intence

I'll admit I don't own one, but many people care more about the brand than anything else. If you follow the "Where was my bike made" link above, you'll find that many manufacturers simply outsource everything to one of a handful of Chinese/Taiwanese factories. They can get a frame made to their spec, with their logos etc, and then they just build it with components from SRAM/Shimano. Really many companies are in the business of marketing and distributing bicycles instead of building them. Sometimes the frame may be very proprietary (geometry, shape, type of carbon etc.) sometimes you'll find several brands using the same frame (such as the ADK frame that was pointed out).

You have a warranty from Performance, and a B&M store to go to if something goes wrong. Looking at their latest catalog the Scattante frames are also pretty light, I was very intrigued. You may encounter some snobbery by people who think it's a second tier brand (probably the same people that don't know the Scattante and their frame may have come from the same factory).

One significant con for Scattante though is that the resale won't be as high as the major brands if you ever try to sell the bike. Other than that, it's hard to go wrong, especially with Performance's warranty and return policy

colombo357

Any bike purchased at Performance can be even cheaper than one might think (includes Scattante, Fuji and Focus). Performance has a "Team Performance" club that gives you 10% store credit on every purchase, double that on select weekends. So spend $2K on one of the better spec'd Scattantes and you could have as much as $400 in credit to spend on anything else they sell.

$400 could buy 26 tubes of Chamois Butt'r. Can you imagine how fabulously greasy your ass would be with that much Butt'r?

Or buy 400 cliff bars, 88,000 FREE calories.

eddiepliers 

BB30 is a new internal bottom bracket design that allows you to just fit the crank on the frame, right? As for mostly 105, that's the Shimano 105 drivetrain group.

gumbii

you could also wait for next year...

i just got a fuji carbon bike with 105 for a grand... it's a 09 model so it was like 4 bills off... plus the team performance stuff, i got a couple of bills back for pedals and shoes... good stuff...

RatedZ

Well, I'm not too worried about the name on the frame as long as I'm getting a good product, nor am I worried about the resale. If I do spend this much money on a bike, I plan on running it into the ground.

Yes, I am familiar with Performance's "Team Performance" program. I bought into that program. I'm not sure you know this, but they also offer a "lunch-hour discount" if you purchase between 12 pm and 2 pm on weekdays, I believe. You'll have to check on the exact hours.

I have thought about waiting for the end of a model year. Great deals can be had!

RichinPeoria

thats a good looking bike

mihlbach

I don't think anyone really has an issue with Scattante. All I have ever heard are positive things. I think many Scantatte owners may feel a bit self conscious about their cheap mail-order bike when riding with other people who own name brand LBS bikes and may misinterpret comments and questions from other riders as being negative or snobbish. But I doubt may people are truly that snobbish about it.

RatedZ

Maybe that's what it is, but I figure that if someone has a problem with the "mail order" name being on their bike, he/she shouldn't have gotten it in the first place. Personally, I don't care what name is on the frame as long as it's a quality product and has a light weight (road bike). I've seen a few comments about how their bikes weigh around 17-18 lbs, and IMO, that's really not a heavy bike.

Basically, I want a bike that will hold up to 100 mile rides in the terms of not only reliability, but also comfort.

wanlogan

If you're absolutely sure you won't resell it, go ahead and buy the thing. The resale prices on these things are shot to hel| on the local Craigslist. The owners end up listing them as: "FULL CARBON BIKE WITH ULTEGRA" or "RACE-READY ULTEGRA" or some variant of the two.

Just be confident in your purchase, and you'll be happy. I know plenty of mtb-ers who have great Motobecane bikes and others who are equally impressed at the bike and the price they paid. I'm thinking the feelings of inadequacy are mainly a roadie thing--hence the numerous threads about "matching kits" and "color coordination" and useless crap like that.

woodboy

I know the OP was about the CFR currently being sold by Performace Bike, but...

RatedZ

I can't remember if it was here or not (not gonna search through all the posts for it...) but I did read a review or something and someone mentioned, "turkey in a fancy dressing;" that's what I DON'T want.

As for selling it, I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, but when I own something for a long time and it treats me right, I get attached to them and I just can't let'em go. The next thing I know, I've wound up with a "collection."

My biggest issue is the rigidity of the frame/fork. While I'm climbing a hill, is it going to flex like Hulk Hogan, or snap like David Chappell...

williamset

I bought a Scattante CFR Race last August. As with most of the owners, I got a great deal on a carbon frame with Ultegra components. I've got around 2,000 miles on it and have been incredibly happy with the purchase.

