Originally Posted by
ThirdCog
Thanks rccardr and brad...May be time to really go crazy.
PastorBob! Congrats to your daughter and hope you get those wheels rolling asap!
Thanks guys.
And back to the subject of crit frame....oldsCOOL, in your honor, I ventured out into town and did 6 miles of circular laps on a street/parking lot area locally that outlines a set of local soccer fields. Found some old chunky headlight in a box here, tossed it on and got out there about 10:00pm. Had the local sheriff rolling through looking. Got to dig into those corners. Seemed like the BL was just wanting more.
Gotta get me one of those new fancy headlights...I don't ride at night much, but nothing like finding that big E.T.-looking head sitting on my bars.
Anyway, yes, this bike just snaps around. I have to say, too, I love the fork on this thing...While I like the larger forks on newer bikes, this thing seems to just keep it dialed in, do the job, and not take up space. I haven't lost teeth from it yet.
Arent these things a blast to ride? I went from a super flexy TrueTemper1 frame on a gorgeous little Trek 460 to this rock solid rocket booster. People would not understand any explanation without going for a ride around town or comparing strava times. Crits carve up corners like it's on rails. Dig the light! If we didnt have so many deer and porcupines I would ride our bike path and country roads. Nothing brings back kid memories like a headlight.
130mm wheels. Fantastic. Once you get used to spreading the dropouts, it's a piece of cake. As [MENTION=170517]rccardr[/MENTION] said, put it in and forget about it. Weight reduction varies due to tire and tube selection but also noting the 7sp freewheels I'm used to are like a little boat anchor. Altogether I guess about a 2.5lb cut.
ETA: the frameset came to me with a Sakae Litage aluminum fork (vintage stuff). Not sure if it is much lighter than steel but REALLY adds to the front brake response and tracks well with the 74deg headtube angle.