Looking at buying a road bike for training. Assuming a good fit from both I am interested in the Kestrel Talon or Talon Sl and one of the Litespeeds, perhaps the Tusany. I have to ride both bikes, but what do some of you have to say about these two bikes, and which way would you go assuming the fit is good on both bikes?
I say its almost apples and oranges between the Talon/Talon SL and a Tuscany. I currently ride the SL set up in a TT config. The SL is supremely stiff and yet dampens the vibes a bit on the rear end. Its fairly light and probably about as bomb-proof as carbon can be built. BUT. . .I’ve already got a knock in the clear coat on the top tube. With the Tuscany. . .well. . .read Tom D’s review of the Tuscany for the best words on it. I had one for a while. Its an awesome smooth and predictable ride. The best part is that the brushed finish is TSA gorilla proof, at least if you choose an unpainted version. For a road bike only. . .I’d personally choose the Tuscany. If I ever wanted to slap some shorty clip ons on it. . .I’d go with the Talon SL set up as a road bike. My next road bike will definitely be a Tuscany. I think a Tuscany with DA 10, reasonably light post, stem, and bars, and some Mavic Classics Pro wheels, would be an awesome all-around, all-weather bike. About the only things you couldn’t tackle with some small degree of proficiency would be cross or loaded-touring.
Thanks, I really like the Kestrel SL. If it fits I will most likely go that way. Did you find that the Kestrel frame runs big? I was thinking about trying the 52cm frame as I usually ride a 54cm to 55cm.
I ride a 52 with a 90 stem and usually ride a 54 top tube road bike with a 120 stem. I ride it set up as a TT bike with an effective 75.5 degree seat angle and the short 90 stem using the Hed aero bars. The 53.3 top tube is about 1cm shorter than my road bike. The next smaller size was just way to short set up the way I like over the bottom bracket. I would have needed a super long stem. . .something I don’t like with aero bars which already have a lot of steering leverage due to their length.
If you are going to set it up as a road bike. . .definitely 52 is the way to go if you normally ride 54 or 55. Just use a stem that is 1 cm longer than your usual road bike stem(which probably means slappin a 120 on there). The next size up, 55, would be too large for you unless you really slid the saddle forward and used a short stem. . .neither of which is optimal for a road bike.
I appreciate your help…
Thanks-
FWIW I had a Kestrel 200 EMS, before it was stolen, and I now have Litespeed Vortex. I realize the 200 EMS and the Talon SL are diffent bikes but I loved my 200 EMS. I also equally love my Vortex, you can see Tom D’s review on his site. I don’t think you can go wrong either way.