Just arrived today from Nashbar. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_543482_-1___202389



I only had a chance to take a cursory look at it this evening, but first impression is good. Frame feels pretty light and fork actually feels "feathery." 3k with a gloss clearcoat finish looks good.

Build will be an Ultegra di2 group with ZGti brakes and my own handbuilt wheels (20mm carbon rims (20/24)/Dati/SapimCXray). Stem and seatpost are TBD but will probably be something mid-range sourced from the local bike shop.

This build is for my wife who liked my son's black bike with red accents. But she wanted something a little more feminine. So the bike will be finished with some purple/violet anodized bits and pieces. Nothing too crazy... spoke nipples, seat post clamp, headset spacers and top cap, and some various anodized alloy bolts for derailleurs and bottle cages.

Weights and photos to follow...

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

looking forward to seeing this built up..

Frame weight: 1004g including rear derailleur hanger, 2 sets water bottle bolts, and mounting bolts for di2 battery.

Fork weight: 352g

Finish quality looks more than reasonable for what I paid. A couple rough spots around the cable/wire routing holes, but the holes appear to be molded and not drilled post-production. So that is a big plus at this price-point.

Frame is ready for either di2 or mechanical cabling... another plus. However, the front derailleur cable stop is riveted to the frame and looks completely out of place. Definitely unsightly. Won't be an issue with cranks installed though.

I am fairly certain I can build this bike under 6kg. Again, very impressive at this pricepoint... total cost, with parts purchased at retail will be around US$3500.00.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Bah! I don't have a crown race setting tool for the oversized 1 1/2" fork crown race.

I did trim 14g from the rear derailleur with some of the purple bolts. I need to find some matching jokey wheels that will also shave a couple of grams. Only complaint with the ano bits is they are not all exactly the same. I don't think it will be noticeable when the bike is built, but when holding the various pieces in my hand it is obvious they are slightly different.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Hi,

Any reason why you've chosen this frameset over china carbon frame? I'm guessing because it's Di2 ready?

Cheers.

That and it comes from a known source with a warranty.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Take your fork over to your local hardware shop, find a PVC pipe that will fit over the 1.5" part, snug. Buy a cap. Use the combo to hammer the crown race down.

_________________
Exp001

Pren, I just brought it by the local shop (25km away) and asked them to do it as I bought a few other items. Thanks for the tip though. This is the 3rd time this year I've run into this issue as both our mtn bikes and now her road bike have oversize 1 1/2" lower races. Time to invest in another tool.

Bike is about 75% complete. I need to finish truing/tensioning the wheels and run the rear brake cable through the frame. Using a temporary seatpost and stem I'll get her position sorted before I purchase the final parts.

One issue I have encountered is that the seatpost slips. I've got a generic aluminum post installed using a very lightweight seatpost clamp. I plan to go with a carbon post but will certainly have to use some carbon fixing paste. If I try torquing the seatpost clamp any tighter I am certain the bolt will shear... sadly, I know this from past experience.

One other minor issue... the integrated battery mount uses standard water bottle bosses and bolts. Unfortunately the battery mount itself won't accommodate such bolts. I'm going to have to ream out the bolt holes ever so slightly in the Shimano battery mount and then use a dremel to "shave" the bolt heads to fit. Kind of a PITA but not a huge problem.

Pictures are coming soon...

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Almost finished...

Nashbar carbon frame/fork
Cane Creek 40 headset with USE Ringo-star
Generic alloy spacers
BBB carbon stem
BBB carbon bars
Ultegra di2 derailleurs, shifters, battery, wiring
Ultegra 170mm cranks
Ultegra chain
Ultegra 12-27 cassette
Ultegra bottom bracket
Zero Gravity Ti brakes with Bontrager cork pads
Pro PLT carbon seatpost
Specialized Dolce saddle
Generic alloy seat post binder
Shimano brake cables
BBB composite bottle cages
Custom wheels: 20mm carbon rims, Dati Hubs, CXRay spokes, alloy nipples, 4za rim strips
Bike hub store ti skewers
Schwalbe Ultremo tires
Michelin Latex Tubes
BBB synthetic cork tape

Still a few things to do before I post photos... cut seat post and steer tube. True front wheel and mount tire. Install chain. Wrap handlebars. Should have photos tonight. My scale is dead so I can't post weights.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

The build is complete. The saddle is a monster and needs to be exchanged for something a little more racy, but we are shopping for a decent women's performance saddle. I'm also unsure about the bars. They seem too deep. But she loves them.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Heading out for a first ride. Just above freezing, but a clear sunny day. I'm expecting to make some adjustments along the way. But we'll see what my wife thinks of her new ride.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Great looking bike, love these sorts of builds! One thing I am sure i have read that latex tubes tend to not go to well with carbon clinchers, just something to think about. Still a great build

darkhorse1... considering how flat the landscape is here in North Holland, I'm not overly concerned about excessive heat due to braking. But I did consider that when building the wheels. I'll definitely keep it in mind.

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

First ride was a success. I think we need to tweak her position a little bit and that hideous saddle has to go. But she said she loved it and, for the first time ever, she was faster than me on the flats (in my defense, I was pulling a Burley trailer filled with a 3 year old boy and all necessary accoutrements).

_________________
TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Great job on this project, Ted!

_________________
Exp001