foresthill

If you want pics of a Prince, just come walk around the cycling routes in Tucson. I must see three or four of them a day.

yusuke343

your dilemma is rare... lol I wish i had the same problem

Pinarello Prince is the clear choice.

wannaride

I've not ridden the Willier as here in SoFla they have no dealers. There was no way that I was going to buy a bike that could not ride much less have to warranty through the mail.

I have and did ride both the King and the Prince. First I am not a fan of compact frames. But when I was going to drop that much cash on anything I was going to ride it all which was again why I did not consider the Willier.

The King is a very nice bike but it really did not do it for me as it was very stiff and had very little vertical compliance. The Prince is stiff too but is more comfortable. The King is also 1400 grams fork and frame which makes it heavier than the Prince even with a real paint job while the King had a sort of raw finish on it. Not all Princes are garish although some like the King of Spain version are not my cup of tea.

Princes are indeed made in Italy as are Kings. Apparently Williers are made in Taiwan. It's a real shame that anyone would drop that kind of dough on a bike without riding a Prince. And why would you put Force cranks on a bike when you have Red everything else.


Anyway after riding everything I could this is what I did and I am very happy with it over a year later:

Surferbruce

gaining 20 grams of weight for a crank which is 100 times better looking (and stiffer I suspect) is well worth it.

varian72

Also includes the seatpost. So, in reality, more like 1250-1200 or less depending on what sort of post you're running on a traditional frame.

Depending on your size, it could be more like 1050.

wannaride

First I am surely ignorant of much having to do with SRAM components although I love their return to center shifters and my next tri bike will probably be SRAM equiped.

The weight of the King frame and fork were off a 54cm frame. And while it is true that there is an integrated seatpost mast - which concerned me should I ever want to sell the bike - the seatpost that fits into that mast is not that much shorter than a "regular" seat post although you could probably cut it down some. To be fair we weighed several bike frames and not one came within the manufacturer's weight claims. Yes, the scale used was calibrated.

scb

Should I expect to pay full MSRP on each of these bikes? The only one that's offered at BellatiSport is the Wilier at a significant discount. Is it worth paying full price at CC with their impeccable service?

foresthill

It only gives you 3cm of adjustment. How do you figure it's not much shorter than an average seatpost?

foresthill

Princes are fantastic bikes. there's no way you'll be unhappy with one. But this is just wrong, I'm sorry to say. Just google around a bit. you'll find plenty of references to it. Or just ask your LBS. I did. The new prince, starting in 2007, has always been made in Taiwan. Taiwan makes great carbon fiber.

To answer the question above of where to buy from, I don't think you'll get it any cheaper from CC than you would from an LBS. If you can find an LBS that can order and assemble it for you (they sure shouldn't charge you for assembly if you just paid anything near retail for the frame), then having that shop to go back to for adjustments and minor stuff is a really nice bonus.

The bonus of CC is that you can demo the bike from them and use the price of the demo toward the purchase.

pharding

You can get 10% off on the Prince plus free shipping without much difficulty right now.

drdhsimon

Clearly the KOM Prince

Walter

I like the Pinarello paint jobs though I'm not crazy about the curves so aesthetically I say go with the Prince though my heart wants to say "DeRosa." Sadly, I'm not in love with that sort of "plain" carbon look. For that $ I want sweet looking paint.

Now this is completely meaningless advice regarding performance but I can't imagine any of these bikes lacking in that regard.

TruckerMike

How about the bike that fits? Why pay big bucks for off-the-rack? Take a look at this beauty - a custom carbon Absolu. You'll be hearing a lot more about this frame in the months to come.

crankbroitalia

Go for the Prince but just promise not to go with a red/white - dime a dozen IMO.

varian72

www.comobike.com for deRosa....$3200 not $5K+

https://www.comobike.com/ct/shop/page...ticolo_id=3633

varian72

OH yea...Como has the Cento for $2900 not the $4300 CompetitiveCyclist wants.

fa63

It kills me to see a custom frame with 2-inches of spacers under the stem; why not just get a taller headtube if it is custom?

terrain

Seems to be lots of good deals on deRosa's - I would like to ride one to compare it with the Prince in particular.

calves2997

The bike is almost 50% more than the cost of either Prince, Willier or De Rosa.
The MSRP of the frame alone is 6700, but is hand made in france!

foresthill

You know, the De Rosa King comes in 4 different colors, only two of which have the see-thru-to-the-carbon thing going on. It also comes in white and blue, both of which are opaque.

And on the "why is your crank a Force when everything else is Red", it's because that's what I had before I bought the new frame. Someday I may upgrade it, but there doesn't seem to be a compelling enough reason to spend the money on it given the present lineup.

ILUVUK

never ridden any of them, so take my opinion with a proverbial grain of salt. In this order, I'd pick the De Rosa, Wilier, Pinarello...simply based on appearance alone.

scb

Thanks everyone for the input. At this point, I am strongly leaning toward the Prince. Just trying to find the best place to make a purchase.

terrain

What are you talking about? 50 percent more expensive than what?

calves2997

Sorry, replied without quote.
I am talking about the price of the Cyfac Absolu above. It is 50% more expensive the the bikes being discussed. Hence it is not is the same category of these bikes; it would be better compared to a Crumpton or Javelin custom.

terrain

Wow - the frame is 8K+ and I thought 5.5K was plenty to pay for a frame.