Neo Hyper - Black & Gold

Who are you (no off-topic talk please)

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Bling
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:14 pm
Location: Top of the Podium

by Bling

Avid reader, apathetic poster... Nonetheless, here is my bike:

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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22

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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22

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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22

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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22

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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22

The spreadsheet includes all tuning and cut-offs. I have individual photos of everything cataloged, but I think that is boring.

I'm always interested in the bike owners on this site, so a little about me: I am a 29 year old civil engineer from Nova Scotia, Canada. I have a long time girlfriend and we are expecting our first child in October. My hobbies include snowboarding, cycling, and boxing. I began racing mountain bikes in 1995, which progressed to downhill, dual slalom, road racing, dirt jumping, etc. Unfortunately, my competitive cycling career ended when I went to university, and I only had the time/money for one competitive sport (which is snowboarding - because I'm really good). In fact, I was so focused on school that I had completely given up cycling by the time I graduated. Now I am back at it, I ride about once or twice a week usually between 60 km and 120 km. I jump in the occasional local race, but I have no desire to compete unless I am in top form. I'm also a huge fan of modern furniture design, tattoos, Jure Berk, and designer clothing,.

About the bike --- It was built with equal importance on aesthetics, performance, and value. So here is a breakdown on a few of the noteworthy parts:

Bars and Stem
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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22
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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22
Custom painted flat black with many coats of satin clear. These are from Colbert cycles. The owner was a pleasure to deal with. The weights were slightly above claimed (keep in mind my part schedule posed above includes paint/sanding/cut-off/ti bolts/etc). Shipping was excellent, and I was not charged any unanticipated duty or taxes. The only unfortunate part of the handlebar is the internal cable routing holes are too small, and the force the housing into a tight radius bend. I was able to correct the problem by drilling new and larger holes for the housing. So far this had not affected the bar or ride quality in any noticeable way.

Cables

These are awesome! Picked them up from Fairwheel Bikes. Noticeable improved shift quality and brake firmness from any cables I've used.

Bottle Cage

No problems whatsoever. It seems very secure. I've traveled about 600 km so far, that includes commuting and hopping over curbs, etc.

Saddle

This was an ebay purchase. It was light, cheap, and had terrible reviews. All the reviews said it was too stiff, and came in over weight. I ignored the reviews because I planned to use the saddle to set up my position, then ask Berk if he could build me a combo for an ISP. I will contact Berk eventually, but this saddle is super comfortable, and on point with the weight. I must have the perfect shape sit bones or something, even though it is stiff, it is more comfortable than my Flight, Arione, SLR, or Tioga Spyder.

Cassette
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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22
I am pretty self sufficient, and fairly competent when it comes to tuning bikes. I thought I could make this 88 gram cassette work. And I did, but not wonderfully. I am now riding a Sram Red cassette (11-23 cause I'm hard as *f##k*) on a regular basis. The Recon will be saved for climbing wheels, which I plan to purchase eventually.

Brakes
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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22
A lot of people ask about the brakes. And it seems as though there are so many brake companies claiming performance gains and lighter weights. They are *f##k* road brakes! With 140 psi in a 22 mm tire an infant could lock em up. Accordingly, I just bought the lightest, cheapest brakes I could find.

Chainset
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By greg_kerr at 2012-06-22
I wanted gold crank arms, but it is impossible for KCNC to match the colour of their arms to the colour of their rings. I ended up changing the build to S-Works cranks custom painted to match the bar and stem. Why don't more weenies use these? Everyone seems to be obsessed with Hollowgram, is it just the industrial look? Anyway, these are fantastic, the weight is obviously pretty good, and they seem really stiff. The KCNC blade rings work well too, easy shifting, no problems there.

Wheels

I picked these up two years ago from a local triathlete as a set of 606's for $800. Then I straight traded the 404 on a DT Swiss 240 hub, for an 808 on a White Industries hub. I beat the hell out of these wheels and they have never required truing. The gold decals were made by a local decal shop for way less than what Zipp sells replacements for. It isn't noticeable in the photos, but the decals have a metallic flake in the gold colour.

Frame & Fork

It fits really well. I need a zero stack headset to complete the look/fit, which I'll get around to eventually. I picked it up second hand on this forum. It is stiffer than my previous Kuota Kharma, and handles more like a pro bike. I'm not sure if that is from a steeper head angle, or a fork with less rake... but I really like it.

Any questions don't hesitate to ask!
_____________________________
I'm handsome

stax
Posts: 84
Joined: Fri May 18, 2012 3:35 am

by stax

Nice! Enjoy it as much as possible as the spare time disappears when a baby turns up. Well worth it though.

And i was tempted to say 11-23 doesn't make you that hard when the front rings are so very small but then i noticed boxing is a hobby so i'll hold my tongue... :beerchug:

by Weenie


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btompkins0112
Posts: 2635
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:04 am
Location: Mississippi

by btompkins0112

Very well thought out build! Very impressive!!

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