State of the bicycle.

"Anon" (tjsielsistneb) 01/21/2014 at 00:50 • Filed to: None

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This is pretty much a post of my race build at the current moment. The Soma smoothie is at the head of my choices at the moment mainly because its 4.6 pound (with carbon fibre fork) steel frame will be great for going long distances along with racing. I'm also planning on using a Campy Athena 11 speed groupset pictured after the jump. Right now I'm looking at about 2k for what should be around a 18.9 pound bicycle for about $2100.

Campy Athena 11 speed groupset

Brooks Saddle, 2 Gatorskin tires, tires (Not the size I'm using just put in as place holder), Carbon Fibre Seatpost for helping to further absorb the bumps, Shimano r540 pedals

The carbon fibre fork (The thing only weighs 360 grams!), Handlebars (placeholder as I would like polished aluminum ones), Stem, Crane Creek headset (need to do more research on headsets before which one I decide to buy.)

Finally the wheels I'm looking at, Ritchey Zeta Comp, they're strong while still being fairly light and cheap (800g front and 1100g in the rear and $180).

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Anon 01/21/2014 at 01:06

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for about $2100

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/4295672051…

All Motor Is Best Motor > Anon 01/21/2014 at 01:07

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What kind of steel? I've a couple Peugeot PX-10's built with Reynolds 531 steel and they were the smoothest riding bikes I've ever had. Aluminum rides so much more harsh. Carbon Fiber is good at soaking up the vibrations and bumps but it's so damn expensive. Also, I want to express my disdain for Presta valves. Even with a decent bike pump I still have issues getting a good connection on the valves. I had to resort to screw-on Schrader adapters to make things easier.

All Motor Is Best Motor > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 01:13

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Bicycles are abhorrently overpriced. Just getting the good kind of Tiagra shifters costs an obscene amount of money for what they are. And yeah, I'd rather have a Honda CBR 250r new for 6 and a half grand than a bicycle of that same price. The only issue is bikes are a lot safer and don't require insurance or a license to operate.

Anon > All Motor Is Best Motor 01/21/2014 at 01:17

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It's tange prestige CrMO which is about equivalent to Reynolds 725.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > All Motor Is Best Motor 01/21/2014 at 01:22

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vs

erspimp03 > Anon 01/21/2014 at 01:39

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Sure your ass is ready for that B17? Those bad boys take months to wear in to your butt. Until then, expect extreme discomfort.

IMO your build is overly focused on the athena group - you should be spending more of your budget on wheels!

Anon > erspimp03 01/21/2014 at 01:46

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In response to the saddle question.

Also I might get some nicer wheels it really just depends on how much money I have in april and what I can find on sale that's good.

HammerheadFistpunch > Anon 01/21/2014 at 02:06

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Ever been to chainlove.com, bikes and pricey wheels and cranks come up all the time forr 50+% off

Squid > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 03:10

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Hey that listing is from my hometown hahahahahahahaha! Closest place to ride out there is a good 45-60 minutes away so it has most definitely spent most of its life as a cocktail table in the garage. . .

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Squid 01/21/2014 at 03:20

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Another OC opponaut? Yeah, there are a lot of great places in SoCal but they are all at least an hour away. Where do/did you ride?

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 03:29

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Gotta pay if you want to play, man. If you want CF, super-light and super-fast components you gotta pay. It's the difference between a Civic Si and a Corvette ZR1.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > promoted by the color red 01/21/2014 at 03:49

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For a couple grand, as I showed, you can get better "super fast components" AKA an engine on your two wheeler. Having the best bicycle is like having the best parasite- sure, it's better than the $400 POS at Walmart, but you're still riding a bicycle.

Squid > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:13

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I had friends that went to lake smell some more. . . I don't ride, I'm too cumbersome/chickenshit to. I've been on 2 dirtbikes before up in Pismo, which was a whole bunch of fun learning how to not fall off of a KLX450 out in the dunes. I kind of want to take a quad up Saddleback mountain though, its not tough riding but there are some fun lil jumps and some good views if the marine layer isn't thick.

Anon > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:13

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Why do people buy sailboats that cost more than boats with engines?

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Anon 01/21/2014 at 04:26

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Because they're rich and have nothing better to do than float around on the ocean basking in the glory of their wealth

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:26

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And why buy a motorcycle? For $2000 I can buy a Fox Body Mustang 5.0. It's got four wheels and more power so that's obviously better.

It's apples to oranges here: people ride a bike for either fitness or to out ride other people on bikes (I do both on my commute). You don't do it to be the fastest thing on two wheels.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Squid 01/21/2014 at 04:28

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Learning to ride in sand dunes explains why you're afraid. Get on a bike in some hard pack dirt. You will never want to stop, it gets in you.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > promoted by the color red 01/21/2014 at 04:30

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Power-to-weight you can't beat a used motorcycle.

You know I'm fucking with you, right?

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:33

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Eh, kinda. I wanted to see how crazy it would get. :)

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > promoted by the color red 01/21/2014 at 04:43

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Is that a challenge?

