David_Durham said:
We have two excellent stores in the area, and I'm confident I'll get fitted appropriately.
Don't bet the rent. I went to a LBS that I thought could do the job. Paid for a fitting and the guy took 4 or 5 static measurements and ran them through a calculator. I should have known better but I used them in an on-line purchase decision. WRONG! The frame turns out to be too large and I'll have to sell it.
The LBS had a Serotta system, but that wasn't offered to me. Perhaps that was because I had admitted a preference for hand-made Italian steel, of which they had none. In all fairness, this was a purchase that was returning me to cycling after a long hiatus, so perhaps I should have abandoned my biases. Still, I was prepared to spend 3 Large or so, so I think I should get to buy what I want, regardless of my basis for that preference. And I paid for a fitting, which should have been accurate regardless of my biases.
David_Durham said:
What's your sense, however, about the rides of these bikes and their durability for a rider like me?
At the risk of eliciting another content-free BS from boudreaux, here is something I wrote in response to a "this or that?" in another current thread.
I have a very strong preference for retro/vintage aesthetics and construction. I'll admit to getting a warm, fuzzy over the idea of a handmade bike in a small shop in Italy. (It's all Mendelssohn's fault.) I don't respond to most of the modern frames, especially those with seat tubes that resemble tree trunks. That's not entirely rational since I'm excluding a whole lot of real performers. But there it is.
I ride for fun 'n' fitness, so the weight of steel isn't a major concern to me. I want my bike, just like my car, to grab me emotionally, beyond just being a good technical achievement. (Hell, both cost enough. They better get my juices going since they drained my pocketbook.)
I wanted to share some of my biases so you would know what weight to give my opinion. I think my opinion is valid (but then, don't we all 
). How valuable it is to you will depend on how my biases meld with your own wants and desires.
What gets me going then are frames like Mondinico, Tommasini, or Pegoretti. I have lust in my heart for a randonneur built up on a Mercian or Hetchins frame. Then there's the work of Richard Sachs, Albert Eisentraut, Roland Della Santa and Sasha White at Vanilla here in the US, and many more. All steel, most lugged, all very retro. Don't get me started on chasing the vintage stuff.
I confess all this realizing that there is no Holy Grail - a great ride can result from any material so long as it is crafted in the hands of a competent framemaker. An aluminum frame with Dura-Ace or Ultegra can be great - for someone else. All this represents is one man's bias - what he'd prefer to spend his money on.
But none of it negates my original point. Get the most accurate fit possible using a duynamic fitting system
then start considering frames, what they are made of and what's hung off 'em. I got it bass-ackwards and was forced to cough up another tuition payment in the College of Life, which goes to show you never quit paying for your education.
