slowgo

I have had my Zurich for almost a week and have ridden it about 100 miles. 30 mile rides have never been so easy. Great bike and the frame material and fit/geometry is making the riding experience much more pleasurable and efficient than the oversized 54cm Aluminum ride I had before. I knew I would appreciate the difference between a cookie cutter Alu frame and a well made steel/carbon frame.
I have also dropped the belly (about 40 lbs) since last "season" (I live in Florida, not really an offseason), so I am sure that helps, but I never knew the hoods and drops were so much fun!
Having all Ultegra sure is nice as well. The Race Lite wheels seem very solid and provide a great ride. The only thing I don't like is the Bontrager saddle. Feels okay, but has absolutely no style. Selle Italia or Fizik will replace it soon.
Looking forward to many great rides on from what I understand from many of you is a great bike. I will post pics, but the pics I took can't shrink down to under 100mb.

clutchy

nice! i have an '06 lemond sarthe that i really really really like, but i'd love to have a zurich

3MTA3

pics?

Plow13

w00 go lemond...i'm on the Alpe d'Huez

v1k1ng1001

I picked up a 2006 Lemond Buenos Aries last November. I'm not a big fan of the Bontrager components but I agree that the the steel/carbon frame is where it's at.

And yeah, get a new saddle ASAP.

3MTA3

i want pics! i love lemonds!

slowgo

The saddle will go soon. Love the bike. Here are some pics-also added a pic of my favorite riding partner's trusty steed.

3MTA3

niiice

Flywolf

Real nice

slowgo

Yeah, Magna Starburst's are pretty sweet

3MTA3

f'in right!

rufvelo

Very nice congrats! Hope you can keep up with her on the Magna

Mariner Fan

Slowgo, you got a great steed there. I have an 05 Maillot Jaune and love it. Every time I use this bike I'm amazed by the smooth ride.

oilman_15106

You hit the nail on the head about fit and frame geometry. Any bike will be more fun when it fits.

rooftest

What size is that frame? I've got the same bike in a 55, and yours looks way smaller. The blue tape looks cool - I've wanted to switch from black ever since I bought mine (3,700 miles ago), but they never have it in stock, and I just keep re-taping it with black.

Only complaint I have is the rear race-lite wheel.

gcl8a

Looks like a 51. The 53 still has some space between the top and down tubes, if I recall correctly.

I have a 2004 Zurich - but I wish I had the yellow decals like the 2006.

Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the race-lite?

NotAsFat

Love that Lemond geometry. I'm riding a Tourmalet, and if I lose that other 50 lbs, I plan to reward myself with a Zurich. Had a chance to test ride one the other day, and I've never ridden a bike that climbs as easily. Shifting was excellent, even when standing on a hill. The bike felt solid on descents, with no twitchiness. A crit rider might prefer a quicker-steering bike, but for fast centuries, it's as about as good as it gets.

rooftest

I had to completely rebuild the wheel at about 1,800 miles - now (at 3,700), the hub is shot. Every LBS I take it to says "wow - 3,700 miles - that's really a lot for Bontrager wheels." I'm going to have to switch to a different brand - I don't want to be buying new wheels once or twice a year.

The front wheel's actually done pretty well - although it could use a truing.

80vette

Good choice.

slowgo

Yeah, its a 51cm. My Felt, which is a good bike, was a 54cm. That was my first road bike, so I thought I was fit okay. You never really know until you put some long rides in. Never able to get out to the hoods and numb-o-rama! The Lemond bikes on closeout seemed like a great way to get away from aluminum for decent money. Steel and carbon really does provide a smooth ride, and the frame has some unique appeal about it. Nothing else like it out on the road. I was looking at the Versailles, but not too fond of the cream paintjob, though. Since the Buenos Aries aren't availale anymore, I thought the Versailles was my only choice and I started looking toward other options. Cannondale Synapse, some Specialized, and a Trek Pilot 5.2. The Pilot felt too much like a hybrid with road bars. The Synapse bikes are pretty nice and C'dales can be built up to be sweet looking.
I was able to get a great deal on the Zurich ($1699), so for $500 more I got all Ultegra, better fork, and wheels that didn't need to be immediately upgraded (slight case of OCP). Taking it out in the afternoon tomorrow for a 40-50 mile ride on the Suncoast Trail (80vette, do you ever ride the Suncoast?). Can't go on Saturday (HAVE to play golf).
The one thing I am a little disappointed with is some peeling of the paint on the fork, where the steerer tube and fork are joined just below the headset. Also the clearcoat is peeling off the nude carbon just below the seatpost clamp. Oh, well. I just need to ride it and not look at it so much. By the way, do bike frames get "broken in" at all?

v1k1ng1001

There were a lot of Versailles floating around at the end of the year, several closeouts with this unique all red paint job. I guess they were trying to dump all of their left over carbon/steel frames at the $900-$1000 pricepoint.

Anyway, I wanted a Lemond carbon/steel spine frame before they discontinued them. I would have preferred the zurich but the buenos aries was the only bike left in my size and the orange paint sold me.

I've logged a couple hundred miles on it and I have to say that I'm impressed with the ride.