First, I have absolutely no need for a new bike. I'm just wrestling with a bit of bikelust, as there is a new Mei Vici and a new Ottrot in my group.

Second, I'm suitably average and adaptable (not to mention a fairly light-duty rider) to believe that full custom is beyond my needs and ability to appreciate.

Third, I'm cheap, I have a well-tooled shop, and I enjoy doing my own wrenching.

Anyway, I'm looking at the Serotta site, see the Fierte IT, and get to dreaming.

Question: Is it possible to buy a Fierte IT frame only (or perhaps frame-and-fork only)? Provided that it's not 'against the rules' somehow, will a dealer be likely to do the deal, or am I more likely to experience a lot of pushback?

Yeah, I know I could answer this one with a phone call. Somehow I'm not quite there yet, and was wondering if anyone else has had an experience with this.

My guess is that there would be some discomfort around warranty issues. I'd be willing to sign off on anything to do with headset facing, BB facing and threads, and so on. Or maybe to 'split the difference' and let the shop do that bit of the work.

Am I dreaming?

I did it about 2 months ago so I think no problem. About BB facing, headset & the like... I would think you could work something out.

I have a Fierte IT with the F3 fork and it rides like a dream.

I did it about 2 months ago so I think no problem. About BB facing, headset & the like... I would think you could work something out.

I have a Fierte IT with the F3 fork and it rides like a dream.

Thanks for the info. Did you happen to work through Oakley Cycles? They're not my nearest dealer, but I know a few other folks that have worked with them, and they used to be my local shop.

Yes - David at Oakley hooked me up.

..........Question: Is it possible to buy a Fierte IT frame only (or perhaps frame-and-fork only)? Provided that it's not 'against the rules' somehow, will a dealer be likely to do the deal, or am I more likely to experience a lot of pushback?
Yes, you can buy a frame or frame and fork only from your Serotta dealer. Serotta doesn't sell complete bikes, they leave the build details to the dealer and customer. It's not at all unusual for a customer to want to build their own Serotta.

Serottas leave the factory ready to build. They will not need facing, chasing etc. All that is done before it leaves the factory floor.

Serottas leave the factory ready to build. They will not need facing, chasing etc. All that is done before it leaves the factory floor.

I would expect as much. All I meant is that if there were going to be any arguments down the road about warranties, it would be in those areas of the frame (BB and headset.) I'm only saying that I'm willing to accept waive warranty on those things. I'm not going to cross-thread a BB cup, then try to blame either Serotta or the shop. I could see that in order to be able to avoid a blame-game scenario, they'd want to have "qualified" shop personnel perform those installation functions, and I'd be willing to meet in the middle on that one.

But if they're okay with letting an average Joe out the door with a naked frame and still honor the warranties, so much the better. I wouldn't expect otherwise, but I can imagine that they might have been burned once or twice, and wouldn't blame them for having some preventative policies in place.

Serotta warranty:

Great American Bicycle LLC, Serotta, warrants Serotta products to the original owner as follows:
Lifetime Warranty On Workmanship And Materials
Serotta provides a lifetime warranty on Serotta Frames, Serotta Titanium Stems, and Serotta carbon and steel forks against defects in material and workmanship to the original owner.

Warranty Registration
The warranty registration card supplied with the product must be completed and returned to Serotta by the original purchaser within (30) days of purchase of the product to validate the warranty. If you are not satisfied with your Serotta product upon delivery for any reason please contact your Authorized Serotta Dealer within (30) days.
Defective Parts

Upon receipt of dated proof of purchase, Serotta will repair or replace any of the above described parts that are defective in materials or workmanship, at its discretion. Serotta reserves the right to repair, replace, discontinue, or change parts, models, and products, or to make substitutions.
Exceptions To Coverage

Serotta does not warrant against: malfunctions or failures that result from abuse, exposure to the elements (rust), normal wear and tear, neglect, improper assembly (bold emphasis mine), use of parts not consistent with intended use, accident, stunt riding, jumping, commercial use, or failure to follow instructions or warnings.

Serotta warranties their bikes against defects that they may have caused, not hamfisted owners.:D It's been my experience with Serotta that their frames come out of the box ready to build, no chasing or facing necessary. I will have the dealer install the headset and when the time comes, cut the steer tube. All the rest of the build is done by me.

