Jynx

I understand you already made your purchase but I agree it is impossible to find a 105 group for anywhere near a decent price. Although I did find one place (they seem to be better then PBK on a bunch of items).


Shimano 105 - $500 shipped

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/K...?ModelID=14453

RC2

Hadn't said much about ill fit, huh... I count 3, thought the last two don't make much sense. Good luck with the bike.

briscoelab

I think they make perfect sense. Likely, the bike has too tall of a head tube for the given size. So, while the HT is too tall, the top tube is too short. Common problem for people with shorter legs/long torso. That bike has a much taller head tube than the older Giant TCR composite bikes.... so that's my guess.

botto 

there are currently two minor issues:

1. the fit has yet to be fully dialed in.

2. i made a mistake when ordering the bars (their measurements are side to side, not center to center). an easy fix.

timmyquest

I haven't ridden with them yet but i have farted around with them at the bike shop, thus far i tend to agree...

RC2

Not talking about the first - head tube height (we agree on the above*).
Botto's stated second and third issues are thinking he should have "gone a size smaller" and "felt a little cramped on the bike". A size smaller would lead to a shorter cockpit, cramping Mr. Botto even more.

*However, I don't think you'll find many bikes with 'too tall of a head tube for the given size' -- some bikes have taller HTs purposefully (eg Specialized Roubaix, Trek Pilot), desinged for a more upright position, while some bikes have shorter HTs for a more agressive, lower position (TCR). The point is - don't spend upwards of 1000 bucks on a bike without doing the basic math on geometry and fit. I'm sure Butto knows this full well and just spaced it.

briscoelab

AHHH... but you miss the problem that some people have. They want to go to a smaller size to get the shorter head tube... but that of course means they are too cramped because of the shorter top tube.

A LOT of bikes have increased their head tube lengths the last couple of years. I think this is because of out of shape old guys wanting to ride "race bikes" without having to use riser stems or spacers.

Examples:

Specialized increased the HT length of the Tarmac 15mm this past year (even the S-works). This makes it nearly as tall in the HT as a Roubaix a couple years ago (now the Roubaix has an even taller HT as well).

Giant increased the HT length on the TCR composite a couple years back, but held out on the Advanced. This past year, they also increased the Advanced model's HT.

Scott increased the HT length on the CR1 about two years ago. Thankfully, they kept the Addict geometry intact.

There are even more than that... but you get the picture. People with long torsos/ shorter legs who want a decent saddle/bar drop have to choose bikes very carefully.

<Sorry for the hijack>

botto 

my tcr comp's HT is 145, and I run 15mm of spacers.

the back up bike has a HT of 160 with no spacers.

the only thing that's different is that I no longer have the option on lowering the bars, if i so desired.

but hey, thanks for the comprehensive analysis.

stuartjeff

I built up a similar bike recently with full Rival. Here's a quicky cell phone pic


I've taken it on one 60 mile ride and am still sorting out my thoughts on Rival. This is also my first compact crank and I think that has more to do with the negatives than anything else.

I really like the SRAM shifting method though. About half way through that first ride I stopped thinking about my shifting and was able to go on auto-pilot no problem. I think its really quite intuitive if you give yourself a minute to ditch your ingrained habits.

My two biggest issues were not really liking how the gearing feels on a compact crank (with a 12-26) and not feeling very confident shifting the front derailleur. I'm hoping that I'll get used to the gearing in time but there just isn't enough overlap for my tastes and the jump from little to big ring is a bit jarring. The mechanics of the front shift also felt a little dicey and I even had one occasion of a mis-shift where I shifted up and the chain failed to shift. I'm hoping at least part of this was pilot error and I'm giving it more time before really making up my mind.

Overall I'm a huge fan of SRAM. I bought the Rival after using Force on my TT bike. Force with TT shifters feels a lot more solid than the Rival as far as performance goes in my opinion. I also think the SRAM TT shifters CRUSH the DuraAce but that's probably for another forum.

The total build ended up costing me about $900 as new/lightly used parts from eBay without the wheels. I'm happy with the bike and plan to ride it good and hard for a long time.

carlfreddy

You must lead a boring life.

Botto-

Good kill on a value backup bike!

Where in the Mid-South are you?

botto 

Bluff City.

sverrefehn

Blues fan?

How have you found the riding to be in that part of the country?

botto 

just arrived yesterday, and have yet to ride.

hopefully tomorrow, although the shop that organizes the ride said "no rides when it rains, or the temp is below 40°."

if those were my rules, i'd only ride in june/july/august.

RC2

Now that's on topic, good one carl.

carlfreddy

What's your point again?

botto 

s/he has none. again.

RC2

Yep, agree on that. I think the 'tit for tat' posting on this got started when I agreed that Botto's build was well put-together for around $1000, BUT, alas, my suggestion that an experienced cyclist shouldn't make the (typically newbie) mistake of buying w/o doing diligence to FIT struck a sensitive nerve.

That, my friends, is a basic first step, and I don't care if the bike "rides like it's on rail, smooth as butter, yada yada yada" -- if it doesn't FIT, it's not going to be comfortable.

bailcash09

I know funtion over form and all, but I really don't dig the tires. They don't go with the all black. IMHO, that build would look better with different (darker) colored tires. Besides, the extra coolness would make you at least maybe 1mph faster

botto 

reading is fundamental.

channeling John McCain?

botto 

1. and i care why?

2. perhaps you missed out on the part that this is a budget build, and i don't care what it looks like, how much it weighs, and what our resident bike fitter surmises from two comments?

RC2

Channeling McCain would be pretty damned cool (but I don't portray to be a national hero).

I'm going to side-step a comment about you channeling my 3-yr old daughter (whoops, slipped out) and let you get the last word in. Happy trails.

botto 

don't let the door hit you on the way out.

RC2

brilliant

botto 

correct. finally.

sverrefehn

Yeah, that would never fly around here either. Good luck in the new, albeit temporary, locale.