Baby steps

I would love my new custom paint on my Cervelo to be done today and be riding tomorrow.  Unfortunately, these things take time.  I was, however, able to see the frame and its base paint today and it looks perfect.  Exactly what I wanted.  I then worked with the painter to figure out the details and lettering that are going on it.

Parts are flying in like crazy.  I'm still waiting on the handlebar tape, Lizardskins DSP 2.5 (I'll review at a later date) and a sweet alu handlebar (218g).  I think this beast is going to look great when its done.  I just wish I could finish it tonight.

Paint has begun

The Fizik Arione Versus (black)

My new project is under way.  The other night I stripped my frame bare.  It is shocking how light it is without any equipment on it.  I'm busy shuttling old parts to the post office and receiving the new parts at my door.

I found an incredible saddle to go with my new paint scheme, the Fizik Arione Versus, which is a matte black color with Fizik written on the seat in glossy black...a perfect match.  I'm also changing out the sram red silver brakes for the sram red black brakes.  The other big change is going from an FSA K Wing carbon bar (291g) to  a pedalsoft alu bar (218g).  In addition to the great weight savings, I'm also going to make about $125 on the exchange.

I'm looking forward to seeing my new paint job.  It should be done in the next few days.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Winter!

Ok, so it's not...it's not at all.  But, heck, I'm taking advantage of it; putting away my snow boots and shovel in favor of my Sidis and two wheels.  Three rides this week alone and it's the middle of February.  I was even able to get out on my mountain bike for a while.  That was a first in almost a year.

The Cervelo R5 California Project

In other news, I'm getting what is becoming an annual spring itch to some how totally renovate one of my bikes. This time it's the road bike's turn.  I continue to love my light weight super aero Cervelo Soloist frame, but it is 6 years old and the paint job is becoming a little stale for me.  I've fallen in love with the stealthy paint job of the Cervelo R5 CA (to the right), the special California Project bike  that costs around $9,0000 for just the frameset.  Since there is absolutely no way that I'm going to spend that much money on a bike to save a few grams, I'm going to do the next best thing, which is to paint my bike similarly to that one.  I love the look, but I love my frame.  This is the ultimate compromise.

A mock up of what my bike may look like after paint job

In the course of the renovation, my plan is to change from my silver SRAM Red brakeset to the black SRAM Red brakeset, change out my FSA K Wing carbon ergo bars for a more traditional set of round bars that are perhaps a bit even lighter, and I'm going to change the white Fizik Arione saddle for a new Fizik Arione Versus black saddle with glossy lettering to match the bike.  This all assumes, however, that I can actually get the bike repainted for a reasonable price.  My mock up of what the paint job may look right (to the right). Stay tuned.

Review: Sidi Genius 6.6 Carbon lite shoes

This past holiday season I had a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket (anyone close to me knows that cash is the way to go if you want to get me a present).  Over the years I've accumulated pretty much everything that I've wanted.  Garmin gps for the bike, check, garmin gps running watch, check, nice road bike, check, nice mountain bike, check, tools, apparel, accessories, check, check and check.

The one thing I've always wanted and was never willing to splurge on, though, was a really good pair of bike shoes.  I mean, you don't have to walk in them all the time, you don't wear them all of the time, how important could they be.  Well, I decided to finally splurge and get myself a pair of Sidi's to find out.

Although I originally didn't intend to buy the more expensive 6.6's, through a mailing mistake and through finding a great sale online, I decided to jump on them.  I couldn't be happier.

As with a lot of things, you don't know what you're missing until you have actually experienced it.  The same goes for these shoes.  The first time I slipped the shoes on, they felt like slippers.  Not only is the material smooth and accommodating, but there are variety of mechanisms on these shoes to perfect the fit.  The two velcro straps on the body of the shoes look pretty typical, but on closer inspection both have rubber grippers under the velcro that ensure the velcro will not slip mid ride.  Then there is the adjustable heal, ensuring no annoying slippage in the rear.  And finally, we come to the primary reason I wanted these shoes, which is the ratcheting top strap.  The ratchet system not only ensures a great fit from the initial time you slip the strap through the ratchet system, but it also allows the rider to make micro adjustments easily on the fly.  A quick pull on the lever and a click click click later and the shoes form to your foot.

The advantage of such a well-fitting pair of shoes is immediately noticeable.  On my first ride, I was noticeably more efficient on the hills, not losing anything in power transfer.  The carbon soles, stiff, were comfortable but did not budge.  Before and after the ride, the rear rubber bumper on the heal of the shoe allowed me to walk around much easier, as if I was in regular shoes.

The only downside of the shoe is that the white version, the pair I chose, shows dirt very easily.  That's to be expected though and not a fault of the shoes itself.

If you want a very comfortable pair of cycling shoes that will increase your efficiency on the bike and you feel like spoiling yourself, this is the pair of shoes for you.

Time For A Change

Ok, so I'm changing up the blog a little bit.  Since I haven't been able to find much time to go mountain biking lately and because I don't actually have a Motobecane anymore, I've decided to change focus.

My intent is to write a little about this, a little about that.  I'm trying to get some miles in under my belt these days since the rough weather is holding off.  I'm also trying to get a bit of weight off after the holidays.

I really would like to review my new Sidi Genius 6.6 Carbon Lite shoes pretty soon and some of my other new gear. I'd also like to review some rides and write about some things that other people actually care about.

Thanks for visiting. Hope I write about something you enjoy.  Early run tomorrow.  Ciao!

SRAM Red v Dura Ace 7800

Let's switch gears to road biking for a second. Yes, the mountain bike is awesome and I'm enjoying the build, but I recently treated myself to an update on my road bike. I had Dura Ace 7800 on there with an FSA pro team carbon crank set. It performed very well for 5 years but it was time to try something new.

I bought me some SRAM Red, the full groupo except for the front derailleur. I got the force front der based on the fact that it is stronger, more reliable and I believe lighter. Most people make this decision. I was interested in seeing what all the hype was about. I had a hard time believing that DA was any less of a group...oh boy was I mistaken.

I took the bike out today for the first time and could not believe the responsiveness of the shifting. Click, pow! Click, pow! That's what you hear when you shift. It is a slight tap of the finger on the paddle and BAM, shift. It was super crisp and precise. The stuff is beautiful and light on top of it. The brakes impressed me as well. They are right on par with the DA brake set, which is saying something. I also added some Look Keo Max 2 pedals in grey and a SRAM Red tt chainring for some added bling. I have a super light stem, 98g, coming in the mail and then the project will be finished. I'll be sure to post some pics.

I'm just lovin the new ride. Now I don't know which to ride first, the road or mountain bike. Ugh, not a bad life.

The New Build Is Complete

I finished the build of my new Voodoo Aizan 29er today. Everything is cleaned, tightened, greased, and aired up. The bike is light! I took a ride around the block and the first thing I noticed is that the top tube is pretty short for the large version of the bike. I can see how others complained about toe overlap on the smaller models. I got the 19" large when I typically ride about a 17". It makes a difference. I have a lot white on this bike including the white-spoked wheels, the new white fizik/gold saddle, and the white fox fork. I may live to regret that decision, but it looks really sharp. You'll also notice that I added a ti seatpost to go with the ti handlebar to reduce some weight. I'm anxious to see how the minimal seatpost performs. The bike seems ready to go on the trails. Now I just have to wait for the snow to disappear. Temps in the 60's this week should help with that. Enjoy the pics!