Submitted by
Raymond
a Weekend Warrior
from Jamaica
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2002
Strengths: Supple handling, stiff, very light and fast. Good quality workmanship, and lifetime warranty!
Weaknesses: discontinued
Bottom Line:
Never gonna buy another bike. This baby rocks. Coming in at 15 lbs, you're not gonna regret spending that few (well maybe not so few) extra bucks. Just a pity they discontinued the line and they didn't have it in 59/60 cm so my ridng buddy couldn't get one.
Strengths: Light, Comfortable, Stiff, Fun, Spirited and of course Excellent customer service.
Weaknesses: None that I have found in 5 yrs of use.
Bottom Line:
The bike is an absolute blast to ride! It is a very comfortable bike to ride all day on. It loves going fast on tight twisty roads or on the flats. At 15lbs, it is EXTREMELY light and the fact it has a lifetime warranty on it is great. If you want a great riding, fast and fun bike with a company that stands behind it, buy it. And the guys at Kestrel are the best. Ty, Preston and the rest--Thanks.
Strengths: Very light and stable. Excellent quality & workmanship
Weaknesses: Maybe the "ruby red" finish could be a little more red, even without sunlight.
Bottom Line:
This bike rocks!!! It is truely my dream bike - seems to be a great product, so far.
I rode a 1992 model (pre-re-design in 1996) for a couple hours, which I borrowed from a Bike shop salesman for some hill sprints interval training, and it seemed to ride great, although it was almost "hyper stiff", laterally - great for racing. I couldn't see spending this much money on a bike if you're not going to use it for the performance aspect it was designed for.
I took Tyrone's advice (see his review) and received pictures of his bike(s) - very cool, which also helped convince me, along with 15 months of research I did before I "bit the bullet".
The high performance, aerospace/defense trickle-down manufacturing process is what drives the price, but it also keeps this product on the top of the pack. This bike is far better than Trek (for sure), and on-par with Calfee Design and Aegis. If you want light weight, though, it can't be beat by anything except the Trek 5500 (which doesn't ride even close) or Seven Cycles (great product). Definately worth looking into...I wonder what the 2001, lighter, 200EMS Pro will be like???
I'll let you all know if it survives the first year!
Bike Setup: Look HSC-3 carbon fork, Prima 198 Bars, Zipp Carbon 420 Cranks, Corima Elipse Seatpost, Kore stem, Spinergy Spox & Rolf Vector Carbon Wheels, All other is Dura Ace w/ Flight Deck
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tyrone
a Weekend Warrior
from Oak Park, Ca.
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1999
Strengths: Light, stiff/strong frame, stable, absorbs the road, great looks.
Weaknesses: Paint chips to easily.
Bottom Line:
An excellent overall bike witha very comfortable ride. BB not as stiff as the Kestrel 4000, but equal to Merlin Extralight. Bike easily handles my 200 pound, 6'-1 frame. With Bebop pedals weight was was 17 pounds even..little more with Look. You can't buy a better, more durable bike, Period (including the best titanium frames).
