Heard of Tommaso?



pineapple

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Oct 3, 2003
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Has anybody heard of, or ridden, Tommaso bikes?

Their website is www.tommasobikes.com. They are distributed by Randall Scott cycle co but there is no indication of who actualy makes these bikes.

The reason I ask is because they are being sold on ebay and amazon.com (at huge discount), at attractive prices given the specs.

Anybody have advice on whether this company is to be trusted?
 
If I remember correctly Tommaso does make some high end frames in Italy. That may be more to maintain the brand as an Italian manufacturer rather than frames actually meant to be sold in volume. All the Tommaso frames sold by RSC are made in China. I cannot recall whether Tommaso is one of the companies that simply rebrands standard frames made by asian manufacturers like Topkey and Martec or whether they do their own design.

RSC is what you have to put your faith in. I have not heard anything bad about them.
 
Bro Deal said:
If I remember correctly Tommaso does make some high end frames in Italy. That may be more to maintain the brand as an Italian manufacturer rather than frames actually meant to be sold in volume. All the Tommaso frames sold by RSC are made in China. I cannot recall whether Tommaso is one of the companies that simply rebrands standard frames made by asian manufacturers like Topkey and Martec or whether they do their own design.

RSC is what you have to put your faith in. I have not heard anything bad about them.
+1 for that. I knew as soon as i saw it.
Pic54.jpg

look familiar?
http://www.tommasobikes.com/home.html
Look at the forma and compare. I love companies like this. You think so much less of them when you see someone riding the same frame with a different brand.
Litespeed actually market a carbon frame which has been selling from a company named pedalforce (www.pedalforce.com) under the name QS2. Litespeed have now obtained access to the same mould and are selling it as the Pavia for $1000 more. I would get the fusion from pedalforce but I can't at the moment and customs in Australia is terrible.
moz-screenshot.jpg
 
bobbyOCR said:
Litespeed actually market a carbon frame which has been selling from a company named pedalforce (www.pedalforce.com) under the name QS2. Litespeed have now obtained access to the same mould and are selling it as the Pavia for $1000 more.
I have no problem with lower priced bikes using the same frame and relying upon customer service, component packages, distribution, etc. to differentiate themselves. You can get a good value for your money from such a "manufacturer."

Litespeed selling a generic frame for an extra $1000 is a kick in the nads. Anyone who buys one must feel like an idiot. IMHO it damages Litespeed's brand name.
 
qs2bike.jpg
rb_pavia.jpg

correcting above statement, the price of Pavia has been found as low as $1200

compare as long as you like

-one without paint, $650 for frame ($854, including 340g fork, FSA orbit headset and carbolock steerer nut)

-one with paint, has been found as low as $1200 with fork and headset
 
pineapple said:
Has anybody heard of, or ridden, Tommaso bikes?

Their website is www.tommasobikes.com. They are distributed by Randall Scott cycle co but there is no indication of who actualy makes these bikes.

The reason I ask is because they are being sold on ebay and amazon.com (at huge discount), at attractive prices given the specs.

Anybody have advice on whether this company is to be trusted?
They made some nice steel frames back in the 80's but they may have gone the way of Masi or Basso (remember them?). Mass produced cheap aluminum frames.
 
Bro Deal said:
If I remember correctly Tommaso does make some high end frames in Italy.
I have never seen or heard of a Tommaso frame here in Italy. You may be confusing with Tommasini, a very well-known, high-end frame builder in Tuscany (you can read more about them at their web site).

The first time I ever heard of Tommaso frames was in the US.

But then again, maybe I am wrong. :confused::eek:
 
Powerful Pete said:
I have never seen or heard of a Tommaso frame here in Italy. You may be confusing with Tommasini, a very well-known, high-end frame builder in Tuscany (you can read more about them at their web site).
What I now remember is that RSC claimed that Tommaso made a high end frames in Italy but that they cost too much for RSC's usual customers, so they were not going to carry that model. At the time it seemed a little fishy to me, like a publicity stunt that was not meant for real production.

I just googled the I remember. This is the relative info from a post made by RSC to roadbikereview:

"One last thing, Tommaso has sent us samples direct from Italy of their hand made hand painted in Italy full Campy Record Bicycle. (see attached pics) The reason we do not promote them is because there is just not the demand for them. Their Italian made bike which is absolutely beautiful is going to cost around 7k. We feel that their Asian built frames offer a much better value to the customer. If anyone would like to custom build this bike or just wants the frame let us know. We will have it sent to you in no time."

The post came with a picture, which I have attached. Another reason I thought it looked a little fishy was the huge "Hand Made In Italy" emblazoned on the chainstay, like it was meant to be easily readable in Internet pics.

How do I attach pics that show up as full sized instead of thumbnailed attachments?
 
Hhhhmmm, again, never heard of a Tommaso bike here in Italy. Honestly though, I ride in Rome, away from the Northern meccas of cycling here, but have never heard or seen one.

