My new acquisition.. (bike related :-) ) (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Gee, it's Jay H again posting another bike thread....

Here's a picture of my new Look KG381i:



Record 10spd Triple (52-42-30)
12-25 cassette
USE Alien carbon post
Selle San Marco Aspide saddle
42cm Deda 215 bars
9cm Deda Newton stem
Speedplay X2 pedals
Campag Eurus G3 wheels
Michelin Pro Race 700x23 tires
Taox Tao water bottle cages

It's painted in L. Jalabert colors cause I like the red/black. Jaja is a great cyclist but I can't say I follow him that much. I just liked the color scheme.

Going to ride it to work tomorrow... Sure be careful with it. Except I had to take off the Speedplays and put my MTB pedals on it (Time ATACS) cause I found out I don't have a Time Adaptor for my road shoes so I can't mountain the cleats... Oh well, a few phone calls to local bike shops, can't find a dealer so I'll have to go searching tomorrow or resort to mail order.

This is my first Campag. equipped bike but I can't imagine it being hard to get used to... Thumb shifters were fine when I rode around my neighborhood...

I put it on my analog bathroom scale and a cheap digital scale and with pedals and bottle cages, it comes out to about 16.5lbs...

Now, if get those carbon cranks.....

Jay

 

[Brian Burgoyne]

Man, that is a sweeeeet ride! I B Jealous....

 

[DwightK]

I dare you to lock that up at a college campus dorm bike rack over night... You can even use a Kryptonite lock

I'm envious. Did you build that up yourself? If not who in the US is building those frames up? Definately not common. I built up my bike using a cannondale frame and am pleased but I really, really want a elite frame like yours.

My riding friend just put a Chorus group on his cdale and is loving it. Sooooo much nicer than my Ultegra.

 

[James~P]

Very nice... i've been looking into a road bike to complement my Rockhopper Pro XC bike...


I'll prolly wind up with a Specialized Allez

 

[Jay H]

DwightK HAHAHA, you crack me up! I'll first take out a multimillion dollar insurance policy first.

I was originally going to build a 50cm frameset that I saw in the classifieds section of Roadbikereview. I mean the guy was selling a 50cm frameset (Team CSC colors before they switched to Cervelos R2.5s) for $1300 which is a very good deal for one that was brand new but I was looking at the geometry and was afraid of fit because of the difference between the STA and HTA of my Lemond. My old Lemond is a little steeper in both, especially the STA. I eventually did some more searching, decided I didn't want the 361 that Jenson has on sale and found a place, riverside cycles that had practically the same model with Campag Record on sale. Then I basically used them to get competitivecyclist.com to match the price and even upgrade a bunch of items for free. I tried to call a local Look dealer but they weren't that willing to deal and they didn't have my size anyway... (not many shops stock a 49cm frame anyway). The difference in building it myself and having it built is only $75 so I had the pros do it.

I was kicking myself because when I was in Lourdes, France, some friends and I were in a bike shop there that had Look frames and I was checking them out, but I wish I had gotten a price and perhaps see how much shipping to the US would be but it didn't even cross my mind. Plus the exchange rate between dollars and euros wasn't that good at the time.

If you were to buy a frameset, totalcycling.com seems to have the best prices as they are in the UK and either they sell alot of frames or the dollar is strong against the pound. However, I hear people get frames off Ebay and stuff, but it's hard to find a 49cm frame out there even used so for me, it's tough unless you're patient, which I'm not!

My initial comparisons between Campagnolo and Shimano:

I like the Campy system better, no mistaken shifts from STI at least as the design. I like the thumb shifters alot, they are very precise and has a more positive feel. The carbon brake levers are cool looking on a black handlebar. Like the way the cables are internally routed along the handlebar grooves.

I like Shimano for the implementation, as in the shifts are quiet and feels a tad more solid. The Campag Ergo shifters have a little audible click when you shift.. Kind of tacky, maybe it'll be less noticeable over time.

The hoods on the Record shifters are also a little smaller, sometimes when I ride, I'll simply cup my hands on the hood caps and the Shimano ones (even though they rattle like the dickens) allows for a better grip that way.

When in the hoods, the thumb shifters gets in the way a little, but that is because I'm used to the Shimano STI. After a while, I'll get used to them being there.

I rode to work this morning.. I made every red light out there! Although I got stopped by the NJ Transit train at the one location I have to cross it... Sheesh.

I don't have a cyclocomputer on it but it feels fast. Of course, anything compared to my mtn bike commuter with rack feels fast. It's not as comfy as a Ti bike but feels very stable at speed and feels a little more laid back than my Lemond geometry.

