# 2006/2007 Lemond Poprad Disc Feedback



## Mr. Peabody (Dec 8, 2005)

Hey all, 

I'm considering a new Lemond Poprad Disc, and I'm looking for some feedback from current owners. I'm considering it for general, all-around riding, since I live in a climate that sees moderate snow for a portion of the year. Any feedback, likes/dislikes, or pros and cons about the bike would be most appreciated. 

Thanks in advance, 

Mr. P.


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## Martin Cross (Aug 19, 2006)

*Mr Peabody*

Doesnt look like any feedback here but was wondering if you have recieved comments on the Poprad elsewhere? I too am considering a Poprad disc and would like some more info, especially on brake / fork performance, weight and ride quality??


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Hmm, no experience on that bike, but have you looked at similar bikes from LeMond/Trek? 
Just to compare them maybe?


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## Martin Cross (Aug 19, 2006)

No, I have my choice narrowed to the Poprad and Tricross. Have ridden a Poprad (no disc) but cant tell much with a ride around the block. Just wanted to know specifics about the disk version before I order. If the LBS is not making a mistake I can aquire for 1200.00 US


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## DroogBC (Apr 25, 2006)

I've got an '04 Poprad frameset which I absolutely love. Although my bike is spec'd quite differently than the complete Poprad offering from LeMond, (IE: Campy) I can say that in my amateur opinion the ride quality of the frame is superb. It's a stable and comfortable ride overall while still managing to be nimble and tossable over a variety of terrain. I ride mine about 80% road, 10% improved trails, and 10% light-singletrack and don't much miss the stolen Specialized hardtail MTB that the Poprad replaced... although the days of the nostalgic blasts through the BMX track and skate parks are over, obviously.


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## Martin Cross (Aug 19, 2006)

*DroogBC*

Thanks for the great input on the frameset! 

Its good to hear the practicality of both road and trail performance as I was purchasing for a commuter but wanted it for light off-road use as needed. I just sold my MTB since it had been out of the garage only 2 times in the the last year. 2 weeks after I sold it I was invited for a weekend of single track and fire roads in North Carolina.

What is you inseam, frame size.. fit etc? 

How as the paint held up to any dings and scratches?


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## DroogBC (Apr 25, 2006)

I'm roughly 6'2" with an approx 34" cycling inseam. The frame is 57cm, and it fits me perfectly.

I haven't had the bike for very long as I recently purchased it used from a local seller on Craigslist, but it's been treated very well in it's lifetime and there isn't so much as a scratch anywhere on the frame or fork (In fact, the only scratch I could find on the whole bike was a little 1cm one on the stem which only showed itself after I flipped it upwards. Not even a scuff on the brifters, corktape, seat or headset, so I'd be surprised if it's ever been on it's side at all.) Best I can tell the paint should hold up well for me, unless something unfortunate should happen. 

My bike is black so I may eventually find that I end up with micro-scratches in the clearcoat like you often see on black cars, but there might not be enough flat surface area on a bike for it to ever become noticeable... and if it does, then a little Mother's carnuba paste car wax should make quick work of them. (I've fixed dozens of scratched CD's and DVD's with the stuff too, so consider a can as a multi-purpose investment should the need ever arise.  )


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## Martin Cross (Aug 19, 2006)

Thanks for the info.. much appreciated!!


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## DroogBC (Apr 25, 2006)

Anytime.


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## CandrGeorge (Feb 4, 2006)

*Poprad 06 owner*

I purchased a Lemond Poprad Disc 06 (orange frame). I replaced the stock seat with an older Fizik Pave. I rode it for several months before deciding to replace the stock crankset (Cyclocross 46/38) with a Bontrager Race Lite GXP 50/36 which is a rebadged Truvativ crankset/external bottom bracket. I did not like the limited range of the original crank. 

