Hi all,
I just got through doing a test of 3 carbon bikes, so I figured I would write up a quick comparison. Bikes ridden were a Fondreist Carbon Lex size M (54.5 virtual top tube), Pinarello F4:13 size 53cm (55cm top tube) and 2006 Cannondale Six13 Team (55.3cm top tube). All of these bikes fit me very well, and were built up with a mixture of Record/Chorus and Zonda wheels. FWIW, I am a Cat3 racer, 5 foot 9, 147lbs, tend to be a much better climber than rouleur. I like frames that have neutral handling, can be ridden for several hours on poor roads, and feel nice and balanced.
Fondriest Carbon Lex: this is my bike, so I may be partial to it. I ride it about 1,000 miles/month on pretty lousy chip-seal roads, and I really like it. Very stiff at the BB, as smooth as any bike I have ridden, and great handling. Quick side of neutral, but not too-much so: still feels like a good, 4 or 5 hour race bike. The finish on the Lex is outstanding, and the frame uses the beefiest tubing of the three: the tubing is nice and thick, without much of a weight penalty. TThe frame feels just a smidge heavier than a CAAD8 I had around, so probably about 1250g. The Top Carbon fork is very nice, and a big improvement over the Fondriest Domina by Mizuno: the steerer tube is the thickest I have yet seen on a carbon fork.
Everything about this bike is quality: the ride, road feel, handling, look and finish. The only downside I have found in over a month of riding is a slight shimmy in the fork on high-speed descents (this wasn't there on my previous Carb Level). I am not sure if it is the headset or what. Play doesn't seem to be evident. Besides that, the frame is very stiff at the BB, without feeling stiff. A super bike (no surpise there).
Pinarello F4:13: I rode this bike about 100 miles. Beautiful bike! Onda curves are very sexy, and there is alot of interesting carbon shaping on this frame. Close to the most interesting frame yet seen-draws plenty of comments! Finish is great as well, the frame is lighter than the CAAD8 (measured at 1150g) so I am guessing in the range of 1100g. Fork is heavier though than either that on the C-Dale or Fondriest, so it all is probably a wash in the end. Tubing is thin: you can flex the top of the down tube with your thumbs, but the underside of the downtube is much thicker.
This bike is made for one thing: going very fast. It is in the same league as the Carbon Lex stiffness-wise, maybe a tad stiffer. Handling is even quicker: close to crit-like geometry. The Onda fork is superb and really holds a line with NO flex. Probably the most precise (a very easy precision: it very crisply goes where you point it, without feeling twitchy) bike I have ridden. Beautiful handling and acceleration. All of this stiffness comes at a cost, though: the bike is a rough, rough ride. At least as stiff as my old Colnago Dream. If it was as smooth as the Lex, Pinarello would really be onto something. Otherwise, this is a race/smooth road bike. Probably a great crit bike as well-just don't crash it!
Cannondale Six13 Team (2006 version): very nicely finished, a bit more utilitarian than the stylish but subdued Carbon Lex and the outright sexy F4:13. I probably put 150miles on this frame or so. Carbon top and down tube mated to an alloy rear end. Weight is light-same as the CAAD8, and the fork is nice and light too (carbon dropouts, not sure who made it, but it is Chinese). This one has the Cannondale Carbon SI integrated system, which is reputedly stiffer than a standard BB setup (I wouldn't be able to say though). Definitely an option for the racer who doesn't want to shell out big bucks for an Italian frame.
The Six13 is a really nice ride. Not quite as smooth as the Lex (but close) and much better than the F4:13. Handling was spot-on neutral: I raced this on a hilly circuit race and it really felt good. Not as much road feel as the Lex (C-dale felt a little more "dead"). I liked the neutral handling: it was much easier to relax on a high-speed descent. The 55cm I rode shared the same dimensions as the 54cm CAAD8, so keep that in mind. Nice bike: it doesn't leap out at you, but does everything asked of it, and without complaint. A great all-day ride.
Overall: The Lex is the best of the 3 bikes tested. I could also happily live with the Six13 (I am still thinking about purchasing a more neutral bike, if I can't get that shimmy out of the front of the Lex). The Six13 just didn't have the smoothness, nor did it feel quite as stiff at the BB. Still, a very nice ride. The F4:13 just wasn't an option for me-not with the chip-seal we have around here. I did some fast accelerations on it, and it gets up to 30+mph pretty quick, but no quicker than the Lex, and at a big expense of comfort. Handling was superb, if you want a fast bike (I would imagine the Prince SL/Dogma/Paris are similiar). As I noted above, it would be an incredible crit bike: but may be a little fragile to race (tubing was similiar in thickness to a Scott CR1 Team).
Each bike has their strenghts, but at the end of the day, the Lex just does more things better than the rest. I still want to try the Look 585 and Colnago C50, to see how they stack up.
