Serotta (1)

Triathlon Forum
1

I have a 2004 (bought it in 2003) Trek 5200 carbon bike with clip on aerobars that I train and race on. It took me over a year to find a decent fitter, who has helped me get the bike to work pretty well for me. She is a Serotta fitter, and naturally recommends a Serotta. I’d like to have a nice race bike, and I do have unusual proportions, acute proprioception and I am injury prone, so a custom bike does have a lot of appeal. I’ve been fit to my bike by several people, and she is the only one who has been successful, so I wouldn’t know who else I would trust to do my fitting, especially for a new bike.

So, I’ve been eyeing some of the top of the line Serottas, outfitting and setting it up for tris, thinking that I could use it for racing and training. I notice that very few people race Serottas, and I can’t help wondering why. My thought is that I’m interested in ironman distance (I just finished my first 1/2 IM), so although I do several sprints, my goal races are long, so why would I want a different geometry for long racing and long training?

I like some feedback on: 1. Serotta bikes as tri bikes 2.using the same bike as a race and training bike and 3. any other recommendations.

2

I have a Serotta Ottrott ST in tri-geometry. I ride it all the time, rain and shine. I don’t have another bike. I train and race only on this bike. It is very comfortable on all road conditions, handles well, and of course, fits me well.

Very few cyclists ride Serotta’s, so that is part of why few triathletes ride them. As an overall brand, they are just less well represented. They are, in general, more expensive than your “average” bike. But they do have custom geometry AND custom tubing, all designed around you. And they are very, very well made, in the USA, by skilled laborers. All of which add to the cost. Many people also do not know that they make frames in TT geometry. And lastly, because they do not “look” like a tribike, they are perhaps not as appealing.

I do not think you would be very happy on a Serotta tri-frame. A steel frame from them is pretty reasonable and will be very comfortable over long course racing. And if you go for one of the higher priced frames, you will have a frame that will last a lifetime and will also be expertly designed and crafted. They are meant to be ridden and ridden hard and certainly can be used as a daily bike.

3

Several ST’ers own and race Serotta’s (there have been many posts on the topic). I own a CX II CS and love it. The steel/carbon mix and custom fit make for a very comfy IM ride.

As to race v. train, I used to race my road (training) bike w/clip-ons. As a result, I never had a good fit and was very uncomfortable over long distances. While I still ride my road bike, I find myself training quite a bit on the Serotta, because the custom fit is so spot-on.

I used to view Serotta as kind of stodgy, but I could not be happier with the bike they built for me. Highly recommended.

4

They are great bikes. Made in the town where I live. That being said they are very expensive. The Colorado III (Low end) is probably worth it as it is a great bike and a frame and fork custom built can be had for a shade under $2K. This may be my next bike.

The $5K super Ti/Carbon frame they make is just beyond my comprehension in terms of cost, but in Saratoga you quite a few around.

5

the big reason Serotta’s aren’t seen is they are custom and very expensive, however they are extremely nice bikes. Friends at a bike shop always say that when a Serotta is taken out the door it is usually over $5k easy. When someone has bought a Serotta they go in with the idea that it may be there last bike, they are that good.

Whats nice is that the bikes are simple and to the roots of bikes, thus there quality is very high. I can’t comment on specific tri bikes they have but the setup would most likely be perfect and in a very powerful and aero position. Well as a poorathlete i can’t afford a race and training bike so I think it works great you are completely used to the geometery, handleing, and responiveness of the bike in a race so nothing is a surprise.

Go with what fits the best, in the long run that will be the best bike for you.

Branden

6

I purchase my serotta from signature cycles and I was coming off of a tcr as I converted to long course. i trained and raced on my nove for IMLP and loved it. The ride is amazing stone stable up to a registered 61mph on the decent into kean. the nove feels like an extension of me, almost telepathic. I have raced crits and tris as well as many road ride/races. I have 4-5 thousand miles on my bike and i can’t tell the difference from the first day i brought it home.

I can safely reccommend serotta to anyone with full confidence that they will be happy.

Kevin

7

I have a CXII. I’m guessing that it is the last Tri Bike I will own. I’m sure I’ll change parts, maybe even the fork. But not the frame. It fits. Matched with a carbon fork, it is very comfortable for long rides.

The next time a material amount of $$ comes my way, I’ll buy one for the road.

Fitting wise, they put people through real training before they allow them to fit Serottas. And it shows.

They are not as sexy looking as a Cervelo. And not as aero. But if you buy the premise that good fit = comfort = speed, they are good choice.

8

I think fitters like Serotta because (a) they make great bikes and (b) since they do 98% custom, they are very to used working with fitters. I don’t know exactly what they communicate to fitters that sets them apart, but I know that most high qualifty custom fitters are big Serotta fans.

Serotta is not the only player in the custom world. Guru will work with your fitter, and their recent bikes are getting rave reviews. If carbon excites you, Calfee is another great builder that is very accustomed to working with fitters. I’m sure there are more.

