having spent the last 2 years on a TCR 1 am going to make the plundge in Ti, in the offseason. I was looking at blades and the like, even for MR tibbs sake I was polishing to the P3 then I came across sevencycles.com. Does anyone have thoughts or experience with seven?
they now have an aero downtube that is, in my opinion, very aero. a lot of titanium aero tubes are elliptical. not this one. it’s not a NACA profile (ellipse front, tapered rear), though (it’s round in front). it’s a $500 upcharge and adds about 1/2 a pound. I recently bought an Alaris with the aero downtube in road geometry. they say they can build the bike with no change in ride comfort from an all round-tubed bike, and I think they’re right. I’ve never had a titanium bike (I have a steel one), but my Alaris has a very nice ride (aero tubes can make ti bikes ride harsher). the aero section is paper thin, so don’t crash.
you’d best know exactly what you want before acquiring a custom bike. I was pleased with the ordering process and the amount of customization possible, although any comparable custom ti manufacturers would be able to offer you the same degree of customization. I haven’t pushed the bike to its limits yet, but I’m satisfied so far. you have to purchase the bike through one of their dealers (who will set up a size cycle to an initial spec made after a consultation with you), and it goes without saying that you’d want this to be a tri shop (if you intend this to be a tri bike).
I see you are from New Jersey SUPER CLYDE. You need to check out Serotta for a try bike and then go see Paul Levine for a fitting. Paul will do a fitting that will not only make you be very comfy but also produce a lot of power. He is currently in France watching the Tour but will be back on the 19th of July. Serotta will build you a fully custom bike of amazing quality. They are the leaders in Ti bike manufacturing.
Check out www.serotta.com and www.signaturecycles.com
All I can say is what I would say about any custom bike: make sure you know what you are getting. If you know exactly what seat angle, top tube length, BB drop, etc. that you want and you can’t find it anywhere else, then custom makes sense. If you are clueless about this stuff, you are probably better off getting an “off the rack”, standard geometry bike from a quality shop that will take the time to fit you properly.
As for Serotta being the leaders in Ti bikes, I think there is a little company outside Chattanooga that might have something to say about that 
As for Serotta being the leaders in Ti bikes, I think there is a little company outside Chattanooga that might have something to say about that
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Sorry about that you are right, What I meant to say was QUALITY TI BIKES.
Garbage in, garbage out.
I would echo many of the other posters and say if you are getting a custom bike be sure to be fitted by someone who really knows what they are doing. As tom said GIGO (garbage in garbage out) you get the shitty fit you will get the shitty bike. This would also make for a very expensive piece of garbage
I would also echo the user who mentioned paul levine and signature cycles. Who only does serotta for custom but able to fit anything.
Having said that I have never ridden a seven cycle bike, but they shure are pretty… several sevens out here.
Super Clyde,
I had an Odanata road frame built for me 3 years ago. In short I Love it. I do not ride it all that much, for fear of stacking it up in the lively, local group rides. But every time I do ride it I know I made a great decision for a bike I will never sell. I allowed SEVEN to make the sizing recommendations and I feel they did a great job.
On the other side of the coin, a friend of mine had SEVEN build a TT bike for triathlon. It did not workout as well as my road bike, it never fit him right and he sold it after only a couple of months. I think TD is correct, garbage in, garbage out. Make sure you have someone that is familiar with triathlon and has a strong grasp for fitting to make sizing recommendations.
As far as SEVEN’s workmanship, I do not know of a finer crafted bike out there.
JT
I have a feeling that Tom meant that if you don’t know what you want, you will receive a very expensive piece of junk.
Tom, I just did One Helluva Ride (passes thru Hell, MI, for those you not from MI, and yes, there is such a town). I stopped to assist a crashed rider. one of the riders in the group (I think it was the Cycling Saddlemen) said that she’d got her Seven Axiom from Bikesport. I’m curious, what happened? did they really stand you up on your prom night (or a subsequent date)?
Taku said it perfectly. The bike is only as good (or bad) as the fitter- and the very first prototype is… yours!
Custom is not necessary for most customers. I view it as kind of a last resort.
That said, Seven has some custom and “semi custom” sizes and their workmanship is as good as a Litespeed or an Airborne.
I do find it interesting that people tend to ascribe mystical status to the brand, as they (and I) do to many brands.
They are a solid product when done correctly.
I’ll take a bike built by a tea sippin bostonian over a bike built by a whiskey sippin hillbilly any day ; )
JT
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After painting several Seven frames I can assure you they have some beautiful welds. The quality of the build is second to none. They look even better painted!
You will get what you order so be sure you know what you want. The quality of the bike is not the issue.