Santa Came Early - New Bike
12-20-10, 11:13 AM
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Santa Came Early - New Bike
My wife and I had a great time this year racing and training at the LA Velodrome in Carson, CA and we had the opportunity to meet some new cyclists as well as race with Cleave. Traveling with a bike on the airlines is getting harder and more expensive each year. So we decided to rent a locker at the velodrome and put two additional track bikes there so we could fly down for the weekend and race.
Deciding on a new bike is always tough and IMO even more difficult with track bikes. There is not as much from which to choose and the really nice frames are very expensive and harder to get.
I decided on a Felt TK2 which is the top of Felt's aluminum frame line. They market it as a complete bike and I used the LBS that sponsors our racing club and got the club price.
Classic garage door pic
The carbon endurance bars that come stock are very cool.
Here is the marketing pitch from the bar manufacturer...
SPHINX is a dedicated endurance racing bar. World points racing champion Cameron Meyer helped our team engineer this design. Its unique forward ‘bend’ supports the rider in the ‘sphinx’ wide-aero position pioneered by the great Spanish track champion Joan Llaneras. This innovative bar combines a new UCI-compliant aerofoil top section with lower handholds from the established and popular ERGOSUM. The ‘wingtips’ of the aerofoil meet the upper part of the round-section drops, which are slightly tilted up. This allows riders to hook their wrists inside the bend, palms facing outwards. The vertical section of the ‘bend’ flattens into a narrow aerofoil section, and then joins the bottoms which provide a conventional round-section handhold for the sprint. SPHINX provides optimized positions for points and Madison races that alternate between level high speed and all-out sprinting.
Deciding on a new bike is always tough and IMO even more difficult with track bikes. There is not as much from which to choose and the really nice frames are very expensive and harder to get.
I decided on a Felt TK2 which is the top of Felt's aluminum frame line. They market it as a complete bike and I used the LBS that sponsors our racing club and got the club price.
Classic garage door pic
The carbon endurance bars that come stock are very cool.
Here is the marketing pitch from the bar manufacturer...
SPHINX is a dedicated endurance racing bar. World points racing champion Cameron Meyer helped our team engineer this design. Its unique forward ‘bend’ supports the rider in the ‘sphinx’ wide-aero position pioneered by the great Spanish track champion Joan Llaneras. This innovative bar combines a new UCI-compliant aerofoil top section with lower handholds from the established and popular ERGOSUM. The ‘wingtips’ of the aerofoil meet the upper part of the round-section drops, which are slightly tilted up. This allows riders to hook their wrists inside the bend, palms facing outwards. The vertical section of the ‘bend’ flattens into a narrow aerofoil section, and then joins the bottoms which provide a conventional round-section handhold for the sprint. SPHINX provides optimized positions for points and Madison races that alternate between level high speed and all-out sprinting.
12-20-10, 11:20 AM
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Looks like Santa has a thing for black bikes this year. 
12-20-10, 02:31 PM
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12-20-10, 02:36 PM
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12-20-10, 02:46 PM
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Very nice Hermes! One of my friends has those bars and does hook his wrist inside the bar, looks very strange. I'm hoping Santa will get my new track frame here soon, it's a Van Dessel Drag-Strip Courage. I'll be heading to the Home Depot Center more next season, hope to see you and Velo Diva there.
12-20-10, 03:00 PM
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Very nice Hermes! One of my friends has those bars and does hook his wrist inside the bar, looks very strange. I'm hoping Santa will get my new track frame here soon, it's a Van Dessel Drag-Strip Courage. I'll be heading to the Home Depot Center more next season, hope to see you and Velo Diva there.
12-20-10, 03:01 PM
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tony2v, I will have to work on hooking my arm in those bars.
12-20-10, 03:08 PM
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WOW!! Almost too pretty to race!! ENJOY!!
ENJOY!!
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Take Care, Ride Safe, have FUN! :)
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12-20-10, 06:52 PM
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Very nice. Nice garage door too. 
Those bars are certainly something. I've been looking at 3T road bars lately. I'm becoming disillusioned with ergo bars. I can get the reach right on the hoods, or in the hooks, but never both. I saw a bike set up with 3T Rotundo bars and they look like just the ticket to get the reach the same in both places.
The bars on your bike look like they were thinking the same thing when designing those too.
Those bars are certainly something. I've been looking at 3T road bars lately. I'm becoming disillusioned with ergo bars. I can get the reach right on the hoods, or in the hooks, but never both. I saw a bike set up with 3T Rotundo bars and they look like just the ticket to get the reach the same in both places.
The bars on your bike look like they were thinking the same thing when designing those too.
12-20-10, 07:00 PM
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Nice bike Hermes. I believe the bike is averaging 8 mph with no one riding it, It's just begging for a punishing sprinter.
12-20-10, 07:03 PM
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Very nice. Nice garage door too.
Those bars are certainly something. I've been looking at 3T road bars lately. I'm becoming disillusioned with ergo bars. I can get the reach right on the hoods, or in the hooks, but never both. I saw a bike set up with 3T Rotundo bars and they look like just the ticket to get the reach the same in both places.
The bars on your bike look like they were thinking the same thing when designing those too.
Those bars are certainly something. I've been looking at 3T road bars lately. I'm becoming disillusioned with ergo bars. I can get the reach right on the hoods, or in the hooks, but never both. I saw a bike set up with 3T Rotundo bars and they look like just the ticket to get the reach the same in both places.
The bars on your bike look like they were thinking the same thing when designing those too.
Hermes, you should have bought that bike a house down in LA. It deserves more than just a locker. lol
12-20-10, 07:28 PM
#19
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Your excuse isn't going to work with me. You just wanted it and I don't blame you. Nice looking bike Rich. What kind of saddle is that on the bike, or are you going to put another one on there? Those bars look dynamite.
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George
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12-20-10, 07:40 PM
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12-20-10, 08:10 PM
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She has the $4490 frame and the World Stripes.
I will hang it on the wall in the living room.
Do not say that too loudly. My wife suggested property close to track in LA.
George, it is too hard of a saddle for your ass and probably mine. Fortunately, I do not have to ride a century on it. Felt TkR Bladed Carbon fiber Airo Micro Adjust seatpost, Felt SL Road saddle w/ Carbon injected base, embossed cover & hollow Cr-Mo rails
I will hang it on the wall in the living room.
George, it is too hard of a saddle for your ass and probably mine. Fortunately, I do not have to ride a century on it. Felt TkR Bladed Carbon fiber Airo Micro Adjust seatpost, Felt SL Road saddle w/ Carbon injected base, embossed cover & hollow Cr-Mo rails
12-20-10, 09:13 PM
#22
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The bike shop wants me to try a Selle Italia SLK and I"m leaning toward the Max Flight.
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12-20-10, 09:23 PM
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12-20-10, 09:32 PM
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Congratulations on getting the Felt. Buying it makes perfect sense. I wish you will have much success racing it. I admire your ability and discipline.
12-20-10, 11:20 PM
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