Marzo 27, 2005
Daddy needs a new set o' wheels.
It's spring, and a young man's fancy turns to...thoughts of a new bike. I do it every year. Partially Bicycling magazine is to blame; their annual buyer's guide (AKA the massive bike pr0n issue) just came out, and I've spent a lot of time lusting after new bikes. Part of it's just that I like looking at bikes.
Like this one: aluminum frame with a ten-speed cassette (thirty speeds total), carbon cranks, seatstays, & fork, and lots of Shimano Ultegra.
Or this one: An all-carbon frame, with a ten-speed Campagnolo Veloce drivetrain, a compact carbon crankset (only two chainrings, but with smaller-than-standard gearing), and that gorgeous Celeste color highlighting not only the bike, but their 120th anniversary as one of the world's premier cycle builders.
Or even this one: a frame that's a mix of carbon and aluminum, a carbon compact crankset with a nine-speed Ultegra cassette...and can ya dig the gorgeous retro graphics?
I admit, as much as I like my current bike, I wonder if it really fits me well. While riding on it, I felt I was too stretched out, and if you're too stretched out, you can have some trouble controlling the bike.
Also, you're just not comfortable, you know? I admit it's my own fault; I certainly rushed into the purchase. Hey, it felt fine in the parking lot.
So I'd like to try a smaller frame, but I can't really justify spending $1200+ just to see if I was right about the bike size. But I can spend less than $300 on eBay for a used frame, and transfer a lot of the components from one bike to the other. Here it is:
A Reynolds 853 steel main triangle, cro-mo rear triangle, and a Time Millenium carbon fork. It'll have a full Shimano Tiagra 27-speed drivetrain, a Thomson aluminum seatpost (or maybe a Ritchey steel seatpost, as I have both), and Rolf Vector Comp wheels. I still have to buy a new headset and I'll have a local bikeshop install that for me (I don't feel like spending about $100 for a tool I'll use only once).
I've never built up a bike before, and it should be fun. Now I'm just waiting for the frame to show up.
Posted by Victor at Marzo 27, 2005 09:11 PM