I have several friends who race Ironman on Serottas. I hear nothing but good things. The nice thing about custom is that ANY bike can be a tri bike. A Serotta Legend Ti may not have aero tubes and all that, but if you trust your fitter and she makes it a comfortable/powerful bike to ride in the aero position, you’ll have a beautiful bike for life. The race results, of course, depend on the motor . . . .

9

A friend of mine/training partner races for Team KG/Sierra Nevada and says that the Serotta is the nicest bike he’s ever ridden. He’s done a few tris in the past, and Serotta also built him a TT bike that he loves as well.

Also, team 7-11 used to race on Serotta! Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with a Serotta.

10

I’ve had 2 Serottas … a steel road and a steel mtn. Both were very nice bikes. But I never caught the Serotta bug that so many Serotta riders I know seem to have, ie Serotta is the Alpha-Omega of bikes. They are fine frames, but not definitive.

They are very expensive for what you get. Namely, a well crafted and well designed frame. But you pay for it. For some, well worth the price; for others, not so much.

They aren’t big in the tri world. So you’ll not see many around. Where I live (Colorado front range) they are quite popular, and few rides go by where I don’t see a few on the road. Curious, I think, given how expensive they are.

If you’ve got the money and don’t mind spending it, a custom tri-geometry Ottrott would be tough to beat. But it will probably set you back $7-8K. Would it be that much better than a Cervelo, QR, Guru, whatever … I dunno. But it certainly wouldn’t be any worse.

Re using the same bike for training and racing. Run what you brung. It’s not like you’re going to wear it out. Race on what you train on, and vice versa.

11

There are some serotta dealers that are now carrying guru’s. so you can get the serotta fit on a sexy as hell carbon rocketship.

HMMMMM who knows signature cycles?

k

12

Wow. I’m glad I asked. I’m in the unusual situation of having some money hopefully come my way, so I want a dream bike. I’ve dreamed about the Otrott for awhile, and now that the Mei Vici is out, it has caught my eye. I even bought my first lottery ticket, hoping to win one, but that didn’t work out…

So, while I’m waiting to see if this money pans out, I suddenly find myself actually thinking I might be able to afford one, and I suddenly have to stop dreaming so much and start thinking about if I’m really looking in the right direction. That’s a lot harder than dreaming about something you think you can’t have.

When I first considered Serotta (again, in dreaming, there are no limits), I thought no, they’re a road bike company, and I want a tri bike. Let’s face it, there are some sexy bikes out there, with steep seat tubes and all that. Talking to my fitter, though, she pointed out that my tight hamstrings may not work well with a steep seat tube, and fit is more important. I like carbon, and with the new Mei Vici, let’s face it, it is sexy in its own way. Besides, sexy isn’t everything.

I saw the article on slowtwitch about the bike count at Kona, and there were 12 Serottas at Kona. I started wondering if everyone else knows something I don’t know and I should think about something else. You guys have pointed me back toward Serotta. Thanks for your input! This was my first question posted on slow twitch, and it won’t be my last. What a wealth of information!

13

i agree with insane sexy factor of the new meivici but i have serious concerns about the beta version of a bike. I have heard that the move is to wait a couple generations before unleashing the funds.

meivici set for tri that is some high dollar stuff—12-14gs no sweat d-a with some 808’s can get to 16 pretty easy with SRM’s maybe even 19g’s YIKES that is a new car-----

I love serotta, but there is always room in the stable for others.

Kevin

14

If you are in a postion to consider meivici’s you have to consider the fitter. I hear that you fitter is your go to— but Paul Levine is the guy who taught her how to fit at the serotta school. I feel that is you are buying a bike of that caliber you must atleast have a conversation with Paul about it.

www.signaturecycles.com

Kevin

15

i’m going to be the stick in the mud.

what is it that is so oddball about you? do you have femurs that are three inches too long for you relative to the rest of society? do you have an 18" long neck, or size 26 feet?

you paid for a fit, is that correct? probably pretty good money for it. now, at this point, you’ve got what you need to get yourself a bike, and to have it fit properly. you need to tell me (and yourself) why it is you need a custom frame.

serotta makes very nice bikes, true. but they don’t make, in my estimate, a tri bike. they don’t have aero tubes (that i know about) and they don’t have a knowledge base that’s tri specific. take a look at the guy in the ad at the top of this page. find me the serotta rider that looks like that atop his bike. meanwhile, i’ll find you twenty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, riders that look like that atop their cervelos… and their QRs, and litespeeds, and kestrels, and kuotas, and gurus, and so forth.

so, there are two questions here. first, do you WANT a serottta? and do you WANT a custom? if so, then by all means get one! second, is the serotta the best bang for your triathlon buck? i don’t think serotta ever wins that contest, because they don’t have the tubesets triathletes and time trialers want, and they don’t have the economies of scale you get with production.

