2011 Bianchi Sempre vs. 2010 Scott Speedster S10

[Expat in Japan]

Hi, first post here but I have spent the past two hours or so searching for various keywords ... Great forum!

Here's the deal. I live in Japan and have been looking to buy a new road bike. Not easy to find one in stock for my size (6' or 182cm), but ordering is usually an option. Anyway, looking at what was in stock at a few shops, I was struck by a Scott Speedster S10. Looks like the 2010 model (staff was busy, and so was I), all white, all Ultegra w/ alu frame and, I believe, carbon/alu fork. About $1900.

Did some searches on the net for Scott Speedsters and was alarmed to read on another forum that several people had problems with cracked frames a couple years ago. Usually was resolved by Scott's customer service, but I really wonder if anyone here has had any trouble recently or know of any frame issues with Scott. Shame, cause for a nice looking bike with all-Ultegra, and in my size (L, which is 56cm), and IN STOCK at a shop in Japan, it would be nice to be able to get it adjusted and take it home right away.

Then, I picked up a cycling magazine and found out that the new 2011 Bianchi Sempre will be available for orders this October and will be delivered January 2011 or so. Looking at what little I could find on the net, it looks enticing. Carbon frame, 105 throughout, sweet paint job. (Check out Bianchi's site if you haven't seen this bike yet; the Oltre is the professional model) Anyone here have this bike? I understand they became available in the U.S. recently. It would be about $2300, so quite a bit more than the Scott, but I'm looking at this as a 10-year purchase, so a few hundred bucks isn't going to sway me either way.

Thanks for any advice you can give me. Now, off to more surfing in this great forum!

 

[alienator]

Scott Speedsters have a solid rep, and I haven't heard of any issues in the last few years. As a bonus, Scott is a stand-up company and won't leave you limp and stuck in a prolonged refractory period. That's a pretty damned good price for a bike with Ultegra, BTW.

The Bianchi is an unknown quantity. Bianchi doesn't even have a geometry table for it published yet. All the info seems to come from press releases and the opinions of a journo or two who rode it at a press event. Generally, journo opinions are worth as much as the electrons used to form images on your screen.

I'd not invest too much thought or value in the difference between frame materials. How a frame rides is a function of its design, construction, and QC, so you can't make generalizations about how a bike will perform based on what material the frame is made of. The best way to determine how a bike will ride and how to choose a bike for yourself is to take a test ride...more than around the parking lot. Unfortunately, there's no way for you to test ride the Bianchi right now, but you can take a spin on the Scott to see if it pushes your pleasure buttons and makes you feel a bit randy. As with most other things, there will always be a "hot" bike coming out in the future to tempt you, so I'd be hard pressed to pass on the Scott just to wait on the Bianchi.

 

[alfeng]

Then, I picked up a cycling magazine and found out that the new 2011 Bianchi Sempre will be available for orders this October and will be delivered January 2011 or so. Looking at what little I could find on the net, it looks enticing. Carbon frame, 105 throughout, sweet paint job. (Check out Bianchi's site if you haven't seen this bike yet; the Oltre is the professional model) Anyone here have this bike? I understand they became available in the U.S. recently. It would be about $2300, so quite a bit more than the Scott, but I'm looking at this as a 10-year purchase, so a few hundred bucks isn't going to sway me either way.

FWIW. As long as you're already open to the notion of an alloy frame, why don't you consider a BIANCHI with an alloy frame & Campagnolo shifters/drivetrain?

 

[Expat in Japan]

Scott Speedsters have a solid rep, and I haven't heard of any issues in the last few years. As a bonus, Scott is a stand-up company and won't leave you limp and stuck in a prolonged refractory period. That's a pretty damned good price for a bike with Ultegra, BTW.

Thanks for your help, alienator. It's very reassuring to hear good things about the Speedster. Yes, I think that's a great deal for an Ultegra-equipped, name-brand company bike. I hope it's still there when I go back into Tokyo in a couple weeks so I can check it over more closely and ask the staff about sizing and other things.

 

[Expat in Japan]

FWIW. As long as you're already open to the notion of an alloy frame, why don't you consider a BIANCHI with an alloy frame & Campagnolo shifters/drivetrain?

Right. In fact, I was also looking at a Bianchi ViaNirone with Ultegra/105 mixed and a Bianchi 1885 Campy Veloce, but don't like the paint schemes. I know, silly reason, but I've been a practical person all my life and for my next bike I want to look as good riding it as I feel good riding it. I may be riding it off into the sunset, for all I know. I have always been a recreational/fitness cyclist, so, at 46yo I don't anticipate laying out another 2 grand for a bike anytime soon. So, I want to make sure I'm happy with all aspects of it.