Road Cycling - LeMond vs. Klien

I need a racer that will replace my current, way too big, bike (a Panasonic DX-3000). I work at a bike shop that carries all the Trek companies but for Trek (Fisher, LeMond, Klien, & Bontrager), and so I've been looking hard at the LeMond Zurich (Mens'!) and the Klien Q-Carbon Team. They appear to be outfitted with the same Ultegra set, and go for nearly the same cost - my only factor is Lemond steel vs Klien Al + carbon.

Has anybody ridden the new Q-Carbons? They have a compact road geometry, and that carbon seatstay. I have ridden a few regular Kliens, but that's totally different, right?

If anybody can give me some advice on which to spend my money on, esp. if you've ridden one of the new Kliens?

Thanks!

You work at a bike shop.Why don't you ride them and decide for yourself? No one else can tell you what you will like. Aluminum with a CF stay is still aluminum.

We do have Lemonds, but no Zurichs, and none of the '03 Kliens, so I can't really do a head-to-heads:(

You looking to race something in particular? Crits? Stage races? Road races? That will help you decide.

I understand that just about any good steel frame is supposed to be good for road races, and that LeMonds have a different geom than most road bikes; at one time I heard they used a 71 deg. angle. I would like to ride more road races, but I live in a suburban area, and can't drive out two and a half hours each weekend for a decent road race, so I guess I'm stuck on mostly crits.

Which, if I'm not mistaken, will answer my own question- wouldn't the Al frame be better for the crits, and therefore the one I should get?

I digress. I don't have the opportunity to really test ride either bike- my boss can't sell it as new if I've put 50 miles on it, and I haven't heard anything much about the handling charistics (sp?) of al + carbon frames, nor compact road frames.

The best advice I can give you is buy the one that fits you best.

I have Carbon Fiber (OCLV), Aluminum and Steel bikes, including a Lemond Zurich. I've owned several others.

Based on my experience the frame material makes very little difference in your performance. Fit matters the most.


My two 853 frames (Zurich & a TET custom) are identical size and weight. The TET has a steeper geometry that fits my body style better than the Lemond. My performances are better on the TET.

Check your currant bike's set up. Do you have a super long stem on it? Is the Saddle scootched all the way forward or backwards? Then look for a frame with geometry that will allow you to run your saddle mid rail and use a normal length stem.

Sure, fitness matters most with respect to success, but the frame material might as well match up with your riding style.

I think that newer alu frames have become much more compliant. Not to say that they approach steel; that's just not true. I would probably go with alu, because I'm a bigger guy and like the stiffness even on long rides. It's a choice between a softer riding steel and harder riding alu. Personal preference will be your deciding factor.