I came from an entry level Bikes Direct road bike with the expectation of going with a premier brand when I upgraded. Instead, I chose the value of the Scattante after test riding a Cannondale Synapse Carbon and a Specialized Tarmac with 105 level components. Honestly, the difference I felt from one frame to the next was minimal. I'm sure there's others who can feel and appreciate the difference though. It just wasn't worth more than twice the price to me.

Frame/Fork:
I'm 6', 160 lbs on the 158 cm (long limbs) and notice no flex in the frame or crank when pedaling hard. This might be different for a heavier rider. I feel the frame's weight is comparable to most carbon frames, however the fork and its aluminum steerer is a porker. On the other hand, the bike feels solid as a rock. If you get a CFR, I believe the new ones have an upgraded fork (and frame).

Groupset:
Ultegra is excellent. Smooth, very quiet, and literally no additional tuning has been required. Shifts are flawless
significant weight

Aesthetics:
This is the major disadvantage in my mind. I thought the bike looked sweet for the first few months. Since then I think its rather blah. The all black scheme with HUGE white letters and little red stripes is getting old fast. I'm going to try to dress it up with some white and red highlights.

Performance Bike:
At my local store they have great customer service, but not always the most knowledgeable staff. I haven't had to take the bike in for service yet, but when I do, I'll look it over closely before taking it home.

I figure the entry level BD bike got me excited about road biking - I rode it into the ground. The Scattante has motivated me to ride significantly more and caused me to appreciate nice equipment and has performed flawlessly. When I upgrade, I'll go through the same process of trying mainstream name brand bikes and comparing the value vs a Performance or BD bike.

wens

Didn't read past the first post, but it looks like the OP is looking for a bunch of people to tell him that it's a good idea to do something he's already decided to do. This is ingenious.

superdex

I bought the XLR (aluminum) frame to build up a back-up/trainer/rain bike. It's seen miles on the rollers, and 70mi rides out and about. Like the bike, hate the brand name. Makes me think of a particular kind of fetish, blech.

superdex

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scat

that's why I can't stand it.

gus6464

If people are so worried about the brand name you can always pay to get the bike painted. There is a company where I live that will powdercoat a bike frame in one color for $100 and that includes removing and sanding down any color the frame might have had before it.

RatedZ

Wow, that sounds really, really dumb.

If I had already decided on a bicycle, why would I ask for opinions from owners of these bicycles? The best research that can be done is through the opinions of owners or previous owners. These people would have no reason to lie about their purchase(s). Given the prices of these bicycles, if they were crap, people would be upset and wouldn't think twice about telling others they got duped and not to give the said company any business whatsoever.

Other bikes I've been looking at within the $1300-$1900 are models from GT, Cannondale, Giant, Specialized, Kona, and Schwinn.

BTW, I just wanted to be the first to thank you for your wealth of information on the subject.

midgetmaestro 

There's a lot of that going around.... Back on topic: my XRL serves me quite well

gus6464

This is a nice GT for the money.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...7_20000_400306

This Scat is also nice although a bit out of your budget but comes with Ultegra 6700 so it's a great deal as well.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...numHome=400339

And then there is this Fuji CCR from 09 with Ultegra that is also nice. My girlfriend has the same frame but different color with Sora/Tiagra that we got for super cheap and is getting upgraded to Rival soon. She likes it and says the ride is very comfy and cushy.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...0_20000_400306

PB also has the 2010 Fuji SL1 Servetto with Rival for $2k and looks awesome in person. The blue color scheme looks great. BTW can you tell I am biased towards Fuji's? But seriously you can't go wrong with any of those bikes but I would lean more toward Fuji because of their lifetime warranty on frames.

RatedZ

Thank you for your honesty on the subject, midgetmaestro. Approximately how many miles have you racked up on it, and can you elaborate on the comfort on extended rides and the acceleration/handling aspects as well?

Thanks!

Thanks for the links. I'll check'em out! Regarding things like the BB30 system, it didn't look like the GT had that available. Is there an advantage to this new BB30 setup over the "old" one? Also, in terms of strength, are all carbon fiber frames stronger than their aluminum counterparts? In other words, even if I wound up with a "cheap" carbon fiber bike, would the frame be sturdier than that of a higher-end aluminum frame?

midgetmaestro 

I'd say that comfort has a lot to do with what pressure you run your tires, but it does ride like you'd expect of an aluminum frame. It accelerates well I'd say.... and I probably have close to a thousand miles on it.

RatedZ

Cool. These bikes sound like really good deals, especially from the component aspect. I'm actually heading to Performance Bike tomorrow to have a fork looked at on my GT, so hopefully they'll have a Scattante to take for a spin while I'm there.

Thanks again!

dan32888

Only on Tuesdays... Just to clarify

RatedZ

Thank you for that. I didn't know it was only on Tuesdays that it was like an additional 10% off during lunch hours.

gcasillo