lorrod
new member
Reged: 08/14/05
Posts: 11
Loc: Chico, CA USA
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Does anyone in the forum own and ride a Calfee Tetra Pro? I have been looking at these bicycles for some time, but wanted to get any opinions you might have about the bicycle. I would love to hear anything - good or bad. Also, how is the vibration damping on the frame.....and how is the frame stiffness? Thanks for all of your help!
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www.ChicoCyclist.blogspot.com
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Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
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Hi,
I received my Custom Tetra Pro in March. Since I got it I've put 1200 miles on it. The customizing of my bike involves the angles and tube lengths to fit my structure, body strength and age. I am very happy with the stiffness of the bike. I ride regularly on some pretty jarring roads and I like the vibration damping, though I must say that tire pressure makes a big difference in perception on any bike. I can describe the difference between riding a 2004 Giant OCR2 that I put over 2000 miles on because I went directly from it to my Calfee.
My first impression was the Calfee was so light it was skitish. I learned in time that I had gotten used to the handling of the Giant and was overcompensating on the Calfee. Understand that my impressions are subjective, they will be different than someone else's impression, everything else being equal as possible. Now that I am used to my bike I like how stable it is. I can hold a very narrow track without effort and love the response when I want to go fast.
I got my bike set up as a long-distance day-rider. Is there some difference in ride feel attributal to the carbon composite frame? I don't know. I only know that I look forward to taking a ride on my bike. I just got back from a moderately hard 20 mile ride on a flat trail and was eating when I wrote this. I had already showered and am just chilling down.
I'll say something else. I had a desire to get a carbon fiber bike and had heard a lot of good things about Calfee Design bikes. I appreciate that I was in the right place at the right time to get a custom-fitted bike built up for me. This is a big part of my love for my bike, not so much that it's carbon fiber or a Calfee, but that it fits me perfectly.
I can wake up with a crick in my neck, ride for an hour and realize my neck feels fine when I am cooled down. That I attribute directly to proper fit on my bike. This is my impression.
cheers.
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vaxn8r
contributor
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 222
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I can't say enough good things about my Tetra Pro. I ride it pretty hard. Mostly training but some races including crits. It handles well, is comfortable. Seems very efficient. I think most of all I am amazed how well I climb on it, even compared to my CAAD7 which is marginally heavier and set up identically. I have ridden a lot of bikes over the years made of every material. Every time I ride the Calfee it brings a smile. Craig nailed it.
A few of my buddies have ridden my bike and the kind of things I hear are "you're cheating on this thing" or "this is a fast bike". Yeah, it is all that. I can recommend without any reservation.
BTW, I rode one from the shop before I ordered mine. I have to say that didn't clinch it for me. I made the decision based on feedback and reputation. What I am saying is it can be a great bike but fit is far more important. I'm also saying it's hard to get a real feel from a "test ride" unless you are meticulous about setting up your tester and have it similarly equipped to your current bike.
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BikerDoug
friend
Reged: 12/29/03
Posts: 88
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I've had one for two years now. The only bike of similar value that I've been able to put substantial miles on is a LeMond Tete de Course.
Without echoing all the other positive comments others have said and will say, I will add this.
The LeMond and Calfee are no longer co-equals as I originally intended. The Tete de Course is now basically my bad-weather/put on the rollers/indoor trainer/lend to friends for a ride bike. There's nothing wrong with the Lemond... the Calfee is just smoother/lighter (perceived), and fits better.
I can't figure out why the calfee fits better. The bikes are set up identically (at least to a millimeter or so). Maybe it's just in my head, but then again... all enjoyment is! 
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Lon
sage
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 595
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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I'd suggest you go back to the original forum called phorum. The link is on the Calfee homepage.
You will find "dittoes" of what you have read so far. Calfee makes an awsome bike whether it is the Luna, Tetra or Fly. Craig is very proud that weight is the difference between them and that they all all handle, ride and climb the same. Craig would not build the first 2 pound Fly until he found carbon/boron for a material. The reason was he felt it would not be stiff enough.
Like the last post I ordered my first Calfee hoping I would like it as much as my Kestrel. The Kestrel is now my bad weather bike as Doug's Lemond.
I own two. If I had to pick one bike it would be my Calfee.
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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In a nutshell: If my Tetra Pro were stolen tonight, I'd order another tomorrow.
Positives:
Stiff BB. But then I weigh ~133lb so everything is stiff enough for me. I'm not a sprinter by any stretch, but getting out of the saddle on climbs yields some definite excelleration and snap.
