I am in the market for a new road bike. I have narrowed it to the Cervelo R3, Felt F1 and Lightspeed Vortex. I want a bombproof, stiff bike that I will keep for an extended time period, yet a light rig for all the climbing I do in the Midwest. Tom D has me leaning heavily toward the F1 . . . and I am confident I will like it b/c I ride a '04 F1 (prior to carbon). Further, you can not beat the specs offered by Felt. However, I am a Cervelo fan and current ride a P3SL for triathlon. I have never owned a Ti bike, but understand they are very durable, yet seemingly light.
I usually hate these kind of posts as it seems kinda showy . . . or a love-fest for the referenced brands, but I am looking for some objective data to help me make the decision. I am open to suggestions for other bikes too.
Those are all nice bikes, but you might want to consider Cannondale, Colnago, and Trek. All three make their own bikes and have unique and cool designs.
There are so many good road bikes out there it’s confusing.
I rode ST’er Dumper’s R3 for about four hours on a group ride a couple of weeks ago and was blown away. It was so stiff yet even smoother on the bumps than my Lemond steel/oclv which I previously considered excellent. Cervelo has solved the enigma of producing a bike that is both stiff and compliant at the same time.
Felt and Litespeed have to be up there but also don’t over look the new Lemond Triomphe series.
vortex is really soft, 6.4 ti is soft and ends like crazy, you’d be better off buying a 3.2 ti frame. stiffer in the ti lines, id go for the cervelo r3, its good, stiff, and rides well, but be careful the chainstays and seat stays are breaking mire and mire iften on them.
Well, I traded my Vortex for a Soloist Carbon so I can chime in a little. With what you will you be doing with your new steed? Crits? Road racing? Why are you looking at a “race” bike (i.e. Vortex/R3) over a nice road bike (i.e. Litespeed Tuscany, nice Calfee/Parlee, etc.) that would ride much nicer on a long ride and still be plenty responsive.
Can’t go wrong with either bike, but they are pretty different machines! If not into road racing/crits, I’d go with the Vortex.
Come on Chip. I need something more than that. Even tho’ you are a crazy mo’ fo’, I trust your opinion more than you know.
I think Roof has a good point - but - ask him what bike he would rather ride for 100mi, and what bike he thinks he was “faster” on…not “feel faster” but really faster. I bet in that race it is a dead tie. Sure, 6/4 can be a bit whippy…so you get chain rub sprinting up a hill…and? Ti is better for all day comfort. What is funny is people want “stiff stiff stiff”…then bitch that their butt and back hurt and put on a carbon post.
When spending this much money on a bike you need to take into consideration also the “crash factor”. If you crash a carbon bike it is not to hard to kill it dead. Ti on the other hand can handle much more abuse. This is not a factor for Roof as he has some expendable income and is not afraid to spend money (that he has and can afford year after year). Many of us others on the other hand need a frameset to last us many years more.
I have an Ultimate - best bike I have ever had - hands down, bar none. In the time I have owned the Ultimate I have had carbon, steel, Alu - from brands such as Bianchi, Specialized, Trek, Colonago, Basso, Cervelo, Quinanna Roo, Softride, Kestrel and others. Ti has a magical ride, it is not the lightest, it is not the stiffest - Litespeed however has a way to find the happy medium and run with it. Then you have to consider the fact that your Ti wont rust, corrode, cycle (in your life time). One real testimant to Litespeed is the fact that year after year I put a Park FAG and DAG on my bike…this is the one bike ever that is always dead nuts on.
It’s rather silly question. Just look at the TdF for instance or any other classic or stage race. Guys are winning on every bike out there. From Cervelo, Trek, etc.
It really comes down to aesthetics, cost and your own preference.
Is a trek better than a cervelo, there is no objective data one way or the other. Is the felt better, same problem.
At the end of the day there will always be someone in the world who is faster than you who rides a crappier bike.
Stiff applies to the R3 and probably the F1, but certainly not the Vortex. On the other hand, bombproof is a tough word to use with carbon bikes but appropriate for ti. I had a Colnago C40 (carbon) for 11 seasons, never crashed it and it’s still going strong. On the other hand, one crash and many carbon bikes are toast.
I currently own two ti bikes (Moots and Litespeed) and have owned others in the past (Colnago, Moots and Litespeed). I think the ride of carbon is better than the ride of ti. However, ti is more comfortable than aluminum and is more likely to be there for “an extended time period”. If you want ti and can find a local dealer who stocks it, I think much more highly of Moots than Litespeed. Great workmanship.
As someone else said, what is the purpose? If you plan to road race the bike, be careful about carbon because you’ll probably crash it. If it’s a training bike, go for carbon.
Why is that? Moots is missing the technology to bring their bikes to the next level. A Moots to me is like buying a classic bike. Round tubes, nice bike, nice ride…but…Litespeed…some of their frames are like buying a new Ferrari Enzo. Moots flat out cant afford the tooling to do some of the things ABG can do with Ti. Moots “buys” tubes and welds them - ABG on the other hand MAKES tubes to be what they want them to be. (Yes I know some Litespeeds have stock tubesets)
Merlin is an ABG bike, as are all Ti 'Roo’s. I think that Merlin is sort of odd man out in the ABG shop. The brand is the first respected Ti Frame from Tom Kellog’s Merlin / Spectrum fame. I honstly think that ABG has some serious issues with the brand and needs to figure out its place. Litespeed gets all the techno hype, Roo gets the TT hype (more so with the demise of the Blade as a stock bike). Seems to me that the market for the Merlin is a 45+ year old person who wants a classic name, a great bike, and does not want the hype of tubes that are not round. The Merlin is sold to a person who loves the ride - maybe not the “race” so much. I really think that Merlin may be ABG’s “Oldsmobile”. One thing is for sure - we hear Herbert brag up Litespeed and Roo…but, has he ever put the word “Merlin” on this site?
Easy, Guru Veloci Ti. Beautifully constructed, the welds are perfect, descends well, climbs well, and it likes to go fast. The best customer service.
Who builds that bike? Hmmmmmm…guesses?
I’ve owned two Litespeeds. I’d rate them near the bottom of the bikes I’ve owned in terms of pleasure delivered. Neither excelled at anything and one handles like a pig. Welds are industrial - sturdy but ugly. On the positive side, they should last a long time but I’d lose interest in the bike long before it wore out (or even the parts wore out).
You’re right that Moots are a ti version of a classic road bike but I like bikes built by people who are dedicated to the craft of builing nice bikes. ABG is like the Taiwanese firms - a company designed to put out a reasonable product to a lot of people but they don’t generate any passion for me.
I’d also admit that for anything but a race bike, I’ll go with comfort and feel before all out performance.
Hence my comment to the OP that it depends on what you plan to use a bike for. If he wants ti, I don’t think a Vortex is the answer. Maybe something like an Ultimate would be more suitable if he wants a Litespeed.