Fondriest bikes



I am writing this comment as I work in a bike shop that sells Fondriest....

I never tied it before with other high-end quality frames but I encountered a mechanical problem with my rear derailleur that completely crooked my hanger. In order to bend it back into place, we of course had to heat the frame with a torch to make it safer and after doing this process we did not see a single square millimeter of paint beign changed on either of the two bikes (one had a standard Fondriest painting and the other one was a 'cross with 'rubber' finish for those how know it.

I would be curious to know how a Giant of a Cannondale would've held up to that treatment...For me personnaly a frame is not only evaluated for its price, you have to check other factors not so evident as paint quality, and small details that make your bike worth in the long run...Of course it may be a bit abusive for some but buying a bike that was designed by a company and not only another copied stock taiwan frame.
 
My dad has a carbon fiber Fondriest, not sure of the model name, and he swears by it. This is a guy who has rode for 30+ years on every type of material, steel, ti, alum, alum/carbon, and now the Fondriest carbon. He's a very serious rider, has won masters level world championships... for what its worth...
 
Tech72 said:
If you're thinking of going for the aluminum Fondriest frames, may I suggest going with a Cannondale CAAD 7 frame or a Giant OCR frame. Both frameset come with carbon/carbon forks. They're cheaper and probably better performing. Sure they don't have the fancy paint job or SAT finish of the Fondriest but if function is what you want, they're they way to go.

Just my two cents,
Tech72

Tech72, have you ever ridden a Fondiest? If so, what model? One can always buy a "cheaper" bike. There's no way around it, "you get what you pay for". I have ridden many bikes, including Cannondales and Giants. Two words for Cannondale, harsh ride and one word for the Giant, noodly. I'm a 180 lb sprinter so I squeeze very ounce out of a bike. I ride close to 8K miles a year. That means alot of time on the bike, so to me ride quality and performance are paramount. For me, the Fondriest has both in spades. The fact that the fit and finish are exquisite is just icing on the cake.

Turbocarr
 
zewol said:
hi guys,

As I read the Fondriest catalog recently I started to get pretty exited with their products. But when common sense came in my mind I asked myself if they were really that great or much of their attention is far too concentrated on doing state of the art paintings.

Their frames seem to be pretty light and well assembled but are they really worth that much???

-www.fondriest-usa.com

thanks
Check out: http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=2&vendor=FONDRIST

shipping $ to Canada isn't too bad either

JS
 
Fondriests are some good looking bikes and are rare in my neck of the woods. I was seriously thinking about picking up one until the LBS who is also the Fondriest-USA distrubuter here in Denver wanted a $150.00 demo charge on what they called "some one's" team bike. ANy how I went with Look and a LBS with no BS!