While the company doesn’t have a protracted history, Bertoletti does: his framebuilding experience goes again practically forty years and contains a variety of esteemed manufacturers as well as numerous professional riders. In this evaluation, Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom spends some time aboard Il Re, one in all Legend’s premium titanium offerings.

Marco Bertoletti started building bespoke frames in 1989. It’s a pursuit that appears quintessentially Italian, and in Marco’s case, the stereotype holds true. He spent 20 years working with a variety of European manufacturers and «ghost-building» for varied skilled riders before deciding to grasp out his own shingle in 2009.

There is no such thing as a such thing as a stock frame in Legend’s workshop. Every frame is constructed for a purpose, built to fulfill the precise wants of each buyer. To this finish, Marco works with every body materials – steel, aluminium, carbon and titanium – acknowledging that one material cannot serve the wants of every rider.

Marco’s manufacturing unit is located in Presezzo, less than 10km west of Bergamo in the Lombardy area of Italy. He is proud to say that each Legend frame is made in Italy, even though that has come to mean different things in recent years. Legend has an open-manufacturing facility coverage so potential customers can witness the work, have a fitting, and discuss their needs with Marco.

Bertoletti’s strategy to bike-fitting is straightforward and intuitive, formed by years of apply. He can inform loads from watching a person on their bike. Will make adjustments on the fly till he’s happy with their form. For those prospects that can’t journey to Presezzo, he can perform the same course of with video footage.

Legend’s current catalogue contains over a dozen frames: there are 4 titanium models, seven carbon, four steel, and one aluminium. As mentioned above, all are made to measure, and there are a wide range of options and finishes for every one.

Il Re is one in all Bertoletti’s premium titanium frames. It’s an all-titanium affair (Legend adds one or more carbon tubes to its different excessive-finish Ti bikes) that takes its name from the Italian for «the king». In response to Legend, Il Re is known for its «outstanding handling, with good stability and rigidity» and is purpose-built for lengthy rides. For titanium tube why this evaluate, I recently spent a couple of weeks riding Il Re because of Legend and one in all its Australian retailers, Cycling Projects.

Before the experience

Legend makes use of Grade 9 titanium tubing to construct Il Re, a standard selection for framebuilders that contains 3.0% aluminium and 2.5% vanadium. By contrast, Grade 5 titanium (6% aluminium and 4% vanadium), which is more durable and stronger however harder to weld, is employed for the underside bracket shell and the dropouts.

I’ve detailed some of the special considerations for titanium frame construction beforehand. There is typically a a lot smaller margin for error when getting ready the tubes for welding. Oxygen contamination can be a significant concern since titanium oxides are extremely brittle and will weaken any welded joint.

To this finish, Legend employs a particular chamber – a plastic bubble envelops the workbench – that’s crammed with high-grade argon gasoline for welding the frames. The welder works at a distance using gloves that are sealed within the bubble, however it produces a weld that is robust sufficient to be «smooth finished».

The graceful-completed welds are a particular contact, and the final product seems much like a fillet-brazed steel body. There are no beads to admire like different brands: one tube flows effortlessly into the subsequent with impossibly smooth and constant transitions, as if the bike was poured from molten steel.

Il Re is constructed round a tapered headtube (1.125-inch upper bearing, 1.5-inch decrease bearing), BSA threaded backside bracket, and Legend’s LG dropouts with carbon fibre inserts. The body is supplied with inside cable routing that’s appropriate with each digital and mechanic groupsets.

Il Re is a completely customized bike so Legend does not provide any stock body sizes to choose from. Instead, consumers work closely with their native dealer and/or Marco to finalise the geometry of the frame. Legend can be completely happy to make use of the suggestions of an impartial bike-fitter.

Deciding on the ultimate match of the bike is a vital a part of the ordering course of. As talked about above, some buyers choose to travel to Legend’s manufacturing facility to have their match assessed by Marco instantly. Felice Santoro at Cycling Projects in Sydney, Australia believes Marco’s input is invaluable, so sends videos of his prospects and leaves the ultimate CAD design in Marco’s palms.

Customers are free to elect their preferred bottom bracket peak, chainstay length, stem length and steering path while Legend decides on the tubing and butting profiles in response to the customer’s desires. There are also plenty of optional extras related to choices for the headtube (commonplace or machined), forks (3T, Deda), backside bracket (BSA, BB30, or BSA TUN), and dropouts (LG or LG2).

The Il Re frameset supplied for evaluation featured a standard headtube, 3T Funda forks, LG dropouts, and Legend’s TUN backside bracket. The latter is BSA threaded, but is formed like a wine barrel to provide further room for internally routed cables or wires.

Customisation of Il Re extends to the end, where there is a alternative of various colours for the laser-etched logos on the body and paint for the fork. The vary of options might be explored by registering to use Legend’s on-line configurator.

Another option for the bike is Legend’s finishing package that comprises a choice of titanium components from Control tech (stem, handlebars, seatpost clamp, and prime cap for the stem) and PMP (seatpost). The package is designed to complement the uncooked finish of the frame and the final effect is gorgeous; a raw and industrial impact that can also be exotic and opulent.

