Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy

My 2000 5200 has been my every-day bike (except for rain) since I bought it. It's still somewhat stock, having been able to replace tired drivetrain parts with new equivalents, though not the same tooth counts. I wore out the rims of course and the other thing I changed out is the stem, which broke at the single bolt to the bars. Looks like everyone else has done the same. That thing was dangerous! Back then the 5200 came with a12-25 Ultegra, whereas the 5500, for ~$1000 more came with a 12-23 Dura-Ace. See, if you have more money, you're a stronger rider, obviously.

The stupid aluminum cable stops corroded and fell off, as did the paint. I had it repainted twice but it fell off again both times. I finally hand sanded all the paint off down to bare epoxy and epoxied on new cable stops, which have been fine. Aluminum cannot be allowed to contact carbon as it's way too far away on the galvanic scale. An epoxy barrier works fine. The bike probably has around 90K miles, no problems other than as described. Looks more like a Calfee or something now. The frame is just beautiful. I spray it with 303 Protectant to keep the UV off it.

Yeah, not the classic look, but for sure the best purchase I ever made. It absorbs vibration wonderfully and goes where it's pointed.