Leggera bikes???

[phazer]

Anyone know these bikes?
http://www.leggerabikes.com/

 

[hd reynolds]

Anyone know these bikes?

Yes, Leggera is an Italian brand. The Leggera-Teschner as per the link is an Italian-Australian marriage of very good bike brands (Teschner supplied frames to many amateur world championship winning Ausie cyclists). Leggera brand is quite popular in Europe and in the UK. I remember they debuted their current carbon frames in a UK Bike show about 3 (or 4?) years ago with a chocolate colored showbike. They also had a show frame made of paper!!! during that show.

 

[Acrimony]

Anyone know these bikes?

Yes, cheap chinnese carbon frames. No italian link whatsoever, purely chinese specials. Sold around the world under differnt labels (go to china and buy 50 frames and they will put what ever label you like on it).

 

[Tech72]

Acrimony's right. Rebadged, Chinese made carbon frames. That's not to say that they're no good, but just so no one thinks they're buying a high-end, hand-made Italian frame. Hey, even some low rent Colnagos are made in Taiwan now.....

 

[hd reynolds]

Acrimony's right. Rebadged, Chinese made carbon frames. That's not to say that they're no good, but just so no one thinks they're buying a high-end, hand-made Italian frame. Hey, even some low rent Colnagos are made in Taiwan now.....

Colonial Mentality!!! Who cares as long as it rides as good as any mega-buck italian frame. If not for the chinese influence most of us will be riding 2nd rate bikes coz we just cant afford the 'made in italy or any made in western-as-long-as-its-not-far-east stuff'. Even Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 Renault has chinese influence, man.

 

[Tech72]

Colonial Mentality!!! Who cares as long as it rides as good as any mega-buck italian frame. If not for the chinese influence most of us will be riding 2nd rate bikes coz we just cant afford the 'made in italy or any made in western-as-long-as-its-not-far-east stuff'. Even Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 Renault has chinese influence, man.

That's just my point hd! So what if it is Chinese made, it's likely as decent a ride as most other carbon frames out there, Italian or otherwise. What I clarified is that it shouldn't be mistaken for an Italian made frame. Italian brand, yes (sort of). Italian made, no. Enjoy, if you've got one of the said frames.

 

[hd reynolds]

That's just my point hd! So what if it is Chinese made, it's likely as decent a ride as most other carbon frames out there, Italian or otherwise. What I clarified is that it shouldn't be mistaken for an Italian made frame. Italian brand, yes (sort of). Italian made, no. Enjoy, if you've got one of the said frames.

You hit it right on the head Tech72!

 

[Phill P]

Boy you guys are being really harsh on a good up and coming Australian brand

Leggera are QLD based and yes thier bikes are made in China by one of the best carbon frame makers in the world. Unlike some brands doing "chinese specials" Leggera have thier own R&D office in the factory.

Thier frames are now being sold under the "Red Bull" label in Europe. Do you know how many Holden cars started life as another brand name before being shipped to Australia? Some of them are even made in Asia

Thier top frame is reviewed on cyclingnews
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/?id=2006/reviews/leggera_piuma
Not the most glowing review they've done (gave the bike to somebody who doesn't fit the bike properly, and who's style is not suited to the bike)

Should give you more info than from guys who think everything is copied just because one frame in the line up looks like another.

Quite frankly I don't care who made a frame, or how many other brands use that design, the ride you get, and the value you get matters more.

 

[Acrimony]

I agree, there is no shame in producing a frame in china, Cervelo are a good example. However I do have a problem with companies that try to hide where their frames are made. Italian names, a decal that says 'hand built in australia', why try and mislead the public about their frames if they are as good as they claim. And despite what anyone says, Chinese quality is still not as good as euro quality, and never will be until they take personal pride in their products. I ask would you buy a Ferrari or Porsche if it was made in China? even if it was slightly cheaper? and why are their bikes not cheaper still? R&D costs nothing, they buy ready designed frames, and havent even had to buy the molds (red bull ownes these), and the cost difference in production between euro and chinese frames is definately larger than the price difference in the shops here. I could buy a red bull frame online in germany, pay for transport, pay duty and it would still be cheaper than their asking prices.

 

[Phill P]

I do think its silly that so many non european brands have to use italian or french names for thier brand to try and make themselves sound serious.

