Conference noted::bicycle

	Can't miss the oportunity to plug a friends products!

	Ben Serotta (of Serotta Cycles in (or near) Saratoga Springs, NY)
	has made frames for a number of racing teams.  You can get
	frames off the rack at a number of stores or you could have
	one custom built.  I can't afford one myself but a friend of
	mine in Saratoga has had a custom Serotta touring frame for
	about 12 years and is quite pleased with it.

				-John A. Wasser
				(formerly of Saratoga)

    I would go with the Merckx, or possibly the Serotta if you want
    a custom job.
    
    I know many, many people who have the Merckx and are very happy
    with it.  Remember that 95% of all riders do well with a good stock
    frame and  do not need custom.
    
    I would advise against the Chance.  They are beautiful frames, with
    fastidious attention to detail, etc, etc....  But I think they are
    several hundred dollars more than the Merckx.  Also if you get a
    Chance, you owe it to the frame to equip it with new
    Italian-Super-Record-Cinelli-Titanium parts, and never get it dirty.
    Who needs this headache?
    
    					Chuck
    
    (Sorry if I spelled Eddy's name wrong)
    

	I assume that your going to be racing or doing some fast touring.
	Which would explain why you willing to spend big $'s for a new frame.

	Chris Chance main business focus today is Mountain Bikes. He will
	build road frames on special requests from what I understand. His
	frames are well built but not that responsive for racing. I'm sure
	if you explain your bottom bracket problems to him that he'll
	build up a bottom bracket which will be ultra stiff.

	Eddy M. frames are stiff, well built, and very responsive. Some very
	tall/heavy racers use these frame with great success. In my opinion
	these frames are over priced. If your into names then go for it.

	Stiffest frames/bottom brackets today exit on KLEIN frames. These frames
	like Eddy M.'s are very popular with racers. They are very responsive
	and because of there ultra stiffness are great bikes for hill climbing
	and sprinting. I know that you can test ride these at Bicycle Alley
	shop in Worcester 1073A main street.


	Good luck making your choice!

    In my years of cycling, I have not seen a better made frame
    than a Bruce Gordon, framebuilder out of Eugene Oregon.
    He has three models, Chinook, Bruce Gordon standard, and
    Bruce Gordon Custom.  I think the Chinook will come in
    around the Eddy Merkxx price.  My wife owns a Chinook,
    I will be glad to show it to you.
    
    steve

Splitting tubes and lugs!  Wow.  What would be nice about Serotta
is that you could explain your problem and he might recommend
some or all SP tubes instead of just SL or SLX ("Just SL" !!)
where SP might not be used normally -- depending on frame size.

What would not be nice about Serotta is that you would not have the
bike this season.  I understand that you can call him directly, but
Category I Cyclegoods, just down the road, is a dealer. (649-7599,
number included because directory assistance cannot spell Category).

(PS: I don't have a Serotta, but like the "options".)

    
    The Eddy Merckx Pro, in my opinion, is the finest Italian production
    frame made today. It is rivaled only by the DeRosa, which is an
    entirely different bike. The Merckx was designed for American racing,
    ie. lots of short, fast races. Therefore it's a short, fast, upright
    bike although not as radical as a Grandis or Gios. The DeRosa is
    a true road bike, a bit longer, with slacker angles for maximum
    comfort over long road/stage races, more of a European bike. Both
    are of the highest quality, they're what Italian frames used to
    be like before they got cheap. I ride a Basso (sponsor) and there's
    no comparison. The Eddy Merckx is not overpriced, it's just in a
    different league.
    
    Re: Klein
    
    I've been racing for 6 years now and I can count on my fingers the
    Kleins I've seen racing (including mine). They're NOT very popular
    because of several reasons. First, they're way too expensive ($2200
    for the frame alone). The low budget model is not a real racing
    frame, its a sport tourer at best. Second, there are some serious
    design flaws, ie the rear dropouts are sheet aluminum. I dumped
    mine (1980 Team Super) in a race and it took 9 months and $335 to
    get it fixed, only Gary can do the job. On a standard steel frame
    I could have had my bike back the next weekend, but I had to buy
    another frame to race on until the Klein was fixed. Lastly, the
    finish &^%$#@. The paint came off in huge (1-2 sq. in.) chunks,
    all by itself. For a bike of this caliber and expense, this was
    unacceptable. So for all those reasons I sold it after the repairs
    were done.
    
    Cannondale obviously was aware of the poor service Gary Klein was
    giving his customers. If you trash one of their frames you get a
    new one for $150, period, no questions asked, no waiting forever.
    
    The Serotta Club Special, Bruce Gordon Chinook, and stock frames
    from Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle, Oulette etc. are all great frames
    because they're handmade here in America. Some are in the Merckx
    price range, some aren't. Shop around some more...why not, it's
    fun!
    
    Good luck,

    CdH
    
    
    

    I agree with Chris about Klein frames not being very popular.  I
    have also been racing for 6 years, and have seen very few of them
    "on the circuit".
    
    
    Chuck

	re: KLEIN FRAMES

	This year and last the Jaegar team have consistently placed in the top
	five in the Veterans races. Three of these riders have KLEINS. There
	always at the front of the field with me so I tend to see KLEINS alot.
	They placed 1,2 in the Brodie Mt. road race. These three frames were
	stock not the team super. I believe the frame is $495. For stiffness
	check the latest evaluation in Bicycling Magazine and also the comments
	made about performance.

	Just for the record I race on a Cannondale. This fat tube beer can
	frame did a 59:12 in the district time trial championships. Thats
	for 25 miles and in the Veterans (35 to 45) division.

    re .10	"This fat tube beer can frame did 59:12...  ...25 mile...
    ...35 - 45 age group."
    
    	If what you are saying is, "Charlie Schnare did a 59:12  25 mile
    Time Trial in the 35 - 45 category"   
    
    		Then I say 
    
    			*CONGRATULATIONS*
    
    	We should have your picture in DTW, (or something).

    	Reg	(Who would LOVE to break 60 minutes for 40 km)
    					          (err, 25 miles)

    
    Eddy Merckx is Belgian, not Italian. I was under the impression
    that his frames were subcontracted to an Italian framebuilder,
    like DeRosa, but this is not the case. Merckx has set up a factory
    in Belgium that is identical to the DeRosa factory.
    
    I stand corrected.
    
    Earl Page and Company were riding Cannondales last year, now Kleins?
    Very interesting. I'm sure their popularity is due to some kind
    of sponsorship, not personal choice.
    
    CdH
    
    
    
    

Anyone know if Albert Eisentraut is still making frames? Quite some 
while since I've seen one around, but they used to be done nicely:
quite stiff and nicer paint jobs than I've seen before or since.....

(This before he went off to doing A, B and Team models).....

                                              ken

    For the deux centimes that it's worth, I think Eddy Who's last name
    is Merckxx.  I don't know what the second "x" does that the first
    can't do, but what do you expect from a guy who owns a dog named
    "Pheighdeaux"?  :-)  :-)
    
    Mac.

    
    It's done:  I've just bought an Eddy Merckx 753 frame and now can't
    afford to put Campy on it.
    
    					Monty
    

    
    Just make sure you can afford at least a Nuovo Record crankset....A
    mushy crank with that springy bottom bracket will drive you crazy....
    
    CdH