You haven't actually criticized anything, and what you've posted certainly hasn't been constructive. You've just expressed your unfounded fears.

It's not crappy paint, it's "patina-in-progress".

I'm from Australia, I don't speak American.

Fair enough. It's a term that's been around at least since the 1970s, when skaters used it to describe riding down hills at top speed. It may pre-date that, but that's the earliest reference to it that I know of.

your knees will explode before the fork does. belee dat playaa.

I think I used to work with you. :rolleyes: lol

Thanks. You've made my reading experience more pleasant. Appreciated.

hmm, even if people were *****ing about the frames, that's certainly well within the rights of the consumer.

some of you people act like tony sold gave us head while hand building these things... i like the bike just fine (it's the only one i brought on my travels), but to be completely honest, i wouldn't have paid more than 150 for it. between the 3-4 month wait, the strange geometry (roadish geometry with toe overlap?), (experimental?) flexy tubing (getting used to it) & paint that chips off when looked at sideways (not to mention the gashes upon arrival), it is a fair price.

ingrates? are you crazy? we placed a large order, waited way longer than anyone should for a frame(again, not complaining -- part of the discount though), eventually got nice looking entry level bikes for almost half off and called it a day, mostly satisfied (i think).

It is standard to wait that long for a group buy. If you go to the Road Sub-forum you will see a group buy for a Pedal Force frame. The order was placed sometime at the beginning of the summer. They will receive their bikes in October, and they spent about $500. the geometry of the frame is the same as other frames that are sold by IRO, and it was even said which frame it was like (I don't remember and don't care). Therefore, you could have gone to your LBS and tried one out. The frame is worth more than the other frames that IRO sells, because of the tubing. If you think this tubing is flexy, good thing you didn't buy one of the other frames IRO sells, they are all 4130, I believe. Steel is flexy compared to aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium of the same thickness and so you should have expected this frame to flex. I don't think your assessment of the cost of this frame is valid; the frame is almost comparable to the EAI and they are asking $600+ for those. IMO, the frame is worth $400, and I am glad I only spent $150.

EDIT: To make it mean what I intended.

I guess I am a little ambivilent about this. I purchased a discount frame at an arms length transaction. I factored in the wait time and frame material in making my decision. Given the circumstances of the transaction, I think the $150 price tag was just right. Am I a little peeved that the paint chips?--well, yes. But I just figure thats a risk I took when ordering a discount frame off the internet. I mean, what am I going to do, call up Tony and demand a refund or that he pay to have it repainted? Also, considering that you can easily spend at least the cost of the frame on a paint job--its hard to fuss over it.

One of my late grandfather's favorite sayings was "you get what you pay for" and I believe that holds true in almost any business transaction.

I really like the way the bike rides and learned a hell of alot about bikes when putting it together. Overall I am satisfied with my purchase (it hasn't had a "catastrophic failure" yet), but I am not of the mindset that I was able to purchase a top-of-the-line frame for pennies.

I ride my IROSE almost everyday and it puts a smile on my face. Yes, I occassionally have to use my auto touch up paint after a ride.

I guess I don't understand the people who think its a POS or who were expecting it to be the equivilent of a Gunnar frame.

I think it is a decent frame that was sold at an affordable price. No more, no less

My biggest gripe is that my welds suck. Apparently, no one else has this problem, or just don't know what crappy welds look like. However, it was $150.

i think we all basically said the same thing.

wait, are you under the impression the frame is aluminum?

cereal?

wait, was this IROSE aluminum?

no it was chromo?!?!?

okay, because lvleph said "good thing you didnt buy one of the non-aluminum frames, making me think the irose was alum.

i think something's afoot!

What I meant was the other non-aluminum frames (Reynolds 4130 I believe). IRO has an aluminum, the Jamie Roy (I believe). I was saying that Dedacciai tubing is stiffer than their standard steel frame. Yeah, it was poorly written, sorry for the confusion.

Not so. The IRO Angus is made from Reynolds 631. No one ever named the Dedacciai tube set that was used, so it's impossible to say, but given the price, it's likely the tubing was Zero or Zero Uno, in which case the Angus is made from a lighter, stiffer, stronger and altogether better steel. In fact, the Zero tubing is basically a standard Cro-Mo, so the frame isn't much different than a 4130 Mark V after all.

Just cheaper.

dunno much about tubing, but i have a cayne that i bump around town on, and i can't imagine it's anything other than generic 4130, and it's way stiffer than the iro. a bit heaver, but definitely stiffer. it's also super flexy compared to my touring bike (lugged quad butted ishiwatta), but i expected that.

also, apparently my post wasn't very clear... i don't dislike the bike, i just don't think it was the spectacular deal that some people make it out to be. it was a good value, and i'd probably buy another for 150, but not for much more, especially with long wait like that.

The frame certainly feels lighter than 4130. My Pake is most certainly heavier.

I bombed down a huge hill yesterday and I see what people mean about the flex in the fork

Your pake is straight guage, the IRO is double-butted. 4130 is just a material, not a tubeset. You could make a bike out of super-unobtanium and still have it be heavy as hell if you constructed the tubes poorly.

The IRO is significantly lighter. And I love the way mine rides.

As others pointed out, 4130 isn't a type of tubing, it's just the composition of the tubing. Your Pake is seamed, single-butted 4130, which is a very poor tubing choice for bike, which is why it's so heavy.

Mark V is a straight gauge frame so there most definitely is a difference.