Seven vs. Habanero

[dachshund]

I have a Campy triple Reading? Reading? We want test ride reports

Yes, yes, soon. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Velobambina]

I have a double compact Campy Chorus set up on my 'cross bike. LOVE it. I never use the puppy gears on my triples, so I'm going w/compact doubles from now on.

[Trek420]

Trek420 - yes, if you had it in 2006, then I have met your bike. I took a picture of the shifting index thingy on your handlebars

This thingy on the bar to the right of the Cateye wireless thingie?

Edited to add sorry for the thread hijack as this is neither a Seven nor Habanero. But she is another Chris Robinson build.

[dachshund]

This thingy on the bar to the right of the Cateye wireless thingie?

Edited to add sorry for the thread hijack as this is neither a Seven nor Habanero. But she is another Chris Robinson build.

Yes. I think the correct term is "optical gear display" for the rear shifter. I hadn't seen one before. I betcha Chris could put one on my new, as yet imaginary bike.

And, hey, hijack away... we're still discussing bike gear! I think we're within the legal parameters.

[Trek420]

Yes. I think the correct term is "optical gear display" for the rear shifter. I hadn't seen one before. I betcha Chris could put one on my new, as yet imaginary bike

I betcha he can What I missed about Shimano was Flightdeck I loooove Flightdeck, everything you need, nothing you don't; speed, cadence and gearing.

Everybody said about the Campy version (Ergobrain?) they did not like it as much. Cadence I can live without but rear shifter gearing I missed and was not comfortable looking backwards to check.

This does the job for me.

It's designed to work on Shimano but Chris and Tim (Tim now works at another shop but drops in from time to time) made it work fine

[ilima]

I ride a Merlin that I absolutely love, so I am firmly in the pro-Ti camp. I, too, considered Habanero but got a good end of the year deal on the Merlin and went with it.

As far as the Habaneros being built in China, they are made in Taiwan where the vast majority of carbon frames are made (not boutique brands like Calfee, though). So, I wouldn't worry about the build quality all that much. They know what they're doing. That being said, I do like that my Merlin (and my steel LeMond) frame was made in the US of A.

I do notice the Hab's geometry seems a bit long in the top tube, at least in the smallest sizes. My 49cm Merlin has a 52cm top tube with a 9.8cm head tube. The Hab 50cm has a 53.5cm top tube and a 9.7cm TT, which means a longer reach. I'm currently using a 80mm stem, and I wouldn't want to go any shorter as I could end up with twitching steering. So, in some cases there is only so much you can do with the bike's fit. Yes, you can change your saddle position (set back vs. straight seat post and rail adjustments) and stem (length, angle), but there are limits as far as feel, comfort and ride stability/control.

In addition to the custom geometry with Seven, you can also choose to go with double-butted tubes, which lightens the frame and your wallet. While I generally don't believe your typically person really needs custom geometry, aesthetically I like the idea of getting the head tube just right so no spacers are needed.

One thing I've heard about Seven is that they have a very specific fit philosophy. Such a philosophy may not fit with your body type or riding style. In particular, I've read about folks ending up with a geometry that they felt stretched them out too much.

[dachshund]

Thanks for the information, ilima. I'm supposed to do test-riding tomorrow. Should be interesting!

[Trek420]

One thing I've heard about Seven is that they have a very specific fit philosophy. Such a philosophy may not fit with your body type or riding style. In particular, I've read about folks ending up with a geometry that they felt stretched them out too much.

I've seen recent builds at Chris's I did not recognize as Sevens. One had bars so upright I did not know WTF kind of bike it was. But one look at that rear triangle and yep, it's a Seven. Chris explained both were for riders with specific fit issues, one a gent with a bad back.

So you can get a "classic Seven fit", but they build Chris and other shops just what the rider needs.

[dachshund]

I did a test ride finally. I rode a Habanero and a Seven. They had slightly different geometry, with the Seven happened to have the better feel. I didn't ask too many questions beforehand so I wouldn't try to out-think myself.

Can I tell the difference between Seven and Habanero? Heck no! These bikes are so light, good lord! And the fit of both of them was so much better than my Bianchi, it's night & day between my bike and these two. So it will be interesting to see what happens next. I believe he will dial in a Habanero closer to the Seven, and have me ride them both again.

So I'm hooked, I'm getting excited about eventually having one of these. The darn Seven website has a cool "color gallery", which has attracted my attention. Now I'm starting to understand the style differences between the two brands. I'm thinking maybe an orange-yellow fade design. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[Trek420]

dachshund, Does Chris have the polka-dot Seven out on the floor?

These two friends were parked next to each other in ALC parking. I'd never seen a flat bar roadie Seven, yet here it is

[dachshund]

dachshund, Does Chris have the polka-dot Seven out on the floor?

These two friends were parked next to each other in ALC parking. I'd never seen a flat bar roadie Seven, yet here it is

Oh, yes, I spotted the polka-dot Orange Seven right away. (puns intended)
I didn't notice the flat-bar one, though. There's a lot to look at in that store!

Given a choice, I'll probably pass on the polka dots. The flame design is nice looking, but for me that might be a bit much. I mean, I like to go fast, but don't hold me to it.

Now I'm wondering how to really distinguish between two bikes that are so different than what I'm used to. Maybe he'll do another silent test, make them different in some way that will be obvious after a while. I'm not familiar with the road that goes out to the lake, so I rode around the neighborhood and then up & down the frontage road. It's not much of a ride, but too many new experiences just make me nervous and then I can't think.

[Trek420]

The flat bar roadie is right about now finishing AIDS Lifecycle. It's not a Robinson Wheelworks bike (unless he e-mails me right now to say "oh yes it is!" Hi Chris).

I didn't recognize it as a Seven at first till I took a close look at the frame while helping an adjacent rider pump the tires. It's just an example of how many different kinds of Sevens there are.