Ghettoe™ cages
We're taking credit for this one.
Ghettoe™ (Ghetto Toe) cages fashioned out of everyone's favorite multipurpose tape, by one of our very own. It's inexpensive, lightweight, and looks great on old bikes with silver cranks. You've got black cranks? Don't sweat it, they can also be engineered in black to match. Blueprints on how to make your own custom set of Ghettoe™ cages coming soon.
American Classic Sprint 350
I like nice wheels. I like nice wheels that are lightweight and comfortable even more. Given that I am not a very good climber, light wheels will reduce the likelihood of getting dropped on the hills. I also like aerodynamic wheels. Because they make me go faster? A little bit, but I'll be honest. I just like the way deep dished rims look. It makes the whole bike look more robust, substantial, aggressive, and yes...fast. If you can't go fast, you might as well LOOK fast knowwhatimsayin? Since those two qualities (light and aero) are almost always mutually exclusive qualities to find in a reasonably priced wheel set, I went with the former and bought a pair of HED Ardennes. I haven't looked back since. Actually my Ardennes review is long overdue, and that isn't the title of this post. So let's get to it shall we?
I just received my new wheelset from American Classic yesterday. As I've previously mentioned, I bought these Sprint 350s for the Raleigh. But since I'm still waiting for that bike to arrive, I mounted them on the Parlee to see how will they look. I have always been partial to white wheels on cars, so why not on a bike as well? The "Alphatype" white/black/red color scheme contrasts the black/white/red frame and cockpit perfectly. In my opinion the white wheels give a nice fresh look to a bike that is commonly built with black Edge wheels. Although the white rims and the single white spoke are a refreshing deviation from the norm, they do give the bike a fixie-ish look to it, which is a little too trendy for my taste. With that in mind, I think I'll leave these for the Raleigh. White on white, black on black.
Alphatype Sprint 350s on a Parlee Z5
Garmin Edge 500
Just got this nifty little device yesterday after months of talking myself out of laying down the cash to get one. Well, I gave the kit (Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor bundle) for a quick spin down the block just an hour ago. And my first impression of the new Garmin Edge 500? This is going to change everything...
I'm geeking out over this thing! Looking forward to tomorrow morning so I can play around with it some more. <3
Garmin Edge 500
RAYS hubs BIKES
hoshi blades with rays hubs ? i wounder how they roll (i want in mag blue) ;D
Back on the road again
My SRAM Red gruppo finally arrived and I wasted no time to get it installed so I can get back on the road.
Here's a brief synopsis of how the install went down.
First thing's first, got to install that GXP 86.5mm press-fit bottom bracket. Buy a special tool for this? No way jose, just grab a threaded rod, a few nuts, and washers from your local home improvement store and you'll have a bearing press for a fraction of what a real one would cost. I installed it crooked and ripped the sleeve so I had to tap it out and re-press it back in (being a little short on patience always leads to these silly mistakes, ugh).
Routing the brake and shifter lines were... interesting. Word of advice, if you have a carbon fiber handlebar with internal cable guides, be careful when routing the cable through because carbon can be very sharp and will cut through your nylon cable sleeves (it happened to me)!
Lastly, whoever assembled the rear shifter assembly owes me an hour of my life that was spent trying to fix his mistake. I couldn't figure out why the rear derailleur wasn't able to shift down from the smallest cog, until my twin brother (he's the patient one) took apart the shifter assembly and found the shifter cable end was stuck in a cavity behind the pawls preventing downshifts! Not only did we waste an hour trying to figure it out, but since I pulled on the shifter cable at least 50 times trying to figure out the problem, the coating on the Gore Ride-On cable has started to delaminate.
Despite the problems and setback, we finished the installation at 2:00 AM. Thanks to Park Tool for making such a sweet bike stand (PCS-10), it would have been twice as hard without it.!
First ride with the SRAM RED gruppo was this morning on a mellow 16 mile ride. I've heard good things about RED and now I know why! shifts are instant and crisp. Yes, the rear cogs are noisy, but it just gives it a more mechanical/manly feel in my opinion. The shifter assembly are ergonomic and feels natural in my hand and the brakes are absolutely spot-on!
Tear down
The tear down is complete. I took off the original gruppo just yesterday. It was my first time, so I didn't really know exactly what tools I needed. Learning as I go, with the aid of my iPhone by my side to watch YouTube clips and read various .PDF files for guidance, is pretty much how I do things these days. 
I don't know what I would do without my iPhone, seriously a purchase I have not regretted.
Anyways, in the picture you'll see that I currently have an anatomic/ergo Curve carbon handlebars transferred from my previous bike. Hopefully I will replace it soon with a FSA K-Wing with a compact drop for my not quite 5'9" frame. I'm looking forward to seeing whether I will more comfortable and hence spend more time in the drops as claimed by many reviewers and magazine articles.
Interbike is just a few days away and I will be there for an entire workweek, opening and closing the show for my employer. I will be stoked to see all the new bikes and gear, and hopefully meet some key people in the industry too.
Pedal pedal pedal!
So subtle
Seriously, can you tell me who makes my new bike? It's too bad those decals are set beneath the clearcoat layer, otherwise I would take most of the branding off. You know, for the whole murdered out look. I might cover some of them with custom-cut-to-size matte black Giant stickers for that tonal matte vs. gloss flavor.
Unfortunately I haven't ridden the bike yet on account that I'm waiting for a new gruppo; a combination of SRAM RED and 2010 Force to replace the Shimano 105. I was tempted to go full Force because the color scheme matches the bike perfectly. But I can't pass up on some of the upgrades found on RED, mainly the Zero Loss shifters, and titanium bits and pieces.
Can't wait!
wheel on!
so i slapped the new wheels on and i found out that the frame is to daym big
my balls was hitting the top tube on stand up ! its either i grow taller or toss the frame!
*frames for sale btw!
Drop Bars Not Bombs
Just in time for Le Sunday Bike Ride, my new drop bar has been installed and wrapped. It was my first time taping a bar and I think I did a pretty decent job. All it took were a couple of YouTube instructional videos, the Shimano shifter manual, and an hour in the garage.
Yeah the new bar is only marginally lighter than the aluminum one it replaced. But it's absolutely more ergonomic and comfortable, the difference is night and day on how it feels in your hand. The larger "aerodynamic" surface feels more robust and substantial, making the bike feel more masculine? The carbon fiber weave isn't too shabby either.