Jay

 

[ColinM]

Is this a hobby, or do you race?

 

[Jay H]

A little of both. I race MTBs more (duathlons, Adv. Races, etc) but I have done a sprint Triathlon. I just ride alot, probably around 6k miles a year, between commuting, bike touring, mountain biking, and charity rides.

It's not a hobby, it's an addiction!

Jay

 

[Andrej Dolenc]

Very cool. How do you like the carbon fiber ride as opposed to steel? I'm loving mine, and really think when I do get to buying a new road bike it'll be a CF beast. Do the thumb shifters work when you're in the drops? Can you reach up and shift that way? Either way, it's an improvement over my downtube shifters!

Dwight, another retailer that sells Look bikes is www.excelsports.com.

Andrej

 

[JohnE]

Damn man, that's sweet. Have fun.

 

[Jay H]

CF seems to be the great compromise between being stiff as a race bike to being comfy as say a Ti bike. My steel bike doen't eat up all the small road imperfections as the carbon bike and is simply a ton lighter. Of course, my Lemond had a steel fork as well as a steel frame so many people use carbon forks on an AL or Steel bike for comfort reasons.

I'll have to take it on some climbs to see how it ascends and descends, my commute is pretty flat.

And time will tell about the integrated headset (FSA). From what I've read the newer ones have not had anywhere near the amount of problems I've heard from when it was first introduced.

Even the headset spacers are CF, something I didn't specify...

Jay

 

[ColinM]

So why the triple?

What's the rear cassette spread?

 

[Jay H]

Because it is better to have than not and easier to get it than to have to add parts later. Just because it's there, doesn't mean you have to use it. Furthermore, having returned from the a bike tour on the TdF in the Pyranees, that triple was damm mighty fine!

The rear cassette is a 12-25 10-spd.. I did list it in my original post.. I don't recall the exact cogs in the mix. Believe it or not, my Lemond has a Ultegra triple and a 12-28 cassette, but then again, I also have a small pannier and rack on the back of it.

Jay

 

[ColinM]

Cool...

I just wonder if I'd ever use it - I have an old school Ishiwata steel I built with Campy, a double front and a 6 speed 14-28. I haven't used the small ring yet, only for warm-ups on cool mornings so I don't blow out my knees.

If I were to climb mountains, though, I almost wonder if the 39x28 would be ok....

 

[DwightK]

I have a triple Ultegra 52/42/30 and 12x23 and wish I had a taller cassette. Maybe a 25 or 27. A friend just got a 53/39 front with 13x29 rear Chorus and ut has the same ratio I have for climbing.

I am not Lance and my rides around here usually have a couple thousand feet elevation gain in the hills. I have 3 "hills" that are between 12 and 15% of atleast a mile in length within about 5 miles. Another hill starting 6 miles away is 6 miles long with 1600 elevation gain. The ride up to Targhee is 8.5 miles and over 2k gained. Teton Pass is 7% average for about 7 miles.

I can ride the flats as well but climbing is fun.

I will get a CF frame in a year or so. Need to put on a few more 1000 miles on my current bike first and reach my target weight loss goal. Then I get my prize.

 

[Jay H]

I also like the 42 middle ring alot, I find that more useful than the 39 low gear on most standard doubles. I believe Tyler Hamilton was using a 53/36 on the day of the Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden because he was having trouble standing and climbing so he got lower gears and did that. I remember watching Tyler going up the final meters alone and the Americans in the crowd just going nuts, as well as the Basque spectators.

BTW, there's another American in the European peloton now. Tom Danielson of Saturn (winner of the Mt Washington hill climb) is going to Fassa Bartolo next season...

Andrej, when one is in the drops, one can still use the thumbshifters but you kind of have to stick your thumb above it. It makes the shifter placement on the bar or the bar angle more important.

Jay

 

[ColinM]

I am not Lance and my rides around here usually have a couple thousand feet elevation gain in the hills. I have 3 "hills" that are between 12 and 15% of atleast a mile in length within about 5 miles. Another hill starting 6 miles away is 6 miles long with 1600 elevation gain. The ride up to Targhee is 8.5 miles and over 2k gained. Teton Pass is 7% average for about 7 miles.

--YIPES!

Gimme a 30!

Seriously - Here in MN it'd be hard to find that, unless you were climbing out of a river valley. Actually, now that I think about it, there are indeed opportunities for a good climbing workout. I should try it. Otherwise, most of my riding is on a 30 minute commute with hills short but steep, easily powered over with a 53/24. One of these days I'm going to torque my handlebars right off, I just know it.