Bike Build

[Darla]

Nice. I assume you got a good deal by going the craigslist route?

Yes very, thank SF.

[Superfreak]

Yes very, thank SF.

nice... I figured in NYC that might be the case.

for anyone else looking for a bike... a LOT of people buy a lot of gear so they can do triathlons. They use the bike for a few hundred miles (sometimes less) and then decide they don't like it. It is amazing how many bikes pop up on craigslist in almost new condition a year or two after original purchase. This is especially true in areas where you don't normally see a lot of bikers. (ie.. in the great lakes region where the concept of exercise is 'getting off the bar stool to go take a piss and then the long satisfied walk back'

[Superfreak]

Oh fuck... I used all caps on a word... I swear liberals I did not do so in anger. It was to emphasize the word... I swear

[Mott the Hoople]

As you are aware there are pro's and con's to all three. I have ridden Campy for the past decade plus. Not as light as SRAM, but for my size, it doesn't matter much. The biggest knock on Campy is that it is not as easy to replace parts when needed as many bike shops just don't carry them due to lack of need. The good news is that Campy friggin lasts a long time.

Shimano is a slight notch down in my opinion, but not that far off. It is the most common and thus easy replacement of parts. I am not a fan of their shifting. Though that is a personal preference thing.

SRAM I have not used personally, I have heard mostly good from those that use SRAM components... that said, not good enough to get me to consider switching.

Well there are two things I like about Sram. One is that it's a little lower in pricing than Shimano and significantly less than Campy but like Campy you can repair parts (unlike Shimano where you have to buy a new part). However, like you I've never ridden Sram. The guys I ride with tell me that Force is way better than Ultegra and is closer in quality to Campy Chorus and about $300 less than chorus. Having said that. There's a certain snob appeal to owning Campy. It says you realy care about cycling.

I guess what's making the decision difficult for me is at $1200 to $1300 for Campy Chorus I could spend a couple hundred more and get Sram Red. That's very tempting. Then again, I'll never race again so Red, Dura Ace and Record is probably a big waste of money for me. So I think I've narrowed it down to Sram Force or Campy Chorus (I think they are both superior to Ultegra). Since I expect this bike to last 10 years or more.....I'm leaning towards Campy.

Thanks for your input.

[Mott the Hoople]

nice... I figured in NYC that might be the case.

for anyone else looking for a bike... a LOT of people buy a lot of gear so they can do triathlons. They use the bike for a few hundred miles (sometimes less) and then decide they don't like it. It is amazing how many bikes pop up on craigslist in almost new condition a year or two after original purchase. This is especially true in areas where you don't normally see a lot of bikers. (ie.. in the great lakes region where the concept of exercise is 'getting off the bar stool to go take a piss and then the long satisfied walk back'

That's good advice. I'll tell you another good place to buy a bike. Pawn shops in college towns. Juniors affluent parents buy hims a killer bike for commuting to classes and Junior promptly hawks it for beer money.

I tell most people who are interested in getting started to not buy a new bike. They can get more bang for the buck buying a used bike from E-Bay or Craigslist or Pawn Shops. Ebay you have to be patient. You'll find a nice bike and then some idiot with more money than sense will bid more than what it's worth. Then other times you can get them for a real bargain. I bought an old Paramount for $300. Stripped the old parts and rebuilt it with a used set of Ultegra 6600 and a new set of DT Swiss R450 wheels. That's my commuter bike now.

[Superfreak]

Well there are two things I like about Sram. One is that it's a little lower in pricing than Shimano and significantly less than Campy but like Campy you can repair parts (unlike Shimano where you have to buy a new part). However, like you I've never ridden Sram. The guys I ride with tell me that Force is way better than Ultegra and is closer in quality to Campy Chorus and about $300 less than chorus. Having said that. There's a certain snob appeal to owning Campy. It says you realy care about cycling.

I guess what's making the decision difficult for me is at $1200 to $1300 for Campy Chorus I could spend a couple hundred more and get Sram Red. That's very tempting. Then again, I'll never race again so Red, Dura Ace and Record is probably a big waste of money for me. So I think I've narrowed it down to Sram Force or Campy Chorus (I think they are both superior to Ultegra). Since I expect this bike to last 10 years or more.....I'm leaning towards Campy.

Thanks for your input.

that is a large reason I went with Campy. I knew that when amortized out over the life of the cycle... it wasn't that much more. Good point on repairs... I had forgotten that the others you have to replace the part... probably because I have Campy and thus am like way cool and stuff.

[Superfreak]

That's good advice. I'll tell you another good place to buy a bike. Pawn shops in college towns. Juniors affluent parents buy hims a killer bike for commuting to classes and Junior promptly hawks it for beer money.

I tell most people who are interested in getting started to not buy a new bike. They can get more bang for the buck buying a used bike from E-Bay or Craigslist or Pawn Shops. Ebay you have to be patient. You'll find a nice bike and then some idiot with more money than sense will bid more than what it's worth. Then other times you can get them for a real bargain. I bought an old Paramount for $300. Stripped the old parts and rebuilt it with a used set of Ultegra 6600 and a new set of DT Swiss R450 wheels. That's my commuter bike now.

