Originally Posted by
texaspandj
Here's mine.
You definitely get what RT described as a "gyro effect". Similar to the bike called the sling shot. It's as if the front fork flexes then pulls back. Added to that the bottom bracket tends to move when you stomp on the pedals making the chainring rub. However it is the lightest of all the Ironman.
The thing you don't want to do is over tighten the the headset ala RT. He kept tightening it thinking it kept getting loose but actually the headtube had split.
OK thank you, that answers my questions from posts # 10524, 10526. That pretty aptly describes how mine feels. The frame also seems to amplify anything slightly out of the ordinary. I mentioned the headset looseness above. And as a sort of parts-bin build, I realized I put an innertube with a couple of patches in the front tire. The barely detectable out-of-round effect of the patches was VERY noticeable while riding. Fresh tube, problem solved. Anyway, here's what I bought:
Included a bag with a Tricolor RD, 105 FD, the other chainring and the chainring bolts. The 88 serial number and the graduated thickness of the lettering tell me that it's an '88 Ironman Carbon, not an '89 Carbon-R. Does not explain why the few bits it came with are Tricolor and not DuraAce, as the seller assures me it's original (shrug).
As I'm riding it now:
Oddball 25.0 seat post is courtesy of
Insidious C. , everything else is from the parts pile. Wheelset is a close mis-match; 105+Araya rear, 600EX+Matrix front, the black ano and profiles are about the same. Cockpit is a take-off from... somewhere (thus the joint in the middle of the rear brake cable housing). HG Cassette and IG chain are NOS. I *think* the shifters are Tricolor; they're that familiar gunmetal-ish blue color. Somehow I have only one (front) Tricolor brake caliper that color, so I opted for a slightly later pair of dual-pivot Ultegras. Continental 28s, since the kids these days are all into their super-fat tires. No, I have not cut the shift cables yet; I have another bar/stem already taped up for bar-ends, so I may go that route, esp since this bar is too wide.
Ride-wise, yes, it's a different experience. I think I've worked out the kinks in the overall ride, and it feels more "natural" with each ride. I think it's just something new to get used to. It definitely likes to get up and go. And for a quasi-Frankenbuild, everything just works. Braking and shifting are tight and crisp, took almost nothing to dial in. It's so good, I'm almost reluctant to try the bar-end shifter swap.
Edit - the other nice surprise - 172.5mm cranks. I think it my first bike with 172.5s. I have a few 175s and they feel "too long". I sense that 172.5 is just right, a la Goldilocks.