Habanero Titanium Team Issue Nuevo Road Frame

I have a Habanero road frame (50cm) that I built up with 1997 a Dura Ace group and a carbon fork. From the photos on their web site, the "Road" frame looks exactly like what I have. The frame looks almost as good as the day it arrived. It has always been a plush, comfortable ride. I don't ride as stretched out as I used to, but even more upright, the bike easily 'disappears' during rides and gives me the feeling of flying. I generally ride 25mm tires. My only other road frames have been steel, a Raleigh Super Course and a Faliero Masi, so I can't compare it to an Aluminum frame. I recall my first ride on it and the "holy crap" response that I had and the big grin on my face. At the time I bought my frame, Habcycles,com was located in Florida. I emailed Mark Hickey several times with questions and he was always very responsive and great to deal with. Now I see they are located just up the road from me in Mesa. If the quality now is the same as back then, don't hesitate.

My first Habanero frame was their cyclocross/touring frame, which I also love. I bought this frame after realizing that my Lemond Victoire (titanium) frame was really too small for me. Working with Mark at Habanero was a real pleasure. We talked a lot about measurements and geometry before I placed the order; Mark helped me ensure I was getting the right size, and discussed other custom or semi-custom options that I could pursue if I felt that the stock size wasn't going to fit right -- but it does.I opted for the "Nuevo" version since I slightly preferred the aesthetics of the downtube-toptube intersection with the ovalized downtube. The bike rides great. It's a bit heavier frame than my Lemond, but there's no discernable frame/BB flex when standing and pedaling hard -- in very stark contrast the Lemond it replaced. Ultimately my value-focused SRAM Rival build puts the 60cm bike in at a bit over 17 lbs, which seems pretty reasonable.One thing I will note is that the seatpost binder on the frame, while very attractive aesthetically, is very picky about the diameter of the seatpost. I had to return a Thomson seatpost that was slightly under tolerance because I could not get it to stop slipping. I might prefer a traditional seatpost collar to avoid the hassle, but once setup, I do love the simplicity & look of the integrated binder. (And in contrast, I had no problem with the first seatpost I grabbed for use on the CX frame I own.)

I purchased one of these frame three years ago, and after six months of riding, I have purchased four more Habanero frames for family members and myself. The frames are bullet proof, the welds extremely clean, and every good thing a person can say about a Titanium frame can be found in the Habanero frames. At over 250lbs, I have yet to detect any noodling of the frame, it is plenty stiff, and rides like a Steel bike, yet weighs what a carbon frame weighs.