Yeah... I got my pub crawl bike from craigslist. A trek mountain bike that was caked in dirt and looked like shit because the owner had it in his garage for four years. Bought it for $25, cleaned it up... only needed to replace the tires/tubes. Rest of the bike just needed to be f'in cleaned. Otherwise I doubt there was more than a few miles on it (totally judging by the guys extra 200 pounds he was lugging around). It is amazing the shit people buy when they have no real intent on using the item. I prefer craigslist to ebay as you can get far better steals and its local...

[Mott the Hoople]

Yeah... I got my pub crawl bike from craigslist. A trek mountain bike that was caked in dirt and looked like shit because the owner had it in his garage for four years. Bought it for $25, cleaned it up... only needed to replace the tires/tubes. Rest of the bike just needed to be f'in cleaned. Otherwise I doubt there was more than a few miles on it (totally judging by the guys extra 200 pounds he was lugging around). It is amazing the shit people buy when they have no real intent on using the item. I prefer craigslist to ebay as you can get far better steals and its local...

I sold my Hybrid I first bought for commuting and then sold it cause it was to freakin heavy on Craigs list. Got what I asked for it too. I'm going to sell one of my Paramounts and use the proceeds to rebuild the other Paramount. I love my Paramount PDG. Was never tempted to buy another bike until my Ultegra components started crapping out. The frame still looks great for a 20 year old bike.

[Mott the Hoople]

OK, pulled the trigger today. Ran across a great Craigs list deal. Guy bought his wife a road bike last year. She rode it for fifty miles and decided not to ride anymore. According to him she only rode the bike about 50 miles before throwing in the towel. It was a carbon fiber frame with Campy Athena parts. He got a nice offer for just the frame and sold that. I offered him $500 (and it looks brand new!) for the Athena Carbon groupo last night and he took my offer! Sweet! I just bought a $1,000 plus 2011 Campy groupo for $500!! That means I can really upgrade on the wheels!! I was hesitant to make this purchase cause I really wanted Campy Chorus but I couldn't really see that big a difference between Athena and Chorus and at $500.....I couldn't pass.

What I may do is build my new bike with this group, save some money for Dura Ace or Record components and then rebuild my Paramount with the Athena group.

[Darla]

OK, pulled the trigger today. Ran across a great Craigs list deal. Guy bought his wife a road bike last year. She rode it for fifty miles and decided not to ride anymore. According to him she only rode the bike about 50 miles before throwing in the towel. It was a carbon fiber frame with Campy Athena parts. He got a nice offer for just the frame and sold that. I offered him $500 (and it looks brand new!) for the Athena Carbon groupo last night and he took my offer! Sweet! I just bought a $1,000 plus 2011 Campy groupo for $500!! That means I can really upgrade on the wheels!! I was hesitant to make this purchase cause I really wanted Campy Chorus but I couldn't really see that big a difference between Athena and Chorus and at $500.....I couldn't pass.

What I may do is build my new bike with this group, save some money for Dura Ace or Record components and then rebuild my Paramount with the Athena group.

Awesome - it's amazing some of the deals you can get on craigslist. You just have to be careful where you meet people. Like if someone says, oh yeah I got this bike you'd love it it's in my basement? Don't go. But you can do well.

[Mott the Hoople]

I'm down to buying my last three components and I'll be ready to build. I all ready have a stem (easton EC90) and a saddle (Brooks B-17). I just need a seat post, handle bars and wheels and I'm ready to start building it.

[Superfreak]

OK, pulled the trigger today. Ran across a great Craigs list deal. Guy bought his wife a road bike last year. She rode it for fifty miles and decided not to ride anymore. According to him she only rode the bike about 50 miles before throwing in the towel. It was a carbon fiber frame with Campy Athena parts. He got a nice offer for just the frame and sold that. I offered him $500 (and it looks brand new!) for the Athena Carbon groupo last night and he took my offer! Sweet! I just bought a $1,000 plus 2011 Campy groupo for $500!! That means I can really upgrade on the wheels!! I was hesitant to make this purchase cause I really wanted Campy Chorus but I couldn't really see that big a difference between Athena and Chorus and at $500.....I couldn't pass.

What I may do is build my new bike with this group, save some money for Dura Ace or Record components and then rebuild my Paramount with the Athena group.

The above illustrates why I love craigslist. Especially for bikes and bike components.

[Superfreak]

Awesome - it's amazing some of the deals you can get on craigslist. You just have to be careful where you meet people. Like if someone says, oh yeah I got this bike you'd love it it's in my basement? Don't go. But you can do well.

WTF??? A New Yorker with common sense? When the fuck did this happen?

[Mott the Hoople]

The above illustrates why I love craigslist. Especially for bikes and bike components.

Yup, can't argue with you. I'm going to get new wheels though. We have a wheel builder in town who is certified as a bike mechanic by the US Olympic training facility in CO. He's famous around here for his hand built wheels. I'm thinking about some Mavic Open Pros with record hubs.

[Superfreak]

Yup, can't argue with you. I'm going to get new wheels though. We have a wheel builder in town who is certified as a bike mechanic by the US Olympic training facility in CO. He's famous around here for his hand built wheels. I'm thinking about some Mavic Open Pros with record hubs.

That should be a fairly sweet ride when you are done.