The Il Re frame weighs round 1,500g, relying on measurement. The frameset despatched for review (54cm equal) was assembled with Campagnolo’s Super Record RS groupset, Astute saddle and Fulcrum Racing Carbon Quattro wheels for a final weight of 7.75kg with one cage but no pedals (or 7.01kg with Bora Ultra 35 wheels).

Pricing for the Il Re frameset starts at €4,664/AU$8,000 the place the final quantity is dependent upon the choices which might be selected (e.g. the titanium finishing kit adds €750/AU$1,300). Il Re is equipped with a 10-year guarantee and Legend goals to fulfil every order inside eight weeks. For extra information, go to Legend or get in contact with Cycling Projects or any certainly one of Legend’s retailers.

After the trip

From the outset, I ought to acknowledge that there is a measure of futility to reviewing a bespoke frameset when all the bike’s attributes, together with the geometry, are customised to swimsuit the owner. On this instance, nonetheless, there was no lengthy dialogue and i didn’t assessment the final geometry. I merely provided my preferred top tube and stem size (545 and 120mm, respectively), and left the rest of the selections as much as Legend.

In retrospect, the potential for a mismatch was appreciable. Indeed, it’s some extent that unnerves many patrons. There is no opportunity for a check-ride to supply some reassurance, so any buy requires a leap of faith. That’s a deal-breaker for some however there is one very satisfying flipside: a bike that has been function-fitted and -constructed to suit your every need. As such, there’s no value in a bespoke frameset for those who don’t know what you need.

With all of that in thoughts, I used to be fairly stunned by how well the frameset fit me. I had to swap out the titanium post for an extended carbon model to realize my desired saddle top whereas a slim spacer was all that was needed to set my most popular handlebar top.

The first thing that struck me about the bike was the extremely refined trip high quality. Il Re was instantly smooth and compliant, but I didn’t have to surrender my sense of the street. Some riders would fairly block it out altogether however I consider the feedback is necessary, maybe even vital, for controlling the bike. If nothing else, it’s a pleasure to really feel the terrain, like feeling the sand between one’s toes on the beach.

I never suffered from road buzz or any sharp hits while riding Il Re. Indeed, I started going out of my way to find tough terrain, first to check the efficiency of the bike, and then to marvel at how well it labored. If you have any sort of inquiries relating to where and the best ways to make use of titanium tube why, you can call us at our site. I could really feel the terrain, hint it precisely with my progress – like a pen throughout a seismic chart – however I was never in hazard of being knocked from my path. It was a paradox that I used to be still marvelling at a few weeks later.

Legend’s choice of titanium for Il Re goes a long to explaining the paradoxical nature of the bike. I’ve yet to find an enough rationalization for how the material manages this trick, but there is more to it than simply the behaviour of the material. For instance, the Vamoots CR that I reviewed last year supplied a firmer trip, and while it supplied a few of the same smoothness, it transferred more highway buzz on rougher roads than Legend’s Il Re.

I discovered that Il Re had more tips up its sleeve after i headed into the hills. Rising out of the saddle, the bike was immediately agile, recalling the qualities of lightweight carbon bikes like BH’s Ultralight EVO and Canyon’s Ultimate CF SLX. However, while the Il Re managed to match these bikes in terms of its nimbleness, the bike didn’t supply the same kind of responsiveness. For me, it was the primary demonstration that agility and responsiveness are circuitously related.

In this case, I suspect that some of the agility of Il Re will be attributed to the compact frame design, which made the wheels appear a little bit smaller. Climbers will get pleasure from Il Re due to this, as will highway racers. The bike doesn’t demand to be raced though: it is really at house on the open road, and as promised above, really well suited to long rides.

After spending almost a month on Il Re, I was not left wanting in any regard. The steering and dealing with was sure and exact while the geometry was virtually completely suited to my match. I could alter the temper of the bike by swapping the wheels – Campagnolo’s Bora Ultra 35 wheelset actually revved the bike up – but the bike by no means demanded it. Indeed, there was at the very least one moment on every ride where I felt like praising the performance of the bike.

Final thoughts and summary

Marco Bertoletti has created in Legend a one-cease shop for any bike rider looking for a bespoke frameset. The range of options is immense and subsequently greatest suited to buyers which have a clearly defined hit-record of wants. While some fashions will enchantment to excessive-end buyers with opulent tastes, Legend’s ultimate objective is to fulfill each customer with a bike that perfectly meets their wants.

Engaging a framebuilder is a extremely private experience, but on this occasion my interaction with Legend (and Marco) was far too restricted for me to remark upon. Nevertheless, any bespoke challenge is an indulgence and that i anticipate most will get pleasure from the extra attention to element and a powerful sense of collaboration (with a grasp Italian craftsman, no much less!). Judging by how properly the sample Il Re performed, I’m assured that Legend can be able to meet (and even exceed) the expectations of any purchaser.