Two.

I have both - a Seven Aerios and a Cervelo SLC-SL. When I first got my Cervelo, I didn't notice much difference as both had identical geometry. After a couple thousand miles on the Cervelo, I like it more. It's as comfortable as the Seven but feels just a little quicker on sprints. Plus it looks faster! That's what matters the most.

Both. Next question.

Seriously, the customs will be much more conforming to your bodies and riding style, so that alone is worth the premium. The Cervélos are very nice rices. Either option will make the both of you very happy.

I would first follow the suggestions of the previous post with regards to figuring out what about your bikes did you like, then apply those considerations to your next purchase. Like the others on BF I wouldn't limit your decision to just two brands. Do a little more research and get out and test ride some bikes to get an idea of the differences of carbon and ti. As to long lasting, technically carbon has a longer fatigue life then that of steel or ti, but the ride qualities are pretty different IMO. If you are both mostly doing sportives and centuries then I would look into the bikes that really fit well for those long rides.
Brands you might check out for custom rides:
Lynsky
Seven
Independent Fabrications
Peggoretti
Serrotta
these are just a few so happy hunting.

:rolleyes:

A stock frame can be just as 'conforming' to your body and riding style, and that alone is worth saving the money on. I'm in the smaller percentage of body types that would actually benefit from custom geometry and I'm still able to ride stock frames... including Cervelo's, which I've owned and rode for 2 years.

I would go with whatever brands that your favorite bicycle shop represents. So if they represent Seven, then go with a Seven, if they represent Colnago, then go with Colnago, etc.

The only exception would be if you could go to the builder's location for fitting and to talk directly to them about what you want for comfort, performance, etc. For instance, Serotta now has their own in house design studio. If you could go to New York, then that would be my choice.

If you want Ti, which is what I recommend because it is what you already have and fits your criteria and you like it.

The brands that I would consider are Colnago, Serotta, Seven, Merlin, Moots, Roark, Independent Fabrication, and Lynskey. These are in no particular order and I am sure there are others that I left out.

Look at these manufacturer's websites and locations and see if one is near enough to visit. I live near Roark and know that they have a local fitter do all their fittings here and may refer you to a local fitter because I know they do not have that capability at their manufacturing facility. The best place to start is with the dimensions of your Colnago and go from there. Depending on your age, you may not have the flexibility now that you had when you were younger and might be looking at a position change.

I have a Serotta Legend (titanium with carbon fork and seat stays) that I love. It is standard geometry and I got it as a lightly used demo from the Serotta Garage for $1,690 including a Serotta F-3 fork. This was a great find because I wanted naked Ti, which it had, and the warranty and crash protection eligibility which I purchased.

I did not notice which part of the country you are from, but this is a much better time of the year for most people to be looking for a bike, than say July.

Roadbikereview.com has many reviews of all the bikes that you would consider and many of them include comments about the types of bikes they previously rode and how the new bike they purchased compares. It might be a lot to sort through but it would probably be worth it to take the time.

Good luck and enjoy the search.

All of your comments are great. I love the bike banter... reminds me of my husband an I!

I would love to test ride bikes, but we live in Maine and on top of that I ride a 48-50 cm bike. Not many bike shops have these sizes on the floor. Seven does not even have one in their factory. Based reputation & reviews I have narrowed down a few models for each of the two brands... the Cervelo RS and R3 and the Seven Aerios & ID8. Much of my concerns about buying a carbon bike are around its durability. I do not know if I want to worry about my bike falling over and cracking.
Additionally, I am concerned about an all Ti frame's ride quality in relation to its stiffness.

B

Trek

Orrrr you could test ride a ton of bikes and see which one feels the best.

I again would like to assure you that the carbon should not be any less "durable" than a ti bike. True that if it falls over and hits something with enough force you could crack carbon, but the same is true of ti. Either way you are in for some expensive repairs or a new frame. Both Carbon and Ti can be fixed (its easier if the bike is lugged). I hope that puts some of your qualms away. But in the end go with the bike you are most excited about so you will ride it more...good luck and post pics of what you end up with so we can all oooh and aaaah.

