Learn_not2burn

I'm in the market for a new road bike and was interested in a few of Seven Cycles bikes, anyone have any thoughts on any of their road bikes, or the company in general?

Thanks, I appreciate it.

55/Rad

Highly regarded. Love the Elium Ti. Go for a custom build.

55/Rad

BlueJay66

Met a guy with one. He was singing its praises.

botto 

was on a group ride with a guy on one today. the way he rode, it wouldn't matter if he was on a seven or a big wheel, we were all his minions

cjbruin

Love 'em...constantly tempted to buy one...haven't given in yet but I'm sure that every bike I buy is just a bus stop on the way to the Seven destination.

53-11_alltheway

Custom makers are over-hyped. Unless you need special geometry you are buying a fancy decal on the frame for the most part.

Sure some stand out (Vanilla, Richard Sachs) but most of the stuff underneath the top echelon is not that much better than factory it seems.

Don't get me wrong I like the stuff but most of it can't compete with the big companies engineering unless you have special needs that deviate from the norm of frame building.

I can't be flamed either because you all know I'm right

Geez, the way people talk about these frames you'd think they were made by elves or something.

H1449-6

That's all you had to say. At least you're not completely wrong.

Have you ever owned a full custom bike?

Talewinds

I think the Diamas with Lightweights is one of the BEST road bikes I've ever seen! Except it's a compact...

53-11_alltheway

I've ridden some. Not all of them mind you but enough for me to honestly believe I'm not missing out on much.


These custom frame markers have a certain "cache" and that is why they are purchased .

For the most part they are like the designer jeans of the bike world. Same product with different stiching and someone's name on it.

SpongeDad

A girthy friend of mine went with a Seven to get a bike designed to his weight. He loves it. Of course, he rides so much that now he's not so girthy and can certainly kick my butt on the flats.

I think custom makes sense when you have a non-std body that really doesn't fit well on std bikes, something that isn't that common but not rare either. My arms are a little short, but I'm fine if I avoid bikes with long top tubes or long stems.

Another reason to go custom is if you want something the market doesn't sell in exactly the form you want it (e.g., Spectrum Cycles made a Ti cyclocross bike with S and S couplers for some guy that I would kill to own).

Of course, if you've got the $$$ to spend, why not get a bike that fits you to the micron. It wouldn't break my heart to have a bike with a head tube that was a cm or two longer.

mingsta

So you've "ridden some" custom frames, but these custom frames weren't custom built for YOU, right? In which case you haven't ridden a custom frame in the true sense of the word and your opinion is based on conjecture. Okay. NEXT!!!!!

As for not being able to compete with the big companies engineering wise, yes thats maybe true of Carbon Fibre, but where are these Ti frames by Giant/Trek/Specialised that you speak of? Ti frame construction is still a very labour intensive process where the focus is on the skill of the framebuilder rather than high tech fabrication. Thats why the likes of Giant/Trek/Spesh don't get involved.

I'm not a Seven/Custom fanboy, by the way, but if you're going to dismiss the custom makers then lets have some solid reasoning, eh?

For what its worth, Cycling Plus reviewed the Seven Axiom against the likes of the Spesh Tarmac. They claimed that it was the best bike that they have ever tested...high praise indeed, given the number of bikes that go through their doors. If I was in the market for a Seven, I'd go for the Axiom (double butted) or Alaris (straight guage). If you're going to go Ti, then keep it Ti, I don't see the point in mixing it with carbon tubes, though the Elium is undeniably tastey.

Dick Rhee

I've heard stories about people purchasing Sevens and going too crazy with the recommended tube thicknesses etc to produce a specially rigid or compliant bike, and ended up with something unnervingly harsh or too noodily. If you go the Seven route, I would be careful about straying too far from the recommendations.

That being said, I decided to go stock and went with a Moots instead. They're a little cheaper, but every bit as good (in fact, I prefer my Moots bike to the Seven and IF Crown Jewel I test rode before making my purchase). Good luck with the bike shopping!

53-11_alltheway

I understand the idea of selecting tube sizes for the rider and all the custom fit to the mm BS (lol, unless you have oddball personal dimensions this doesn't matter as much as some think)

Like I said these frames aren't built by elves and I trust people with engineering degrees and computers more than I trust guesstimating stuff.

53-11_alltheway

Yeah, they would have been served better with a proper factory bike.

