digitoast

Okay, she isn't actually finished, but I couldn't wait to put up a photo. I have a HED Alps wheelset waiting to be redished & trued before I install them, a new stem is shipping in, and the bartape will be wrapped after final fitting & adjustments are complete. More pics will follow when everything is totally done. =)

I put this build together for an insanely cheap amount. The only things I had to buy are in a photo below (minus bars). When I manage to get more money, I'll upgrade to a TT saddle, and a better crankset.

Blinged out on a budget:
Frame: Salsa ElGogo
Fork: AlphaQ Aero
FD/RD/Shifters: Shimano DuraAce 10-speed
Crankset & BB: FSA Gossamer MegaEXO
Brake Calipers: SRAM Rival
Brake Levers: Oval Red Carbon (my favorite part of the bike cosmetically. so incredibly hot!!!)
Basebar: VisionTech BaseBar
Aerobars: Profile T2+
Stem: Salsa somethingoranother
Saddle: ProRace
Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Photos of the build and my mechanic that I snapped before having to leave for work this morning:

EURO-TRASH

thats a nice looking bike man. i see you go to u of u. i actually may be going there on a ncaa ski scholarship. do you know gaspar perricone, will mcdonal, kyle kung, scotty veenis, or tague thorson?

Sprocket Man

Nice bike. Even nicer workshop. Congratulations.

EURO-TRASH

hell yeah bro, +1 to that shop

spiderbike

jealous of the workshop!!

cedricbosch

I'm assuming you work at a bike shop, and that the pictures are from there?

digitoast

I ride for two teams NCCA & USCF: The University of Utah who they sponsor, and also the shop itself - CycleSmith. It also helps to be friends with most all of the employees there =). I'm allowed to go back into the shop area and play, so I dropped by this morning to do some cheesy cameraphone snapshots.


Thanks Euro. The bike turned out looking much better than I originally imagined =) I don't know any of the guys you mentioned, though I may have bumped into them on occasion.

jciv03

Nice Bike! I'm in the process of gathering parts to build a TT bike as well. Please provide a detailed ride report, especially with the aerobar setup. I'm curious about the comfort of the S-bend bars.

bvfrompc

Now get out to Salt Air and own it! Nice clean looking ride.

digitoast

Well.. I'm still waiting for the glue on the new TT to set (AlphaQ Steerers are glued -link), but hopefully I'll have it ready for the weekend to do some solid riding once everything is ready.

In regards to the S-Bends, They've been comfortable to me on all of the TTs I've done so far (16mi/25km being the longest ITT). I had nothing to complain about even on a damned uphill TT in Boulder, CO. The Profile T2s are terribly easy to adjust, and I love that the pads can be shifted foward/backwards. The one small gripe I have so far is that bar-end shifters are a bit funky to use on S-Bends. My fitter taught me that 'proper' s-bend hand position involved:
1.) thumb/ring/pinky around the bars and
2.) index/middle fingers free floating up in the front to shift..
All this as opposed to keeping your thumb and index finger free floating for shifting.

And just for the fun of it.. here's me pulling in my TTT team for a finish @ 32mph averaged =).
(and yes I was in pain when this was taken.. you know, when you're at the finish line, go for the "omg I'm going to die" feeling)
n29008057_30567106_1261.jpgn29008057_30567107_1533.jpgn29008057_30567108_1783.jpg

Sirrobinofcoxly

For a second I was thinking, "Holy crap!~ Is that your home workshop!?!??!@". Now I know better.

BikeInMN

The current pricing on that frame and fork make it an unbeatable deal. I picked up one for my wife and a spare for myself.

dcon

Very nice!

RideLots

Digitoast (or BikeinMN for that matter) Have you ridden the frame yet? I'm on the fence about picking one up asap... How's the ride, finish, geometry etc? One thing's for sure, its gorgeous.

BikeInMN

My wife has put some time in on her elgogo and is super happy with it. I just finished the build on mine and plan on getting out on it this weekend.
Geometry is good (IMO) for a TT rig. 75 STA and shorty chain stays are what works for me. Just looking at the numbers, it should be a stable bike when you're down on the bars.

Finish is pretty good and both frames went together without a hitch. It's the first time I've ever done the cut and glue with a steerer/insert (the alpha q method) but it wasn't a big deal.

One thing I will say is there is very little clearance between the chainstay and the crank arms on an SRM, it's a lot tighter than on my P3. Not sure if it'll be an issue. The SRAM Rival cranks on the other build had better clearance.

The way they list their sizes is odd. Don't use the frame size as your guide, use the TT length.

I'll put some miles on mine this weekend and report back.

digitoast

I havn't been able to get out on my bike yet =(. Foul weather has been at play in addition to me being very busy trying to finish up a large remodelling project for my condo. I promise more photos and a ride report when I get a chance, but unfortunately can't promise it'll be soon =(

I do, however, have a teammate J who has put in a lot of miles on his frame already. He raced it last weekend and word is that it rides very well... not sure how exactly, but better than a Bianchi TT that parts were transferred from. My team captain T borrowed J's TT for his own race that day and ended up loving it so much that he ordered one as soon as he got home . ATM, there are a lot of angry wives and girlfriends on my team lol!

My impressions thus far:
Finish/quality... Two things to complain about:
1.) You get typical "Salsa dropout Q/C" with the frame. Many Salsa frames that I've seen have TERRIBLE rear dropouts. My driveside-rear had to be filed out before my wheel would fit .
2.) I've been having to take off my skewer to take out the rear wheel. Spacing is pretty tight on the frame and if the skewer is left in place, it bashes and gets stuck on the part of the RD that you bolt into the hanger. Not really a big deal, but I can already imagine myself swearing come time to change a flat mid-race.
Other than that, nothing bad to say. Beautiful paint job, finish, much better looking in person than any picture can show. I'll also point out, like BikeInMN did, that the stays and crankarms have very little clearance. With my 172.5 FSA, I only remember seeing 5mm (if that).

Geometry... basically what BikeInMN said. Make sure you don't follow the frame sizing guide, talk to a fitter and go with the TT length. My Cervélo is a 54cm w/ 100mm stem, and I bought a 49cm ElGoGo fitted with a 90mm stem. The 49 fit me without a problem, I was able to get into a comfortable position while keeping correct geometry, etc.

KramerTC

A quick search on the Salsa Bikes website shows no local dealers for me. I'm on the market for an inexpensive TT frame. What's the price of this frame?

Grasschopper

Salsa is an offshoot of QBP...any bike shop that orders through them can get you a frame.

KramerTC

I see. Thanks and sorry for hijacking the thread. Mind posting the MSRP?

cydewaze

Nice looking bike, and workshop.

I'll be needing to plan my workshop soon, when we finally get moved into the new place.

digitoast

MSRP on the frameset is $1,050.... I'll also risk my head and venture far enough to say that (most) everyone who is building one in the next few weeks is probably not paying anything near that though. Brown nose a QBP dealer and see what they'll sell to you for.

kraftwerk 

Once installed can you ever dismantle the alpha Q head set?

Hirohsima

How do those oval concepts brakes feel? Are they squishy? I like a snappy feel and I currently use old Dura Ace aero levers. Can you give me some impressions on these levers?

BikeInMN

Once you've glued the plug you're stuck at that length on the steerer. Everything else is the same.

BikeInMN

I've got an in through my race team so my out the door cost including tax on two framesets was substantially below retail of one frame. The price for just some guy walking in the door would be 500+ tax.