Road Cycling - What would you do?

This may be a questionas old as Campy vs. Shimano, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Do you spend more on the frame or the components?

Example:

Indy Fab Crown Jewel Steel w/105 = ~ $2700 USD
Pegoretti Palosanto w/Centaur = ~ $2300 USD
Gunnar Roadie w/Ultegra = ~$2000 USD

Is it worth the extra $$ to get the IF and be done with it? Or are these frames and groupos so close it's all semantics any way?

Have you ridden them? Which one felt best?

Personally, I like the Gunnar as I'm familiar with it and 2 of my bikes have Ultegra. But that's not to say I wouldn't like the others given the chance to take a test ride.

55/Rad

What 55/Rad said about the feel. I've ridden IF and Gunnar frames but not those models. Personally I'd lean towards the IF. However, I have a feeling all those bikes are top-notch in terms of frame quality so it boils back down to how it feels to you when riding. As for components vs. frame, I always go with frame first... and then wheels before drivetrain. The only times components make a gross difference to me is on the lower end where frame feel is pretty on par with one another and I'm trying to decide between Sora which I can't manage to use and Tiagra.

I personally like the Pegoretti. There is something magic (Mojo) about italian bikes
with campy gruppos.
If it fits and sings to you. . . thats the key.
One other thing to think on, what is the purpose of the bike? Fast racer? local Crits?
or long fast recreational rides (like HHH).
I believe that Dario's frames are pure racing bikes....

Marty

Orbea Ultrafoco Carbon (I'm a freakin' broken record on this one). I wanted the Steel Crown Jewel but couldn't afford it by a long shot and end up with the parts I wanted. I went with the Orbea and love it. Got the best of both worlds. I feel that, while not a custom frame, it's an incredible bike, even compared to the IF. Although, the custome IF paint would have kicked ass.

I own a IF Ti Deluxe and the fit and finish on the bike is beyond compare. They will take your measurements and build a bike for "you". Where the others mentioned are off the shelf with standard measurements. If they fit you correctly then you are in luck. Like the others said though I would test all of the bikes you are interested in and buy the one that fits, feels the best and that your wallet can handle.

I own a IF Ti Deluxe and the fit and finish on the bike is beyond compare. They will take your measurements and build a bike for "you". Where the others mentioned are off the shelf with standard measurements. If they fit you correctly then you are in luck. Like the others said though I would test all of the bikes you are interested in and buy the one that fits, feels the best and that your wallet can handle.

I think there's a little too much hype in the whole custom bike argument. There are many cases when off-the-shelf will work out just as good as a custom frame. I've known cyclists who go to get measured or measure themselves in anticipation of a custom frame only to find out that the numbers work out to an already off-the-shelf bike. Now mind you, I don't think that custom is without its merits. Quite the opposite really but to say that anything but a custom won't fit properly is a little over the top. And no... georgesnatcher, I'm not claiming you said that. FWIW, I will probably get myself measured out for a custom frame on my next bike. As to whether or not I'll actually have one custom-made depends on what's already available.

Another thing that should be noted is that there are various degrees of custom frame building. Some framebuilders who claim to do custom work actually take your measurements and then fit tubes to stock lugs of various angles. Will this work? Absolutely... given the right circumstances. However, it's not what I would consider fully custom where the builder starts with a clean sheet and all the angles and length are not pre-fabricated. I believe this is what IF does. I guess my point is that if you go with a custom frame, make sure you understand the exact processes and procedures of the builder so that you know what you're paying for.

I actually had an IF fit measurement dealey and found out that their off the shelf 60c would fit me well. Funny, huh?

I personally like the Pegoretti. There is something magic (Mojo) about italian bikes
with campy gruppos.
If it fits and sings to you. . . thats the key.
One other thing to think on, what is the purpose of the bike? Fast racer? local Crits?
or long fast recreational rides (like HHH).
I believe that Dario's frames are pure racing bikes....

Marty
I'm a fitness and fast recreational rider (a la HHH) The Palosanto is meant more for the longer riding. This is how it was explained to me and how it is listed in the web site. I road the Pegoretti and the Gunnar in 58cm which is a tad small, but they were short rides (wasn't really dressed for the ocasion) I'd say the Pegoretti was a little more sports carish than the Gunnar.

I'm going to ride a bunch of bikes at RBM when they round them up. Trek 2200 & 5000, Litespeed Firenze, Cervelo Super Prodigy. Also going to try and find me an IF in my size. Be a good gauge.

I'm may try the Klein Q-Pro XV sales guy said Klein has the best ride of any aluminum. It sounded much more like sales pitch than fact, but getting my arse on one will be the best way to tell.