| 03/20/2001 | Serotta's Top Secret Colorado iTDenver, CO. On Friday night at the annual ‘Pro Night’ , Wheatridge Cyclery’s annual kick-off to a new season, everyone was asking, …."what is it?" The ‘iT’ everyone was referring to was the cloaked bicycle on display by Serotta Competition Bicycles.
With the help of long time friends- Davis Phinney, Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Ron Keifel, Ben Serotta offered a ‘sneak peak’ at the company’s new top secret model dubbed the Colorado iT. The ‘iT’ stands for integrated Technologies reflecting the combination of titanium and carbon fibre composite used in the construction of the new super-frame.
"What makes this bike so unique is our design approach to the use of these two fantastic materials", said Serotta. Unlike other mixed material products on the market, the Serotta Colorado iT uses a full rear end of titanium mating to a front end that is predominantly made from Carbon Fibre tubing. Serotta, promising "the ride of your life", explained, the iT utilizes both materials in a way that maximizes the potential advantage of each. The titanium rear end is highly responsive, forgiving and extremely durable. Carbon fibre tubes formed in Serotta’s unique "Colorado Concept" style create a front end that "is magical," continued Serotta, "delivering exceptional response and unimaginable damping qualities."
The Colorado iT will be produced in all standard road sizes, but also features full custom sizing capabilities, underscoring the company’s commitment to the individual cyclist. Just as with Serotta’s other flagship models- Legend Ti, Hors Categorie and CSi, the company will carry an array of tubes allowing full custom ‘tuning’ of the ride.
When can you buy one?
The iT is officially a 2002 model and a full introduction date is not yet set. Developing production tooling and fine tuning the final design of each tube specification requires time and patience. Commenting on why the company has decided to let the cat out of the bag so soon, Serotta commented, "This bike is far too exciting for us to be able to keep it fully under wraps. Besides, over the coming three months we will be doing a lot more field testing as we zero in on the final specs and people are going to see what we’re up to. I didn’t think that asking our test riders to ride around wearing large black sheets would be adequately safe."
The Colorado iT will be the first new major product to be introduced since the formation of the company’s Owner’s Club. As a member benefit, Owner’s have a chance to be first in line to acquire the new bicycle. Lori Hoefer, Serotta’s Director of Customer Relations explained, "as a new product like this comes on line, demand is always greater than production capacity, so offering first dibs to those who have supported us in the past, seems like the right thing to do." The company expects to announce iT’’s introduction schedule sometime in February.
If you are timid about asking the price….. the Colorado iT is likely to set a new benchmark for ‘normal’ retail pricing. The expected price for the Colroado iT frame only is $4295, a price that Serotta claims is the result of "true technical advancements". "We believe that ten years from now, we will be looking back on this bike as a major technical milestone. It will be one of those few bicycles that is a product of the ages."
OK. So you’ve decided you just have to have one of these babies but are afraid of losing out on a whole season of riding? In an unprecedented move, for a limited period of time, Serotta is offering customers who place an order for a new Legend Ti, a 90% trade-in value on the new Colorado iT ! |
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