Road Cycling - Taaaaa Daaaaaa

Well I finally got decided on my first road bike, I'm leaving the ranks of mtn. biking forever:( thanks to all who gave me advice, and helped make some of my decisions....

I've decided to go with ordering a marinoni bike, (v. reputable here in canada) and they do custom paint work, so I've got what i think is a really nice paint scheme set up. The shop I'm going to order through also lets me custom choose everything I want on the bike. My list is as follows:

-Marinoni Delta Xtra Frame
-Camp. Centaur Components (Double)
-Selle Italia SLR saddle (not sure about this one now, but i'm only 135lbs so maybe it will be fine, i think i'll order it)
-Either shop built wheels w/ mavic open pro rims or ksyrium elite wheelset (if i can afford)
-Speedplay X2 pedals
-Sidi Genius 4 shoes (love the fit!!)
-Vetta V100HR Wireless cadence

(the other stuff is minor, i'm not sure brands, etc. comes standard with centaur group though so is probably decent)

I'm really looking forward to it! :D
Advice?

I'm green with envy. Congrats on a fine road cycle.

How much is it all going to cost you?

You'll like the SLR saddle, no air or gel packets to push on sensitive parts when compressed :)
Also, is it 2004 Centaur? If so I hear it's very similar to last year's Chorus.
Congrats, I don't know anyone who isn't happy with their Marinoni!

To answer the two questions....
With respect to price - not sure yet, he'll get back to me with some numbers some time this week. I have everything decided but the wheelset so I'm going to see where I'm at with my budget and see what I can afford. So in short I'll let you know the total cost as soon as I do! I'd be interested to hear from others when the final number comes up as to how good of a deal I've gotten. I've tried to be pretty shrewd with getting a good deal!

Campy Centaur Year? Well I would assume it would be 2004, seeing as I won't likely be getting the bike for at least a couple of months (8 week wait for the bike to be made, plus I have to sell my mountain bike and some other stuff to pay) However, maybe it's a good thing you asked, because they didn't mention anything so perhaps they were pricing with 2003 in mind.

Welcome to the Marinoni Club. You have made a great choice and will not regret it. I would be really envious except that I too have a Marinoni Delta Extra which I just picked up this past June. I am loving it to death. I ended up getting Full DA on mine ( I know it is sacrilege to have that on an Italian frame but I like it better). I also got the FSA Pro Team Carbon Cranks and FSA bars with a Deda stem. My wheelset is Ambrosio Excellight SSC which I am really liking. I really wanted the Kysrium SSC but the price was just way too much for very little difference in riding quality.

Keep us posted when you get it and how you like riding it. The Marinoni's are a thing of beauty. Some of the best craftsmenship anywhere.

:beer:

Wow, yeah a full dura ace setup would have been nice! A little too pricey for me though, and I have to agree that Ksyrium SL's are awfully steep (although I see the 2003's for $1000 CAD now) that was my rationale behind the elites. I didn't realize so many people were riding marinoni's this is great! I wished I'd have asked about these bikes before, although it looks like I've made a good choice. If anyone is interested I modelled the paint scheme off a bianchi that I thought looked absolutely deadly, so it hopefully will have the exact same paint scheme of this bike: (- the bianchi decals of course)



And the twist, was that I want marinoni to put on these decals in red (not the paint scheme or pattern just the decals)[IMG]

Awwww man... I can't figure out how to attach more than one image on a page to show, sorry. I wanted to show bianchi and this one but it just replaces the damn things. :(

This is the bianchi model I was referring to.. (sorry this is so many posts, newbie alert)

Welcome to the skinny side BeardedMonk!
I remember when I finally sold my Turner O2 on eBay and said goodbye to MTB (Chicago has some 'trails' nearby, but not nearly enough for me) and started back to my roots: road (wait, I am riding track now though...hmm...odd). Anyways, nothing compares to flicking a steel road beauty around Chicago traffic. Nice choice on the new sled.

Congrats on the new Marinoni. I'm looking at their Piuma and Leggero. I received the Marinoni literature this week and their pricing in CDN $. They look like very good bikes. They do not have any dealers in my area. Should I decide on the Marinoni, I will have to deal directly with the maker. Eight weeks is not a long wait for what is essentially a custom bike. I assume your LBS measured you. My one reservation is being unable to ride one and that may ultimately influence my final decision. I'm also considering a Gunnar Roadie and the 03 LeMond Zurich and Maillot Jaune. What other bikes did you consider/try before deciding on the Marinoni?

i've been riding a leggero with chorus for three years. it's an amazing bike. i really do love it. every now and then i start daydreaming about buying another bike, but then i realize i'm daydreaming about the bike i ride...

marinoni makes great bikes. they're classic italian road bikes that just happen to be made in canada... at canadian prices.

