Serotta Competition Bicycles 2008 - Couture Cycle Engineering
Serotta Competition Bicycles is a precision manufacturing company. And like Philippe Starck, Frank Lloyd Wright, Yves Saint Laurent or even Ernesto Colnago, Ben Serotta is first and foremost a design engineer and technician. He has become an eponymous CEO only by necessity.
Ben started building racing frames at the age of fourteen with the simple ambition to one day be the best in the world. Armed with his engineering genius, workaholic ethic he set up his first workshop in Saratoga Springs in 1972 at the age of nineteen. And like Ernesto Colnago, Ben could still stroll down to the shop floor of an afternoon and build a bicycle frame should the whimsy take him. We know this because he had to make one for us last year (Luke Scott – last ever Serotta CSi). This makes him almost unique amongst his peers. Ben Serotta and his forty passionate co-workers provide the most effective counter-point there can ever be to mass production – the evidence is in the beautiful objects that fall from their skilled hands, that some of us want to own because they make us feel so much better when we ride.
No Hippy Workshop
However if you think that Serotta is some hippy workshop hidden in the woods you are only half right - Serotta is indeed located in the middle of a particularly verdant forest in Saratoga Springs (up state New York) But the factory is the most advanced and precise facility in the world. Ben’s fixation with quality and integrity has made him obsessed with ‘vertical integration’ – put simply he wants to control in-house every aspect of every component’s production - at a time when anonymously out sourcing production to the Far East is the trend, Serotta is more vertically integrated than any other bicycle manufacturer:
• Serotta design and produce all their own small parts in their CNC (computer numerical control) facility.
• Serotta butt, swage and machine all their own titanium tubes.
• In January 2007 Serotta took over America’s leading centre for composites research and production in Poway California. This company had previously worked for and with some of the greatest names in the industry over the years. When I spoke to their Director Mike Lopez at SICI in January 2007 he confirmed that working to Serotta’s technological requirements and standards presented the greatest and therefore most rewarding challenge in the industry. Hence it was an integration that was popular with the Poway staff because they only wanted to work at the highest level with absolutely no compromise required. The integration is good for Serotta as it ensure unlimited access to the highest quality carbon fibre in the world as well as constant contact with emerging carbon technology.
Pro-Racing Innovation – The Pro’s choice (when they can choose)
Every year (until very recently) Ben Serotta would take more than a little pleasure in setting the annual budgets for Serotta – this would allocate substantial notional amount for ‘marketing’. He would then take this notional marketing budget and give it all to the R&D department. Which is why Serotta has exerted such huge technological influence upon the entire cycling industry for such a relatively small company – first to double-butt titanium (Legend Ti – 1993), first integrated ti/carbon frame (Ottrott2001), first to start a dedicated school for professional cycle-fitting (1998)…etc. This has made Serotta frames very attractive to pro racers over the years, most especially when their own team bikes are ‘unfit’ or more often ‘don’t fit’. So as well as the numerous Olympic titles, Tour de France stage and Giro ‘Italia wins - covert under-cover ‘Serottas’ have won just about every race out there on the pro circuit. Serotta History
WHAT’S NEW FOR 2008
Serotta has been the pinnacle of cycling couture for decades. For 2008 building your dream bike is a little easier and even more rewarding. Core Serotta Custom Model Range:
MeiVici SE
MeiVici GS
Ottrott SE
Ottrott GS
Legend SE
Legend GS
CDA SE
CDA GS
You start by choosing your material/model depending upon: intended use, subjective preference and of course budget:
• MeiVici – full carbon – full custom
• Ottrott – carbon / titanium – integrated technology – full custom
• Legend – titanium – full custom
• CDA – steel – full custom
For each model there are two levels available
SE- CUSTOM SERIES
SE denotes a frame built without any cost considerations or production constraints or compromise. It is the best frame that Serotta can build at any given time. It is the best frame that anyone can build at any given time. Every frame will literally represent the technological zeitgeist of what is possible. For the cyclist who wants nothing less than the ultimate custom bicycle. Peerless & simply stunning, every detail of the SE denotes painstaking engineering to optimize rider tuned performance, durability and style.
SE Trim• Most advanced tube specs
• Lightest weight achievable
• Widest variety of finish options available
• All SE models come with F3 fork only
• No compromises
• Racing/performance oriented
• Ultimate rider-tuned hand-crafting
GS - CUSTOM SERIES
The GS series are built with all the engineering and construction knowledge that Serotta has conscientiously assimilated over the last thirty five years. The material sets and fabrication technologies are the same as the SE models - the major difference being the tubes are generally less drastically manipulated and finish options are less extensive leading to reduced construction times and hence less cost.
For any cyclist ready to step up to the performance and comfort of custom. Your first ride will tell you, it's not just custom, it's Serotta Custom. Personalized, rider-tuned proprietary materials, true bespoke geometry and time-honoured craftsmanship, combine to provide the distinctively smooth ride, exceptional handling and raw power that has made the Serotta ride legendary.
GS Trim• Re-tuned tube specifications versus SE trim
• Simplified finish/paint options
• Fewer tube stiffness options than SE trim models
• Comes with new for 2008 Serotta S-Fork
Serotta website
SEROTTA PRICE LIST
11 Things you probably never knew about Serotta...
