Arg.. you know sooner or later you'll get that itch for titanium... I like the Merlin cyrene myself... no paint, just cheap laser etched tubing.

http://www.merlinbike.com/images/200...e_ttube_lg.jpg
http://www.merlinbike.com/images/200...e_htube_lg.jpg
http://www.merlinbike.com/images/200..._ttube3_lg.jpg

Why would you want to scratch your frame when it's new?;)

Don't get me wrong. I do have the itch for titanium but I really couldn't pass up a sweet Italian ride like the Super Corsa. Good tubes, excellent components, great service and fit to my specs. Love it...

14Max, did you ask them how heavy that Cinelli is going to be? In our size, don't be suprised if that frame is pushing 5lbs. It also uses 'traditional' size tubing, meaning it's not going to be even close to as stiff as an oversized TIG'd frame, which you could've got for a couple of hundred bucks more.

Damnit, now I'm going to have to randomly chorome some bits just to make the wares more appealing!

Good luck with the bike.

I'm a titanium owner and would endorse this choice.
Steel= maintenance. Ti is worry free. Ride quality is similar. Performance is close maybe better.
Really comes down to bucks. Spend a bunch now or spend more later.
I made this decision in 1991. Torque titanium, custom built by Litespeed, Here we are in 2006 and I'm still on the beast and have felt no need to upgrade to something better. I just buy more wheel sets.
Whatever.:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

http://www.ifbikes.com/frames2/factorylightweight.shtml

http://www.derosanews.com/

Rode steel for 20+ years; ride Ti now ... still own the trusty Medici, but would never go back to riding steel.

Its a competent workmanlike frame. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

I've done some research on the Neuron tubing and it seems to be of pretty high quality. I'm not sure what Reynolds tubing it would compare to but I'd venture a guess that it's near 725 level which, to me, is pretty decent...

get the Heron, it's built by Waterford

builder is more important than frame material--and there's plenty of crappy Ti frames out there

plus, the difference in ride quality between Ti and Steel is minute to unnoticeable


get a nice frame, not some frame made out of xyz material that you heard about on the internet

Design and execution (including the chosen tubeset) is more important than tubing per se.

Zig - I was going to but they changed the Heron road in such a way that I couldn't run standard brake calipers. Also, they've priced Herons out of my range since I definitely wanted Campy for this build...

I agree. And that is an unknown at this point (as it was with the Romulus when I bought it). I have a pretty good idea of what geometry I'm comfortable riding though and the Super Corsa has similar wheelbase and chainstay length as the 2005 Cannondale while having a lower bottom bracket drop similar to the Romulus. The head/seat tube angles are also similar to both bikes so I know that they'll work...

dude, you need to find a good builder and talk with them about things like geometry, handling and fit--they can suggest the material for what you want it to do

today's butted steel frames are only slightly heavier than ti frames

I went from a steel off the rack frame (Lemond) to a Titanium frame built for me--I love it, but not because of the material

builder/geo/design is the first thing to figure out


good luck :beer:

I'd love to do that but my budget is limited. If I had my druthers I'd just schedule an appointment with the guys at Waterford, drive to Wisconsin, and get a full fitting done. As it is I have to go by experience and what has worked for me in the past...

checkout Gunnar and Curtlo

both great options at a lower price point, and the Gunnar frames are made by Waterford

700-800$ for a quality handbuilt US frame is a good deal imho, and both are respected builders

cheers

Both look great but do you know of any builders in the same price range that would do lugged steel?

Didn't you pull the trigger already, or do you still have options?

Get a ti bike. mine is 4 years old and she looks as good as the day I bought it. Some #0000 steel wool will get rid of any minor blemishes and plastic scrunge pads work to spiff up the looks. Try that on a fancy painted Italian frame. Can't beat ti, no way no how, you got a friend for life.:) Yeah, "steel is real" and so is rust, chipped paint and sctatches.

I'm waiting for payment on the Romulus. I still have time to change my mind as I have the order tentatively placed with GVH until the payment is made. This hasn't stopped me from going to the Pedal Force website and playing around with the custom configuration function. What floors me is that I could pick up a QS2 with a similarly configured Centaur group for $225 less than the GVH Super Corsa and it would weigh only 17.6 pounds opposed to the Super Corsa which will probably come in around 20 pounds. That's a pretty decent weight savings...

Ahhh, well have fun shopping.

sounds like you crash a lot

don't forget to wear a helmet

Any opinions on the QS2?

There was a thread recently, but I didn't really go through it. Seems like people are happy with theirs. For my own part, with a budget of 2k, I'd be looking at a Gunnar or perhaps a Cannondale. Before I bought my Nag, a Cannondale was the 1st and only bike I took out on a test ride. I also like what Giant and Specialized has to offer.

I guess this is beyond your budget right? That would be the sweetest.

Not necessarily...I got my '05 Fierte with full Ultegra for $2k...