LiT if you may

spasypaddy

As the most outspoken viner owner on this here forum i wish for some advice. someone on the road buying section recommends the custom fit viner. did you do this?

stuaff

Surprised she's not answered this yet- but yes she did get custom fit (the Maxima is only available bespoke), and yes, you should
Excellent aftersales too, btw (I should know.....).

rolf_f

Probably is worth finding out if you actually need a custom fit frame; if you don't need the bespokedness you might have more options. Even if you do, you can probably find a frame that will fit if you don't restrict yourself to specific brands much.

If you do though, Viner actually do some relatively cheap custom frames (cheapest I think is the Celer alloy frame) - complete bike for a bit over 1k right through the range to the Maxima which is expensive but I think rather good value given you can even specify thickness of the carbon!

In my case I would have needed a bespoke due to over-long legs but in the end ended up with a Sportive frame Look 585 which came out pretty much at the dimensions I'd have got the bespoke Viner built to anyway. There's a lot of fine tuning doable with careful selection of bars and stem etc.

spasypaddy

ive had a bike fit but im now looking to spend £1600 on a frame. its just one of a few options im weighing up as i need to save for a few (8 or so) months

gabriel959

If I was to spend the money a custom Viner costs I would buy an Independent Fabrication bike.

spasypaddy

they aren't 1600 for a carbon frame

jonny_trousers

spasypaddy wrote:

As the most outspoken viner owner on this here forum i wish for some advice.

Please tell me I am not the only one who immediately assumed 'viner' was an abreviation for something else?

rolf_f

gabriel959 wrote:

If I was to spend the money a custom Viner costs I would buy an Independent Fabrication bike.

Which half of the Independent Fabrication bike would you go for?

Of course, there are lots of UK bespoke steel frame builders that charge remarkably reasonable prices. Well below £1600....

lost_in_thought

Hello!

Yes, as stated quite correctly the Maxima is only available fully bespoke, and that's what I got.

And, as stated, it is even possible to specify the thickness of the carbon, it's designed for your weight and riding style.

I believe there are some customisable parts on other models too, but I plumped for full custom, as I could have exactly what I wanted.

I'm not oddly shaped enough to warrant a full custom really although on the edge of off-the-peg sizing due to my short-backed-ness, but hell, I had the money so thought why not.

Not sure how much the maxima frames are at the moment, but I don't think £1600 will cover it.

rolf_f

lost_in_thought wrote:

Not sure how much the maxima frames are at the moment, but I don't think £1600 will cover it.

I think over 3k - seem to recall noting the frame price to be a good £1000 more than mine and thinking I just wouldn't appreciate the difference enough

lost_in_thought

Rolf F wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Not sure how much the maxima frames are at the moment, but I don't think £1600 will cover it.

I think over 3k - seem to recall noting the frame price to be a good £1000 more than mine and thinking I just wouldn't appreciate the difference enough

Yeah. That's what I paid.... Site's down at the moment so I can't see just how much they've gone up, but I'm sure they have.

stuaff

lost_in_thought wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Not sure how much the maxima frames are at the moment, but I don't think £1600 will cover it.

I think over 3k - seem to recall noting the frame price to be a good £1000 more than mine and thinking I just wouldn't appreciate the difference enough

Yeah. That's what I paid.... Site's down at the moment so I can't see just how much they've gone up, but I'm sure they have.

Le Beau Velo (London dealer) have the price liston their web site. Maxima £3200; Maxima RS (lighter & stiffer) £4k, RS Plus (as RS plus custom rear triangle too) £4450. Volata (continuation of the 2009 model Perfecta- 2010 Perfecta has new frame design) is the cheapest carbon model that's available in custom sizing, at £1650. See enthusiastic reviews here and here. Custom sizing costs nothing extra, though you'll obviously wait a bit longer for it. Custom paint, choice of seatpost or ISP, also doable. And good people to deal with- haven't got round to dropping the factory and Viner UK a line to thank them for sorting out my Magnifica, but I will do. Fortunately, frame is utterly undamaged from my prang on Saturday morning (suffice to say I'm not going to be replacing all the scratched-up but functionally unaffected components).
Johnny_Trousers: Viner was founded by Viviano Nerossi, hence the not terribly Italian-looking name.

spasypaddy

stu thats the website i was linked to! Im not convinced that its the way forward as im pretty normal sized. im just looking for something different to the standard bikes i see on the road.

rolf_f

spasypaddy wrote:

im just looking for something different to the standard bikes i see on the road.

Plenty of options for that

spasypaddy

im not getting a CX!

stuaff

spasypaddy wrote:

stu thats the website i was linked to! Im not convinced that its the way forward as im pretty normal sized. im just looking for something different to the standard bikes i see on the road.

