Road Cycling - Seven v. Serotta

I may be able to affort either a Seven or Serotta in the near future and want your views. The Serotta dealer was much nicer than the Seven dealer, but the Serotta Legend is about $500 more than the Seven Axiom. I ride about 2000 to 2500 miles per year and do not race but like long rides. Assuming they both fit, what are your thoughts?

Thanks.

Roadie7,

I, too, had a choice between the Seven Axiom and the Serotta Legend Ti. I think both are really nice bikes. I felt better about the Serotta fitting process than Seven. But, in the end, I chose Serotta because of Ben's experience in building bikes and the innovation he has shown in tapered tubes, S-bend stays, and DKS suspension. I really like how the tapered tubes allow for a light-weight frame with an extremely solid bottom bracket.

SteveE

there is no doubt that both Serotta and Seven both make nice bikes, but if you're considering those, why not consider Spectrum bikes also. Tom Kellogg designed the first modern ti bikes for Merlin in the late 80s and they are still around.

i'd go with serrotta, for the whole fitting process if nothing else. the fit bike and the process they've developed is exceptional. we've got a dealer that sells both here, and virtually everyone who buys from the gets a serrotta.

Each Serotta is custom built to the specifications of the rider. From scratch. Frame tubing is cut and sized based on those specifications, which includes your body weight. Serotta builds bikes for the rider and their fitting process is the best in the industry. Seven uses a set of body measurements and fits you to a bike (they do not have anywhere close to the exhaustive process of fitting that Serotta does..it can take a couple of hours to get a Serotta fitting right). Both are good bikes. Serotta is like a Ferarri.

Example...if I have a guy who weighs 200 lbs and needs a 56 cm frame, Serotta will not use the same width of tubing that they would use for a guy who is 160 lbs who also needs a 56 cm frame. Most bikes just cut the tubes bigger or smaller for different sizes. Not Serotta. So, a heavier rider and a lighter rider can get the same level of comfort in their ride. Few make bikes like that. These folks in Saratgoa Springs are true artisans.

I sell Serottas.

well not all of the Serotta's are custom built. You can buy off the
rack frames from them, and they are a bit less expensive than the
custom builds. Which Serotta are you talking about? Legend or Fierte I
would guess since you are talking about Seven (Both Ti frames).
The Fierte is available in stock sizes only, the legend is a custom in that
you do the whole Serotta fit etc. and Kelly B. designs frame around your
measurements. Legend also has more advanced tubeset.
I concur that Tom Kellog of Spectrum is also an excellent builder and
produces a very nice custom Ti bike.
I'd suggest that you check out the Serotta Owners Forum, there is alot of very
good information there, and alot of help in choosing. One caveate is that
the folks there can be a bit biased (it is a serotta owners group), and
they don't like litespeed. They do discuss other bikes and all in all give
a good, honest take on things.
Serotta Owners Forum (http://www.hydromedia.com/serotta/)

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Marty