Great dampening!!! I came from steel bikes and I definitely feel less beat up on longer rides (over 50-60 miles).
Tracks well and responsive. Not necessarily better than my steel frames, but certainly not the "dead" or "wooden" description given by some pundits in regards to carbon in general. I feel very secure when downhill-ing. The bike can downhill with more enthusiasm than I have cajones for.
Repairable, should the unfortunate occur.
Pick your paint.
I've had great customer service.
Negatives:
Expensive. But, there are frames that cost more.
Awkward at best to clean the bottom bracket area due to the gussets. ...I clean my bike once a year whether it needs it or not.
If you like the nude finish, sun block is recommended. Pain in the butt if you ask me, but many like the look. To each his/her own.
Some, including myself, have had some difficulty with mounting the bottle cages. The mounting studs on the frame require sufficient clearance for the nuts. Often, depending on the cage design, the bottle sits too close and the nut/stud rubs against the bottle. This issue may have been addressed in the lastest frames.
FWIW, I technically have a 10 year old Carbonframes Tetra Pro, but the differences between my bike and the latest Calfees are cosmetic and evolutionary in technical and performance areas. The exception would be the fork. I have a Kestrel EMS fork and anything you'd get today would be both stiffer and lighter. ...probably even stronger and thus safer.
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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ndr
friend
Reged: 08/10/04
Posts: 27
Loc: Los Altos, CA
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When I test rode my Tetra Pro I went back to the bike shop to tell them the tires needed inflating because the ride was so smooth. They checked and the inflation was 120 psi. If nothing else the bike is comfortable. My last bike was aluminium and there was a huge difference.
I do not feel beat up after a ride. Although not a racer I do ride 40-70 miles on a Saturday with 3-6,000 ft of climbing. The bike descends well also.
I do not know what to compare with, but my 1 1/2 year old Calfee has been an excellent choice for my aged body. I needed a light frame for the hills but a comfortable ride for the body.
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lorrod
new member
Reged: 08/14/05
Posts: 11
Loc: Chico, CA USA
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The Calfee Tetra Pro sounds amazing. The one aspect about Calfee Design that I find to be outstanding is that you can discuss issues with Craig Calfee himself either on the phone or via e-mail. That amazes me - try doing that with the CEO of, say, Trek or Specialized.
Getting back to the bicycle, I have heard from a couple of people that it took them some time to get use to the bike - especially on descents. One rider I talked to a couple of weeks ago told me it took him almost a year to get use to the bike - and building up his ability to descend on the Tetra Pro. Is this a common occurrence? What seems to be the main problem or issue?
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www.ChicoCyclist.blogspot.com
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vaxn8r
contributor
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 222
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I dunno. It took me about 2 minutes to settle in. I kept saying over and over "this is a good bike." No lie. I must have said that about 10 times the first ride out.
The front end is a little light with a sub 3 TT fork. That can be disconcerting the first couple of times in a cross wind. I haven't noticed that feeling since the bike was new. It's always descended great for me.
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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Quote:
lorrod wrote:
Getting back to the bicycle, I have heard from a couple of people that it took them some time to get use to the bike - especially on descents. One rider I talked to a couple of weeks ago told me it took him almost a year to get use to the bike - and building up his ability to descend on the Tetra Pro. Is this a common occurrence? What seems to be the main problem or issue?
I've haven't heard that before. Search this forum, I can't recall any complaints about ill mannered handling on descents. In fact, it's usually the contrary.
What was the cycling history of the riders you talked with? Take that into consideration too. Were they accustomed to slower steering touring frames for example? Did they have a handle bar bag or new tri/aero bars?
My Tetra is very stable. I'm comfortable riding no hands over railroad crossings, speed bumps, downhill... I've done some light touring and temporarily installed a handlebar bag for my camera (big 35mm film SLR) and stuff. The front end became unstable and there was no way I could take both hands off the bars! It had a tendency to "wheel flop" and I was sure I was gonna crater. For the duration of the trip, I HAD to always keep control with at least one hand. When I returned home and removed the bag, all was well again.
Of course, everything we say, and they say, is all hearsay. You would best off if you took a looooong test ride and evaluated for yourself. Good luck.
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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Saxon
friend
Reged: 12/23/03
Posts: 28
Loc: Sacramento, CA
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My Tetra descends like a dream. No problems with that here.
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