Road Cycling - Airborne or Kestrel

I am in the market for a new road bike. Right now I am looking at either an Airborne Valkirie or Kestrel Talon. Would be interested in hearing what folks think about them. Would like to know about ride comfort, stability, and durability.

Also, does anyone use flat bars on their road bikes?

I am a 53 year old recreational rider looking for a good all around road bike that will hold up over sometimes rough roads. Also it is somewhat hilly where I live, so climbing is important(along with stability going down). Hope you can help.

Thanks. :)

If you're looking for something geared towards the recreational rider, I'd recommend checking out the Litespeed Veneto. It has a slightly shorter top tube, longer head tube, and relaxed geometry. This translates into a slightly more upright riding position and more stable albeit slower handling bike. I'm not a fan of Kestrels as I've found them to be too flexy and our shop has seen a few of them in with cracked frames. In eight years with Litespeed we haven't waranteed a single one. Just my pennies...

You would have a hard time mounting flat bars to either one of those bikes. The type of shift mechanisms that are used are extremely difficult, if not impossible to use on anything other than road bars.

As a recreational rider, you won't stress either bike enough to cause any problems. The first task you have now though is to make absolutely sure that you are correctly fitted onto any bike you buy. The world's best bike is terrible if it doesn't fit. Correct fitting includes among other things, taking in to account your age, fitness level, flexibility and intended use of the bike.

Either bike will only climb as good as its' engine. If hills are a concern, you should be looking at a triple crankset. If you are concerned about the handlebars, they can be raised using riser stems. At your level, the bars should be at or above the height of the seat.

Find a good LBS that will listen to what you have to say and that you can trust to have your best interest in mind. Sometimes you may have to travel a bit to find a really good shop, but that can give you the perfect excuse to get out of the house for a couple of hours. "Honey, I've got to go to the bike shop!"

I'd also vote for the Airborne if I had to choose between those. I like their ad campaign as well.

I can't suggest any models off hand, but you might want to look into some kind of light duty touring bike. They typically have wide range gearing (i.e. triple chainrings), a more upright, stretched out geometry that's intended to be stable and comfortable, and clearance for fatter, softer tires if you want (but can accomodate faster, lighter tires if you don't). On such a bike, you might want to leave drop bars for riding into those pesky headwinds.

It might be hard to find a quality light-duty tourer... not a popular genre. And serious tourers are set up to be loaded down with panniers, etc. Maybe somebody can make some suggestions. Good luck!

I just got the felt,SR71.Except for straight bars,shifters and brakes,its all road bike.105's throughout,areo rims with 700x23 tires,carbon forks,very clean bike.They even run the rear brake cable through the top tube,i like that.

If I had to choose between the two I'd go for the Airbourne. Ti is probably going to last longer. If I remember right the Talon is made overseas, and re-branded for a few other companies as well. Personally, I second Waldo's statement about Litespeed, they seem rock solid.

I bought a 2002 Litespeed Arenberg this year. Like you, I'm gettng older, 45, and was looking for comfort (not bad, did change the seat & stem), ride quality (titanium is good), warranty (lifetime on the Litespeed, my last road bike is 19 years old) and didn't mind shelling out a little extra to get what I wanted. Had I not gotten such an steal on this bike I would have gotten the Litespeed Veneto as Waldo suggested. Specialized is offering a relaxed bike in steel this year for @$1,500, might be worth checking into.

Just noticed the original question and a response about flat bars-you'd have to swap out for the shifter set Shimano makes specifically for flat bar road bikes but any reasonable LBS would do that for you. Check out the Sirrus line from Specialized or the Road Warrior series from Cannondale if a flat bar road bike interests you.

Hi,
I put a flat bar on a road bike about ten years ago. It was ok....but it would make a lot more sense to buy a bike designed to be used with a flat bar. If you're going to spend a grand or two....you want a hell of a lot more than just ok.
Now, they make event bikes, flat bar road bikes that would work for you. But having gone down this path; I can tell you that there are better choices.
If you put a drop bar at saddle height, and double wrap the bar; it's pretty comfortable. It will aslo have many more hand positions; allowing you to move your hands around. My LBS put the Salsa Poco on my bike, it's a shallow drop.
One type of bike to look at is the all-rounder. Rivendell makes one, and they
are very nice. I decided to go with a sport touring bike. This type has the relatively upright riding position, but is pretty quick. Two in this category would be the Specialized Seqouia and the Airborne Carpe Diem. I spend a fair amount of time cruising with my hands on the top of the bar; so I mounted a second set of brakes, so I can brake with my hands on top. The Seqouia has these as standard equipment. Btw, I am 53 too.

Merckxrider,

I like their ad campaign too. Did you notice the typo on the first runs?

It used to say "Your gonna fly" in huge letters. The next month they switched to "You're gonna fly".

OK, that's my useless information for the day.



<<BTW I vote for Kestrel carbon. No flat bars!>>

Also, if you're really thinking about Airborne and you want flat bars, look at the Carpe Diem. The frame is only 4 oz heavier than the Valkyrie, but it's much more versatile. With lightweight wheels, 23c racing tires, and an Ultegra triple group, it's a comfortable all-day road bike that can be built yo weigh less than 19 pounds.

But the same frame can be built up as a cyclocross or light-touring bike, with whatever mix of road and MTB transmission parts gives you the range you want, and wheels and tires as heavy-duty as you think you need.

And yes, a flat-bar option is offered. And the frame is disc-brake compatible, something not true of many road bikes.

RichC

Just wanted to thank everone for all the good advice. You have also given me some more things to think about. Hopefully I will be able to make a decision soon.

Thanks again.:beer:

I also vote for the litespeed. I have one and it is the greatest bike I have ever owned. As for flatbars you will need the Shimano R440 shifters and brake levers to work with the road components you choose. With a litespeed the shop will custom build the bike so you can choose your components before it is hand assembled. Ti will likely ride better and last longer than any carbon frame you can buy. I have warrantied a few Kestrels recently and I can definitely say that their customer service is great - they have bent over backwards to make things right with the customer. Litespeed customer service is the same way - 100% excellent. The Airbornes lack the engineering and quality craftsmanship that Litespeeds have.

-Ryan