it was about 34 degrees out, and i dressed too warm.
first let me go over the parts list. most of this was off of my old cross bike, and some is new...
dt swiss 240 hubs laced to rr 1.2 rims panaracer tires
salsa bell lap bar
fsa stem (in pic is a race face deus, but i had to switch it)
race face deus seatpost
specialized saddle
avid shorty brakes
egg beater pedals
sram red levers, xx rear del, force front del, and force crankset (cross gearing) & bb (30), cassette and chain.
the ride...i just did a quick spin around my neighborhood, down and up some hills, into a park with some trail. out the door; quick & light. as it ought to be for being all carbon. stomp on the pedals and go. really nice and smooth. the carbon really did the job on soaking up the bumps on the road, and on the small trails in the park that i hit. the ride was not harsh at all. this is a great change from the steel vicious that i've been riding for the past ten years. the bike is also twitchy in its handling. this is something that i have come to really look for in bikes. just think it, and it goes.
as i was riding up a pretty steep hill, i could feel the stiffness in the tapered head tube. it really makes a difference when i was standing on the pedals and putting an ass ton of torque on the handlebars. nothing moved; which is what ought to happen.
i don't think i need to say anything about the components. this is my custom setup. this is what i believe a cross bike ought to be. the boutique version (i.e. complete bike in store) does not have these components. but in any case...sram works effortlessly. smooth shifting, esp. from the 34 to 50. such a jump in gears, and it just went right up.
this bike will be in the quiver for a long time. can't wait to take it out on a longer more intense ride.
[amitabha]
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