Drewski
new member
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 11
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After months and months of shopping around for a new bike, I'm starting to narrow it down. Right now, I have a 5 year old Lemond Buenos Aires that I like but gets a shimmy problem on downhills above 45 mph (and damn near killed me 2 years ago). Right now, I'm thinking hard about a Pegoretti Marcelo. Advantages are it's Italian (and my wife's parents grew up about 1 1/2 hrs from where they are made), awesome paint jobs and great reviews. My other option would be to visit Roland Della Santa. I live in Reno and my friends who have Della Santas swear by them, often giving up various "hi-tech" bikes. Either way I'm blessed with a great bike but any input would be appreciated....
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Climb01742
journeyman
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 71
Loc: Concord, MA
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drewski--i'm about to build up a new marcelo. when i do, i'll post a report. i don't know what the wait time is on a della, but if you wanted a custom peg, the wait is about six months, if that figures into your calculations.
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When in doubt, shut up and pedal.
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Russell
new member
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 11
Loc: Silver Spring, MD
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If RDS was to fit you in person, I would go with that.
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Sometimes you eat the bear, sometime the bear eats you
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jsjacobsny
new member
Reged: 03/18/04
Posts: 4
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I have a Della Santa/Joe Bell paint. I also have a Serrotta built by the master himself, and a generic full-853. All are sweet and different-tempered, but the Della Santa is probably the sweetest-riding bike I've ever had the pleasure of balancing my nuts on. I've also ridden carbon and aluminum; I know this is endlessly-debated, but I'm just so *OVER* those stinkin' yuppie bikes. Unless you're tossing your frame away after every race, handcrafted steel is -- still -- simply unbeatable.
This wasn't something I felt readily, but only after a bunch of miles rolled on, I suddely realized "Damn, this thing *hauls*!" ...And somehow it didn't seem to be going that fast. Maybe that's what "stable" versus "twitchy" means, or just the forgiving nature of steel, or the geometry... Who cares. I love it.
Plus Roland is an artist, craftsman, and all-around great guy, and a custom work from him is a freakin' bargain in a world of faddish, tech-weenie ripoffs.
-J.
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Drewski
new member
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 11
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Thanks for the words of wisdom- I talked to Roland last night and am damn excited. As much as I'm fascinated by the custom carbon/titanium/whatever bikes out there, they just don't seem to justify the cost difference vs. quality steel.
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jsjacobsny
new member
Reged: 03/18/04
Posts: 4
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You will be *so* not-sorry...! There are four great things about owning a fine, handcrafted artisan frame:
1) Looking at it. If you are a true bike-lover, you just won't be able to stop. You caress the tubes with your fingers and eyes like an ex-con with his first post-slammer woman. Roland has painters, but if you can afford it, Joe Bell is among the best.
2) Riding it. How many things are there in our lives which we can afford "full-custom?" A custom-fit bike will move forward *righteously*, with *purpose*. It will say to you "Well of COURSE we're moving!" You will be compelled to train harder and ride better. Guilt and pleasure will make you strive to be worthy of your mount.
3) Not paying a bazillion dollars for a disposable monocoque carbon-web frame which says a lot of things about you, none of them good.
4) Kicking the ass of guys riding a bazillion-dollar carbon frames. All the sweeter if you have a rack on your bike. There is nothing quite so humiliating as being dropped by a guy with a rack on his bike.
...My Della Santa has a rack.
Unrelatedly, I (personally, obviously) subscribe to the "Grant Peterson" school of "humanist" versus torturous body positioning. If you're racing, that's one thing. If you're not, for God's sake make sure your body is positioned reasonably comfortably; i.e. bars near seat height. You'll train better and ride longer if you're comfortable. I've found impressing folk easier-done by dropping them than by bending way-the-hell over.
-J.
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rnhood
friend
Reged: 12/18/03
Posts: 42
Loc: NC
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"jsjacobsny" - I sure would like to see a picture of that Roland, especially with the rack. Do you have this posted somewhere?
