# Is Tommaso a name I can trust for a bike?



## toddf (Feb 29, 2008)

I've recently been looking at a Tommaso Super-Leggera and the Forma. Are these good bikes?

crazy deals on them at RS cycle. Is this just a crappy frame on great components?


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*info...*



toddf said:


> I've recently been looking at a Tommaso Super-Leggera and the Forma. Are these good bikes?
> 
> crazy deals on them at RS cycle. Is this just a crappy frame on great components?


I wouldn't call them crappy, but to my knowledge they are inexpensive, Aisian made frames using an Italian name. Unfortuantely, there are several formerly big-name brands that have absolutely no links to the experts who once made them. I'm sure that most still provide a decent value for the money. 

That said, there are also a lot of big names that can charge and get a lot more money from their frames than they are worth. You know that the markups are huge when the price drops over 30% when one of these models is discontinued.

One of the things that really increases the price of a frame and fork is weight reduction. The lightest versions always cost the most. Low priced frames and particularly the forks that they come with may weight quite a bit more than products that look similar, but weigh far less. Someone posted a picture of a fork weighing 580 grams, which is twice the weight of the lightest available. If they aren't advertising the frame weight, then the frame may be on the heavy side compared to more expensive models.


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## Dinosaur (Jan 29, 2004)

I don't know when Tomasso sold their name..I have an old Tomasso Team cycling jersey (back when Tomasso was made in Italy). It has parts of bikes on it, one of which is a Regina 6 speed freewheel..I'm thinking late 80's or early 90's....


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## @dam (Feb 7, 2007)

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I'm looking at the same bike but used. It only has 50 miles, and is a 2009 full dura-ace for $1250! 

Are there any coupon codes on this bike right now? Is this a good deal?


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## Elfstone (Jun 27, 2006)

That's a Bikes Direct item and information can be found on their website;

http://www.bikesdirect.com/?gclid=COCIv7eJ3qkCFYcaQgodOlAhXw

More information can be found on bikes sold from BD on RBR's Motobecane - Mercier forum;

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=106

You may find that a new BD bikes may be a better deal then the used one your looking at, prices are comparable. If you decide to go BD, pick the one you feel may fit the best and looks the best to you.

Peace


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## RB Mike (Feb 23, 2011)

IMO, Tommaso bikes are a great deal. One of the best bangs for your buck!

Nearly all road bike frames are made in the same factories in China and Taiwan and often come from the same molds. Combine this with the fact that manufacturers outsource nearly every component of the bike and what you’ll discover is that the paint scheme and logos are often the only difference between an off-brand road bike and a name-brand road bike.

Tone out the marketing machines that have ingrained any bias and let’s start shopping based on tangible benefits. At the end of the day:

Bikes have specs…

specs are easily compared…

value is easily discerned.

Boom! The mystery of road bike shopping has been solved.

Don't bother with the used Tommaso. It's my understanding that GiantNerd is the direct source:

http://www.giantnerd.com


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## Steve B. (Jun 26, 2004)

Tommaso is the house brand of Randall Scott Company of Boulder, CO., a mail order group that was once part or connected with Iron Horse Bicycles. These bikes are sold by RS and GiantNerd, which BTW is the same company at the same address in Boulder.

And here's a Tommaso story.

The Team Carbon road frame I ride is the best fitting and nicest road bike I've owned, Fuji, 2 Kleins, and a Lemond Ti among them. It's fast, it's stiff where it needs to be, it's comfortable and in short, it's a really nice frame (with about 2800 miles on it currently), but was not the bike I started with. 

I started with the Aggraziato, which developed a crack in the seat tube, about an inch below the saddle, with about 500 or so miles on the frame. Dealing with sales at RS was fine. Dealing with warranties was painful. I shipped the frame back and about 6 weeks later was told they could not provide a replacement Agraziato frame. They offered a Team Carbon free, which IS a better frame, but had no forks. They would not provide a fork and suggested I use the Aggraziato fork (which is a complete mis-match color and detail wise). When I pointed out this problem they basically said SOL. I offered to buy a Team Carbon or ANY other fork, which they had none to offer. I ended up buying a Profile at my LBS. The frame was 1/2 cm longer and required a new stem, which they did not help with OR HAVE FOR SALE. Ditto the different seat post. Plus I paid shipping back and forth. The bottom line was the whole deal cost me about what I would have paid at the LBS. As comment, a lifetime warranty is only worth it if they have a replacement frame. If they don't or the frame is substantially different in a number of ways, the warranty is somewhat useless. 

So, I'm really, really hoping this frame lasts, and don't want to deal with warranty again, even though Nick at RS was very easy and pleasant to deal with. 

Story over

As to the OP ?. If it's carbon, don't buy used carbon unless you know the owner. If aluminum and you ft the bike, then a Tommaso is no worse then anything out there.

SB


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## Jay Sandford (Mar 2, 2016)

Just had a chat online with Chris at Tomasso website.
I have an older Tomasso road bike (used, from a bike shop) and the inner carbon seat post tube (housed by a carbon outer tube) cracked and the post pulls out. 
I am a senior and ride very infrequently. Sadly, they would not supply their "lifetime warranty" or customer goodwill though the bike was still on the original tires (which I just replaced). Nor would Chris refer my situation to a superior, nor provide Tomasso's CEO contact information, as requested twice. 
As a result, I would not refer, would not purchase another Tomasso bike, and definitely would not recommend them.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Jay Sandford said:


> Just had a chat online with Chris at Tomasso website.
> I have an older Tomasso road bike (used, from a bike shop) and the inner carbon seat post tube (housed by a carbon outer tube) cracked and the post pulls out.
> I am a senior and ride very infrequently. Sadly, they would not supply their "lifetime warranty" or customer goodwill though the bike was still on the original tires (which I just replaced). Nor would Chris refer my situation to a superior, nor provide Tomasso's CEO contact information, as requested twice.
> As a result, I would not refer, would not purchase another Tomasso bike, and definitely would not recommend them.


this thread is dated 2008, so I think people have moved on.

Your situation with is not uncommon in this industry. Even for a big brand name frame, getting warranty after about years is iffy, even with "lifetime". Remember, it is THEIR discretion if the damage is their doing or your doing. They can always their experts say so. And if you want to argue with them in court, then you need to bring your experts (which we all know will not happen 100% of the time). I chuck up your case as "cutting your loss and moving on". But your story can be told in just about any bike manufacturer, not just for Tomato. That's how this industry seems to work.

I'm beginning to think that the "best value" in this industry is to buy a cheap relatively lower end Fuji or Giant bikes and ride it, and if one day something goes wrong and they won't warranty it, you'll have a much easier time moving without feeling betrayed by any warranty that you thought you had.


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