Bianchi Eros Donna vs. Specialized Dolce? another girly bike thread

[Joanne (from Cape Cod)]

Happy New Year, roadies. Long-time lurker here. I was injured in a
bike-car crash and can't train for a while and now I have time to
read.

I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
advance.

-Joanne (from Cape Cod)

(remove 'tastyspam' to reply)

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Joanne (from Cape Cod) wrote:

> I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
> female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
> nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
> Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
> I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
> considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
> women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
> aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
> frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
> I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
> Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
> I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
> who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
> advance.

Cannondales seem to be popular with the faster small women. Cannondales are
lighter than the other woman-specific offerings -- which may start to matter
with small riders, as the bike is a larger percentage of the total weight they
have to haul up hills. I could never understand Terry building 24 LB bikes for
100 LB women. That's like a 40 LB bike for a typical male rider, which a
performance oriented cyclist would never consider. If anyone deserves a 2 LB
carbon fiber frame, it's a pixie-sized woman.

Of course, fit still trumps everything.

Matt O.

 

[sid]

Joanne,

If you are happy with Bianchi. I would definitely suggest for the
price range a 44cm Bianchi Veloce. Same smooth steel frame as the
Donna. 30 Italian speeds with the veloce components. Celeste blue or
red and Campagnolo Vento G3 wheelset. all for about $1600.00
http://www.glorycycles.com/bianchiveloce.html. My wife tried the Dolce
and the Trek WSD bikes you are looking at and thought the aluminum was
harsh and bumpy. She loves the stableness of the steel and the and the
frame fit for her 5'2' body is great.

 

[Chris Neary]

>I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
>female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
>nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
>Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
>I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
>considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
>women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
>aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
>frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
>I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
>Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
>I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
>who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
>advance.

Joanne,

I have no direct experience with either bike, but did take a look at the
manufacturer websites to see if I could see where the money was going. My
thoughts:

1) The Dolce uses an all-carbon fork vs the Donna which has a carbon fork
with a metal steerer tube (not a big deal, IMHO)

2) The Shimano wheelset on the Dolce is possibly more expensive than the
Alex wheelset on the Dolce. Never having heard of the Alex wheelset, I did
scan of some other forums. Folk's experience with them seems to be somewhat
mixed....

3) Are you sure the Dolce Comp you are looking at is aluminum? Specialized
indicates both the '04 and 05' Dolce Comp's are made of Columbus SLX tubing,
which I believe is steel (Can anyone confirm?).


Chris Neary
[email protected]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

 

[Joanne (from Cape Cod)]

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 01:06:17 GMT, Chris Neary <[email protected]
> wrote:

>>I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
>>female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
>>nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
>>Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
>>I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
>>considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
>>women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
>>aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
>>frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
>>I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
>>Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
>>I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
>>who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
>>advance.
>
>Joanne,
>
>I have no direct experience with either bike, but did take a look at the
>manufacturer websites to see if I could see where the money was going. My
>thoughts:
>
>1) The Dolce uses an all-carbon fork vs the Donna which has a carbon fork
>with a metal steerer tube (not a big deal, IMHO)
>
>2) The Shimano wheelset on the Dolce is possibly more expensive than the
>Alex wheelset on the Dolce. Never having heard of the Alex wheelset, I did
>scan of some other forums. Folk's experience with them seems to be somewhat
>mixed....
>
>3) Are you sure the Dolce Comp you are looking at is aluminum? Specialized
>indicates both the '04 and 05' Dolce Comp's are made of Columbus SLX tubing,
>which I believe is steel (Can anyone confirm?).
>

According to
http://bicycleswest.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1215&Catalog=39&sort=price
the Dolce Comp's frame is Columbus SLX aluminum.

I think you're right that the "brand name" wheelset probably accounts
for much of the price differential. But how is a more expensive
wheelset "better"? More durable? Lighter?

Thanks to all who responded.

Joanne

(remove 'tastyspam' to reply)

 

[Dennis Ferguson]

Joanne (from Cape Cod) <[email protected]> wrote:
> The Dolce Comp has an
>aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
>frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
>I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
>Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
>I'd be getting for the extra money.

Just from their spec's, and while I don't want to enter a discussion
of which Campagnolo and Shimano groupsets are equivalent, the Dolce
Comp has Ultegra components, Shimano's second-best groupset, while
the Donna has Mirage components, Campagnolo's second-worst groupset.
I'd guess that the Dolce's components are more expensive and that
this accounts for most of the price difference.

As for the frame material, the new edition of the book Bicycling
Science describes a double-blind test where experienced racers rode
a variety of bikes, whose frames were covered so they couldn't be
seen, and then were asked to identify the frame material. It is
reported that in general they could not do this accurately from the
ride of the bike alone. I suspect that if you did not know the frame
material before riding the bikes you would not find any observable
differences between them which could be attributed to the frame
materials as opposed to, say, the frame geometries. On the other
hand, if you know what the frame is made of you will no doubt find
the aluminum frame rigid and harsh, the steel frame to be smooth but
flexy, and a carbon fiber frame to be stiff but with near-magical
vibration-damping qualities. Or, at least, everyone else does
(including me, to be honest).

