Road Cycling - Cr1 Team 06' Vs. Tarmac Expert 06'

ive got my bike search down to these two. i have ridden both and like the scott a little more as of right now. both bikes are brand new from the last model year. the cr1 has all shimano 105 comp. vs. the tarmac with full ultegra. i will not be using the bike for racing the componentry does not bug me. i love the feel of the cr1 frame. i was hoping i could get some more insight from you all instead of some salesman. thanks

I have the '06 Tarmac Expert and couldn't be more pleased with it. I suspect the Scott *might* be a little bit lighter weight (I hear their frames are, at least), but every time I ride my Tarmac I do so with a silly grin on my face. It's simply too much fun to be legal. It's incredibly comfy over rough pavement, uber-stiff on steep climbs and sprints, and awfully stable on high-speed descents. My top speed on it is only 45mph, but I suspect it'd still inspire tons of confidence when I ever break the 50mph barrier on a descent.

Anyone know the weight for the Tarmac?

with a name like CR1Ryan I think you have already made up your mind.

I have a tarmac and dig it a lot. Granted it's my first carbon frame, but it is a lot smoother than my aluminum Trek. Whoever saus Carbon is not smoother has never ridden carbon is my guess....at least in VT.

I love my Tarmac. Know nothing about the Scott except they look like Giants to me.

I have a Scott CR1 Team Issue ('05) and I absolutely love it. It gives you a nice cushy ride and people go gaga over the carbon weave pattern it has. If they are the same price though it would be hard not to go with the full Ultegra. I noticed quite a difference between 105 and Ultegra.

The CR1 is a much racier frame with a steeper headtube angle and less trail.

Honestly if your not racing and just doing recreational riding and dont need to sitffest lightest bike I would go with the tarmac.

My 56cm Tarmac weighed in at something like 18.7 lbs at the shop, stock, with cheap shop platform pedals for test rides. After changing out the Alias saddle for a Toupe and selling off the Zertz seatpost for an alloy U.S.E. Alien post I cut out over 1/2lb alone. I plan on keeping the Ksyrium Equipe wheels for training, but want to upgrade to some Ritchey WCS Protocols at the earliest opportunity. That ought to bring the weight close to the 17lb mark. In a way though, the "extra" weight compared to a Scott or some other bike really shouldn't be much of a factor for me. If I'm stressing over a few grams on the bike but still haven't kicked the 10-15lbs flab around my midsection, my priorities are way off. Once I ditch the extra weight I'm carrying then I think I'll reward myself with some killer wheels. Until then, the weight of the bike shouldn't be an issue - getting more fit should be.

I have the the WSD version of the '06 CR1. I must say, I can't stay away from it. Since I got this bike, my addiction to riding has grown exponentially. The fit, the stiffness, the responsiveness, the lightness of the bike all make for an exceptional ride. I don't have any experience with the Tarmac, but I love my Scott in an almost improper way.;)

the tarmac costs 2300, and the cr1 team is 1799. so that may be the deciding factor. i rode both and am used to an older bike with downtube shifters so even the shimano 105 seems great to me.

heck, at $500 difference, you could probably get the shop to switch the 105 for ultegra and have the best of both worlds.

Otherwise, if it were my money I'd go the 105 route and be very happy.

(of course, I may be biased as I'm riding a Speedster S20 with 105 and enjoy every minute on it).

I can't believe I'm saying this, but...

That Scott looks like a great deal for $1800. Truth is, you could actually spend the $500 you saved on several upgrades and drop a very noticeable amount of weight from the bike without even blinking. Upgrade some of the Ritchey Comp parts (bar and seatpost) to Pro or WCS and you've just dropped probably a combined 1/4lb between the two parts. Upgrade the wheels to even the Ksyrium Equippes or Elites (or Ritchey Pro/WCS) and drop probably another 1.5lb. You probably couldn't save a terribly noteworthy amount of weight by switching to Ultegra, but with just those upgrades I listed above, you'd easily be in the 16lb bracket. Possibly even lighter.

Makes me wish there was a Scott dealer near me last year when I was looking at my Tarmac!

Scott CR1

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/pogoman77/0bea0458.jpg

I was looking very hard at a Tarmac when I came upon the CR1 I actually bought.
Price and equipment not withstanding (it was a draw when I was shopping) The CR1 came out on top. A bit lighter, plenty stiff, and with the right tire pressure it's very comfy. Lastly, the bike is remarkable for it's high speed stability while still handling well, so don't let those racy frame angles misguide you.

I have the `06 Scott CR1 Team Issue. I've been very happy. I'm sure you can't go wrong with either so the $500 in savings would be a deciding factor for me. As someone else said, upgrades, upgrades, upgrades.

I BOUGHT THE CR1 TODAY!!! and it does have ksyrium equippes that the 07' models unfortanately do not have, so im exstatic. i unfortunately will not be making any upgrades to this bike because every cent that comes to my pocket goes straight to my mountain bike, which i race. but im sure i will be happy with this beast. thanks for all of your help.