I am thinking buying a lemond sarthe and I was wondering what u all think? Worth it or not? I will be using it as a commuter and as a weekend road warrior.

I have heard nothing but good things about Lemonds and there is no reason to think that this would be an exception.

If you are paying near MSRP ($1650) it seems a little pricey.

For $400 less you can get a Jamis Quest (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/quest.html) or a Soma Smoothie Built up with 105 from GVH.

They both will handle weekend warrior duties with honor and are much better suited to be a commuter.

However, if for some reason you have a woody for the Lemond you should get it, even if it does cost more. No question it would be a great bike

I considered a Sarthe, but I decided to go for the SS version, the Fillmore, instead. I believe the geometry and frame material is the same on both frames, and I can relay that I've been very happy with the ride quality of my Fillmore. The 2008 Sarthe looks nice (light blue, 105/Ultegra mix, etc.) It's a good quality bike if the geometry suits you, but certainly test ride one first.

I don't commute on my Fillmore. Though it'd serve admirable commuting duty, its inability to run larger tires, for me, rules it out for usual commuting duty; on occasion, I commute on it, but not frequently. At first I was concerned about the low-spoke count wheels, but they've been perfectly true (better than Mavic wheels I own, that's for sure).

Personally, I'm waiting on a few other manufacturer's 2008 frames for use as a geared commuter (2008 Kona...ahem...). If you're good on the skinny tires of the Sarthe, though, it's a fine bike for your purposes.

I guess the question is whether you want a light steel frame that'll edge closer to a skinny tire road bike, like the Sarthe, or something more flexible, like a Salsa Casseroll.

had a Lemond Zurich which is similar to the Sarthe in geometry and it to was steel. It was real comfy of a ride. The Sarthe has a better tubeset. Do a test ride and be sure the geometry fits you, it didn't work for me.

I test rode the Sarthe last week and put it on my shortlist of bikes to buy. I also test rode the Trek Portland and the Lemond Propad thinking maybe something a little beefier for commuting. But once I tried the Sarthe, I think I was sold. It may not be the best bike for commuting but it was fun.

First I liked the way the bike handled. The geometry works for me. Plus I liked the steel frame. I like the look and I like the way it rode. I took the bike over some rough city roads and it was comfortable. Riding over the chipseal in the road didn't bang me up as much as my aluminum bike with 1" tires.

So your original question of a commuter, weekend warrior bike, I would say more weekend warrior and way less commuter but very nice.

BTW it was a 2008 that I test rode.

I have a '05 Sarthe and I love it. However, if you're using it as a commuter and you intend to ride it in all weather, it does not fit full fenders without using the Reacharound brackets from River City Bicycles. Also, 25mm in the front and 27-28mm in the back are the biggest tires you can fit, which might be a problem if you ride on bad roads.

Great bike, though. I would also suggest a Gunnar Sport, since it uses normal reach brakes and you can run fenders and 28s.

I have an '07 Sarthe that I have put nearly 2K miles on. I absolutely love this bike. I chose it because most of my riding is on rough chipseal in Texas, and it does the trick. I've done a few centuries on it too, and it is so much more comfortable than my previous aluminum Trek. I think you will love this bike.

Ride a Sarthe and see if you like it. Sarthes are decent bikes, tho i prefer the Campy-equipped ones.