Lemond1985

Saw this on CL for $90. At first glance, it looked like a dept store bike, but on closer inspection, the components looked a little too nice (Dura Ace?).

Then I noticed the geometry looked pretty tight. A little internet research revealed that these are made in the Czech Republic, but not much more than that. Anyone familiar with these? Looks like a screamin' deal to me, if for nothing more than just the components.

https://monterey.craigslist.org/bik/...849510011.html

alcjphil

First question: How tall are you? That is a very large frame size

Lemond1985

I'm 5-10" but I can fit on a 58 cm comfortably. I'm not too worried about risking the $90 either, those components looks pretty sweet.

noodle soup

are you about 6'2"?

chain needs to be shortened.

nomadmax 

Doesn't look like the chain is on either chainring. That said, I'm looking at it on my phone with bifocals.

chainwhip

Can be seen against wall background with a larger image(tablet): Agree...Doesn't look like the chain is on either chainring.

Maelochs

For $90 buy it for parts.

If I needed a bike, i'd buy it for that money and swap parts with one of my other bikes. Or ... maybe not. it says "Ultegra" but the cables come out of the sides of the brifters. So that's what, 6600? How old is that? And it's ten-speed. Possibly still in good shape, possibly not. If i could go look at it, it sounds like a good deal If you needed the parts ... but really needed them, because 6600 is not all that amazing.

The bike looks clean, but who knows what it is like in person. Shoot, if I saw it at a yard sake I'd buy it Right Now, assuming everything worked.

jimmyjames

How bizarre--my regular commuter needs some work so I rode my yellow Fort Ro.Foco in to work today! That frame looks identical to mine. 1999. It's actually quite a nice frame--hand built in Czech Rep. with Columbus Thermacrom, air-hardened steel. The US importer sponsored a domestic racing team and they rode these as their crit bikes. I bought one of the used team frames for $400 (rather than the new $800). See my review at roadbikereview for fort-frames and the ro-foco. I wore out the Campy components I hung on it and rather than rebuild I went carbon. But I haven't been able to bring myself to sell it because it's so unusual and still a fun bike with that steel feel.

MagicHour

I remembering checking out the Fort Frames website in the early 00s - they're Czech and were sold as budget-friendly alu and alu/carbon framesets geared towards racing. Maybe Columbus aluminum tubes? can't remember.

jimmyjames

On further review it's the aluminum frame--the dropout isn't right. Also Columbus as I recall, but not as valuable as nice steel.

goenrdoug

9-speed Ultegra 6500. Have it on my trainer/rain bike and honestly, it shifts more smoothly than my 6800 on my main bike.

OP: 9-speed parts are getting more difficult to find, but if everything works, just add a bit of TLC and that could be a decent bike for someone just getting into riding and/or a B-bike for you.

noodle soup

Lemond1985

Yeah, or someone died. How many people with nice road bikes do you figure die in the Bay Area every week? It's gotta be dozens. And something has gotta happen to those bikes, most people don't have room or interest in them.

I keep saying, those of us that don't die are gonna be seeing a lot of very nice bikes hitting the market in the next few years. We are should be seeing some real deals.