# FP6 or Ridley Noah



## zepter33 (Jun 6, 2009)

Hi, i'm a mountain biker switching to road cycling..  

Can't decide on which frame to buy. Caught up between Pinarello's FP6 and Ridley's Noah.

Need your inputs..

Thanks


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## Richard Neville (Jun 4, 2009)

I have always been a roadie, and am looking to up grade from my Felt.

I recently rode the Prince, FP6, and Cervelo RS - never thought about the Ridley....

The Prince is a race machine (more bike than I need), the FP6 is an awesome ride - stiff/responsive/handles well but may be a little over priced, the Cervelo was the most comfortable and climbs like a mountain goat....unfortunately looks like a goat as well

I can't decide ....but leaning toward the FP6


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## smbrum (Jul 9, 2008)

i have the Noah and am very pleased with it. there is a guy in town that has the Prince as well as a Cannondale Caad9. He rides the prince on longer rides and says its more comfortable but for the throw down rides he opts for the caad9. never ridden them personally though. as far as the Noah goes it is super stiff and an all around great bike. its not the lightest frameset but 1050g with the seatmast is no pig either. I have mine built up at 14.6lbs and was pleased. Its a great climbing bike as well with the stiff bottom bracket and headset. responds immediately when you put the power to the pedals...i just wish I had more power to apply. bottom line is that you wont be disappointed with either so go with what jumps out at you and what you can get the best deal on.


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## zepter33 (Jun 6, 2009)

Thanks.. I'm more confused right now.. Was told by a friend to go with Look's 586

Haven't decided yet


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## Richard Neville (Jun 4, 2009)

I'm going to go with FP6 or Cervelo RS - either with DA 7900 and mavic wheelset

I am leaning toward the Pinarello - although I have heard about frame fractures occurring


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## zepter33 (Jun 6, 2009)

Having second thoughts about Pinarello due to frame fractures also..





Richard Neville said:


> I'm going to go with FP6 or Cervelo RS - either with DA 7900 and mavic wheelset
> 
> I am leaning toward the Pinarello - although I have heard about frame fractures occurring


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## rhauft (Aug 8, 2006)

Richard Neville said:


> I am leaning toward the Pinarello - although I have heard about frame fractures occurring


Aside from the much publicized F4:13 on this forum, what other Pinarello 'frame fractures' are you referring to? Please provide a link if possible.


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## Richard Neville (Jun 4, 2009)

very second hand - a guy that I ride with said he had a friend that had suffered a frame fracture and had great difficulty getting Pinarello to repair it

I have no details on the reason for the fracture - but I am about ready to pull the trigger on the FP6 and am starting to get "cold feet"


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## rhauft (Aug 8, 2006)

*my .02*



Richard Neville said:


> very second hand - a guy that I ride with said he had a friend that had suffered a frame fracture and had great difficulty getting Pinarello to repair it
> 
> I have no details on the reason for the fracture - but I am about ready to pull the trigger on the FP6 and am starting to get "cold feet"


It comes down to reltionships. I've owned numerous Pinarello's dating back 20+ years and I've had nothing but positive relations when dealing with the manufacturer. I'm not saying there haven't been issues, but when there was a problem they handled it fairly and promply. My first Prince Ltd had a small crack in the paint around the front der. clamp. Pinarello sent me a new frame without issue. A friend of mine got his Prince replaced when he discovered cracks around the bb 1.5 years later. Bottom line is your relationship with the LBS or distr. YMMV


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## Richard Neville (Jun 4, 2009)

thanks for the info

Since you have experience with Pinarello - what do you think of the FP6? I understand it is based on the Paris shape. How does it compare to the Cervelo R3? Anything else you would look at......

I was going to get DA 7900. 

What wheelset would work well?

thanks


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## rhauft (Aug 8, 2006)

Richard Neville said:


> thanks for the info
> Since you have experience with Pinarello - what do you think of the FP6? I understand it is based on the Paris shape. How does it compare to the Cervelo R3? Anything else you would look at......
> I was going to get DA 7900.
> What wheelset would work well?


No problemo Richard, not sure how much I can help as I have no first person experience with either the FP6 or R3. I've owned a Pinarello Gavia, Stelvio, Prince (alu/cf), Opera, 2 Prince FP, Paris FP. I've always opted for the top of the range models when ever possible. I've never owned a Cervello but I have heard good things about them. There are so many great bikes to choose from these days. The most important issue is fit, always fit 1st. The best bike in the world is worthless if it's not your size. Get professionally fitted, then decide.