Hadn't checked out the original thread before, see the other enthusiastic member of the unofficial Viner sales team's been joining in. The way I look at it, given the choice between a bike that happens to fit me, and one that's built to fit you at no extra cost, why would I not go for the latter? The likes of Brian Rourke don't do standard frame sets, they're all made-to-measure. Just because you want carbon doesn't mean you have to be riding a standard frame.

spasypaddy

this is what i currently cant take my eyes off

stuaff

spasypaddy wrote:

this is what i currently cant take my eyes off

Nice, it's had some positive reviews too.

spasypaddy

yep i know although ive had a positive conversation with the guy at enigma.

however his prices are without a fork, headset and finishing kit. Cinelli comes with all of that.

lost_in_thought

The way I look at it is if you're not planning to buy another best bike any time soon, then get the bike you want the most, get it to fit you right and spend as much as you can afford.

stuaff

lost_in_thought wrote:

The way I look at it is if you're not planning to buy another best bike any time soon, then grrr the bike you want the most, get it to fit you right and spend as much as you can afford.

+1. I have a hankering at some point to get a Maxima or equivalent, but it isn't going to be any time soon (I'd like to break the current 'one bike a year' cycle), unless those pesky lottery numbers come in. But in the meantime, the Magnifica suits me pretty much perfectly- size was bang on and I love the way it rides. Hence my product choices for rebuilding it- Athena, Deda Zero 100 bars....I would have preferred it to look a little less worn at this point, but that's only because I had a prang :oops:

antikythera

spasypaddy wrote:

stu thats the website i was linked to! Im not convinced that its the way forward as im pretty normal sized. im just looking for something different to the standard bikes i see on the road.

+1 for Beau Velo and Viner.

At this level, the fact that its custom isn't the selling point it just happens to be the way its done. I interpret it as a requirement for the bike rather than for me. I don't need a custom size either.

Having said that I love my Maxima RS, it is a notably different ride experience than any of my other rides (Cervelo, Ridley, Enigma, Dolan, Bianchi et. al.).

It really is something else. You either have experienced it and know it or you b*tch about the cost, paint job, whatever.....

stuaff

spasypaddy wrote:

yep i know although ive had a positive conversation with the guy at enigma.

however his prices are without a fork, headset and finishing kit. Cinelli comes with all of that.

If I was in the market for another frame, Enigma's definitely one I'd consider.
The frame's the thing you need to get right. If it doesn't fit you & suit you, no point having the finishing kit thrown in. Extensive test riding in order I think...

stuaff

antikythera wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

stu thats the website i was linked to! Im not convinced that its the way forward as im pretty normal sized. im just looking for something different to the standard bikes i see on the road.

+1 for Beau Velo and Viner.

At this level, the fact that its custom isn't the selling point it just happens to be the way its done. I interpret as a requirement for the bike rather than for me. I don't need a custom size either.

Having said that I love my Maxima RS, it is a notably difference ride experience than any of my other rides (Cervelo, Ridley, Enigma, Dolan, Bianchi et. al.).

It really is something else. You either have experienced it and know it or you b*tch about the cost, paint job, whatever.....

I remember a previous Viner thread where you said you were getting one. More info and pics?

antikythera

StuAff wrote:

I remember a previous Viner thread where you said you were getting one. More info and pics?

Caught :oops:

Too busy riding it....

But now I've been shamed into producing the goods, I'll post after the weekends training ride and clean (Not sure which takes longer )

spasypaddy

StuAff wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

yep i know although ive had a positive conversation with the guy at enigma.

however his prices are without a fork, headset and finishing kit. Cinelli comes with all of that.

If I was in the market for another frame, Enigma's definitely one I'd consider.
The frame's the thing you need to get right. If it doesn't fit you & suit you, no point having the finishing kit thrown in. Extensive test riding in order I think...

test riding will be done but its difficult finding all these bikes to test ride!

antikythera

spasypaddy wrote:

StuAff wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

yep i know although ive had a positive conversation with the guy at enigma.

however his prices are without a fork, headset and finishing kit. Cinelli comes with all of that.

If I was in the market for another frame, Enigma's definitely one I'd consider.
The frame's the thing you need to get right. If it doesn't fit you & suit you, no point having the finishing kit thrown in. Extensive test riding in order I think...

test riding will be done but its difficult finding all these bikes to test ride!

Its worth making weekend out of a trip to Enigma with the significant (and insignificant) others. Its a pleasant part of the country and Mark and Jim are very accommodating. I believe that Jim had volunteered his own steed for my test ride.

spasypaddy

i could go see my grandma and then go over in the afternoon. it will have to wait until i have the money though