Scattante-2007-CFR-RaceWith the demise of my circa-1994 Ti frame I settled on the 2007 Scattante CFR. I opted for the full Ultegra, double chainring “Race” version.

I thought I would write up a review for this bike as the usual resource for reviews, roadbikereview.com, seems to have stopped updating their site. I added this bike, and wrote a review, but after a month it has yet to appear on their site. Oh well. Some of the old reviews I read about the 2002 and 2003 Scattante CFR bikes were less than inspiring. They cited issues with the reseller, Supergo, and the bikes as well. Things as severe as high speed head wobble in descents. I’ve put in about 700 miles on it so far, mostly on my commute to work. I’ve taken it out on a few longer rides, one was a trip to Davis from Sacramento with my friend Aaron, and another was one of my favorite rides from my old stomping grounds the Santa Cruz mountains.

Wow, what a ride! I posted earlier about the crash on this ride, but the other 90% of the ride was fantastic. The Scattante CFR climbs well, it’s got great gearing for climbs as long as you are relatively fit, and its comfortable for long stints in the saddle. The frame is stiff, and light with no hint of chain rub when you are out of the saddle. As for old issues with previous versions of this frame, no head wobble what-so-ever. I was descending down Bear Creek Road with traffic (+35 MPH Mr. Officer) and I can tell you from that alone, this bike corners like it’s on rails, even with my high mileage, puncture resistant, commuter tires.

The 07 Ultegra shifter are simply dead-on precise, and the trim clicks work like they should. Trim clicks are half clicks that allow you to cross gear a bit and keep the front derailleur from rubbing on the chain. My ancient STI shifters were not nearly as refined as the new ones, guess ten years of progress and refinement help.

Transitioning from the Ti frame to the carbon was an easy transition. I was always a bit disappointed in how flexible the Ti frame was, especially when standing or sprinting. It was light, but I just wasn’t ever excited by the ride. The Scattante CFR doesn’t have any of these issues. It rides a lot like my old steel frame being comfortable and stiff, but light. There are a couple of issues with the cable housing rapping on the head tube and sounding rattly, but I can resolve that with a bit of padding around the housing at the head tube. I also want to add some anti-scuff at the head tube as well to keep the frame shiny where the cables will rub.

Here are the specs:

  • Frame: Carbon Monocoque Road Frame
  • Fork: Carbon Blade, Carbon Steerer
  • Headset: 1 1/8″ Integrated, 36/45 degree
  • Crankset: TruVativ Rouleur 2.2TM, 53/39T, Double
  • Bottom Bracket: TruVativ
  • Shift Levers: Shimano Ultegra STI
  • Handlebar: Forte Precision 6061-T6 Aluminum w/ 31.8mm clamp
  • Stem: Forte Precision Aluminum, cold forged, w/ 31.8mm clamp
  • Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra, Double, 31.8mm clamp
  • Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra, Double, 10-speed
  • Cassette: Shimano 105 12/25T, 10-speed
  • Brakes: Tektro R740, Dual Pivot
  • Wheelset: Shimano WH-R561-L, 16H front and 20H rear
  • Tires: Continental Ultra Gatorskin 700×23
  • Pedals: Speedplay X5 (old)
  • Seatpost: Forte Precision Aluminum/Carbon, 27.2 x 350mm
  • Saddle: Velo   
  • Chain: KMC DX10 SC
  • Grips/Tape: Synthetic cork tape

The only bits I changed out from the stock bike were the tires, I prefer Continental tires, and the seat. Although I’m still trying out several seats to find the one true seat. Other than that, I’m a bit skeptical of the bars and stem, I don’t know who manufactures them, as they are re-brands from someone else. I will change those out before the spring of next year.

For the ~$1,700 that these bikes are going for I think they are an incredible bargain.

Update - I have recently noticed pulsing when using the rear brakes. With the wheel in a truing stand I noticed that the seam on the drive side is bulged slightly (a one inch section, with a ~1 mm change) with no deformation in the roundness. While not catastrophic it is annoying. So much for Shimano 105 quality control.