The Bontrager tires were OK but I replaced them with several tires for different situations. I picked up some closeout IRC 35mm commuter tires for road riding. They are wide and hold 80psi (big and bouncy). For winter/gravel road riding I added the WTB Interwolf Race 38c. Center tread for road riding and side knobs/wide casing for gravel/off road. Because of the disc wheelset I can easily add any tire without worry, My friend has a Fuji Cross with cantilever brakes. He bought a second set of road wheels but has to reset the brakes when he switches wheelsets.

I didn't even consider the non-disc version because of the minimal cost difference and component upgrades of the disc version. I wanted the disc version because of the disc brake power. I weigh 230 pounds and these brakes really work well.

I have a Klein Mantra mountain bike that needed some upgrades to get back on the road. But I wanted a multi-use bike with similar riding position as my road bike for off road use. So instead of upgrades, I upgraded.

I rode a Klein road bike (aluminum w/carbon seatstays/fork) for three years before purchasing the Poprad. This year I put 2235 miles on the Poprad and only 670 on the Klein. When I switch back to the Klein I realize how stiff and light it is; but also how unforgiving. The Poprad weighs more, but I feel much more stable and can bomb down hills with confidence. I attribute this to the softer steel frame, larger tires, and confidence of disc brakes.

I replaced the pads around 2000 miles, but held onto them because I may have pulled them too early.

I also added a Delta Cycles rack and Delta Waterproof Panniers for an overnight trip on the Allegheny Passage from West Newton, PA to Frostburg, MD and back. Worked great.

For night rides I added the Light and Motion Arc HID lights. Charges in 2.5 hours and runs for 3.5 hours. Brightest lights I have seen. When we are riding on the rail trail the other people riding with me will turn off their lights because mine are so bright.

I added a VDO MC 1.0 (added second mount to my Klein Q-Carbon road bike) for altitude and percent grade of climbs.


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## Martin Cross (Aug 19, 2006)

CanderGeorge,

I had heard that some 06 disk models had problems the fork.. What do you think of the carbon Fork? Have you ever experienced vibration under breaking??

Thanks in advance for the input.

M


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## CandrGeorge (Feb 4, 2006)

*Poprad Disk and Front Fork*

I will occasionally experience some chatter with the disk and front fork. It is from dirt on the rotor and goes away with either rotor cleaning or braking.


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## jph6t (Apr 23, 2007)

So I really like the Poprad Disc. The frame is sweeeet! The ride is like butter. I can play with the gearing later if that proves limiting. I'm not racing so a little extra weight doesn't bother me. 

However ...

I went back to my LBS last night for a test ride. They were suppose to adjust the disc breaks which had been rubbing real badly when I was in the store before. I noticed they were still rubbing a bit. I also noticed the breaks were really spongy, requiring a lot of pull. I got talking with the mechanic and he informed me that these to things were connected ... 

It seems the current combo of STI and Avid disc breaks just doesn't really work. The mechanic could not get the disc break to stop rubbing (especially the rear) without making the breaks all spongy and gummy. There was no touch in the breaks what so ever. The mechanic told me that if he tightened the breaks so that they required less pull that in turn the disc breaks would start rubbing. 

Has anyone been able to resolve this issue? 
Or is this just the nature of the current setup with components as they currently are?
What have those of you with the bike been doing?
Just muscling through the rubbing?

I don't really want to be doing 60+ mile rides with the break rubbing the whole way.


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*Spongy road discs*



jph6t said:


> I went back to my LBS last night for a test ride. They were suppose to adjust the disc breaks which had been rubbing real badly when I was in the store before. I noticed they were still rubbing a bit. I also noticed the breaks were really spongy, requiring a lot of pull. I got talking with the mechanic and he informed me that these to things were connected ...
> 
> It seems the current combo of STI and Avid disc breaks just doesn't really work. The mechanic could not get the disc break to stop rubbing (especially the rear) without making the breaks all spongy and gummy. There was no touch in the breaks what so ever. The mechanic told me that if he tightened the breaks so that they required less pull that in turn the disc breaks would start rubbing.
> 
> ...


