Lemond or Independent Fabrication
 

I'm in the market for a new STEEL bike! My budget WAS $2000. With that in mind I found the Lemond Sarthe, which appears to be a great bike for the money.

Recently, I've been looking into Independent Fabrication and I really like the idea of a custom frame.

Is the IFAB really worth twice the price of the Lemond?

My riding: I do a lot of 30 to 50 mile group type rides. My average speed is about 17.5 mph. This year I want to do a couple centuries. I'm not into racing much...but I'll probably enter into a race this season to see what its all about.

Opinions?

I have a Lemond bike and love it. Be advised that these tend to be suited for folks that are long in torso due to the length of top tube and the difference of the seat tube angle and head tube angle. My bike fits perfect and is a joy to ride. If the bike fits then you can't go wrong with a Lemond.

If you're open to custom, there are a 1000 choices including Indy Fab who make a great, albeit perhaps highly priced product.

Compared to a rack Lemond, only you can decide whether spending that extra money will be worth it.

For a given material, design and construction, they're going to ride pretty similarly. But in one case you're riding a "one and only" while in the other you're on the same bike as 55 of your closest friends at that same organized ride.

Custom is only worth it if you want something unique or if you have an oddball body conformation that requires special treatment. But again, it's up to you.

I love my Sarthe! I'm probably an ideal candidate for a Lemond - long in torso and arm - so the longish top tube works to my benefit. I'm probably an ideal candidate for a Lemond - long in torso and arm - so the longish top tube works to my benefit. Take the Sarthe for a couple of test rides, one of which is for a couple of hours. If it works for you, go for it and spend the leftover cash on other cycling gear. :D That said, it really is a matter of what fits you best. Any LBS that handles IF had better be willing to spend the time fitting you up in advance of ordering the bike. Pay them for the service, then compare the ideal setup to what the Sarthe provides. Happy Shopping!

Waterford custom frame. If you have the money, you will never regret it.

What's your budget now? Will it accomodate the spendy Indy Fab or another custom option for a frame and have enough left over to build with the wheels, gruppo, etc., that you want?

Custom would be sweet, but the Sarthe is a great option, too.

I got an '06 barely used sarthe for a great deal. They dumbed the '07 down a bit, but if it looks good get one. I can tell you it has been an incredible bike for me!

it is long in the torso though. I'm about 5'10 and I ride a 55cm.

I enjoy long rides and prefer the combination of the moderate livliness and comfort of modern steel...just my subjective taste. The Sarthe is a great value for the money but if you could pony up $1000 or a little more, get measured and order a custom frame. You can't beat the feel of a custom-fit frame, I ordered a Waterford last year and it just fits me like a glove. One of the guys who works in the shop where I ordered my Waterford has a custom IF, and it is really nice too. If you decide to go custom, there are a number of high-quality framemakers out there. Just make sure you get a good fitting. But...will be more than $2000.

Anyone know what the 06 or 07 Sarthe Weighs in at? Complete bike?

You may want to consider a Rivendell. Maybe not a custom, as their lead time is rather long, but even the 'production' ones are made with great quality. I just took my A. Homer Hilsen out for its maiden voyage, and it was everything I was expecting.

I've had a lemond and I have 2 Iffys.
My problem with the lemond was the long top tube.
I love both my Iffys and would recomend them.
You can go custom or for less cash, you can get a standard size.
Then are very very friendly over there at IF and they are an employee owned shop.

Rivendell?!? he said his average speed is 17.5mph...there are lots of fast steel bikes out there. the thing about the Rivendell is that its a very upright riding position...it just feels slow. IFab builds a nice steel bike and yes, there are lots of options out there. if your body is such that you need custom, you should definitely get it. but for most of us, off the rack with the right stem fits like a glove.

2k is might get you into a new lemond and a few other steel bikes, but you will need to spend about a little more for custom.

While IF are nice, they are on the upper end of custom frames (price wise). There are other options that can also make a very nice, custom steel frame for a much lower price. One suggestion is Curtlo:
http://www.curtlo.com/
Looks like a custom road with steel fork can come in at under $1k.
Also, not a custom model, but GVH Bikes has very nice Land Sharks with carbon fork on sale for $1k (http://www.gvhbikes.com/).
Anyhow, my point is you should really open up your choices beyond Lemond and IF, especially if budget is a concern.

Mine doesn't feel slow to me... particularly going uphill!

What I noticed is that although the bars are higher - which offers advantages that I won't go into - you're on a bigger frame than other fitting strategies would give you, so the effect of all this is that you're reaching *out* more than down, and you can more easily flex your forearms since they're not supporting as much weight.

I've got a Cannondale R700 ('06) and although I know the Cannondale is faster going downhill than the Hilsen, I suspect I could get up a significant hill faster on the Riv simply owing to how nice it is for *seated* climbing.

my '06 with an ultegra crank(instead of the bonty)(full ultegra btw), toupe, and eggbeaters was about 19 lbs. 55cm.

there are other manufacturers that have standard sizes and custom for a few $ more however, for 2,000 for a complete bike might be tuff. i got a '06 guru new steel and went with one of their standard sizes. if the lemond fits and make sure if fits,or you'll be throwing out 2,000 that might be your best bet. good luck

I ended up going with the LeMond Sarthe. My LBS gave me a deal I could refuse.

wrong bike to be number-crunching weight

gotta be around 20+ lbs

sweet bike imho, I liked the '05 orange version with campy

but you chose not to :D

pics pics pics!!!

what year?

and how much? i just got a deal on an 05 sarthe and i'm interested to see how it stacked up.

I paid $1k for my '06, four months ago.

I've been riding a custom Gunnar for about 18 months and I love it. It would be in your price range and it's a little like a poor man's waterford. http://www.gunnarbikes.com/