I don't have a whole lot of review to give yet since I've promised to
ride the bike gentle until the Head Mechanic gets back on Tuesday.
I trust the bike shop manager, second mechanic, and trainee not to be
blithering idiots. I've known the three of them for quite some time
and I also know enough about bikes to see that they didn't make any
glaring mistakes but a promise is a promise.
My first attempt at anodizing it failed because the 9-volt batteries
I'd bought were [censored]. The second attempt at anodizing it failed
because I wasn't willing to complete rewire my friend Jason's e-bike
battery pack to get the voltages I did want. The third attempt at
anodizing it was performed with an audience of literally dozens in a
motorcycle repair shop in a small town outside the Hainan Provincial
High Level Sports Training Academy. With clever use of coca cola,
tide washing powder, and sandpaper as well as two twelve volt
batteries, and some jumper cables, an irridescent purple mottled with
blue and bronze was achieved. Unfortunately, despite the cast of
many, I was the only person with a camera of any kind (my cameraphone)
and very few photos were taken.
I then got my old race bike (a second-hand mostly aluminum frame with
carbon seatstays and chainstays), slung the frame over my shoulder,
and biked to the bike shop.
Future plans to eventually get a shiny pretty Chris King headset in a
complimentary color and maybe hubs to make wheels to go with were
immediately thrown out when it was discovered that the somewhat
acceptable Cane Creek headset on the old frame was incompatible with
the new frame. Now that I have a very nice brand new FSA headset I'm
not especially likely to go around buying a new headset anytime soon.
And if I don't have a reason to have a King headset my blingbling
purty reason for getting matching King hubs goes away.
The mismatched components from being sold a race bike with a handful
of old training parts on it were mostly replaced. Per the
recommendations of rec.bicycles.tech I went with an Ultegra double.
Per the recommendations of the Merida China mechanic I spent a large
amount of the Tour of Qinghai Lake geeking with I chose 105 for the
brakes and front derailleur. The 105 rear derailleur and 105 ten-
speed cassette were chosen for the purely practical reasons of 'being
what was in the store at the time'. Although Ultegra brifters were on
sale the 105 brifters I already had were barely touched when I got the
bike and I decided to keep them...besides which when it comes to
brifters I like the handfeel of Dura-Ace better than Ultegra. I also
kept the original Shimano 550 wheels that came with the old bike.
I also got mixed carbon-aluminum handlebars that have the comfortable
flat top found on fancy carbon bars without the fancy price tag, and
an oversized carbon stem.
I still need a new saddle (on order), a carbon seat-post (on order), a
proper seatbolt (on order), and the frame decals.
I am not a proponent of custom geometry.
I think the whole idea of custom geometry is silly.
But Mark at Habanero Cycles was very insistent that I was not a
perfect fit for their smallest stock frame and equally insistent that
their very first customer in Mainland China ought to get something
perfect.
I thought this was entirely unneccesary overkill that meant the
purchase of The Bike took an extra six months. I wouldn't have done
it if he hadn't been so thoroughly insistent. I wouldn't have done it
if he hadn't given me such a deep special discount for being the first
customer in Mainland China.
I would not say that I have an especially short torso but at 5'6" I am
short enough to want 'small' in most bikes and because I'm female I'm
carrying weight on my chest that makes me want the bars up a little
higher.
I have, so far, ridden the bike somewhat less than 20km. Slowly.
Because I made a promise to the shop not to stress test it until after
the head mechanic got back.
But wow.
Even though this bike is supposed to be the race bike and even though
this bike is set-up so that it needs to have the funny shoes and
padded shorts ... I have a feeling this bike is going to get more use
than the other two bikes. A lot more use. Enough of a lot more use
that I may have to follow up on that guy in Shenzhen who does custom
steel bikes so that the very nice sport touring set up I have on the
other road bike can be used.
I won't go so far as to say it is the nicest bicycle I've ever
ridden. That remains the bicycle that a member of the Japanese
National Team let me try out at last year's Tour of Hainan.
But it fits. It fits so well that I'm actually thinking of turning
the stem down. My resting position has my hands perfectly on the
brake-hoods. Down on the drops is a bit strange feeling because my
hands are naturally right there in that bumpy ergonomic hook space and
I can't push them forward because they are already where they are
supposed to be.
-M