Building my first road cycle
 

So I got the itch to get another bike and decided to build my first road cycle from a frame set.

Here's the heart of the beast, which arrived yesterday:



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1275680897.jpg

I'm struggling with the decision over what make/model to use in the component group. I don't need full Dura-Ace because I'm just not that competitive to warrant the expense. But, Dura-Ace and SRAM Red sure do look perdy! But, I hear conflicting things about SRAM and am not sure if I want to take the plunge. My Mavic Ksyrium SL's take Shimano/SRAM so Campy is not an option.

Thoughts???

Should I do a mish mash of Dura-Ace and Ultegra? If so, what importance should I place on what components?

Use is strictly exercise/group rides, not competition. But, I am only going to have one and sexy counts!

I've always felt, that for MY ability, Dura Ace (doo-rach-ee :p) is not enough of a engineering step-up from Ultegra to justify the price gap for the full gruppo. But, damn, that stuff always looks so freaking nice!!!


My vote is for mish-mash of components.
I'm thinking D-A crank and brakes, Ultegra hubs/shifters/derailleurs. Pedals to taste.

My Basso has a little of both, with some nice components in the cockpit (saddle/stem/bars/seatpost).

BTW, your new frame is really swell.

I am jealous. That is a beautiful frame. What's it weigh - 3lb? My bike is a mish-mash of 105 and Ultegra. Just for club and solo rides. Works great for me.

Ultegra has historically been the "sweet spot" for performance and price, though 105 usually is almost as good, just heavier and will only last 100K miles instead of 150K miles.

That said I haven't bought any new components in years, as my parts bin gruppos work just fine. And those are a total mishmash of DA, Ultegra, XTR, XT, RaceFace, Avid, etc.

A friend of mine has bought a few sets of Nimble wheels. They are very light and have been bombproof. His are the Fly model. Worth a look if you don't want to be beholden to Mavic (ever tried to find a replacement mavic freehub or wacky spoke? major PITA...)

I'm bored, so I did some ebay comparisons. These are all Buy it now prices for an 8 piece group.

Sram Red....$1500
Sram Force.....$950
Sram Rival....$800

Shimano Dura Ace.....$1550
Shimano Ultegra SL.....$700

Force used to be on par with Dura Ace, I think it may be the best value. Personally, I prefer the smoked look of Shimano. I wouldn't mix components, not with that frame.

Wore out Ultergra group before- although I will admit that was when I was younger and could ride faster than a turtle with ingrown toenails. Never wore out dura ace. But- once you go to dura ace, you will never want to go back. I am looking at putting a new bike together- riding a 16yr old dura ace Kestrel carbon as we speak. I can not justify the cost of dura ace- but heck I have a porsche. I can not afford the best house, or the best car- but if I want to I can afford the best bike. A mix would work fine- but full dura ace would sure be sweet on that frame.
Gary

Use 8 spd Ultegra components. That way I won't be the only cyclist left with a set.

lol!

Ahhh, the first rode bike I built was an S-Works also, the Festina team bike, looked like this one below (Not MY actual bike).
I love building bikes, wish you could actually make money at it though. Unfortunately, the whole is worth less than the sum of the parts.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/v...estina/001.jpg

By the way- I have ridden that frame with a mix of dura ace and ultregra--sweet. I do not remember which wheel set.
Let me put it this way, I was thinking of getting a newer gruppo and putting it on my present frame- which is a kestrel 200 ems.
After riding that bike, I was thinking of putting my present gear on the tarmac frame. Stiff in the right places, soft in the others. Not as soft as the RS, but still took the edge off nicely.
Enjoy the ride
Gary

the joy i get from having capagnolo components on my bicycles is well worth the price. test ride a bike with 11-speed chorus, it's not only aesthetically beautiful, but functional.

loving that frame.

Someday I will buy a carbon bike...

You can save money (cheaper than a grouppo) by buying all the components used individully
but it takes forever.
I am a Campy guy with a mix of Chorus and Record.

Ever hear of Bike Forums? That's a rabbit hole for this type of topic!

Typically with these gruppos you get the trickle down effect; this year's Ultegra is basically what DA was 2 years ago, this year's Chorus was what Record was a year or two ago, etc.

Personally, I would put the money in Ultegra, no shame in that. It is way ahead of what it was 10 years ago as are all the other groups out there. I am a bit out of touch, but when I raced years ago I dabbled with Sram parts on the mountain bike (remember Grip Shift?) and thought that stuff was garbage after about 500 miles.

If you feel the need to spend money after the Ultegra, get the correct repair tools for things like the bottom bracket, cassette, etc- either buy Shimano factory tools (the cat's patoot) or the cheaper Park Tool versions.

Whoo Hoo! Here we go!

Dura-Ace 7900 group set should be here by next week too!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1275769881.jpg

Good choice. One tip: I've heard the 7900 freewheel, particularly the largest two gears, wear out quickly because they are titanium (for weight savings). Because of this, some builders recommend using the Ultegra equivalent, as all the gears are made of steel and because of this, have better longevity.