I just got through doing a test of 3 carbon bikes, so I figured I would write up a quick comparison. Bikes ridden were a Fondreist Carbon Lex size M (54.5 virtual top tube), Pinarello F4:13 size 53cm (55cm top tube) and 2006 Cannondale Six13 Team (55.3cm top tube). All of these bikes fit me very well, and were built up with a mixture of Record/Chorus and Zonda wheels. FWIW, I am a Cat3 racer, 5 foot 9, 147lbs, tend to be a much better climber than rouleur. I like frames that have neutral handling, can be ridden for several hours on poor roads, and feel nice and balanced.
Fondriest Carbon Lex: this is my bike, so I may be partial to it. I ride it about 1,000 miles/month on pretty lousy chip-seal roads, and I really like it. Very stiff at the BB, as smooth as any bike I have ridden, and great handling. Quick side of neutral, but not too-much so: still feels like a good, 4 or 5 hour race bike. The finish on the Lex is outstanding, and the frame uses the beefiest tubing of the three: the tubing is nice and thick, without much of a weight penalty. TThe frame feels just a smidge heavier than a CAAD8 I had around, so probably about 1250g. The Top Carbon fork is very nice, and a big improvement over the Fondriest Domina by Mizuno: the steerer tube is the thickest I have yet seen on a carbon fork.
Everything about this bike is quality: the ride, road feel, handling, look and finish. The only downside I have found in over a month of riding is a slight shimmy in the fork on high-speed descents (this wasn't there on my previous Carb Level). I am not sure if it is the headset or what. Play doesn't seem to be evident. Besides that, the frame is very stiff at the BB, without feeling stiff. A super bike (no surpise there).
Pinarello F4:13: I rode this bike about 100 miles. Beautiful bike! Onda curves are very sexy, and there is alot of interesting carbon shaping on this frame. Close to the most interesting frame yet seen-draws plenty of comments! Finish is great as well, the frame is lighter than the CAAD8 (measured at 1150g) so I am guessing in the range of 1100g. Fork is heavier though than either that on the C-Dale or Fondriest, so it all is probably a wash in the end. Tubing is thin: you can flex the top of the down tube with your thumbs, but the underside of the downtube is much thicker.
This bike is made for one thing: going very fast. It is in the same league as the Carbon Lex stiffness-wise, maybe a tad stiffer. Handling is even quicker: close to crit-like geometry. The Onda fork is superb and really holds a line with NO flex. Probably the most precise (a very easy precision: it very crisply goes where you point it, without feeling twitchy) bike I have ridden. Beautiful handling and acceleration. All of this stiffness comes at a cost, though: the bike is a rough, rough ride. At least as stiff as my old Colnago Dream. If it was as smooth as the Lex, Pinarello would really be onto something. Otherwise, this is a race/smooth road bike. Probably a great crit bike as well-just don't crash it!
Cannondale Six13 Team (2006 version): very nicely finished, a bit more utilitarian than the stylish but subdued Carbon Lex and the outright sexy F4:13. I probably put 150miles on this frame or so. Carbon top and down tube mated to an alloy rear end. Weight is light-same as the CAAD8, and the fork is nice and light too (carbon dropouts, not sure who made it, but it is Chinese). This one has the Cannondale Carbon SI integrated system, which is reputedly stiffer than a standard BB setup (I wouldn't be able to say though). Definitely an option for the racer who doesn't want to shell out big bucks for an Italian frame.
The Six13 is a really nice ride. Not quite as smooth as the Lex (but close) and much better than the F4:13. Handling was spot-on neutral: I raced this on a hilly circuit race and it really felt good. Not as much road feel as the Lex (C-dale felt a little more "dead"). I liked the neutral handling: it was much easier to relax on a high-speed descent. The 55cm I rode shared the same dimensions as the 54cm CAAD8, so keep that in mind. Nice bike: it doesn't leap out at you, but does everything asked of it, and without complaint. A great all-day ride.
Overall: The Lex is the best of the 3 bikes tested. I could also happily live with the Six13 (I am still thinking about purchasing a more neutral bike, if I can't get that shimmy out of the front of the Lex). The Six13 just didn't have the smoothness, nor did it feel quite as stiff at the BB. Still, a very nice ride. The F4:13 just wasn't an option for me-not with the chip-seal we have around here. I did some fast accelerations on it, and it gets up to 30+mph pretty quick, but no quicker than the Lex, and at a big expense of comfort. Handling was superb, if you want a fast bike (I would imagine the Prince SL/Dogma/Paris are similiar). As I noted above, it would be an incredible crit bike: but may be a little fragile to race (tubing was similiar in thickness to a Scott CR1 Team).
Each bike has their strenghts, but at the end of the day, the Lex just does more things better than the rest. I still want to try the Look 585 and Colnago C50, to see how they stack up.