Due to an odd combination of shifters and brake levers, my MTB has an Avid BB7 MTB disc brake in the front (mated with a V-brake lever), and an Avid BB7 Road disc brake in the rear (mated with a cantilever lever). An MTB cantilever brake lever has the same leverage/travel as a road brake lever, so overall performance should be about the same as a road disc with a road lever.

My experience is similar to the above the road disc brake has to be set up with less disc clearance (and hence is more likely to rub), while at the same time feel spongier in use. I think the major reason for this is that road brakes/levers have about twice the leverage (and half the travel) as V-brakes, and therefore about twice the amount of housing compression under load. This results in more sponginess at the lever, and having to set the pads closer to the disc to compensate for this sponginess.


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## jph6t (Apr 23, 2007)

Does anyone have an experience using these

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=12761&CFID=70274548&CFTOKEN=83867526

to tweak the above STI to disc break (BB7) issues?


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## czyk (May 7, 2007)

*LeMond Poprad (good) and Bontrager (bad)*

In February of this year, I bought an '07 LeMond Poprad Disc at my LBS.

My overall impressions:

The steel frame is nice; I quite like it, all except for one bad weld at the seatstay crossmember. A shame. The frame rides well, in my opinion.

The Trek/LeMond in-house Bontrager components, in my 900-miles-so-far-experience, range in quality from sort-of-mediocre to junk. I reserve my greatest irritation for their crappy 700c carbon disc-fork: it is so flexy and insubstantial-feeling that I feel like it is going to break everytime I ride my bike. I'm afraid to use my front disc brakes anymore... lest I inflict the final measure of stress which catastrophically snaps the fork at 23.5 mph! My LBS assures me that "that's just the way they are." 

A close second on my Bontrager hate-list is the wheelset: I've had several different shops attempt to keep these things in true. No luck.

It will cost me about $500 to upgrade the forks to something like a Wound Up 700c carbon disc-fork. And while I'm at it, I'll get rid of that uninspired Cane Creek headset in favor of the nearly-ubiquitous headset replacement choice -- Chris King. As well, those cheap-o Cane Creek "sissy brakes" on the bar tops are coming off... and staying off. I find that I don't use them.

Actually, I'm not pessimistic about the bike at all; it's a competent bike that suffers only because of the inferior in-house Bontrager parts. 

On a somewhat related note, I'm considering purchase of a Trek Madone... all except for the inevitable sprinkling of Bontrager junk. I realize that in-house brands are seductive to the Trek/LeMond accountants because of their lower, more controlled manufacturing costs. And I realize that the Trek/LeMond marketing departments are hoping for a perceived cachet with the Bontrager name among consumers. But this business model only works if the in-house parts are of sufficient quality. They're not.


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## dead flag blues (Aug 26, 2004)

poprads are great. i have 2 of them one disk one cantilever, both are 59cm. 

the oem seats on poprads suck, ditch them.

the disk bike is a rain commuter and i've got ~2500 miles on it, all of it in rotten weather. the headset checked out at around 1000 miles, so i put in a chris king. the hubs needed a major rebuilt at 2000 miles, which is to be expected as this is a rain-only bike. i keep a fresh set of specialized armadillos on this bike and have never had a flat. with all gear (nite rider flite, cages, bottles, pump, tube/tool bag) it weighs 26lbs...

the cantilever poprad i own is a cyclocross bike only. the rear hub was full of rust at 1000 miles, no biggie it's usually ridden in mud and rain. oh yeah the rear rim was pretty worn due to braking on mucky descents. bb died at 1500 miles, everything else is fine. definitely needs a new set of dura ace cables every year. aluminium fork is a slug, i'd love to swap it for a carbon one. think this bike is <21lbs. lose the seat.

i'd recommend throwing some frame save in while the bike is new, nothing like a bb shell full of rust.

both bikes were incredibly cheap, poprads offer great bang for the buck.


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