LOL, In the EfBe fatigue tests the factory bikes destroy the boutique made stuff as far as strength to weight goes.

fogrider

the reason seven is such a good bike is because it is hard to make a ti bike stiff and light. I test rode the early merlins and they were soft in the bb. I went with carbon and I found a frame that fit me like a glove. most people can be fitted correctly by stem and seatpost adjustments. but there are those that need the longer toptube...but there are a fair number of fames that are on the longer side.

just admit it, most people that get custom could be fitted just fine with a stock size...but if the customer wants custom, why argue? and lance could be on a 105 entry level bike fitted for him and he would ride away from me as if I was standing still. so a custom bike is an indugance, and if thats what the customer wants, great. all the better if it gets them out there riding! ride what you want, just get out and ride.

with that said, seven makes a pretty nice bike. but so does serotta, moots, dean, calfee, kestrel, steelman, sycip, and taylor just to name a few...there are plenty of custom builders I would go to before seven.

brunop

make darn sure ya look at independent fabrication. darn sure. you'll thank me.

patentcad

Does Seven have a lease program like Mercedes Benz Credit Corp so you can fit it into a bike weenie budget? Or you could just get a 2nd Mtg. on the house. Either way.

StanSeven

I ended up selecting a Seven after test riding maybe a couple dozen bikes over a year. I was skeptical of the custom sizing even after taking delivery of the bike. But after 500 miles and going back to my old bike, I do notice a psotive difference. The other thing is I was able to get my exact preferences in ride characteristics. I wanted a light but compliant frame. I ended up with a moderatley light bike but doesn't flex when sprinting or climbing. I was fortunate in that the Seven dealer had several different frames for me to try and I could pick and carefully choose what I really wanted in terms of qualities.

I've been riding a long time and had many different bikes so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted and didn't. As I mentioned, I also tested probably 80% of the common high end bikes out there. Over the year or so, I gradually got down to what I really liked in terms of fit, handling, and ride characteristics and Seven built it perfectly. If you know (or want to experiment and find out) what you want and are willing to pay the money, it's a great bike. On the other hand, there are many good bikes for a lot less money. It's your choice. There also are IF, Serotta, Calfee, Parlee, Merlin, and others, so if you are serious, take your time and try as many as you can before making the final choice.

RiPHRaPH

if you've got money then do it. no discussion. nobody ever brags how MUCH money they spend on things though.
there are no deals in the seven series.

we joke that we are waiting for the eights to come out (like in spinal tap: we make our amps to go 11. then why don't you just make 10 louder?.............but it goes to 11.)

in the meantime we stick to our crappy lightspeeds.

Markedoc

Seven does great marketing and their local dealers here push them very hard - seems to be more of an issue whether it fits their wallet vs actually what the customer needs. To me, a custom makes more sense for a non-beginner rider who actually knows what they want out of a frame.

brunop

good point. sevens are definitely bling, but a little overpriced. again, look at independent fab or vanilla.

roadwarrior

The Serotta (a major competitor) fitting system is superior to Seven's. I know two guys who went Seven and ended up with Serotta as the bike did not come out right...That's not a slam on Seven, as they make a nice bike, but it only comes out as good as the "tale of the tape."

A typical Serotta fitting can take as long as three hours and uses a fitting cycle.

Here's Seven's "Custom kit". My point is simply that this is the same basic process that any good shop employee will do to sell a bike. When going Serotta, they have an infinitely adjustable fitting cycle and build the frame to your exact specs and only a trained and certified Serotta fitter can do the fit.

Sneaky Pete

If you want a "high performance" road bike, it is better to go with a company that has a racing heritage. I'm not saying sevens are bad bikes. I'm sure they are capable of building a good bike and many people are happy with theirs. However, an established bike builder that has supplied top pro teams has years of feedback from top riders to draw upon. Just my 2cents...

Markedoc

Agree completely. The person I know who bought a Seven got "fitted" at the LBS in an hour with a tape. Then a 5 minute "interview" phone call from the factory, where they asked her questions she didn't really know the answers to since she was new to riding. Result was a $5k straight gauge Ti Alaris. Lotta cabbage for a "decent" but not spectular bike. I'm perfectly happy with the Litespeed Tuscany I bought new for $2,150 a few years back.

patentcad

But I KID Seven Cycles. Really. Sure they're overpriced. But they are once in a lifetime purchases for the most part, like my Ibis Ti that I bought in 1996 and just refinished and refitted - and it rides - JUST LIKE A BRAND NEW SEVEN! But of course I only paid $1500 for the bike in '96 with 8 speed Dura Ace, upgraded it a year later for $1000 to 9 speed D.A. and recently laid out about $3K to have it completely refinished and then outfit it with FSA carbon bars, Mavic K. SL wheels, etc. But the bike is on it's 3rd life and shows no signs of giving out. I rode it this AM.

Somehow I don't think my carbon/alu Cannodale Six13 will hold up quite so convincingly over a decade or more. We'll find out.