this is not to say you should always buy on the basis of bang versus buck. i generally don’t. but if you wonder why there are 198 cervelos in kona, and only a handful of serottas, it’s not because serotta is a small company and makes hardly any bikes. my guess is they’re the same size as cervelo, or larger. it’s because cervelo concentrates in triathlon, and in production, and in value.

which brings us back to your fitter, and your serotta. you got fit. you got your numbers. you can now apply them to whatever bike you want. serottas are lovely bikes. you are correct in wondering why there aren’t very many in kona. that alone shouldn’t make you stray from them. there are a lot more infinitis and mercedes on the highway than there are aston martins. me, i’d rather have an aston martin. if i had the money i’d probably opt for an aston martin. but i don’t think i’d be fooled into thinking the aston martin is the only car that’s going to work for me, or even that it represents the wisest or most prudent way to spend my money.

i think you should separate out the two parts of the equation. you got fit. you paid for your fit. that’s done now, it’s over. now there’s the second part of the equation, what bike you’re going to buy. start afresh on that.

16

pursuant to my previous post, THE longtime serotta advocate among triathletes, paul levine (signature cycles) has just picked up guru as a custom line of bikes.

i write this because guru seems to me to have tubesets that parallel the style and silhouette that triathletes are used to rolling into their transition areas, and guru also offers the opportunity for custom carbon (both round and shaped tubes). and, of couse, you can buy an actual custom guru for $2000 complete, which offers levine a rare opportunity he never had.

i do not write this to cast aspersions on serotta. wonderful bikes, wonderful pedigree, lots of knowledge, exceptional in every way. my only reason for posting to this thread is to cause people to take a critical look at what serotta represents to TRIATHLETES. if this were a forum related to road racing, and road race bikes, i’d adopt a COMPLETELY different posture toward serotta. it’s just that when one looks at what somebody is trying to accomplish in a timed event, then the aerodynamics of the equipment may be a factor, and this is where serotta’s offerings must be questioned (likewise seven, parlee, calfee, and other companies making WONDERFUL custom bikes, but not in a way that would be intrinsically aerodynamic, that is, the bike/rider complex might be reasonably aero, but the frame itself is not aero relative to, say, a blade, a P3C, a softride).

on a completely separate subject, there is the question of what levine’s taking on guru will mean for all those serotta-only bike fitters out there. is this the first of what will be more people now considering ABG or guru? will this cause serotta to consider adopting tubesets like those ABG uses for its saber, blade, tiphoon, in order keep these fitters loyal?

17

I own a custom Colorado III in road geometry and love it. That said,

why would I want a different geometry for long racing and long training?
Have you read slowman’s tri bike fit article here? Seems like a tri bike may not be so comfortable on those long easy training rides.

using the same bike as a race and training bike

As someone else mentioned, I get less and less happy with sticking shorty aerobars on my bike. For most purposes (and $) it makes more sense to own one bike - but I certainly see the advantage in having a tri bike.

Considering what Slowman said, if you’re comfortable with what you have now, why change? Also, I know that with my fit experience with Paul Levine road and tri fit are two completely different exercises. I have to believe a tri bike is VERY different from just slopping on aerobars and or adding a forward seatpost. With my CIII, I don’t think I’ll get a new road bike anytime soon. That said, I would really like to have a tri bike. As much as I love my Serotta, I have always considered trying at least a Cervelo (since I’ve been brainwashed here) or Quintana Roo, and for custom, a Yaqui tri bike or an Elite tri. All these companies have started with tri-bike origins and like everything in life, experience is everything.

Serotta can make great bikes but five years down the road, will they still be making a CXII? Who knows. They dropped the CSI this year, and brought back some mountain bikes (which were not available the last few years.) They’re small, and not devoted to triathlon. (My impression.)

One last note - for me, I love to bike. Tri is what I do to train, be with friends and to occasionally race. With that in mind, a tri bike would have to be a secondary, limited use bike. Personally I would try my best to find a cheap tri frame that would fit, cheap components and work around it. Odd stem length, too many spacers etc. Who cares? I’m mostly going straight and no matter what, a race is uncomfortable so… (Maybe I’ll change my mind once I do a IM)

18

Building on slowman’s theme Paul designed my serotta Nove for imlp as a road bike to be used in a triathlon.

Now as I embark on IMflorida I am having paul design a chrono for me as a true tri-tt bike. I love my serotta and will continue to do hilly tris and race crits etc with it, but I am having a purpose built machine created for me. I am totally stoked that Paul has picked up guru, I was having a very difficult time justifing another serotta for the exact reasons that slowman stated above.

Give Paul a shout and discuss the options.

www.signaturecycles.com

kevin

19

Both my wife and myself have done 3 ironmans riding on Serottas. If your fit is great you will love the bike. I recommend PK racing. The customer service Chris gives you is umatched. So what that more people ride other brands of bikes…more people wear NIKE shoes, does that make them the best shoe…hell no!