Contessa

[VeloVT]

I am very, very happy with it. There are several bikes in the "Contessa" line, btw, with quite different frames and components. I have the Contessa CR1 Pro.

It is not the lightest bike in the stock build (I think it's around 17lbs in M), but the frame itself is quite light -- I think a good part of the weight is wheels and components (it comes with Mavic Ksyrium Equipes, which are sturdy but not light).

It is crazy, crazy stiff. It really jumps when you sprint and it climbs exceptionally well. My BF has a Madone 5.2 (it's 2007, before the redesign and before the line became enormous and confusing, and it has OCLV carbon), and in comparison my bike feels a little stiffer and faster, even though the OCLV carbon is very nice. We test rode a lot of bikes when he was looking, and our favorite by a long shot was the Cervelo R3 (ended up being more than he wanted to spend though). The Scott, though not as light, has a similar feel -- very fast acceleration, lively frame.

The carbon is very smooth and lively, but it is so stiff that extremely rough pavement or gravel will rattle your teeth. It will damp road vibrations, but you really feel bumps and pavement flaws. I have ridden carbon bikes (and steel bikes, actually) that have a much softer ride... so the stiffness is a trade off.

It's very quick handling. Even with a 120mm stem, my bike feels a bit twitchier than bf's Madone.

Hope that helps . I'm happy to answer specific questions too.