# Neuvation fc500



## jackmen (Jul 24, 2007)

*Neuvation FC500 Anybody have One?*

Trying to get feedback from anybody on the better framed Neuvation FC 500 bike. Specifically looking at it in Ultegra DI-2 and wanted to know if anybody has experience with this bike. For right at $3K looks like a good deal for a sweet bike that is all Utregra and has DI-2. 

Just Wanted to see if anybody has first hand experience.


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## Legnano73 (Jan 23, 2012)

I spent 9.5 hours test riding two frame sizes of the FC500 in the San Luis Obispo area this April albeit with SRAM. The frame is stiff in transferring power to the road, but is compliant in absorbing road irregularities. I was greatly impressed with the frame’s stability in twisting descents at speed. It’s a solid, comfortable frame that performed at a high level. The product is the real thing, not a cheap knockoff of something else. And Neuvation is great with customer service—the owner is in the shop every day and they are responsive to questions.


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## grangerboo (Jun 10, 2012)

I bought an FC 500 with Ultegra Di2 about three weeks ago, and I love it. My cousin bought the exact same bike in November of 2011. He loves his bike, and has had no problems with it.
After riding the same steel Serotta for 19 years, I thought it would take me some time to get used to the FC500. Not so-within 3 days of riding I was completely carving the descents on the wonderfully compliant carbon frame as fast, if not faster than I did on my Serotta.
The Ultegra Di2 group is just amazing! Use it and you'll see. Make no mistake about it, electronic shifting is the future of biking.
The Di2 did experience a small glitch on my second ride. For some reason the derailleur seemed to have reset itself, and moved one space towards the smallest cog, so when I would shift to the smallest cog, it shifted off the end off the cluster, and on the wheel side, it would only shift to the next to largest cog. Then it stopped working all together. Obviously I was crestfallen, and began to wonder about how smart it was to buy a new bike thought the mail, since service might be a big hassle. I was twenty miles from home, and stuck in a very low gear. I called my cousin to see if he had ever experienced anything like that or had any advice, but he had not. So I called the folks at Neuvation and left a message explaining the problem. John Neugent, the owner, called me back almost immediately to discuss it. I explained how the derraileur first went haywire, then stopped working altogether. Obviously I had checked the battery connection several times, as well as all of the wire connections that were visible. I also checked to see if the hanger was bent, and readjusted the limit screws on the derraileur. After about 5 minutes of talking, realizing that we probably weren't going to be able to resolve the issue over the phone, John asked me if I was near a bike shop. I said yes, that I happened to be right across the street from a bike shop. Without a second of hesitation, John said to bring my bike in to the shop and he would pay for any repair bill. Now that is service! I told him I would do so as soon as I was finished drinking the cappuccino I had bought at the cafe across the street (a shout out to Java Hut in Fairfax, CA), and that I would let him know what the bike mechanic said. Well, lo and behold, after finishing my drink, I got on my bike to pedal over to the bike shop, and the shifters had magically started working again! I have not had a single problem with them since, over 400 miles and near 30,000 feet of climbing.

I have a pet theory about the derraileur mishap. Even though the bike was packed perfectly at the factory for shipping, with tons of bubble wrap, foam blocks, tape, and zip ties, I noticed when UPS delivered it, that the rear wheel quick release had punctured through the cardboard box. I didn't see any apparent damage, so I thought nothing more of it. I think that the same jolt that had punctured the quick release through the box had also jammed the derraileur somehow, and due to "stiction" or something, it took a few miles for the derraileur to kind of fall back into its proper groove. Not a well-developed theory, I know, but I'm sticking to it. Like I said before, the derraileur has not had a single problem since.
I would recommend this bike in a heartbeat. It is a fantastic bike at a price so low that it makes you wonder how they can do it. And for just a few dollars extra, it comes equipped with some extremely lightweight, responsive Neuvation wheels. 

John at Neuvation stands behind his products.


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