I'd note, however, that the spec pages for both those bikes claim
they are both steel (Columbus tubing for one, Reynolds for the other).
Are you sure the bike you were looking at was a 2005 Dolce Comp?

Dennis Ferguson

 

[Jeff Starr]

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 10:57:28 -0500, "Joanne (from Cape Cod)"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Happy New Year, roadies. Long-time lurker here. I was injured in a
>bike-car crash and can't train for a while and now I have time to
>read.
>
>I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
>female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
>nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
>Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
>I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
>considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
>women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
>aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
>frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
>I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
>Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
>I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
>who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
>advance.
>
>-Joanne (from Cape Cod)
>
>(remove 'tastyspam' to reply)

Hi Joanne, I just took a look at both websites, the Dolce Comp is also
steel. the price differences are mostly due to components. It looks
like the Dolce Elite would be a closer comparison. Just from an
appearance standpoint the Dolce Comp is a much better looking bike
than the Eros Donna.
The 2005 Dolce Comp lists for $1900 -
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=10662

Here is the Bianchi -
http://www.bianchiusa.com/556.html

A possible main difference for you will be the shifters, were your old
ones Campagnolo? The Bianchi has Campy, while the Specialized has
Shimano. Another option, would be to have a bike built for you. I
think it could be done for what the Dolce Comp costs.


Life is Good!
Jeff

 

[Chris Neary]

>>3) Are you sure the Dolce Comp you are looking at is aluminum? Specialized
>>indicates both the '04 and 05' Dolce Comp's are made of Columbus SLX tubing,
>>which I believe is steel (Can anyone confirm?).
>>
>
>According to
>http://bicycleswest.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1215&Catalog=39&sort=price
>the Dolce Comp's frame is Columbus SLX aluminum.

My confusion was justified. It seems Specialized may be the only ones using
the SLX aluminum.
REF: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=574435


Chris Neary
[email protected]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

 

[Chris Neary]

>Just from their spec's, and while I don't want to enter a discussion
>of which Campagnolo and Shimano groupsets are equivalent, the Dolce
>Comp has Ultegra components, Shimano's second-best groupset, while
>the Donna has Mirage components, Campagnolo's second-worst groupset.
>I'd guess that the Dolce's components are more expensive and that
>this accounts for most of the price difference.

I was thinking along the same lines, but my research indicated the retail
price of the two gruppos was very close: ~ $600.


Chris Neary
[email protected]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

 

[Claire Petersky]

"Joanne (from Cape Cod)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1104854244.271faa20770f3e0cec6ec0797ddc1e6e@meganetnews2...

> What I am trying to figure out is why the
> Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
> I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
> who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
> advance.

I rented the Dolce while on vacation, and was very pleased with it -- it was
definitely a nicer bike than my current ride. My husband rides the generic
Eros.

I think the difference in the price is that the Dolce has a better quality
gruppo on it than the Bianchi, but I'm no expert on campy parts.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[Joanne (from Cape Cod)]

>
>Hi Joanne, I just took a look at both websites, the Dolce Comp is also
>steel. the price differences are mostly due to components. It looks
>like the Dolce Elite would be a closer comparison. Just from an
>appearance standpoint the Dolce Comp is a much better looking bike
>than the Eros Donna.

I think both bikes "look" nice. Saw the Donna in a bike shop today
and it is very nice looking. I'm not a fan of the bulky-looking
downtube you often get with aluminum bikes -- but I can't tell from
the photos on line if the Dolce has that or not. Although there is
some disagreement in this thread about the frame material, I'm under
the impression that the Dolce is aluminum -- it is described as
"Columbus SLX, fully double-butted, heat-treated" on the Specialized
website. Why can't these websites talk English (and give prices)? A
whole new thread could be started with that remark. (Plus, the
Specialized website gives me a headache, with that mega-annoying
bouncing frame on the left side of the screen).


>The 2005 Dolce Comp lists for $1900 -
>http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=10662
>
>Here is the Bianchi -
>http://www.bianchiusa.com/556.html
>
>A possible main difference for you will be the shifters, were your old
>ones Campagnolo?

Yes, my 2004 Donna had Campy shifters -- I liked them fine -- are
Shimano much different?

>The Bianchi has Campy, while the Specialized has
>Shimano. Another option, would be to have a bike built for you. I
>think it could be done for what the Dolce Comp costs.
>
>
Thanks for the input, Jeff (and everyone else who responded).

-Joanne

(remove 'tastyspam' to reply)

 

[Jeff Starr]

On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 20:52:29 -0500, "Joanne (from Cape Cod)"
<[email protected]> wrote:


>
>
>>The 2005 Dolce Comp lists for $1900 -
>>http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=10662
>>
>>Here is the Bianchi -
>>http://www.bianchiusa.com/556.html
>>
>>A possible main difference for you will be the shifters, were your old
>>ones Campagnolo?
>
>Yes, my 2004 Donna had Campy shifters -- I liked them fine -- are
>Shimano much different?
>
Hi Joanne, the shifters are similar, but different. There is no
seperate lever on the inside of each. The inner lever on the right
side upshifts, while the larger brake lever, does the downshifting.
On the left side the inner does the downshifting of the front
derailleur, while the outer lever upshifts. One other difference is
that the Campy levers can be rebuilt, while the Shimanos can't.


Life is Good!
Jeff