I think your gut sense is correct, sounds like an Italian sounding name on a made in Taiwan frame. Nothing wrong with either, of course! ;)
 
Powerful Pete said:
Hhhhmmm, again, never heard of a Tommaso bike here in Italy. Honestly though, I ride in Rome, away from the Northern meccas of cycling here, but have never heard or seen one.
I managed to find out what Tommaso is. The name was started in the mid 80s. It was the creation of a U.S. distributer named Ten Speed Drive. Frames were made in Italy but not by any one specific builder. Paint and decals were then applied in the U.S. TSD also distributed other brand names that were made by Italian builders but were rebadged, notably early Lemond framesets. Ten Speed Drive Imports met its end in the early 90s and the Tommaso name died with them.

Randall Scott Cycles has resurrected the Tommaso name. This could be a complete fabrication of RSC, much like TSD before them. This would be a little disturbing because it would make the press releases they have issued about the partnership between RSC and Tommaso a deception. The brand also might have been started up again by someone involved in TSD or someone who acquired the assets of TSD. I suspect the whole thing is a creation of RSC because the reborn Tommaso did not seem to exist until it began distributing through RSC.

This may not mean anything to the OP, who probably just wants to know if he will be getting a good bike for a good price. Most of the low budget asian frames are decent frames. I suggest finding reviews of Tommaso bikes and hopefully their customer support. If those reviews are good then you will likely get a good value for your money.
 
Bro Deal said:
What I now remember is that RSC claimed that Tommaso made a high end frames in Italy but that they cost too much for RSC's usual customers, so they were not going to carry that model. At the time it seemed a little fishy to me, like a publicity stunt that was not meant for real production.

I just googled the I remember. This is the relative info from a post made by RSC to roadbikereview:

"One last thing, Tommaso has sent us samples direct from Italy of their hand made hand painted in Italy full Campy Record Bicycle. (see attached pics) The reason we do not promote them is because there is just not the demand for them. Their Italian made bike which is absolutely beautiful is going to cost around 7k. We feel that their Asian built frames offer a much better value to the customer. If anyone would like to custom build this bike or just wants the frame let us know. We will have it sent to you in no time."

The post came with a picture, which I have attached. Another reason I thought it looked a little fishy was the huge "Hand Made In Italy" emblazoned on the chainstay, like it was meant to be easily readable in Internet pics.

How do I attach pics that show up as full sized instead of thumbnailed attachments?
Nothing wrong with that...
 
I just bought a Tommaso from Rscycle. email me for details. I bought the Monza, for the price, i think its well worth it, but it doesn't fit 100% the way I want it to. Still email me or PM me for details.
IMG_0841.jpg
 
Bro Deal said:
This may not mean anything to the OP, who probably just wants to know if he will be getting a good bike for a good price. Most of the low budget asian frames are decent frames. I suggest finding reviews of Tommaso bikes and hopefully their customer support. If those reviews are good then you will likely get a good value for your money.
Absolutely, I think that most of the 'average asian frames' are just fine, and I doubt that the OP will go wrong purchasing a Tommaso frame, once, as you said, he has double-checked the reviews and customer service info.
 
Bro Deal said:
I managed to find out what Tommaso is. The name was started in the mid 80s. It was the creation of a U.S. distributer named Ten Speed Drive. Frames were made in Italy but not by any one specific builder. Paint and decals were then applied in the U.S. TSD also distributed other brand names that were made by Italian builders but were rebadged, notably early Lemond framesets. Ten Speed Drive Imports met its end in the early 90s and the Tommaso name died with them.
Aha! That finally rattled some old brain cells. I knew that I was familiar with the name and it wasn't till you mentioned TSD that I went and pulled out an old heavyweight longsleeve winter jersey that I had purchased at a LBS on closeout many years ago; remembering the shoulder logos. Interestingly the jersey itself is also branded as a Tommaso on the tags inside. Pity. I really love the weight and weave of the fabric and have been looking for something comparable for some time; and haven't ever found one as nice.
 
PeterF said:
They made some nice steel frames back in the 80's but they may have gone the way of Masi or Basso (remember them?). Mass produced cheap aluminum frames.
Basso is still a going concern in Italy: see http://www.bassobikes.com/en/ .
I don't believe they have a US distributor at the moment. My Reef and Viper are great bikes...
 
pineapple said:
Has anybody heard of, or ridden, Tommaso bikes?

Their website is www.tommasobikes.com. They are distributed by Randall Scott cycle co but there is no indication of who actualy makes these bikes.

The reason I ask is because they are being sold on ebay and amazon.com (at huge discount), at attractive prices given the specs.

Anybody have advice on whether this company is to be trusted?
There's a person in this link who posted his ride, a Tomasso Monza. He might be able to help.http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?p=2981280#post2981280
 
Tommasso - The original Italian company went belly up. Randal Scott / Giantnerd bought the name.
Now they buy generic frames from Taiwan, build them up and sell them as Tomasso's. I know this because I spoke with them about it. They made no effort to hide this information which I appreciated.

IMO, they're buying frames from the same manufactures as everyone else. (my last 2 mtb bikes Specialized Stumpjumper and Niner Air 9 were both made in Taiwan)

If the company will stand behind their product then why not buy one unless you need to have the fancy name painted on the side of the frame. I'm a mountain biker who needs a decent road bike for training purposes. I have no plans to road race so I don't need bleeding edge performance. I'll probably buy one of their Ultegra equipt aggraziato's for under $1500. Even if the whole thing falls apart I'd still have a nice component group and decent wheelset. If I went with a name like Specialized I'd pay $1000 more.
 

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