cynergy

Hi There - I was in the market for a road bike and recently purchased a brand new 2007 Lemond Versailles carbon fiber road bike. I had consulted this forum and got some really good advice regarding bike selection. I don't race, but I do ride a lot and I wanted something quicker than my current bikes (heavy steel mountain bike, fairly heavy steel touring bike).

Originally I thought about building a road bike using a Surly Pacer or Soma Smoothie steel sport frame, but that would be cost prohibitive, plus I liked the idea of getting something light since my other bikes are steel. I looked at the Specialized Allez Elite or something like that and really liked it. However, my favorite LBS (Nault's in Manchester, NH) had Lemond bikes on closeout so I got the carbon fiber framed Versailles (58cm frame) for a couple hundred more than the alloy Allez. I paid $1299 for the Versailles.

The Versailles has 105/ultegra components, but I had the original crankset (53/39) replaced with a Shimano 600 compact crankset (50/34, 175mm arms).

I took the bike home on a short 9 or 10 mile ride home from the LBS today. It was a joy to ride. I first took the bike on a ride around the block to test it out. The front derailleur was a little out of adjustment, but I didn't care and wanted to ride all of the way home. It was such a pleasure to ride. The carbon fiber frame is extremely comfortable and soaked up the bumps in the roads well. The frame geometry is also very comfortable. The handle bars may be a little high if you are a professional road racer, but I really like them the way they are and they make for a very comfortable riding position.

I briefly owned a Giant OCR3 alloy framed bike, which I eventually sold to buy my touring bike. It was a nice bike, but I really prefer the more expensive Lemond. The OCR3 was a little harsh to ride and I didn't feel as comfortable on the OCR3 as I do on the Lemond. I think the Versailles frame seems to fit me much better and I don't feel cramped/strained riding it as I did on the OCR3.

I was originally worried that the gears on my bike would be too "tall" even with the compact crankset for the hills around where I live. However, the 50/34 crankset with the 175mm crank arms seems to be a good match for my riding abilities and the bike. The 50/34 crankset gives me enough low gears to comfortably ride the hills around here and yet it has tall enough gears if I am riding downhill or on a straightaway.

After having ridden this Versailles, I don't think I can ever go back to riding a lower cost bike. This thing is so comfortable, yet so quick and efficient. The Shimano components shift so nicely, and I like the double chain ring. It seems to shift more cleanly than the triple chainrings that I have on mountain bike and that I had on my Giant OCR3 road bike.

I do not currently race, but I do ride a lot and plan to use the Versailles as a fitness bike and to zip across town when I need to go somewhere quickly (but don't need to carry much). It's too bad Trek won't be building anymore Lemond cycles. They did a really nice job with the Versailles!

alanbikehouston

Thanks for the review. It is not clear what Trek will do with the Lemond brand, as Greg Lemond is suing Trek for a long list of what seem to be imaginary reasons. Even if Trek drops the Lemond name, it is likely that popular Lemond models would continue to be sold by Trek, although under a new name.