Viner Frames on planet X
warrerj
Posts: 665
Can't find any reviews on frames/bikes that planet x are offering atm. Anybody got any experience or seen any reviews? I know Viner have a long history but know nothing about their current carbon offerings.
thanks
thanks
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Check out the different finishing on the frame by the seat.
http://road.cc/content/review/34912-viner-maxima-rs
The new Maxima is built by Sarto by all accounts
http://owningalegend.wordpress.com/2014 ... ced-price/
Just as good then really.
But this is maybe an assumption too far. Much of Viners old range was available in custom sizes - one of the distinctions about the Maxima was that even tube thicknesses could be specified depending on the riders weight, riding style etc. There's no mention of that here so this Maxima may be more akin to frames lower down in Viners old range.
Agree with Rolf- they seem a bit cagey about whether it's really full custom like the old Maximas and RSs- I asked them that question on FB and said they'll take 'custom orders for frame and paint finish'. But then it is 1/3 price of the last (Bertoletti-built) RS2...
Still interested though!
Viner Magnifica '08 ; Condor Squadra
LeJOG in aid of the Royal British Legion. Please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/stuaffleck2011
That's because Marco Bertoletti used to build the Viner Maxima and Mitus. I'm 99% sure that he's not building the new Maxima, and heard on the grapevine that Sarto are building the new version. Makes sense because Planet X had a tie in with Sarto when they made some top end frames for them.
It is cheaper than the original Maxima - but then again it isn't the same bike. Still looks good value though.
http://owningalegend.wordpress.com/2014 ... ced-price/
I knew Marco wasn't involved- Viner told me so themselves a while back. He's probably busy enough with Legend (and deservedly so) anyway. If it is Sarto, all well and good, they've got a good reputation. If they are being made in-house (as every comment from Viner I've seen implies), even better. It'll be a shame if they've dropped the same customisability the 'old' Viner offered, but I'm glad to see the brand brought back by people who clearly 'get' the history and reputation of Viner and what it meant to its fans. A stock Maxima, or one with custom geometry, is a definite notch above anything else at that price point. Full custom would of course be nice (!) but I doubt we could get that for £1700, even with PX behind it! Frame weight on the PX listing is very very wrong by the way- I was told typically 860g, which is in keeping with a pro-level frame if not bleeding edge. And we still have the Mitus, Perfecta and Gladius to come....
Viner Magnifica '08 ; Condor Squadra
LeJOG in aid of the Royal British Legion. Please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/stuaffleck2011
Production version of Viner's famous custom frameset.
(Alternatively, the quoted specification on Planet X's site could be wrong, which is not unknown for them. For example, take a look at the page for the Viner Salviati frame, for which they seem to have transposed the values for the seat and head angles!)
Whilst it might be argued that these frames are intended to continue the 'spirit' and name of the original Maxima frames, they are not 'new old stock' Bertoletti frames or anything like that.
For me the best bit is that these frames can indeed be ordered with custom geometry, and I have been told that at the moment the extra charge for custom is just £100.
I can't really think of anything similar for the cash, especially with the custom option, which I feel might be the big selling point for me as most stock frames seem to have seat tube angles that are just too steep for me and/or have huge head tubes for that 'sportive' position, which I just don't want.
Hersh do custom geometry lightweight frames (and custom paint). The "Speed" is currently being tested for review by Road.cc nad should be up in a week or so.
Photos here - http://road.cc/content/gallery/121041-hersh-speed
Frameset prices start from £1250
I have tried to find out more about these but info seems to be hard to come by. From what I have been able to find out the 'Speed' is intended to be a lighweight climber's frame, coming in at £1350 for custom paint. Their other models cost rather more. For example, £1500 for a 'Vento' and £2500 for their 'Performance Pro'. These more expensive models are supposed to be stiffer and the top of the range models use a higher the grade of carbon fibre, although they don't state what other differences there are or even give details of what the standard geometry is like. Consequently, I don't know which one would be comparable with the Viner, although I doubt very much that it would be the 'Speed', given the weight differences.
Some of the Hersh frames seem to use a press-fit BB30, whilst the Viner has a traditional threaded BB, which for me is a plus point. Also, the Hersh site makes no claims about the origins of the material used, other than saying that Toray carbon fibre is used. In comparison the Viner apparently uses a full Dedacciai tube set, including a Deadacciai RS2 fork and Dedacciai Z-123 rear triangle.
http://www.hersh-bikes.co.uk/product/vento-race/
Which suggests that possibly the rear triangle is of far eastern origin - that really needs to be clarified.
Can you provide any concrete confirmation of this? I have looked on some of the Italian forums and even they do not seem to be certain who makes them. Perhaps Hersh have had frames made by Sarto in the past, but then again so have Planet X. Similarly, the claim that Hersh frames are made by Sarto might be just as much of a misinformed 'internet rumour' as the claim the the Viner frames sold by Planet X are. Perhaps only the £2500 'Pro' model is made by Sarto, which might explain why it is twice the price of the 'Speed', which does seem to carry an unfeasibly low price tag for a frame custom made by Sarto. Who knows?!
Edit. It does seem that the £2,150 Hersh 'Trinity' could well be the Sarto D57...
Just the rear triangle? Aren't all of Dedacciai's composite parts made in Taiwan these days? Come to that are they even supplying frame tubes? They don't seem to be listed on their website any more.