I've been triyng to find some of the red bull brand bikes online, either for sale or just a promotional site. All you find is red bull the drink, and all thier marketing events.

Can you please tell me the link in Germany that you could get these frame through? Leggera will only sell the Piuma for $7000AUD+ with record or DA. I may consider importing a RED BULL and specing it with 07 Centaur from an Italian online retailer.

 

[Acrimony]

I do think its silly that so many non european brands have to use italian or french names for thier brand to try and make themselves sound serious.

I've been triyng to find some of the red bull brand bikes online, either for sale or just a promotional site. All you find is red bull the drink, and all thier marketing events.

Can you please tell me the link in Germany that you could get these frame through? Leggera will only sell the Piuma for $7000AUD+ with record or DA. I may consider importing a RED BULL and specing it with 07 Centaur from an Italian online retailer.

http://www.roseversand.de/output/controller.aspx?cid=156&detail=3&detail2=581

The site takes a bit of navigating, but I think the Piuma is the Carbon SL 4000, (double check on that before ordering) which costs 2699 euro (under $4500) with full Dura-ace. Keep in mind the 5% duty and 10% GST that you will get slugged, as well as transport, but in reality it should be possible to get this bike here, airfreighted, for well under $6000. Its probaly cheaper to just get the frame and fork, but you will have to email them for a price.

 

[bobbyOCR]

Who cares where it was made. If you had 50 different frames of all different materials, manufactured in places all over the world with no labelling at all so you didn't know who built them, all with the same components. Then, would you be able to ride all of them then pick the chinese or taiwanese from the european and americans (assuming you didn't already know the frame shape). The answer is, no. The Taiwanese are becoming the best frame makers in the world. I ride a BMC which is swiss designed, but taiwanese manufactured. All the Asian countries just take the design from a manufacturer, then build it. Some are highly skilled and do a magnificent job. And would you buy a Chevrolet because it is American? Yes, then come over here and by a holden, they are 1 and the same. Or go to Europe and buy a Vauxhall or an Opal, the same again. Who cares who built it, if it rides well it is fine. And no, I wouldn't buy a Porsche or ferrari at all. They are overpriced, overrated, and would rather add another story to my house then pay for it. Besides, with the cost of fuel, the speed limits, and the proximity of everything, I'd rather ride my bike.

Rant Over

 

[Acrimony]

Who cares where it was made. If you had 50 different frames of all different materials, manufactured in places all over the world with no labelling at all so you didn't know who built them, all with the same components. Then, would you be able to ride all of them then pick the chinese or taiwanese from the european and americans (assuming you didn't already know the frame shape). The answer is, no.

The answer is actually yes. I can tell when a frame is made in asia nor not, at least to a point. The very best, and i mean best, think top 5% of asian frames, I could not tell, but being a mechanic who works on high end bikes you can definently tell when manufacturers aren't being totally honest with where they are produced (i'm sure there are other mechanics out there who would agree). Its in the little details, paint overspray in the threads, cable guides that are a bit mis-alligned, decals that are often crooked or slightly askew, paint finishes that just arent quite finished off properly, bottom bracket threads cut at a slight angle to the frame, bad welding beads, often with visible heat stress marks inside the tubes where they have over heated the tube and/or let it cool too rapidly, in bad but not uncommon cases the bottom bracket is out of allignment (check crank/chainstay clearences on both sides of the bike), not to mention the chinese charactors sometime visable inside the seat tube. While i'm not saying euro frames don't have these mistakes in them becasue they often do, it is rare for them to have several in the same frame. Carbon frames are a lot harder to tell, and its usually the paint and decal finish that gives it away (ever had a close up look of a cinelli estrada or a giant tcr, my kids could stick the decals on neater). All these things are the result of frames being rushed out. In terms of performance, these things don't really effect the frame, but lets face it, buying a top end road bike is the bike equivelant of buying a ferrari, so why shouldn't we expect every little detail to be perfect.

 

[bobbyOCR]

OK, Point taken, but I said NO MARKINGS and could you tell JUST BY RIDING THEM. I build bikes up too and agree, misaligned anything and poor threading is a nightmare and is a trait of the generic taiwan frames, but some aren't too bad to ride.