Submitted by
Robert Flux
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2003
Strengths: Being able to ride the geometry you (or Bernie) selects on the size cycle. True custom frame. Bernie will select the tubing for your bike. He built mine with an ovalized down tube, probably because I am a bigger and heavier rider. The bike handles great and is very stiff on climbs.
Weaknesses: No problem with the frame. Bike shop that built it wasn't the greatest to deal with. Don't know if they still work with Bernie. Paint wasn't exactly what I expected, but it is holding up fine, unlike some other reviewers.
Bottom Line:
My Trek was stolen and someone at work recommended Bernie. I was ready to go back to a steel frame and gave him a call. I've been completely satified with the bike. It's really a bargain for a true custom frame. If you live in the SF Bay Area, you can go to Bernie's shop and ride various geometries on the size cycle to get the perfect ride. That's what I did.
This bike handles like a dream. I feel very secure on descents and it is very stiff when climbing.
Similar Products Used: Trek carbon composite and two Gary Fischers
Bike Setup: XTR,Thopson Elite SP, Mavic 517 rims, Fire pro tires, selle italia trans am, Marzochi Bomb fork.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Victor Sarakisian
a Cross Country Rider
from Mill Valley
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2002
Strengths: Custom
Weaknesses: who cares
Bottom Line:
I agree with everything written in the other reviews below. Bernie is a bit eccentric and that is putting it mildly. My bike is spot on, especially the handling which Bernie designed around a 110mm stem and 100mm travel fork. Natch alsolutely. Keep in mind, Bernie designs frames to be ridden not for show or to sit on your living room coffee table. Who cares if the paint chips. Just have the bloody thing painted again...you saved the cake by going with a real framebuilder not some chump who serves overweight and out of shape yuppie riders.
Similar Products Used: Ibis, Fisher, Ritchey, steel hardtail fan
Bike Setup: full complement of the best working; Race Face, Chris King, SRAM ect
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Clark W. Grizwald
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlottesville, VA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2002
Strengths: His frames are totally custom. You tell him what you want and he'll dial the specs into a completely adjustable bike. If you like the way it rides, he'll build it. mostly excellent workmanship.
Weaknesses: bernie can be tough to deal with and his workmanship is not always consistent.
Bottom Line:
the truth is i wanted cannondale hard tail geometry and a steel frame. bernie built it and it is a great ride. but there were, and still are, some problems. first, the frame was not straight when i got it. second, the rear right break boss was not correctly aligned. before he even built the frame he showed me how this can happen in the building process. so i was surprised and annoyed to discover the problem-- especially because it was AFTER the frame had been painted. all this was made worse by his angry response to my attempt to rectify the situation. he actually acted like he didn't even see his mistake-- even after a friend of his from a local bike shop called on my behalf. he never fixed the boss, instead he "straightened" the frame. it sorta worked. with the break pad housing jacked all the way up, the brakes functioned normally. Finally, there is the crappy paint job done by D+D. i had the same flaking problems the other reviewer had. maybe the paint wasn't set at first. i don;t know, but it calmed down after many months. Despite all this, i love the way the bike handles. if you have ridden a c-dale XC bike, just imagine that in steel. quick, responsive, great climber just much more giving. For the money, it was a good deal that could have been an excellent deal. other than these problems, the rest of the workmanship was excellent. CHECK YOUR FRAME CAREFULLY BEFORE IT GETS PAINTED.
Strengths: My singlespeed frame has some of the cleanest welds I have ever seen. I want a stiff bottom bracket and Bernie used some jumbo size chainstays that have worked out just awesomely. In the time I have owned and riden the bike, I have had nothing but great rides with it. The frame has been sturdy and completely reliable.
Weaknesses: None that I can think of.
Bottom Line:
Mikkelsen's frames are a great deal considering you can have a custom built frame made for yourself at a reasonable price. The frame is extremely well built. This is the second frame I have owned that came from Bernie's shop. They have been nothing but great reliable frames for me. If you are someone who is picky about the bike they ride, who looks for quality, and always seems to be looking for that one bike, Then a Mikkelsen frame is what you may want. I have many friends that have had Bernie build then custom bikes- singlespeeds, dual suspension, road, cyclecross, trials, a singlespeed w/ a tandem bottombraket, and even a tandom dual suspension frame. Some riders are in search of the epic trail. Others are looking for the perfect bike to ride on those epic trails. The bottomline ...Bernie can build a great, quality, and reliable frame- conventional or excentric. The question is, are you willing to buy a custom frame?
Strengths: personality everywhere: from the different form the norm geometry to the tube manipulation, everything is unique in my bike.
Weaknesses: a too tall bottom bracket.
Bottom Line:
short top tube, looong chainstays, big rear triangle, short front center. stiff feeling from a steel biike. tubes are oversized and heavily manipulated. it's light. painting from d+d cycles is holding up well( a beautifull dark red). the bike is solid, has unreal balance at slow speed. the frame welds and general construction is extraordinary.
Bike Setup: rigid fork, dia compe 987 cantis, xt derrailleurs and hubs, avocet saddle, bontrager crowbar etc..
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Michael Breden
a Cross Country Rider
from Alameda, CA
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2000
Strengths: Very stiff, responsive, and strong frameset. Full custom geometry, and you get to ride your frame's geometry (on the Pro-Sizer bike) before your frame is actually ever built. Your choice of color...in fact you can choose from at least 75 colors in the color book.
Weaknesses: The only weakness that I've noticed as of yet is the quality of the paint. In fact, I bumped the frame with a tool, and not very hard, and literally a chunk of paint just fell of the frame. This has happened in several other locations on the frame as well. It just may have a been just a poor paint job on my frame, but a disappointing nonetheless.
Bottom Line:
Overall the Bernie Mikkelsen frameset is a great product and an excellent value to boot. It's the most comfortable hardtail that I've ridden, and also the most responsive by far. Again, the only weekness I can mention is the quality of the paint. I give the Bernie Mikkelsen frameset a solid 4 chili rating!
Purchased At: Purchased directly with Bernie Mikkelsen
Similar Products Used: Norco Team 853
Bike Setup: Actually, that's my bike pictured in the review section! Here's the lowdown: XTR Deraiulleurs, Mavic 517 wheels with XT hubs, Truvativ cranks and rings, XT Rapid Fire shifters, Bontrager bar, Koski stem, Thomson seatpost, SDG saddle
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