Whatever, I think that if the Viner does use Dedacciai tubing, then this might be a better option than some unbranded tube whose origin is unknown.
I was thinking of the following when I mentioned the lack of a geometry table for any of their frames.
http://www.hersh-bikes.co.uk/product/he ... mance-pro/
By the way, it could well be that the Hersh 'Trinity' is indeed made by Sarto, and is in fact the Sarto D57 model. Unfortunately, the 'Trinity' costs £2,150, not £1,250.
http://www.hersh-bikes.co.uk/product/trinity-race/
http://www.sartocycles.co.uk/d57_carbon_frame.html
Whatever, I can't see any Sarto-made frame selling for £1250 via a third party such as Hersh, not least because Sarto themselves don't seem to market such a 'cut price' model!
With regards the origin of the tubes used, Sarto say that they make their own tubes, so no need for Dedacciai to enter the equation for any frames supplied by them.
I am sure that the manufacturers / marketing companies have some good reasons for making it so hard to find out the origin of their products (such as maintaining the maximum possible profit margins...) but it is very frustrating not being able to find out exactly what it is you are paying your hard earned cash for and what its origin was. It also leaves the lingering suspicion that, whatever you buy, you may well have been screwed!
http://www.telaioincarbonio.com/larte-d ... nio-hersh/ (translation needed)
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/tech ... 82POLHtLY8
The Speed model is available in Italy for €1900 - about £1500
http://www.hersh.it/telai-strada/telaio-speed
The reason it seems cheap in the UK is that the guys that import these trimmed their margins to be able to offer a full build for the all important £2000 price level.
Sorry, but I can't seem to see any confirmation that the 'Speed' is made by Sarto, even if it is clear that the Hersh 'Trinity' is the Sarto D57. If they are both made by Sarto what accounts for the £2,150 vs £1,250 price differential between the 'Speed' and the 'Trinity'? And after all, having one's entry level frames made in a different place to one's more expensive offering's is pretty standard in the industry. Just look at Colnago. That Hersh blog page you link to is also 2 years old and a lot can change in that time. (Only few years ago Hersh were just another company selling rebranded Dedacciai frames.)
Do you have a Sarto model number for the 'Speed' frame?
Thanks!
You are probably right re the source of Dedacciais tubing - but in this case it could be/probably is the case that the main tubes are cut and put together in Italy. They at least do need to sized to order - the rear triangle doesn't.
That could be it, with Dedacciai now only selling 'custom' main frame tubes to companies big enough to make the order worthwhile, rather than off the peg standard tube sets, as it used to.
I wanted to introduce myself, I represent Hersh in the UK and just picked up on your thread. I hope I can answer your questions and clarify any info you need.
Hersh frames are produced by Sarto.
I know it has the prices have been questioned especially the difference with the Speed and the trinity/performance. I want to point out that the Speed is a standard monocoque frame(produced in pre fabricated moulds) with only custom painting available. Currently the Speed is the only off the shelf carbon road bike Hersh are producing and a way of offering an Italian made frame at a more reasonable price.
The Performance/trinity and the rest of the models on offer are custom builds, they use a tube to tube construction whereby each tube is cut, mitred, wrapped and finished. This process is completed all by hand and allows a greater control over the dimensions, carbon quality and building of the frames. Thus the price is reflected in this extra labour as well the higher grades of toray carbon fibre used.
I hope this helps, but I please feel free to throw any other questions my way!
Thanks for clearing up some of the confusion here. What a positive approach to customer service! I knew that there was no way Sarto could be putting out a customisable, tube to tube construction frame for the price of the Speed. If the frame is viewed as being an upmarket equivalent of the Dedacciai DR-15 or DR-19, then the price makes a lot more sense.
It would be great if you could post the geometry for the Speed on the website, especially given that this cannot be customised. Mentioning that it is a monocoque frame might also help to avoid confusion and make the comparatively higher prices of the other models more understandable. A couple of questions.
Does the Vento have an equivalent Sarto model number? Also, what is the weight? (This does not seem to be quoted on the site as yet.)
Am I right in thinking that only the 'Performance Pro' has internal cables?
Edit. Are the forks also made by Sarto?
Thanks!
In response to your questions:
The Vento I believe is the wind model (I will double check this with Hersh in Italy) I've been quoted a frame weight of 960g.
Am I right in thinking that only the 'Performance Pro' has internal cables - Yes it is available with internal cabling
Are the forks also made by Sarto - I will need to check this with Hersh
thanks and I'll do my best to answer anymore questions
To confirm:
1. Vento is the Sarto Wind model
2. Front forks come in from Asia
3. frame dimensions are now on the website http://www.hersh-bikes.co.uk/product/speed/
Hope this helps!
I didn't buy a Viner in the end due to the need to go for a custom geometry and the likely poor resale value. (Instead I bought a Time NSX in a sale here in France for about half the UK RRP - less than the Viner would have cost. Quality is fantastic and the stock geometry perfect for me.)
Anyhow, I see that PX are now selling off these Viner Maxima's for a grand apiece. I looked at one 'in the flesh' as it were and I think that for this price they are a good deal, offering an Italian made, hand-built frame for only a little more than many branded but generic Asian monocoque frames go for. However, I'm really glad that I followed my instincts and didn't buy one when they were full price!
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FRVIMARS30 ... road-frame