weak at this time of the year. Spinning on the trainer indoors all winter isn’t quite the same, but I felt the Lemond should climb as well as the TCR, but I won’t know for sure until our Thursday night hill rides begin.
There is a difference in the handling. It’s very subtle but the TCR is a little twitchier and the Lemond a little more refined. If they were both sports cars, the TCR would be the oriental rice rocket and the Lemond would be more like a German car.
I really liked the TCR. My biggest complaints were the aluminium ride and the fact I developed high speed “death wobble” a few times an really fast decents. This was cured instantly by hugging the top tube with my knees and unweighting the saddle but it’s still a bit unnerving. A number of other people on the net have reported this same thing with TCR’s on decending. I won’t know how the Lemond responds to this until I take it out to those hills, but I’m hoping and expecting it will decend better.
Over all, I really like the bike after my first ride and have a very positive initial impression. My body isn’t getting any younger and since I spend a lot more time on a road bike than my tri bike, it was time to upgrade from aluminium.
I didn’t get any “wood” feel that some people claim they feel with carbon frames. In fact at higher speeds the bike did feel quite lively and confident and felt like a steel ride.
Hard to say after just one ride, but that’s my initial impression. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this frame if you’re still thinking of getting one.
I have a 2002 Buenos Aires, and I like it a lot. It has been very good to me.
I am not sure about this composite frame thing, since Lemond was founded as the alternative brand building old-fashioned European-style steel bikes in opposition to the big companies making fancy bikes out of all kinds of material. this causes me some amount of confusion. I know that they need to make money, but considering that Trek, which owns Lemond, makes both Ti and carbon bikes, I am not sure what niche these bikes fill.
My 2002 steel Buenos Aires cost $1500 new, spec’d with full Ultegra. The 2004, with the composite frame, was 105 blend for $1999.
Anyway, that’s my rant. FWIW.
Trek makes a Ti bike?!
Trek does not make a ti bike. But does make the Ti- LeMonds - i.e. Tete de Course & Victoire (spine bikes) and made a classic Tete (which is full ti) up until last year.
To get back on topic I ride a spine bike (ti / carbon) and it is the most comfortable bike i’ve ever ridden and it climbs like a star! the only (very minor) criticism i would have is that it’s not super stiff if you race crits.
For triathletes it’s a bit of a hard geometry to add aero bars to since the top tube is pretty long. I only use it for road riding. I like the longer top tube for road riding.
My bad. Sorry. File under, “Hmmmm, Hannibal’s on the jazz!”
c-guy
I like the Lemond Maillot Jaune but it is like $1000 more than the Zurich model. The MJ is DA and Zurich is Ultegra. The MJ also has an upgrade to the saddle, bar and stem. I would imagine that most of the cost is the DA. I use 105 right now so Ultegra would be a big upgrade. Do you think the DA is worth the extra money?