It’s another fragrant morning here in Las Vegas as the Bikerumor crew pore through the images from the first day of 2011’s Interbike Expo. From day 1, the one object that drew me in from the aisles more strongly than anything else had to have been Fondriest’s SF1 stainless steel frame, distributed in the US by Albabici. Hit the jump for more photos and the weight & cost bottom lines…
Despite what seemed like impossibly thin-walled tubes, sand blasted logos, and joints that look to have been applied by a syringe, the SF1 could have be described as understated- save for the polished stainless steel finish. The seat clamp area comes together very nicely, as seen in the photos.
At 980g for the frame, this Fondriest shows that steel can hang with more modern materials, and the addition of a 375g carbon fiber fork, Ritchey Classic seatpost and headset up the balance of this $4,900 package. Can I justify it? No. Would I have come home with it if my budget allowed? Yes.
marc