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:49

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U WOT M8?

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > promoted by the color red 01/21/2014 at 04:57

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I said, "Is that a challenge?"

Squid > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 04:57

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Running over my legs a few times on my uncles 3 wheeler kinda put some fear in me when I was younger. hahahahaha I much prefer four wheels than two. Granted I only dropped the KLX 450 once when I rode it, I just think I'll get too confident and then eat shit and break a whole bunch of bones. . . My mom being an x ray tech for a sports medicine doctor taking x-rays of some of the pro athletes kinda put some fear in me as well. But I really just thought it was funny that a listing from my hometown made it on to oppo.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Squid 01/21/2014 at 05:03

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Responsible riders wear about a thousand dollars worth of gear before getting on a bike. If you ride smart, you can crash pretty good without breaking anything. Ask me how I know.

Squids always go to the hospital because they are idiots. Wear the gear, and have the time of your life. And please don't learn on a 450, or in the sand. Start on something like a 150 4 stroke and work your way up. A KLX 450 is way too much for a beginner to handle.

Sorry if I'm preachy, I always want to help people get on bikes.

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 05:05

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u are 1 fucking cheeky kunt mate

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > promoted by the color red 01/21/2014 at 05:16

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Bugger off, ya limey wanker

Squid > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 05:16

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Haha yeah, I'd rather just stick to my bicycle and my miata. I have a few friends that ride and I know that if I got a bike it would be a street bike, but I'm pretty sure I would end up going way too fast.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Squid 01/21/2014 at 05:20

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Consider a Honda CRF250l. It's cheap, easy to ride, fast enough for the highway, forgiving enough for a new rider and if you want to go off road you can. You can have fun on it and keep up with traffic but you won't kill yourself. Plus it should get around 70 MPG.

promoted by the color red > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 06:02

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This is fun, but I have to prep for 8 am classes in the morning.

Squid > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 06:24

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I'd rather get a Ruckus. . . Speed limit in the town I live in now is 35 everywhere. Plus I think the Ruckus is funny looking. The only down side of the Ruckus is that damn CVT.

timateo81 > Anon 01/21/2014 at 08:31

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FWIW I have the most basic model of Cane Creek's economy headset - it's not even sealed - and have had no issues with it. Bike commuter and tourer, with lots of rainy miles. So maybe that will help you sweat less over that decision.

my wife has a Soma Saga and loves it .

I'm a bit jealous of her, even though I ride a Long Haul Trucker, which isn't that bad at all.

George McNally > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/21/2014 at 18:21

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Not a bad deal for the component quality. It's a bike that will last for years.

rwl1776 > All Motor Is Best Motor 01/22/2014 at 15:01

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"The only issue is bikes are a lot safer and don't require insurance or a license to operate." Drive your car around Portland, Oregon, and you would WISH that bicyclists had to obtain a license, AND take a drivers test! They constantly ignore the traffic laws, stop signs, etc. I am surprised more of them don't get taken out due to their stupidity. And don't forget riding withOUT lights at night! Not smart.

journeymanbaiter > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/22/2014 at 16:36

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All the gear in the world won't make a motorcycle driver out of you.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > journeymanbaiter 01/22/2014 at 16:36

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No, but real riders wear their gear.

journeymanbaiter > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/22/2014 at 17:56

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A real rider knows his limits and doesn't put himself in a situation where he needs his gear. Accidents do happen, but they are preventable if you know what you're doing. Trusting your gear to save you from exceeding your limitations is not the way to learn how to operate a motorcycle.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > journeymanbaiter 01/22/2014 at 18:23

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You're preaching to the choir, but experienced riders know that eventually they will crash again and the gear is worth it. Not wearing it claiming you're just too fucking good to need it is stupid squid logic. If you ride, you will crash. I don't care if you're a beginner or David Knight, you're going to crash and if you're smart you will wear all the gear you can every time you get on a bike.

journeymanbaiter > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/22/2014 at 19:02

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Looks to me like you're the one doing all the preaching. You're assuming that all experienced riders have either crashed or will crash, but that is not the case at all. The money spent on protective gear could be applied to learning how to drive a bike and not getting yourself into a situation where the gear is needed. I am an experienced rider and I have NEVER been hurt on a bike. I've been riding since 1963. I may be hurt tomorrow when I get on my bike, but I doubt it. Like I said earlier, all the gear in the world won't make a motorcycle driver out of you.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > journeymanbaiter 01/22/2014 at 22:50

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I ride dirtbikes, not Harleys. And yes, I assume every experienced rider has been down at some point and saying you have never crashed doesn't mean you're a good rider. in fact, I'd say quite the opposite- if you haven't pushed yourself as a rider, you won't learn how to ride as good as somebody that has.

journeymanbaiter > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/23/2014 at 15:27

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Well, lucky for you that you never took up flying.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > journeymanbaiter 01/23/2014 at 15:43

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It's really not the same thing.