Hiro11

I can personally attest to the fact that some "Chinese knock-offs" have excellent quality.

RT

I believe you, but most in here are skeptical based on reading reviews alone or really care about the name on the downtube. There is too much hang up on the name, and that is why this bike and the Chinese carbon frames are so appealing - for the lack of.

pdxtex

i like the seatstays too. beefy. wimpy carbon stays don't instill much confidence in those of us who are hard on equipment. thats a good deal too.

hueyhoolihan

like you, if i was heavier i think i might be concerned too. but aesthetically i like the newer "slim" look i've been seeing recently. i've wondered whether or not some recent engineering data has shown that CF stays were overbuilt. anyway, lookswise, i like 'em thin. in fact, although C & V enthusiast, i'm all over the newer look of bike frames.

milnerpt

I dont get it. 1100 for a carbon bike with tiagra/105 mix with crappy brakes/other items on it.

You can get a full 105 nice Al bike on clearance from CC for less, or a full carbon Fuji from performance for 1300 with 105.

maybe when paired up with a 20% off coupon..... but nothing I am excited about. Although I did buy a 2008 Mongoose Bosgerg through performance (same bike was sold by Nashbar) for about a grand.... it was full carbon, full carbon steerer, full (silver) sram Rival. And it is still being raced (and podiuming) cat 3 races

Nothing new here.

TRUMPHENT

Thank me! I am now building a Ridley Gladius frameset from Nashbar into the equivalent of that all carbon fiber frame bike. The moment I buy anything, a storm of super deals hit. I'm agonizing over which wheelset to buy. The moment I choose and order, the wheelset bargains will be everywhere! My fate awaits.

adriano 

the plain aluminum frames are nashbars real winner.

RT

The single most overpriced, overvalued and overhyped part of any group. I ride Tektro mini V's on my cross bike and Tektro road calipers exactly like this. They stop my fat ass just fine. The pads are where you upgrade. 'Full' group is wildly overrated and strictly for those with severe OCP.

And please show me where Performance sells a carbon/105 bike for $1,300. I have been in my local shop at least once a month for several years now and have never seen this. The closest the website has is the Schwinn Paramount at $1,700 (the Fuji Altamira 3 is $1,800).

You may find an integrated frame for that price, but what Nashbar is offering really is something new for them.

EDIT: And dare I say the words Bikes Direct? The lowest-end carbon bike there is Tiagra level for $100 more. Of course no tax or shipping, but you get the point.

RB1-luvr

oh ya, I see what you're talking about. That is strange that they did that.

Pendergast

I hear more about Pricepoint's mountain bikes than their other bikes, but they've got this carbon road bike with full 105 for $1300. https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/209...-Road-Bike.htm

blcknspo0ln

Never seen a Specialized before?

RB1-luvr

Apparently I haven't.

idc

That must make it annoying to carry.

And yeah I agree having matching group brakes is overrated.

FrenchFit 

Yeah, lots in common with a Specialized; and you wonder why that company is perpetually pissed.

If I read correctly, it's backordered...maybe they are flying off the shelves. Seems like quiet the deal to me. I have a un-branded Nashbar carbon fork, very happy with it after 2 years.

Hiro11

I totally agree. I have a bike that has Tektro R556 calipers on it which cost at most $50 for the set. They initally felt like crap but after putting a quality set of pads on them they stop beautifully, just like my ($200) Ultegra calipers on my other bike. IMO, if you need to save some bucks but don't want to sacrifice performance, calipers and cranks are the two places to do it. Many pros actually prefer cheap alloy cranks because they're stiffer (Cancellara rode a $100 FSA Gossamer for years). Given the fact that lots of bike store bikes are speced with off-brand cranks and calipers, bike sellers realize this as well.

mrdelprete

did you miss the mavic elites for $399?

milnerpt

Im not arguing that FSA brakesets are vastly inferior to shimano.... just that when you are looking at "economical bike builds" it often means that its a mix n match of lower cost components. I still have my FSA brakes on my bike, but you are crazy if you think a gossamer crank is more reliable and better than a shimano one (I actually think the shimano ends up being cheaper after going through a BB or two, given the longevity of them as well as the ability to get a shimano one cheaper).

But aside from that, you may not be aware, but a full carbon bike spec'd at that price range is NOT new.

https://www.nashbar.com/reviews/nashb...Road-Bike.html

I almost bought that one there as a B bike, as it was $999 and would have been with an additional 15-20% off with a code at that time. My understanding is its the same frame as I purchased at performance, with a different spec here

https://www.performancebike.com/revie...Road-Bike.html

which was MSRP something obscene like 2200, but was out the door for 1300 from my recollection for my fiancee in 2009 (it was a 2008).

As far as Performance Bike's offering in that range, its been while since I was at a store, but I have a 2008 Fuji Pro purchased in 2009

https://www.performancebike.com/revie...Road-Bike.html

I recall it was 1200+ tax out the door. Fork has an AL steerer. Cranks/brakes FSA, everything else 105, but the RD was actually an ultegra... aksium wheels. Current performance bikes seem to have crappier wheels

As for current Performance carbon bikes with 105+ spec:
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1592009_400315

and

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1668008_400315


Just because you dont see it in stor, doesnt mean they dont have it. It also doesnt mean its the same price as online or in store. I see your post was from a day ago. today the price of that paramount is different. Welcome to performance bike.

RT

And the price of the Nashbar carbon is up today like the price of gas, the bike now at $1,249.

I'm no newbie to the world of comparison shopping, especially in the cycling world, and yes the prices do fluctuate to keep us interested on a daily basis, but the nature of Nashbar (re: the Mongoose link you posted) is to run closeouts through their site - it is their mission statement. A Nashbar branded carbon bike is a new thing for them. Mongoose and other off-brands are run through from time to time, then disappear. Having a consistent place on nashbar.com is a commitment for them.

I think we are on the same page though.

spare_wheel

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...52_-1___202339

Mostly ultegra except fsa slk crabon mono crank and tektro 530s. and i personally consider the slk to be superior to the ugly ultegra crank. I suppose people in flatland might not like the triple but for me its a plus.

Holy crap...this is almost a perfect bike for me. I'd probably eventually swap out the alu bar with cheapo taiwanese crabon and buy a crabon fork+steerer but this bike has got to weigh 18 lbs with pedals. Wow.

idoru2005

I just sent a link to this bike to my co-worker.

Here's his reply: "You old people love nashbar! Us young people have never even heard of nashbar!"

LOL, I'm 38, does that make me old?!?

TrojanHorse

But that's what this bike is - it's a chinese knock off (or open mold, whatever you want to call it.) The big name guys want to instill FUD (fear, uncertainty & doubt) in potential buyers about using these bikes and it's true that they can't possibly have the same level of research & development in the non-brand bikes but it may not matter to the majority of buyers.

The real issue with going direct to China is warranty support & communication - presumably buying a rebadged bike like a pedal force or nashbar will alleviate that. I came -> <- that close to going that route myself earlier this year. It'd be nice if Nashbar did something like competitive cyclist and let you pick your own components. It's pretty sharp looking as is though.

volosong

Common on lower priced, sloping top tube carbon frames. The Wilier Triestina Izoard is another that is like this, and that's not a "cheap" bike.

RB1-luvr

I see it as more a "arching top tube" thing. If a sloping top tube is straight, the cable won't be visible that way.

ultraman6970

For 1000 bucks is not that bad at all. Looks better than performance's sCRAPpantes.

Smiziley

Learned something completely new with that article link. Wish I fit into that demographic...