Road Cycling - Custom...Seven or Merlin or IF or?

hey folks...i am about to get ready to sell my litespeed ultimate and get a custom frame.
just wondering what people think is the absolute best custom maker out there.
I was thinking maybe a Seven, but then again i also know serotta is known for customs, and merlin is pretty popular, and someone recommened IF...
what do you think?
who makes the absolute best custom frames, for comfort and performance?

Originally posted by mightywarlock
hey folks...i am about to get ready to sell my litespeed ultimate and get a custom frame.
I was thinking maybe a Seven, but then again i also know serotta is known for customs, and merlin is pretty popular, and someone recommened IF...
what do you think?
You're selling a Litespeed Ultimate?????

I have a Litespeed and don't understand that, but........


I suppose you know that Merlin is owned by Litespeed and both frames are made at the same factory in Chattanooga.

someone recently told me that.
still...
i just wish everyone would get over that shock of me wanting to sell the ultimate.
i am not happy with the fit
as we all know, fit is more important than anything
so thats why i want a new custom

There is no best.There are alot of good ones.You cannot go wrong with any of them.Maybe you do not need custom,just proper fit and geometey.

Seven goes beyond the realm of custom sizing, and also provides rider-specific tubesets (not size-specific tubesets). Pickup a Seven brochure from your local dealer and read through it. I have spoken to some Seven owners, and maybe there are some on this board that can chime in, they all seemed to be very pleased. The brochure makes for some interesting (and compelling) reading. It seems as if the benefit with Seven Cycles is that you get your ideal bike with potentially few compromises. If you're gonna spend $ 2k plus on a frame, this seems like the way to go.


Dax

In addition to Serotta, Seven, and Merlin, you might wish to check out Spectrum Cycles (Tom Kellogg), Richard Sachs, and Rivendell (Grant Petersen). Rivendell (I believe) will stress comfort over performance. Also, Sachs and Rivendell only do steel.

Ohhh tough choice....we *feel* for ya! ;)

Seriously...two thoughts. Are you wanting another Ti bike? That will limit your choices. Secondly ; where are you..geographically? Finding a "local" builder who can actually measure/fit you and watch you ride might make all the difference.

Happy hunting!

You might like to read this article before you go and plop another few thousand dollars on an expensive custom frame:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/colnago.shtml

Having a custom fitted frame does not necessarily mean it will be better.

i guess i should have mentioned, i am in southern california.
lots of hills here

the merlin's are so sweet.... my LBS actually carries merlin's and lightspeed's and i asked a couple of the people on the floor and they said that (in their opinion) the Merlin has less shatter than the Lightspeed. i'm thinking that they are splitting hairs and i'd be privelaged to ride either one.

Originally posted by KennethToronto
You might like to read this article before you go and plop another few thousand dollars on an expensive custom frame:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/colnago.shtml

Having a custom fitted frame does not necessarily mean it will be better.

It was an interesting article, but a couple of things bothered me about it.

First is that his problem with a custom frame was the one that he had built for him didn't handle well. That just tells me that whoever built his frame didn't know a lot about bicycles, or more to the point about building custom bikes. That is also confirmed that he said the company was a regular bike company that built this guy a custom sized frame and then made it look like a regular "stock" bike. So maybe they don't have the experience in building custom sizes, at compared to the guys that are named in this thread.

I've never seen a negative review in regards to handling or construction of a Seven, Merlin, Sachs, etc frame.

Second, the guy is a bike dealer of Colango, so there will be some bias in there (if even a small amount). Although I do agree with most of the article in that when you get into that price range a lot of makers sell frames at 1cm increments and finding the perfect fit is a lot easier. But I wouldn't dismiss custom that fast.

Andrew

If you are ordering custom because standard frames don't fit you well, Serotta dealers have a size-cycle gizmo that will let you dial in size and geometry. The size information can probably be used for any custom frame. Normally the price is applied toward the purchase if you get a Serotta. Otherwise, it costs upward of $100.

yeah, i have seen that red bike before.
always wanted to do it, but just never did.

Wow...so many choices. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the bikes you are considering. Let me muddy your waters a little bit. If you aren't commited to buying titanium, Calfee (http://www.calfeedesign.com/) makes custom carbon fiber bikes.

A small midwestern builder to consider is Cherry (http://cherry.dcwi.com/cherry/index2.html). I guess if I were going custom, I'd want the cachet of riding a bike from a small builder.

Everyone I know who rides a Seven is happy with their bike and with the company.

BTW...What size is the Litespeed and how much are you asking?

size 51cm, full dura ace.
2000 litespeed ultimate
i have been getting offers of 2500

i think i am heading more towards seven than anyone else so far...
axiom ti,
gonna set it up full dura ace triple...
what sucks is if i sell the bike, great...but then i only have the money to buy the new frame...
gonna have to wait til i can afford all the parts, and that means no road bike for a while.
i am buying a new turner xce, just waiting for my frame, so i figure i will be riding that a lot...but still gonna miss the road.

someone just bought it.
ok, now to go get my ...
Seven?
i guess so...
yeah, why not.

i just drool over the seven brochure i sent for. holy cow!

If you are so small that you ride a 51cm, then dozens of bikes are already "over-engineered" for you. (strong)

The real factors to consider in choosing a custom frame would be the input or "tips" to the builders regarding your riding "style" and "expectations" for the frame.

Remember, every frame is a compromise of certain qualities. No one frame/fork is the best for hills and the flats, etc...

If you want an opinion on Seven I can telll you I ordered a Seven Axiom Ti last March and have since put over 2000 miles on it. It is everything I dreamed it would be and it gets more comfortable the more i ride it. You will not be unhappy with Seven