Quote Originally Posted by tulip View Post
Specialized bikes are quite nice. Not at all like Wal-Mart of bike manufacturers. Not sure where that came from.

If you're aiming to spend this kind of dough, why not go custom? Get a sweet IF or Seven or even Luna. They'll beat the pants off any stock bike no matter how expensive it is.
specialized bikes are perfectly fine. i have a roubaix expert. for the most part, i love it! but i want to upgrade to something a little lighter, little stiffer, little more aggressive. thus, my search for a new bike. my comment about it being the wal-mart of bikes is because specialized bikes are ubiquitous like wal-mart! they outsell everyone by leaps and bounds (except one other manufacturer, trek). owning a specialized is like owning a chevy or ford or toyota. nice enough...functional...but common and unexciting.

as for going custom...i'd choose a maker like IF/Seven/Serotta/Roark/Crisp if i wanted titanium...but not carbon. if i wanted custom carbon...i'd go Parlee/Rugamer/Guru/Cyfac(!!!!!). but i don't think i can drop that much bank on a bike...some of those frames are over $7K for the frame alone...which can put the full cost of the bike WELL over $10K if you want. (btw...that didn't stop me from seriously considering a Parlee or Cyfac...but then i came to my senses.)

so...i'm left with stock bike. i LOVE the look of the white Look 595. and it is allegedly one of the finest frames regardless of price, regardless of custom or stock layup. reputation as a good all-rounder...great climber, great descender, stiff, light, nimble, not too harsh. i'm sold!!!!

so i got the Look 595...should arrive this Friday!