Thread: Land of the free, home of the brave.

BUMP...just because Ventana recently completely overhauled their website. Lot's of background info on their shop in Rancho Cordova, CA -> http://www.ventanausa.com/about-us/ventana-history/

And a recent write up on them from Dirt Rag -> http://www.ventanausa.com/wordpress/...%20Ventana.pdf

^^Saw the new El Ciclon last week on the back of a guy's car. Damn good looking bike (except for the silly looking 29er wheel up front).

Originally Posted by bagtagley

(except for the silly looking 29er wheel up front).

yeah I think they do look pretty good. The new curved tubes have grown on me. That 29'er must have been added by the Owner? I thought the Ciclons were 26'ers. Or was it an El Chuco, which is like the Ciclon but is designed as a 69'er, errr, or a 96'er...ah hell I dunno.

Originally Posted by birdman829

Ok so now we're assuming carbon bikes only too? Even still I don't think that I'd concede that American factory workers are any more competent than their Taiwanese counterparts whether its aluminum or carbon. Its a complicated process that involves training and precision for sure, I just don't understand why you'd assume overseas workers are inferior.

I 100% agree with this statement, and I sell the bikes for a living.

That being said, Trek's nicest US-made carbon bikes use Hex SL carbon fiber - purchased from the military, this is a grade of carbon that can't legally be exported.

Different? Yes. Better? Who knows. Giant and Time weave their own carbon fiber rather than buying it in pre-fab sheets. This gives them an incredible amount of control over how a bike will ride.

That being said, my Madone isn't the fastest or lightest road bike I've ever ridden, but it is the most comfortable (which of course is a subjective trait, so ride a few bikes to compare before buying one based on a facts-sheet).

Originally Posted by Tyrone Shoelaces

yeah I think they do look pretty good. The new curved tubes have grown on me. That 29'er must have been added by the Owner? I thought the Ciclons were 26'ers. Or was it an El Chuco, which is like the Ciclon but is designed as a 69'er, errr, or a 96'er...ah hell I dunno.

Hmm, didn't know they made 69er. It may have been an El Chuco. The guy was driving in front of me, so I probably saw "El C" and assumed it was a Ciclon.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Hmm, didn't know they made 69er. It may have been an El Chuco. The guy was driving in front of me, so I probably saw "El C" and assumed it was a Ciclon.

yeah Sherwood is a big of mixing things up like that...so he made a dedicated 69'er model, the El Chuco (http://www.ventanausa.com/bikes/el-chucho/). He also has a 650b "Trail" bike in the works also, called The Zeus (http://www.ventanausa.com/bikes/zeus/)

Many years ago, I was told by the guys at Specialized (Morgan Hill), that about everything were manufactured overseas, except for their top of the line S-Works stuff. Those were hand built at HQ. I'm going guess that it is still true.

Pretty sure all Big red S are now overseas as well. Why NOT pay them to do it? Yeah, for carbon layup you can get a custom carbon frame or high end Trek, but when your country is well known for carbon manufacturing, why not outsource? I liken it to outsourcing cell phone technology to the Japanese