Hey strider,
I know what you mean about the not being able to try the bike out, it was a difficult choice to make. However, I really liked:
1.the options to be able to customize everything I wanted (important because i didn't find any stock bikes that had the setup i wanted - all were too much money, or didn't have what i liked for a centaur setup)
2.rear carbon stays (helped reinforce comfort factor)

I had ridden previously:
-specialized allez pro, elite
-devinci millenium (very similar to the setup i'm getting)
-opus allegro
-argon 18 helium

I'll know better how well i did price wise a little later in the week but it looked like it would be the best option for me

Originally posted by BeardedMonk
[I really liked:
1.the options to be able to customize everything I wanted (important because i didn't find any stock bikes that had the setup i wanted - all were too much money, or didn't have what i liked for a centaur setup)

I'll know better how well i did price wise a little later in the week but it looked like it would be the best option for me [/B]

Bearded Monk....Thanks for the info. Interesting knowing someone else has gone through the same process re buying without riding. Gunnar offers the same opportunity to customize/equip/paint their Roadie. I suspect my choices will be between the Gunnar and Marinoni because of the customization options available. I'm waiting for the 04 Gunnars to arrive at my LBS within the next two weeks and to ride it and the available LeMonds at the same time.

Velocipedio... Your reply to a previous post of mine caused me to add the Leggero to my list. The Marinoni literature was also helpful in that decision.

Bearded Monk, congratulations with your new weapon! I can imagine how it makes your heart beat faster (and soon also will raise your cruise speed with a few km's). :beer:

Go with the Ksyrium wheels. Not only are they great looking, but are extremely rugged and quite light. SL's if you can, Elites (which I ride) if you can't. Shop built wheels are OK, but can be awfully iffy. Most shops don't build enough wheels to be really good at it. But Mavic certainly does. And Centaur is an excellent choice. You'll like the way it operates. Nice ride!!

I don't no where you are located but there are many stores in the Toronto area which carry Marinoni's which you would be able to test ride. Ottawa also has many dealers. I know that they will not be exactly the custom size you will be ordering but you will certainly get a feel for the frame material and other options which you are looking at.

Best of luck.

monk... judging by the choice of bikes [marinoni, devinci, opus], i'd say you're somewhere in quebec...

A worthy guess, but alas, I am the cycling mecca of....
ALBERTA! So unfortunately there are no marinoni bikes I can test ride, I've looked in marinoni stores in Edmonton, Calgary, and Canmore. But I think it will work out ok... Thanks for the encouragement all! I can't wait to start riding :D

The picture you posted of the Marinoni is the same color scheme that I have on my bike. I really like it a lot.

this is mine...

that's with the mavic wheelset. mostly i ride the protons... smaller wedge now, too...

Wow, great picture! Looks like a great bike, can't wait to get mine! The marinoni dealer i talked to called me back today and gave me a price... The price for my bike will be $3183.25 with the wheelset they're building (open pro rims and centaur hubs) or it would be $3584.50 with the ksyrium elites, gotta decide now whether it's worth it (the wheelset that is)... That price included gst with the above posted setup that I mentioned. How did I do? I think I got a good deal.

I stongly recommend the Ksyrium wheels...i have a set of SL's and they are still straight as arrows with 1800 miles on them....and I live in New England...Pot hole capital. They are superstong wheels...I am 136 lbs too...so its a good comparison between us...Trust me its worth the extra money...the shop built wheels may end up requiring more care (truing)

for what it's worth, the wheels on my cyclo-cross bike are 32 spoke open pros with centaur hubs. i raced those and trained with those off-road in the worst possible conditions, took big, big hits on mtb singletrack, and they're still perfectly straight.

Hmmm... looks like they'd both be great choices as far as durability is concerned... The only thing ksyriums have on open pros is sex appeal and light weight. I'll probably just pony up for the ksyriums, I'm not someone who buys aftermarket stuff, so I may as well get what I want the first time. My mtn. bike is still stock after 3 years and it works fine, so I don't change a thing!

well... the ksyrium elites aren't actually lighter. the pair of elites comes in at 1745 g, while a set of wheels built with open pro rims, centaur hubs and 32 [per wheel] double-butted spokes should come in around 1680 g. to save weight, you'll have to go with the ksyrium ssc sl's, which weigh in around 1550 g.

they do look cool, though...

Wow, I just assumed that +$ = -weight... guess not. It's just a strength thing then? Or are they selling for aerodynamic properties and looks?

well... the ksyriums are more aero, that's for sure, and that will be an advantage up above 40 km/h or so. their real advantage [aside from looks] over the open pros is that they are much, much stiffer laterally. you'll notice a substantially greater transfer of power to the back wheel because of that. on the other hand, the open pros will be much more comfortable for long rides... and much easier to fix.

one more thing... the ksyriums have really nice mavic hubs. i find these much smoother than comparable shimano hubs [except dura ace], and significantly smoother than centaur hubs...

So, if if you were me veloci...what would you do?

I'm hearing that the 2004 Centaur hubs will actually be the same as 2003 Chorus hubs so make sure you compare those if the rumours about the 2004 Campy line up are true. I'd have a hard time saying ksyrium hubs are better than Chorus.

monk... it depends on your riding. the op's are great, all-around wheels for almost any application. they're not sexy, but they work. the ksyriums will be stiffer, which should help in acceleration. they'll probably feel faster than the op's, and they look cooler.

personally, i think everyone should have two wheelsets. i have a set of camp protons that weight about the same as the op's, but are much stiffer, as well as the op's. i ride the protons on most group rides, and i use the op's on long solo rides and early/late in the season.

you might want to go with the op's and then buy a set of really light wheels [like the ssc sl's] next season.

Ok, looks like sound advice. Maybe I'll just go with the open pro's and possibly pony up later for the Kysrium's (but they look sooo much nicer!) Aaaaa the voice of reason... so difficult to hear sometimes. ;)