Sure about that? If my seat height is correct, my knee is correctly placed over the pedal and my reach to the bars is correct on my rack bought bike.....what would a custom do for me that the off the rack bike didn't?

seriously?

95% of people can find a stock frame that fits them like a friggin glove. Few things in bicycle retailing is as much of a crock as this 'custom frame' nonsense, which is often another marketing ploy companies like Seven use to crowbar $4K+ out of Fred wallets for their overpriced frames. All that being said, yes, titanium is somewhat more likely to be indestructible over 20 years than CF. But in reality, 95%+ of the people that buy these high end bicycles will NEVER ride them enough to find out.

That being said, I did crack a Ti frame, back in the mid 1990's, it had about 40K miles on it. But I think that was an anomaly, my current 12 year old Ibis Ti Road frame has close to 50k miles on it and will probably go forever. Ti frames do break, but from my discussions with people who have long experience with them, it's very rare. I seriously doubt most owners would ever break a Seven or a Cervelo over 20-30 years, unless they crashed them.

Go with Seven. Tell them what you want and how you want the bike to ride and they should be able to make it ride the way you like. While it is true that any frame can break ti is FAR less likely to do so than carbon. One poster suggested that both ti and carbon can break if they fall against something hard. Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a ti frame get anything more than a scuff in a fall? Carbon can easily get chips that can lead to stress fractures. Great carbon frames like Crumpton and Parlee are you best choices for that material. Cervelo is your basic far east manufactured frame. What sets it apart is mostly the companies marketing.

Tim

Sure you can. But you are not taking into account where that places your front to back weight distribution which dramatically changes braking and handling characteristics. This is often overlooked. Beyond that some people have bodies that do not match well with standard geometries and a custom bike is a huge advantage for them. Builders also claim that they can customize the tube stiffnesses and angles to get the desired ride quality and handling characteristics. For instance some manufacturers change fork angles for different sized bicycles. But most use the same fork which means the dimensions and resulting handling characteristics are much differnent between the different sizes of the same bike.

Maybe I will get custom one day and be able to add my two cents to the advantage or debunk the claim. Until then I can just repeat the standard arguements. I don't know if this is a good analogy, but liken it to a tailor versus a handmade suit that conforms perfectly to every dimension of your body.

Fixed.

Seven. I'm biased.

My only recommendation is that you take a long time on the fit process and be sure to tell them EXACTLY what you want. I say this because you will get EXACTLY what you tell them. If you say you want it to be super stiff but don't really understand what that translates to in other aspects of the ride, you may end up with something that will be very uncomfortable.

I spent 2-3 hrs. with my LBS fitting and taking multiple measurements. We didn't submit any numbers until we were positive we had done it right. Then I spent another hour or two talking to the guys at Seven about what I wanted. I ended up with the bike I'd pictured in my head. A VERY positive experience. Plus, I found the whole process to be a lot of fun. If it sounds intimidating or too much of a hassle, a properly fit off-the-shelf steed may be better for you.

Not trying to be difficult here....maybe I just do not understand....but if my 3 contact points are in correct position on a off the rack frame how is a custom frame going to change my weight distribution without screwing up my already correct fit?

Sorry, but I can't let that one go; it's flat out incorrect.

As I stated in another thread, there are plenty of people who a) don't need custom geometry and b) are on "custom" bikes that are an extremely poor fit for them.

When someone other than the bicycle maker himself is fitting you, you're losing a good amount of the precision that a custom bicycle is supposed to offer.

one

Zero. Do we stop here or go into the negatives?

This is probably correct. The custom fitting will be more related to stem, handlebars, seat position, etc. But, because the original poster is a short woman who needs a small frame, the custom might be worth her investment.

FWIW, my wife badly wants a Seven. I think it's more the idea of full aesthetic customization with her, but she definitely appreciates ride quality. However, it's somewhat given that a Seven will ride great if you get everything fit properly.

I am surprised to hear that. I have an SLC-SL it is way harsh compared to my SLC. I will likely sell it soon for an S3. My R3-SL is really the best ride of all my Cervelos. And if someone would take the R3-SL or even just the R3 out for a good long weekend of riding many, and I dare say a high percentage, would not want a Ti bike.

What's the biggest difference between the SLC-SL and the S3? I kind of thought of them as comparable.