sdstp

Here is my XL. I am pretty pleased with the frame although I wished it had a sloping top tube.

Inpd

Nice. I've ordered white hoods.

chaadster

It's interesting to see those '12 model year frames turning up! Those framesets are distinguished by the 35th anniversary paintjob, which is the darker, cobalt-y blue with the white diamond panels on the seat tube and fork legs. There are some smaller paint details, but those two things are easy to spot.

Anyway, I'm curious if you guys got those recently, or if you've had them awhile?

2manybikes

Good point.
Wish I thought of it many bikes ago.

chip1

Can you make a brief comparison between the two bikes? Why did you replace the Eclipse?

sdstp

I just picked mine up a few weeks ago. Bikewagon has had these for a long time. They slowly dropped the price and I had been watching for some time. Finally pulled the trigger based on price and remaining quantity. I paid net $195 after activejunky and a BW coupon which is pretty good for a good steel frame. I was not too pleased with the quality. The first had a tiny dent in a seatstay which appeared to have happened prior to paint. BW replaced the one and the one I kept had a pretty rough lower headset race due to the welded stops but that was fixable.

sdstp

I have owned a few steel frames. I could not pass up on the Breezer based on price. Also, the Breezer would be new and the Eclipse came to me used so the idea of owning a frame from new appealed to me. Plan had been to keep the Eclipse as well but the money did not work out. The Breezer seems to be stiffer. I am 250 and do not notice much flex. The Eclipse had some rub even using same wheels. Also, the Eclipse had a carbon steerer and did not seem to transmit as much vibration through the handlebars. I do like the Breezer but miss the sloped top tube due to short legs.

Inpd

Okay so they came!

How do you put the new hoods on? Do you have to remove the STI from the bars or can you replace them whilst in place?

rpenmanparker 

Pull the old ones off and push the new ones on. Better left on the bar for stability.

Fiery

Just Google it, there's a few nice videos that show how it's done with some tips and tricks. The best advice for me was regarding the removal of the old hoods - make sure you jam the hood as far as you can into the corner between the lever and the shifter body, that will give you the most slack to work with while muscling it over the knob on top of the shifter.

WestboroGoose

I picked my frame up in August for $220 at Bike Wagon as well. At this point, they're unfortunately out of stock; nice deal while it lasted.

WestboroGoose

As said, better to leave them on the bars. You can use alcohol based hand cleaner as a lubricant on the levers to slide the new hoods on. It evaporates quickly and won't do any damage.

Inpd

So there is one issue I noticed with the Venturi.

Since the top tube is a bit longer (mine is 54cm size but a 57.5cm ETT) your stretched out which is great. Except that aero bars don't fit you as well. With aero bars the padding to rest your arms is adjacent to the steerer but given the longer ETT you tend to now rest on your lower forearms (closer to the wrist) than closer to your elbow. I personally find this more uncomfortable.

This maybe due to me having shorter forearms than my upper-arms. What is the proper word for upper-arms (aft-arms!)

PepeM

Getting into time trials?

Inpd

Hell no. The opposite. When I ride a century I like to do it on aerobars as I can ride on them for hours on end.

rpenmanparker 

Why did you buy too big a frame? If you properly take a 55cm top tube, why did you by a frame with a top tube a whole inch longer? Or alternatively, why have you not adjusted the fit with a shorter stem. The problem you are having with aero bars was easily predictable. I don't understand why you think being "stretched out" on the Venturi is a good thing, but would you not always select a frame size that provides you that position.

rpenmanparker 

Aren't aero bars forbidden in most centuries?

PepeM

Because Breezer Venturi. You wouldn't understand.

rpenmanparker 

Neither would anyone else.

joejack951

It is amusing that he continues to deny that this frame simply doesn't fit, but at the same time asks questions like this aerobar one that confirm the obvious. He likely can't ride very long on the bike as-is because he gets zero support from his overstretched core and is thus forced to tightly grasp the bars to hold himself up (try riding a frame a few sizes too big to see what I mean). His hands are probably going numb from this or at least getting very fatigued hence the desire to support himself on his forearms.

Do note, INPD, that could either reverse your current seatpost if it has a bunch of angle adjustment or get a time-trial specific seatpost that moves the saddle forward such that you can use aerobars with a little less discomfort. The bike still won't fit right and you'll be so far forward that you'll probably be way down on power not to mention stability. But you'll be on those aerobars and can maybe continue pretending your bike fits a little longer.

Or you could 'do the right thing' and perhaps find someone on too small of a frame to trade with you.

shelbyfv

Very few understand the appeal, hence the give away price. There may be someone out there who is proportioned to fit this frame but they have not yet popped up on BF. FWIW, I think even OP is looking for something else

rpenmanparker 

I agree with you guys completely, and remember that the frame comes with a bizarre (for a road bike) high angle stem to somewhat overcome the long top tube and short head tube. Likewise an Al steerer (correct me if I am wrong) that allows a tall spacer stack without undue risk of breakage. When we ask why this is such a good design concept, we are not told any reasons but rather that Joe Breeze can do no wrong. Apparently even with this kludge, the system doesn't work with aero bars. Or maybe OP is trying to use a more normal stem and spacer stack and therein lies his problem. Remember that a lot of spacers shortens reach by moving the bars backwards due to the head tube angle.

chip1

It looks like OP made a classic mistake of identifying the seat tube length for a listed size. "54cm" Venturi that has a 57cm ETT equates to a large frame which is 56cm for most bikes. If he does fit on a 55cm he should've gotten a medium that has a 51cm seat tube. I made the same mistake with the old Fuji bike in the past where the frame had a sticker that said 54cm but that 54 was referring to the seat tube length and not necessarily the listed size that corresponded with most brands, so it was really a 56cm bike. The top tube length of Venturi does seem slightly longer than most bikes but this can be compensated with a shorter stem even with the short head tube. I don't see a problem fitting on this bike as long as you got the size within the ballpark, which OP clearly hasn't.

Regardless of the size and its geometry, I think OP had a buyer's remorse from the beginning with this bike and has been trying to convince himself of it ever since. Just get a lighter bike that fits and move on.

rpenmanparker 

Also remember that the top tube is effectively even longer than the ETT specification due to the 73.5° seat tube angle. I consider 73° to be standard. Every half degree higher angle means that the saddle will have to be pushed back an extra 0.5 cm or so to give the same position relative to the bottom bracket. So the way I figure, these top tubes are even 0.5 longer than they seem considering the effect on reach to the bars.

Also the way I look at it, the ETT on the M size Venturi isn't 55.5 cm; it is really 56.5 cm due to the 74° seat tube angle. Now that is a long top tube for a M bike.

Dan333SP

Sounds like a 100 mile time trial to me...