MAESTRO's

Daemon, you hit the nail on the head!!! I have ridden many a bike, including a Colnago C40, Pinarello Paris Alu Pinarello Dogma and a Paris Carbon. All are awesome rides, especially the Dogma with the ONDA FPX fork. These bikes are all plenty stiff, but my two favourites is my current Pegoretti steel frame, with a Reynolds carbon fork and a Eddy M MX Leader with steel fork. What these two bikes have that the others do not is that magical softer ride ......thats it. Steel absorbes more vibration than Allu. CF or magnesium (dogma) Daemon, check your PM's

Paris .....Prince or Dogma they all sooooooo stunning

This must be one of the best looking bikes around.....! LOVE IT! Spinnekop, I thought you said the PRINCE was the best looking bike ever.

That ONDA fork and ONDA rear stay is what actualy sets Pinarello apart from other brands. The fork most certainly feels more stable on the road and also absorbes much of the vibration. That's the first thing I noticed when I first rode a Pinna. The reason why you do not see this 's shaped fork' on other brands is because it's a Pinarello patent. Take a Pinna for a test ride and feel the difference.

My recommendation would be.......

Personally, I would stay away from a ISP bike for reasons such as resale value and transportation of the bike.

And the price is not bad at all, that said what do you do when you have a warranty issue? If in doubt, then buy something that has the necessary backup service.

STEEL is REAL. My custom built STEEL Pegoretti still has a better ride quality than any carbon bike currently on the market. And guess what I think its about 220g heavier than the average CF bike. It will outlast me and probably another generation. Money well spent.

Finish Line - PRO ROAD CR. Works for me........

There is more to saddles than just looks. Its whether it's practical, comfortable and best suited for your profile.

Personally I would not go with the mass produced stuff. Consider something more exclusive and less common. My 2c worth.

The one that was sold recently on the HUB was second hand, size 55. What size is/was the TCR.

Compact cranks is the future. More and more PROS are using compacts in the mountains of the major tours. Sure, the sprinters will always go for the regular cranks on the flatter stages, but trust me when those roads go up, they will most likely be on compacts. My 2c worth.

A compact has a sloping top tube.

The solution is simple....BUY THE RIGHT FRAME, don't settle for something you do not want. If you wanted a straight top tube then you should have checked first with whoever sold you the frame. What frame are we talking about here anyway.

Racman, The difference between a raleigh and other brands is that people buy top end raleighs primarilly for the components as oppsed to buying the brand for its durability or excellent workmanship. I know of many poeple that are still fighting for replacement frames. In fact I know too many people that have broken frames. People like you and me not even to mention the Microsoft team. Obviously raleigh has to have a excellent replacement policy and my guess is that they probably have the best replacement policy of all the brands out there, cos they have no choice.. Lets do a survey and see which brand has had the most comebacks due to breakages. I'll put my money on you know who.