Man if it ain't broke...
I cut 20mm off the steerer, swapped V-brakes, and put on larger rings. It's down to 20.3x lbs, and that's after putting lighter wheels and tires (slightly smaller) to get it to 20.0 lbs on the nose, but it just didn't have the life that it did with these DT Swiss wheels and larger 42mm Soma tires. 53/39 chainrings for bombing down hills do gear me up, but look super legit and I don't spin out on long downhills, which was a goal. The TRP mini-Vs from a different build hug the 42s really well. I dropped a little weight with them, but they look the business, stop well, and really complement the componentry. Long wheelbase, big roll-over-anything tires, comfortable critical components, light weight and lively, killer looks--what more does a guy need? Cool part is that one can replicate this for a ton cheaper (and a pound or two more in weight, still light!) if they just chuck some R3000 Sora on it and bump to bigger tires!
Glam shot. In real life, it's even more of a butch-yet-sleek road bike+. Love it.
You can get equal performance from other, much cheaper mini-V brakes and normal-length V-brakes that weigh nearly or essentially the same, but they won't look as hot as these. At least to me. [not that the stock FX V-brakes looked bad--they looked totally fine!]
Best looking modern crankset, IMO. Still. Looked great with the 50/34 combo, but stepping up to the 53/39 was almost intimidating as it now looked like a Real Road Bicycle crankset that I better have a worthy frame to hang it off of. Gulp.
Ultegra 6800 11-32T cassette run by a standard Dura-Ace 9000 rear derailleur with a 6800 GS cage setup. Don't be worried about making it work, people! Also, I show this as, to keep the new chain clean, I cleaned not only the faces of each cog, but the flats of every single tooth/valley between the teeth. This is the, maybe, second time I have ever gone to that length to clean a freewheel/cassette. I am glad it's over!
