Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
The result of this very hodgepodge build was nothing short of surprising and sublime. This bike is fast. And comfortable! But man, it's really rapid. Airy, breezy, easy kind of speed and demeanor. Out of the saddle? Eager and enthusiastic, just shy of my all-out race-geometry bikes. What is this thing??? Turning? Perfect. Here I am in the middle of battling my Paramount's new TB14 wheel build and spoke replacement--the Paramount, an always strong frame made even stronger (and perhaps a tad harsh) with the addition of the TB14s--and along comes this cobbled-together semi-tired paint Expedition with worn and abandoned parts, regular spokes, and some (thankfully) decent tires (tires that couldn't quell the TB14 impact characteristics when mounted) and just blows me away.
That sounds a lot like my experience with my Sequoia. I went from, "It's not very pretty, but I've heard good things so I guess I'll give it a try," to "Holy Crap! This thing is amazing!" in about a quarter mile. That first day I was ready to swear that it even coasted faster than my other bikes. (My friend Adam suggested that maybe I finally got a wheel in straight!) For my first build I used a set of wheels with Tiagra hubs and box section Salsa Delgado rims that felt dead on a couple of other bikes. For over a year I was afraid to upgrade to better wheels for fear that I wouldn't want to ride anything else if the ride got even better.
It basically invalidated every theory I had about what details might be good predictors of ride quality. Sounds like you're in that same neighborhood.
Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
So here I am at a few decision points...
Paint:
I feel like the colors of the very early Specialized bikes are so closely tied to the bikes that it's an act of rebellion to choose another color. I also feel like all of them except the red Allez are kind of frumpy. It's definitely a dilemma.
Have you considered ordering samples from Prismatic Powders? I did that with the last couple of bikes I had powder coated. The ones I chose came out looking pretty close to the samples. The "Cosmic Grey" I used for my Grand Jubilé would be a decent starting point if you want to recreate the original color.
I feel like the canti post modification kind of gave you a pass on what to do here. The original paint was right on that border where I'd be torn between trying to touch up the rough spots and getting it resprayed. The metal work makes that choice a lot easier.