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jsjacobsny
new member
Reged: 03/18/04
Posts: 4
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Yeah, I have the usual in-trip pics which do show the bike and would be happy to forward them toward the greater glory of the sport. (Note my giant, nut-cracking thighs and pudgy, once-glorious midsection.) Drop an email to abitbucket@hotmail.com; insert underscore character ("_") between the three words of that address (i.e. first three characters are "a_b") and I will mail pics directly.
I built-up this bike (as all my others, including wheels) myself. In the unlikely event anyone else cares, and in the interests of not having to repeat info, note the following "Walk It Like I Talk It" points:
*) leather saddle: A few extra ounces, yes, but once broken-in, heaven under the nuts.
*) custom chainrings: I think somethink like 45/38/30, yet tight rear cluster. Most bikes geared *WAY* too tall. Who-the-hell needs anything taller than a 100-inch gear? Do I really need to spin when the bike's going 50?
*) bar-wrapping: Cotton-over-cork. Takes a bit of practice, but after many, many years, I promise you, *NOTHING* is as nice; best-of-all-possible-worlds. (Note Cinelli 64 bars!)
*) Full-length, match-painted pump: mini-pumps are moronic. The extra 3 ounces is a fool's savings if you actually have to re-pump a tire. Silca is "classic," but Zefal really is a better pump.
*) FIVE bottle cages. Another "What's Wrong With People" mantra of mine. If I'm out on a training ride, I'll easily do one bottle an hour. Get the polar bottles, freeze your poison (diluted juice for me), and they melt at the same rate you'll consume them. Ice-cold bev. is manna on a hot day. Sure you can stop and buy cold drinks every hour. I, however, don't have to stop. (seat tube, down tube, front-down tube, two behind seat on X-wing [which is unforgiveably heavy].) In almost every sport, people just plain don't drink enough.
*) Ultegra: works great. However, 105 works equally great. Have full Campy road bike, but didn't splurge here.
*) S/P brakes. Dual-pivot is just a gimmick. Yeah, there's "more leverage," but from a mechanical standpoint, you can achieve that just as easily by moving the cable anchor point closer to the pivot in the lever. Moreover, decent brakes with Matthauser shoes stop 200Lb me, bike and gear just fine. Years ago, I toured through the Green Mountains on a fully-loaded touring bike with Schwinn sidepulls. Adequate shoe-to-rim friction really wasn't an issue...
*) GPS: True tech-weenie concession, and I lost my proper mount, so velcro straps hold it on here.
-J.
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Drewski
new member
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 11
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You put shimano on a Della Santa? My friends and I were just having a long philosophical discussion about which bikes "have" to have campy. Della Santas were mentioned in the discussion as were any bike that originates from Italy. Interestingly, we never discussed which bikes "have" to have shimano (and I've been a shimano guy)
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jsjacobsny
new member
Reged: 03/18/04
Posts: 4
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This is a long, involved discussion that certainly both doesn't need to happen in the "Pegoretti" NG (now having nothing to do with Petoretti) and is indeed philisophical. Firstoff, a Della Santa isn't Italian; it's built in Reno, Nevada by the abundantly-talented and embarrasingly under-priced Roland Della Santa.
Re. Campy VS. Shimano, I assure you I was a Campy snob for many years, starting many years ago. I had (and raced) a full titanium-based SR Grouppo from the early 80s. (I *still* ride this stuff, and consider many of these components simply the most perfect-possible expressions of their kind; the SR crank and brakesets are particularly beautiful expressions, though it was hard to love that under-shifting rear derailleur.)
However, my snobbery gradually evolved toward the "shut-up-and-ride" school. Shimano stuff is just a lot more cost-effective. Not better, just less-costly for what it is. I've used AMD CPUs professionally for many years for the same reason; differences are marginal, but just better bang-for-buck.
If money were no object, Campy all-the-way. I have a stable of five bicycles to maintain. Having to balance this against the needs of the rest of the human family, Shimano, for now, it is.
Finally, I'm now such a non-snob, once you mount a horn(!), GPS, rack, and 4 water bottles on a bike, you've basically given up on the "work-of-art" approach anyway. A little Shimano doesn't break the bike.
Anything that makes you ride more is a good thing.
-J.
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