I'm new here on this forum, but not new to the sport. Although I have been out of the sport for a while I spent a lot of time in my earlier days riding my earlier Trek. Now that I'm planning to get back into the sport I want to upgrade to new equipment. I'm looking for an all titanium frame. One manufacture in particular I have been seriously looking at is DEAN Titanium Bikes. I have heard of the Serotta's & Seven's and a lot of others that guys have been telling me about. They have also said you're paying for their names and padding their egos. They said the frames its self isn't a rocket science and the difference in price are way out which could be a thousand or more. My question is how's the quality, fit and finish of the DEAN Bikes compared to these high priced frames such as Serrota's, Seven's or any of the well known titanium builders? Are the DEAN Bike's weld quality, fit and finish workmanship in detail up to par with the other high end builders? I’m not interested to have a well know named bike to just pay for their names. I'm not willing to pad their egos. I want a quality nice, fit and finish bike which I don't have to give royalties to just to have their name on it. So if you can kindly give my some opinions and pros & cons of the DEAN Bikes or other brands you have known or have heard of them that is a high quality without having to mortgage a home to have it them please share it with me.
Thanks
Bob
ebbett
03-22-08, 09:42 AM
I don't have a Dean, but I have a ti Serotta. I couldn't be happier with the fit which is hte most important. Dean was one of the brands I considered. I also looked at all the other big ti builders (merlin, moots, seven, etc.). I will say that I thought the welds looked tighter on the Moots/Merlin than Serotta. I read somewhere about a few weeks old Dean cracking. But Dean was quick to replace the frame. My buddy rides a Merlin (bought well before the Litespeed takeover) and it cracked near the shifter bosses. This was after about 40,000 miles though. Merlin fixed it, but made him produce the receipt which after 15 years he still had. Ultimately, I went with Serotta because the one LBS that I really trust and like was a big Serotta dealer and had the whole size cycle thing going.
Nessism
03-22-08, 04:58 PM
Dean makes very nice frames. The negatives I've heard are in regards to custom orders taking way longer than they quote and occasionally the frames are not as light as they quote.
In terms of getting the best value, straight gauge tubes are the way to go with Ti. You don't mention how much you weigh but a 1-1/2" down tube is a good idea if you are strong and/or are heavier than 170 lbs and like a firm bottom bracket. Dean sometimes goes all the way to 1-3/4" for the down tube for those desiring a killer stiff frame. No other company comes close in terms of frame stiffness if that's what you are after.
Good luck.
jimblairo
03-22-08, 10:55 PM
[QUOTE=ual747captain;6384404]Hello There
They have also said you're paying for their names and padding their egos.
When purchasing a custom ti frame one of the most important factors is warranty and consideration as to the probability of the manufacturer being around to honor a warranty or provide service 5 or 10 years down the road.
I don't understand what people mean by pading the ego but I have a close friend who purchased a 2nd hand Serotta that was nine years old and he crashed it and the seat tube split. Serotta had him take the bike to a Serotta dealer who shipped it to the factory and they gave him a new replacement frame and fork.
I was amazed that anyone would stand behind their product like that.
Scottyoz
03-23-08, 04:33 AM
i have ridden a Dean now for the last five years along with a Mercian and i have to say the Dean is a fantastic bike. As a stainless steel welder the welds on the Dean as totally flawless, the price is great for a Ti frame, in all the quality is brillant. I am more than happy with mine.
roadraccer
03-23-08, 11:31 AM
[QUOTE=ual747captain;6384404]I don't understand what people mean by pading the ego but I have a close friend who purchased a 2nd hand Serotta that was nine years old and he crashed it and the seat tube split. Serotta had him take the bike to a Serotta dealer who shipped it to the factory and they gave him a new replacement frame and fork.
I was amazed that anyone would stand behind their product like that.
This is hard to believe. I know in fact one of our club members had a second hand Serrota and had a problem with a hair line crack on the weld around the head tube area and contacted Serrota on that issue as they denied him of any warranties whatsoever and pointed out to him that the warranty states (Great American Bicycle LLC, Serotta Competition Bicycles, warrants Serotta products to the original owner) again "Original Owner". Also the second thing about crashes it reads: Coverage under any of these warranties does not include incidental or consequential damages. Lifetime Warranty On Workmanship And Materials. Serotta provides a lifetime warranty against defective workmanship and materials on all bicycle frames manufactured by Serotta. "Quote - Lifetime warranty against defective workmanship and materials." Most companies or manufactures will only honor warranties on original owners only. I haven’t read a warranty on bikes that is transferable on any conditions.
Here's the link to the Serrota Warranty: http://www.serotta.com/owners/warranty.html
As far as a Dean bikes I haven't see one up close, but I would also like to see their welds and the detail and workmanship on theirs as I'm curious as their name stands out in the titanium industry of the bike world.
BengeBoy
03-23-08, 11:38 AM
If you want a custom-built frame in a reasonable lead time at a reasonable price, check out Bill Davidson in Seattle.
www.davidsonbicycles.com
This blogger is a big Bill Davidson fan and recently had Bill make him a bike called the "Hotspur." Go to the blog, look for tags with "Hotspur" and "Bill Davidson." Beautiful bike, I've admired it up close.
He bought it from a local LBS and crashed it in Chile. Came back and the LBS contacted the previous owner so as he could find out which dealer had sold it. Maybe the reason they replaced it was b/c the seat tube split vertically just above the TT. What I found hard to believe was that they also replaced the fork.
I ride with him 3 times a week when he is back here.
ual747captain
03-23-08, 10:56 PM
So did the warranty fall under the original owner? You made a posting saying your friend bought a Serrota 2nd hand and he crashed and split the tube and Serrota covered the whole thing, now this is sounding like a story to me. I tend to agree with Roadraccer as I started to read the warranties on the manufactures such as Litespeed, Trek, Cannondale and a lot more and I believe what Roadraccer is saying is more like it. I hate to question on your story, but I do find it hard to believe after reading the warranties from most companies, as stated crashes will not be covered, also coverage is only to the original owner. Sorry I find this very very hard to believe. If you are sold on their name that's fine, but I was asking information on the comparisons on build quality of a Dean and as I have heard that some of the well known companies builds nice bikes, but are they that much better where their a thousand dollars or more from others?
Peterpan1
03-24-08, 12:48 AM
If they have a defect that comes out from a crash, they may want to fix that. A full length split is not a confidence builder in my book. Also keep in mind that guarantee performance can be related to who the customer is - which bike shop. If the bike shop feels like making a call and gives the company a lot of business then the odd things may slip through.
If you are buying a custom frame the fit may make all the difference by itself. So if a better builder gets people onto bikes in a way that makes them more happy, that's all that counts. If everyone is using pretty much the same tube, and they are getting proper structural welds, maintaining alignment etc... it comes down to fit unless there are wild performance/design differences as there can be in some catagories.