I have been seriously investing a new road bike for a few months now. By serious I mean visiting a lot of bike shops, reading every forum I can find and posting questions to some very friendly communities. I have read up on as many manufacturers and their supply chains as possible. I can tell you where most of the bikes are sourced (hint: almost everything in your local bike shop is made in China or if you buy a more expensive bike Taiwan.) Trek makes their high end stuff in the US. Time makes their bikes in France by hand. They weave their own carbon. Pretty cool. Look has their own factory in Tunisia. Colnago does their high end stuff in Italy, but their low end comes from Asia.
I have ridden as many bikes as possible and I have a stack of bike porn in my drawer that probably killed an entire forest. Shame on me.
Someone has to do it.
In my research I have settled three brands:
Calfee
Strong
Time
Here's why
Calfee because the ride is sweet. They are unique. Calfee only produces about 1000 frames a year so you know that in your local club ride it is not likely that anyone will have one. They are experts in carbon fiber. If your carbon fiber bike breaks Craig Calfee is one of the few guys that can fix it. This should tell you that he knows what he is doing. Did I mention the ride is sweet? I rode a Luna which is their low end frame and the ride was superior to many of the 5k bikes I have ridden. A Dragonfly will set you back $5-6000 depending on how you configure it. The paint job will run $200-300. If you have any questions Craig answers emails. He is a great guy.
I have never ridden a Strong, but that is because you can't. Karl Strong custom welds you a bike. The process takes about 14 weeks, but you end up with a bike that fits you perfectly. You might ask why I don't include Serotta or Seven. I like the independent builders better. I would bet that Strong can build you every bit as good a bike as Serotta or Seven and he won't nickel and dime you. You get the best frame he can build period. Serotta seems to add 500-1000 bucks for every little change. Why is the Ottrott more than a Nove? It has something to do with a couple of welds and some materials. I am sure that yes the option costs more etc etc. However, it makes Serotta feel like GM. You want that extra xyz? You bet we can do that for another $500. Karl just builds you a bike. Besides I like supporting the small guys and he is in Bozeman, Montana so he is kind of local, sort of. Also, if you ever need to fix your bike Karl will do it for about $200 per tube. Not bad considering that you are a buying a top end frame. The other cool thing about Karl is that he guarantees you will like the bike. If you don't he'll fix it. He told me that in all the years of building he has only had to do this 5 or 6 times. That shows you how good he really is. For a top end build you can expect to pay about $5500. If you have any questions just call. Karl was totally find spending 45 minutes on the phone with me explaining his methods and the process. If you buy a bike from him you will have 6-7 interviews with Karl. He drafts up a blueprint for you to look over. Once you approve the bike he gets the parts together. After he starts your bike that is the only bike he works on until it is done. See if you get that kind of connection from Serotta or Seven. In all my research I have yet to find anyone that doesn't absolutely love their Strong.
Time builds amazing bikes. They show up in the Tour de France. These guys weave their own carbon fiber. They then form the fiber into tubes and inject resin using a unique process called resin transfer moulding. That is pretty cool. I rode a Time VXR Proteam. It is a great bike. Very smooth over the bumps, but still responsive. It is not cheap. A top end bike will end up costing you around $6500 - 7000 depending on if you want Shimano or Campy and the wheels.
If anyone has any input I would love to hear it. I plan I buying one of these in the next few months.
Tags: calfee · carl strong · colnago · Cycling · time vxr8 Comments
8 responses so far ↓
All the carbon Trek bikes made in the US are also handmade. The only part of the bike that is not is the clear coat paint at the end of the line…my suggestion, try a Trek…you will see a difference. Good Luck!
You are right. Trek is one of the few makers that actually make their own bikes. I need to try out a Madonne. I have avoided them thus far mainly because a lot of people seem to have them - Trek is a common brand. The bikes I listed add a bit of pizzazz because they aren’t very common.
Go with Strong - It will be made just for you and I would be extremely amazed if it didn’t exceed your expectations. Proper design and use of materials is more important that the actual material used. A well made steel bike will ride just as nice as a very well made carbon bike (yes I have ridden many types extensively). For the Treks - only the higher end bikes are still made in the US in house, the majority of their frames are now outsourced to stay price competitive (nothing against them, just the way it is). I currently have several alum, carbon, and steel bikes from various manufacturers, but the next will be a Strong steel. I’ve ridden a couple that he has made for people local to me and they are extremely nice bikes; and a bargain for what you get IMHO.
Thanks for the feedback. I enjoyed talking to Karl on the phone. He is a great guy and I have never read anything bad about his bikes. In fact everyone has nothing but praise for his work. I have ridden both the Time and the Calfee. They are very smooth and absorb the road very well. I might ask around about Strong a bit more. I don’t love that I will have to wait 14 weeks, but Calfee is 9 weeks out right now. I could visit Contender Bikes in Salt Lake city and have a Time in just a few days.
Still the Strong will likely last the longest, and if something goes wrong he told me that replacing a tube costs about $200. Not to bad really. His philosophy is cool as well - if you don’t love it he will make it right and build you something you love. Even with that kind of promise he told me that in 15 or so years he has only had to rebuild about 5 bikes. That is pretty amazing.
Spend the money on TIME. In the past few years I have owned a number of them and they are top notch. The detail is second to none. And you pay for that. I have my PROTEAM up for sale now. Not as stiff as my Ulteam but stiffer than my Special Pro and my VXR. One thing that I like about TIME is they stand behind their technology. Not like other manufactures who bash other technology to make theirs look better. What I have found over the years is the people that don’t like TIME are ones who will not invest in one. I have yet found an unhappy TIME owner.
Thanks for the feedback. I love the Time bikes and their number one US dealer in close by - Contender Bikes in Salt Lake City. (They told me they were the number one dealer). I was only able to ride a VXR Proteam for about 30 mins, but it was an amazing bike. You can feel the care they put into the bike. Their biggest drawback is of course the price. It would be pretty easy to drop 7-8k on a Time.
I liked what you said about Calfee. I started with a Luna and three years later got a Dragonfly. I had my choice of others but the ride is classic and does it have get up and go. The bike loves to go. Also climbing is outstanding. If you are still looking two years ago I wanted to replace my old Litespeed and found this wonderful frame. Builder named Daryl Funk who created the most beautiful and responsive bike I ever rode. I have raced it twice in the Race Across Oregon. You can google it. Funk Bicycles. I love both bikes and both are set up the same and I generally opt for the closest one at hand. Respectfully Harry
Thanks for the tip. I took a look at his site. The bikes are remarkably affordable given what they are. For 4-5k you can get a really nice bike. That is still a lot of money but given that the top end Trek Madones are north of 9k for 2009 it makes these look like a total steal. Thanks again.