Another and more important tip: Dura Ace 7900 marks the end of compatibility with older Shimano parts. So 7800 or Ultegra 6600 will not work well with D/S 7900.

Leland you sure know how to spend money....

Wheelset?

No kids.

Mavic Ksyrium Carbon SL's.

Leland is moving to California soon...needs to keep up.

LOL, actually I'm not moving to CA, hence the bike project.

If I do end up going, you guys won't know about it until I am a card carrying member of the Red Army Faction. I've already cried wolf once.

Erin gave me a stay of execution at 11:59pm. We have come to the conclusion that it will do neither of us much good for me to move out there and loaf for another year. I'll be miserable and would probably make her just as miserable, if not more so. So, I am still gainfully employed here in PA... just waiting to see if the hiring freeze is lifted at my company in the next 8 to 10 months. If not, then it's off to CA for Weezy!

If so, or even if it looks real promising, the wife is ready to move to the East, providing she can find a job.

"Check out the mother f*ucking wheelz!!!"

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276034103.jpg

D@mn Leland.... you are giving me bad ideas.... must resist....must concentrate... must finish existing projects..........

Just got it back from the LBS and took it on it's maiden voyage (a quick 15 mile ride) yesterday.

This thing is a blast to ride and the gear changes are absolutely effortless. I am a sad example of a cyclist and it's was upsetting to see how far my endurance level has dropped in the last year and a half. I've got a lot of work to do to get back to where I was.

Hell I don't even ride and I want that....

What group did you decide on? I can't tell from the pics. Nice bike.

Someone at my LBS told me it's getting really hard to get high end bikes right now, the manufacturers cut back production this year because they overbuilt last year. Lots of stuff is sold out already.

Nice work getting the frame.

I was just about to ask how the bike was coming along. What's the final weight?

I've been waiting a few weeks for a Trek 4.5 and it looks like I may have to wait til late July or August for the 2011's to arrive.

LOL,
I was in a rush and used my phone camera in the basement... not exactly the right combo for a nice photo.

Here's one in the daylight:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1277159128.jpg

Full Dura-Ace component group.

The weight is unknown... I need to get it over to my buddies house to use his scale. Or grab one of the lab scales at work.

My only gripe is the tech put the brifters awfully high on the bars. It's nice and comfy when riding the horns, but when I get into the drops I can barely grab the brakes.

I'll have to play with that some.

Nice ride, Leland. I bet that thing accelerates like a funny car.

(future images will probably show a more muscular gear selection, ha ha)

It's an 11-23 cassette.... don't know if it gets much more muscular than that. :)

The high levers are a euro pro wannabe thing-the peloton started that a couple years back.

Are those the new DA brifters with the Campy-style hidden cables? Me want...always rode Campy until the latest bike, and never did like the exposed cables on Shimano shifters.

Must say tho that DA is sweet, even for a die hard Campyfile.

But your chain in the pic is on the 45/23, not the 50/11.SmileWavy

When I asked my LBS if they could put a smaller cassette on than the standard 11-28, they looked at me like I was crazy.

Granted it's been 20 years since I road seriously and most of my riding was in Houston, but I did do some riding in Austin. I never had anything more than a straight cassette on my road bike. Since we only had 5 or 6 speed cassettes, that means my largest cog was an 18. Couple that with a standard 42/52 chainring crank and we had some big gears.

The LBS wanted over $200 for a smaller Shimano 105 cassette so I ordered an 11-23 online for $95. It seems the only way to go smaller is Dura Ace titanium for $299 which I may get if buy some race wheels, but that still isn't a straight cassette.

Pete,

Beautiful bike!

One rule/guideline on shifter placement: take a ruler and place it on the bottom portion of the handlebar end. Slide the shifter down on the handlebar till the end of the shifter lines up with the ruler. OR, slide the shifter down so that the curve on the hood is flat or makes a "shelf" with the flat part of the handlebar.

Hope this helps!
Have a great riding season!

Nikita

Hmmmm... you must hang out on bikeforums.net. :D

The groups set is the new Dura-Ace 7900 which is just awesome. I really dig the hidden cables too. The shifting is just as smooth as can be. I'm very impressed. This thing accelerates like a bat out of hell.

I hit 66mph on a local downhill with very little effort.

I rode a straight stack freewheel for years. It was the logical thing to do because all the races were crits and there were only 5 gears then 6 and on to 7. 8 spd came out then I put on a 21. I rode the district road race in my last year as a junior on that 19 freewheel thinking it would be enough. I really needed a 21, I was suffering turning a too big a gear for too long. Dropped like a bad habbit on the final lap of a 3 lap race.

Typical of Belgian riders. They have doing that for a while, just look at some of the older photos.

I kike hidden cables too, but the old fashion shimano cables where it enters the brake lever is great for your thumb.

How do you like the specialize so far? I am waiting for me Ridley. It should br here in the next few days. I will post some pictures.