::dom:: said:Like all good obsessed cyclists I build up a bike every 12 months or so. Not from tubes and lugs (I wish I could) but searching out parts and components and fitting them together for the latest... BUILD! It can take a few months to get the parts I'm after and sometimes I don't know what I'm after untill I see it browsing eBay or "close-out" sections of online bike stores.
I thought there must be a few other "builds" going around the forum so here's your chance to post 'em. Before and built.
Let's see the frame and a list of components... here's my latest. I'm just waiting for the crank and bars then I'll post a pic of the complete bike.
Frame: Masi Specialé (Dedacciai Steel and carbon stays)
Bars: 4ZA intefrated carbon 110/42
Shifters: DA 10sp
Brakes: TRP carbon wrapped
Fork: Reynolds Ouzo Pro
Crank: Pulsion CT2 Compact
BB: FSA Platimum Pro ISIS
FD: FSA Energy Compact
RD: DA 10sp
Wheels: AC420 Black w/bladed DT Swiss spokes
Chain: DA 10sp
Seatpost:?
Saddle: Toupe Gel 143 White
Tryes: Michelin Lithium
Pedals: SPD-SL Ultegra
I do my cycling a lot differently than many folks. A lot of people (I say this as just a notice of how others do it, not as a "slam) like to buy a really expensive bike, then start spending money upgrading it to make it what they want. Myself, I do it just a little differently. I start with something few would want, and go from there.
My current ride is a Roadmaster Mt. Fury 26 that I just purchased. The pros are, in my worthless opinion, vast;
1: Nobody with a brain the size of a mini marshmallow would steal this thing because it is sooooo cheap looking.
2: Virtually every kid around here started out with a smaller version. So there are hundreds of others that, on the outside will appear identical to it. This makes mine not stand out as much on a stand of other bikes like a pricey one would on a rack of cheapos.
3: I understand the workings, and have the knowledge and skill to make it precisely what I want. I don't have to climb an incline of education as I might with other brands, or other models.
The Cons, they're there, but not as plentiful;
1: I'm going to attempt to make it appear as close to stock as I can, while still making it function much better than stock. This is going to be tough, as many of the better upgrades have blatant markings that chant "not stock, not stock!"
2: I'll have to keep an eye on certain things, as I'm not going to side line this one as it sits. I'm riding it as I upgrade it, and therefore may break a part before I get to upgrade that part. I feel that having it be a used work in progress will educate me more personally with the changes that upgrades will induce.
Now, for the plan.
First order of business is brakes. Both front and back need help. The front is good, but the rear, pfft. Any agressive application like you'd need on a trail makes a really sick sounding grind, which also loosens the rear up. Fun on dirt, dangerous when I might be pivoting the rear around a tree! I'll hope against hope that I can adjust them to work, but I'll most likely just get them so they *kinda* work, then toss them in the truck I use as a pit vehlice. Then, in the event that I break my upgrade, I'll have a replacement that will permit finishing whatever I'm doing.
Second order is doing something about the grips. The ones on it are ok, but I dislike riding with gloves, and the agressive "tread" on them is putting multiple blisters in the palm of my hands. I may just learn to like good fingerless gloves which will allow me the same brake feel.
Thirdly, I haven't really planned this far ahead because my money is coming in very tightly. Probably an update on the derailer system, or pehaps just a good protective cage or something to keep it from getting El Bonko. (I kinda like the way it works oddly enough, so it might become the one that stays on the bike throughout, who knows.)
Better wheels (full assembly) will be in the future, as these aren't giving a headache yet, but as I get a ittle wilder on it, the lateral stress might just make on a taco.
