Stradalli Faenza Aero Road Bike? Any thoughts and opinions?

Crash Prone

I'm in the market for my first aero road bike and am narrowing down my choices! I'm very interested in the Stradalli Faenza, but there isn't much out there in ways of bike reviews online for the Faenza. Does anyone on the forum own a Faenza? Or at least ridden one? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the bike! And, any comparisons that you can make too!

I know that 5-10 year ago Stradalli didn't have the best reputation, but over the last few years, I believe that they've shifted from open mold frames to designing their own frames (I'm almost positive that the Faenza isn't an open mold frame...) and I understand from reading forums that their customer service has improved too. The warranty still isn't very good though.

This year, the Support Clean Sport/Guttenplan Coaching team won the overall title at USA CRITS this year while racing on the Faenza and finished second in the team category. That really impressed me. So I suspect that the Faenza is a good bike, but I'm nervous that it'll be a mistake if I just base my purchase on specs, appearance, and pro wins. I really want to hear about experiences riding the Stradalli Faenza. Maybe even some comparisons to other bikes.

(I've posted a similar question on another forum besides Bike Radar, but haven't had much luck getting replies, sorry if you're seeing this twice!)

Crash Prone

And, for those wondering why I'm interested in the Stradalli Faenza over other aero bikes on the market, here's my reasoning (I know that some people have had really bad experiences with Stradalli in the past, especially before they started designing their own frames).

1. I pretty much know the Di2 and high-end FSA components and power meter that I want and based my bike shopping on finding a bike as close to those specs as possible so that I can minimize upgrades once I buy the bike. Stradalli pretty much lets you build up/customize your bike so that means I won't have to worry about having to buy unwanted wheels, saddles, etc. I haven't had a ton of luck finding many other bike brands with that kind of flexibility that also sell aero bikes (I realize Trek and Specialized can accommodate this type of request, but see point 2 for that topic...).

2. As much as I love and want a Specialized Venge, I don't want to spend over $10,000 on an aero bike. I'd rather spend in the neighborhood of $5,000. I looked at every manufacturer that I could think of and landed on either the Canyon Aeroad or Stradalli Faenza, but the Faenza is cheaper once my preferred specs/upgrades are factored in (I know that price isn't everything, but it's something). Plus, the Faenza has many of the aero features that I find attractive (very Venge-esque) and looks like it might be a better crit racer based on Aeroad reviews that I've read and the Faenza's USA CRITS results.

So there you go, would love to hear other's thoughts and opinions while I fret trying to figure out the right bike to buy!

imposter2.0

This is mainly a UK forum, so you're unlikely to get too many - if any - useful replies on this brand. What I will say though, is that your posts sound like a rolling advertisement for Stradalli. No idea whether that's intentional or not..

Crash Prone

Imposter wrote:

This is mainly a UK forum, so you're unlikely to get too many - if any - useful replies on this brand. What I will say though, is that your posts sound like a rolling advertisement for Stradalli. No idea whether that's intentional or not..

Oh, I always think of it as a international forum, but good point (I'm probably so use to going to so many non-US websites my cycling fix that I don't even pay attention to regions anymore! ha ha).

No, no intention to be an advert. There are so many differing views towards Stradalli out there and I was trying to be as detailed as possible about my thinking and questions to help the conversation. I definitely have some positive feelings towards the brand, but also a lot of concern because of their historic reputation and the lack of any reviews on the Faenza. Those concerns are what's prompting my question asking. I want to be an informed consumer and I want to be confident in my choice if I do or don't get a Faenza.

craigus89

Have you ridden one? You say you don't want to decide based on specs and appearance, but unless you've ridden one then I doubt you'll actually glean much from a few people on the internet who will inevitably say that they love the bike.

Crash Prone

Craigus89 wrote:

Have you ridden one? You say you don't want to decide based on specs and appearance, but unless you've ridden one then I doubt you'll actually glean much from a few people on the internet who will inevitably say that they love the bike.

You may be right. :? That's really the problem when looking at these online retailors whether it's Canyon, Fezzari, or Planet X. You can get a lot of information about the bike online and through reviews/other's experiances, but you can't experiance the bike unless you buy it (or have a friend that will let you test ride theirs).

craigus89

Crash Prone wrote:

Craigus89 wrote:

Have you ridden one? You say you don't want to decide based on specs and appearance, but unless you've ridden one then I doubt you'll actually glean much from a few people on the internet who will inevitably say that they love the bike.

You may be right. :? That's really the problem when looking at these online retailors whether it's Canyon, Fezzari, or Planet X. You can get a lot of information about the bike online and through reviews/other's experiances, but you can't experiance the bike unless you buy it (or have a friend that will let you test ride theirs).

I haven't really heard of the brand to be honest, my research was limited to a 2 minute googling, but is there a reason why you're considering one over say a Canyon Aeroad which is at a similar price point and is well regarded as a good bike?

FWIW I find that most people give a positive review of their purchases, especially big ones like a 3K bike, whether or not they actually do like it. I'm not trying to be difficult, but it's hard to gauge opinions on the internet about something subjective.

Crash Prone

Craigus89 wrote:

Crash Prone wrote:

Craigus89 wrote:

Have you ridden one? You say you don't want to decide based on specs and appearance, but unless you've ridden one then I doubt you'll actually glean much from a few people on the internet who will inevitably say that they love the bike.

You may be right. :? That's really the problem when looking at these online retailors whether it's Canyon, Fezzari, or Planet X. You can get a lot of information about the bike online and through reviews/other's experiances, but you can't experiance the bike unless you buy it (or have a friend that will let you test ride theirs).

I haven't really heard of the brand to be honest, my research was limited to a 2 minute googling, but is there a reason why you're considering one over say a Canyon Aeroad which is at a similar price point and is well regarded as a good bike?

FWIW I find that most people give a positive review of their purchases, especially big ones like a 3K bike, whether or not they actually do like it. I'm not trying to be difficult, but it's hard to gauge opinions on the internet about something subjective.

The reason I'm kind of leaning towards the Stradalli Faenza over the Aeroad is based on some relatively small things related to the build.
1. I enjoy racing in my local Merckx-style time trial and the Aeroad's Reynolds Strike SLG's profile is too deep (too aero really) and wouldn't be legal under my local TT's rules. Stradalli enables me to modify my order so the bike has wheels that would be a "legal" depth.
2. The Aeroad's stock cockpit dimensions aren't ideal for my physical dimensions. If I got an Aeroad, I'd want to get a different cockpit with a different handlebar width, and maybe even a different stem length.

It's small stuff and I probably wouldn't have to replace these parts immediantly, but I kind of cringe thinking that the wheels and hanldebars wouldn't be exactly what I want.

You're right about the difficulty finding an objective opinion. Maybe I'm just looking for someone to assure me that the frame isn't trash and performs well. :oops:

Crash Prone

I suppose I'm at the point in my cycling that customization is highly valued. But I'm not aware of many companies that allow you to customize the bike you purchase; even fewer companies that let you customize and also have aero bike offerings. Are you aware of any others that I might consider? (I realize that you can do this with the Venge and Trek Madone, but I don't want to pay that kind of money right now...)