If you are careful and competent, you should have no problems. If you don't feel that you can do something entirely correctly, have the dealer to that portion of your build. It will take a burden from your shoulders.

Right, no burden on my part. Frankly, I trust myself more than I do most shop personnel for this bit of work. I'd let the Oakley crew work on my children, but the guys at my local shop aren't trusted to tune the shifting on my unicycle. :D

And I realize that a bike right off the factory floor (especially a shop such as Serotta) will come ready-to-go.

And I've read the warranty as well. No surprises there.

But I've also seen (not personally, but several times here on the boards) warranty fights break out with other manufacturer/dealer combinations about whether some certain bit of 'wrongness' was the result of improper assembly, manufacturing defect, or misuse. I have seen shops make it a matter of policy that these bits of installation be done in-house, if only to avoid the three-way finger pointing sessions. Naturally, those policy questions wouldn't be stated in Serotta's warranty or website.

The question was only if it was anyone's experience that Serotta dealers tended to prefer this margin of control over the customer experience, or if they were willing to let a guy have at it.

Right, no burden on my part. Frankly, I trust myself more than I do most shop personnel for this bit of work. I'd let the Oakley crew work on my children, but the guys at my local shop aren't trusted to tune the shifting on my unicycle. :D

And I realize that a bike right off the factory floor (especially a shop such as Serotta) will come ready-to-go.

And I've read the warranty as well. No surprises there.

But I've also seen (not personally, but several times here on the boards) warranty fights break out with other manufacturer/dealer combinations about whether some certain bit of 'wrongness' was the result of improper assembly, manufacturing defect, or misuse. I have seen shops make it a matter of policy that these bits of installation be done in-house, if only to avoid the three-way finger pointing sessions. Naturally, those policy questions wouldn't be stated in Serotta's warranty or website.

The question was only if it was anyone's experience that Serotta dealers tended to prefer this margin of control over the customer experience, or if they were willing to let a guy have at it.
I've *never* heard, directly or indirectly, of a Serotta dealer insisting that they control the build of the bike. Frankly if I did, that dealer would be on my 'do not buy from' list. I'm sure that most dealers would like to build your new bike of course, but I'm sure they realize that there are folks out there (you and I among them) that enjoy/insist in building their own bikes.

It's been my experience that Serotta dealers are typically many notches above the 'usual' dealer that seems to be somewhat prevalent today.

I would also suspect that Serotta maintains a very high level of quality control so they can be sure that when their bikes go out of the factory door, they are correct in all ways. As many Serottas as I have owned and as much as I am in touch with many other Serotta owners, I've only heard of positive things about Serotta regarding warranty questions/claims. I've had no warranty problems with any Serotta I've owned so I have no personal experience with that aspect of Serotta.

I would suggest two things; call/write or e-mail Serotta and pose your questions/concerns with them. And post your question over on the Serotta forum (http://www.serotta.com/forum/). I think you will get some very straight answers from Serotta owner there.

Thanks for the responses. I don't have any concern about Serotta being straight-up about warranty issues. For that matter, I have no reason to think I'd need warranty work. If either of those were true, I don't think I'd be considering them. The only question I have (had, as it's been answered here) is whether they'd let me walk out the door with a bare frame.

You're right about the 'do not buy from' list. That's probably the core of my question - before I moved to a new city, I had a good handle on the shops. I've been largely disappointed in the new city's shops, and am not near enough to the local Serotta dealer to have built a relationship with them. The place has a sort of funky/punky vibe to it. I'm not drawing conclusions; they seemed like friendly, knowledgeable folks, but it wasn't quite what I'm accustomed to seeing in a high-end shop. I'm probably trying to answer a specific question with general information, which seldom works well.

Probably doesn't matter in the end - thanks to the responses here, I've found that one of my favorite shops will work that way. So what if they're in another town. I'll check with the local guy first, and if there's any pushback, I'll hit the road. Now all I have to do is figure out how to sneak the checkbook out of the house... :D

I have bought several new "bare" frames including a Moots and never encountered this problem so it is just hard to imagine a custom frame builder like Serrota will not sell you a "bare" frame. As for warranty issue, it usually goes case by case basis so it is hard to generalize who is to blame for the screw up and who will pay for the fix so you just have to find out when you get to that point.