HST, A teammate of mine has a FP6 and he loves it. My advise would be the same philosophy that I live by: Go big or go home. If you want Paris geometry then go for a 'real' Paris. You can find good deals on them now, probably in the same range as a FP6 or maybe even less.

As for DA 7900; Record, Red or D/A would be worthy of this frameset. I'd stay away from 2nd tear groupos (go big or go home)
Wheelsets: Again subjective to your goals ie racing, training, centuries, hills, flat, wet, dry, budget??? 
My personal preference is hand builds over factory builds.
HTH
Rob


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## Richard Neville (Jun 4, 2009)

Rob

awesome advice - much thanks

I think your key comment is - "go big or go home"

I think that in trying to save $500 or so - I would get much less of a bike than I want....

I think that I will go with the Paris/FP6 with DA 7900 and a hand made wheelset

You have helped me to see the light!

Rich


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## rhauft (Aug 8, 2006)

Richard Neville said:


> Rob
> awesome advice - much thanks
> I think your key comment is - "go big or go home"
> I think that in trying to save $500 or so - I would get much less of a bike than I want....
> ...


Now you're speaking my language! The Paris is an awesome frame :thumbsup: 
It does everything well. 
When I'm on mine I always wonder why Pina would even try to improve on such a perfect bike. 
A true flagship and a work of art. Have fun building it up.


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## williethewaiter (Nov 25, 2008)

rhauft said:


> Aside from the much publicized F4:13 on this forum, what other Pinarello 'frame fractures' are you referring to? Please provide a link if possible.


I broke an f4:13 also, it just fell to bits around the bottom bracket and cracked a chainstay

got a replacement no probs tho

however, I am starting to think that Princes are made of friggin glass the number that I know of that have broken in very very minor crashes.. my mate broke his on the weekend in very small crash in a club race, all the other bikes that went down had no damage apart from the usual marks here and there...

tis a lot of money to throw away.. 09 frames are 10K+ in NZ.. 

my Noah was undamaged before you start worrying.. 

and still the coolest looking bike out there along with being amazingly fast. Cervelo = snoozefest.


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## kjmunc (Sep 19, 2005)

rhauft said:


> The most important issue is fit, always fit 1st. The best bike in the world is worthless if it's not your size. Get professionally fitted, then decide.


Rob's comment is spot-on: the FP6 and the Noah have different geometries, so they will ride/feel differently and one may be better suited to your style of riding. Especially for someone just making the transition to road, your best dollar spent is on a solid fitting by someone who knows what they are doing. Don't pick a bike based on a paint scheme, marketing hype, or what the bike shop happens to have in stock: buy one that fits. 

I'd also suggest that as a road newbie you stay away from dropping huge dollars on a top of the line gruppo, especially Di2, unless you have money to burn. Yes Super Record, Record, Red, Dura-Ace are all great gruppos and I have owned bikes with all of them, but I also have bikes with 2nd tier gruppos that work just as well and typically have a longer life than the trick-light components of the highest end gruppos (for ex: Record/Dura Ace cassettes wear out faster and are far more expensive.) Centaur and Chorus are the perfect example: you get excellent functionality without the top end price tag. Sure, you don't get the bling, but I like to ride, not preen.

If you find that you really enjoy road riding and you feel the need to ride what the pros ride, you can always upgrade components very easily. If you decide you prefer mountain biking and your new road bike collects dust you'll likely lose a lot of money when it comes to selling your bike, even with high end components.


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## rhauft (Aug 8, 2006)

williethewaiter said:


> I am starting to think that Princes are made of friggin glass the number that I know of that have broken in very very minor crashes.. my mate broke his on the weekend in very small crash in a club race, all the other bikes that went down had no damage apart from the usual marks here and there...


Every major manufacturer producing C/F frames has issues with cracking and "exploding" frames. Browse the other manufacturer forums on this sight and you'll here the same stories. 

Regardless, In the last 30 years I've owned every generation of c/f technology dating back to the original Kestrels, 1st gen OCLV, 4 generations of Orbea Orcas & Ordus, 2 Princes & 1 Paris. Not one of them have "exploded" out from under me and I am not exactly easy on the equipment. I've held a racing licence for 30+ years and I've had my fair share of crashes. 1 Broken pelvis, 3 clavicles, 1 scapula, 1 Radius, bone chips in my elbows and of course, lots & lots of skin loss. In all of that, I've never had my bike crumble out from under me. At 50 years of age and still averaging over 15,000 miles per year, it's not my bike that I'm worried about crumbling out from under me first.


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