Building my first 'ghetto' TT bike: opinions? pics to follow

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davidalone
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm

by davidalone

So like most of you who race, I have a nice road bike.
Up until now I've not had a TT bike, mainly because the cost of keeping a dedicated TT bike for the couple of TT's I do a year ( 2-3) was impractical. I've just slapped some clip ons on the road.

However, I managed to pick up an Old-new-stock orbea alloy TT frame ( orbea aletta, allo rame, circa 2008) for $100 a few weeks ago, and the spare parts bin is being raided to put this ghetto TT bike together. It's ceratinly not the most aero frame out there- it's still running exposed cables, but hey, for 100 bucks who's complaining?

I know this is weight weenies an all, but I've already mentioned that building a super high end TT bike is not economically feasible- so I'm here asking for tips on how to make the most Bang for buck TT bike out of my parts bin. Maybe suggestions on how I would go about tuning it or making it more aero?

Proposed Build:
( all these part are in the parts bin, or are at least available for a nominal sum)
Frame: Orbea aletta Sz 51 circa 2008 (black)
Fork: Kestrel Aero fork ( I still have the original orbea fork, but I have a spare kestrel fork off a kestrel talon that pairs nicely and looks much better, and also LOOKS mroe aero by my eyeball test)
Bottom Bracket: Ultegra 6700 English thread
Crank : Dura Ace 7800 172.5 53/39 OR Quarq RIKEN 172.5 50/34 (I have bigger chainrings. Quarq is currently on the road bike, I can swap them over for races.)
Brakes: Sram Rival
Brake Levers: Vision Brake levers
Shifters: Sram TT500 shifters
Rear derailleur: Sram Force 10 speed
Front Derailleur: Dura ace 7800
Seatpost: Ritchey Carbon WCS 27.2mm
Chain: Shimano 105
Bars:Vision Trimax team Aerobars with Vision Alloy base bar
Stem: none at the moment, since I haven't dialed in the fit and al the components yet.
accessories: Elite Custom bottle cage on seat tube
Wheels: have some 30mm training wheels on at the moment.

Total spend is less than $400 (not counting the parts from the parts bin)

Any suggestions how I would tune/ make this baby faster? drilling for internal cables? should I go with the kestrel fork or go back to the orbea fork?

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Derf
Posts: 99
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:23 pm

by Derf

Drilling for tidy cable management is a good'un. That way you can also drill the back of your Vision bars and have the shifter cables run straight back to behind the stem.

Probably best not to run a water bottle on the ST, go with a between-the-arms setup (ziptie the bottle cage to the aero extensions).

No one knows fork-wise, so whichever makes you happier.

Go buy some .040 black ABS plastic and make a disc cover for your rear wheel. Get as low as sensible. Aero helmet is definitely worth your while, too.

pantelones
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 2:24 am

by pantelones

After ensuring that your build up is clean and tidy I would focus most on getting a solid and aggressive aero position. This is where the benefit of a TT bike is.

After that I would prioritize a well fitting Skinsuit, TT helmet, low CRR tires & latex tubes, wheels.

Oh, and shave your legs too.

Dalai
Posts: 1491
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:54 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

by Dalai

davidalone wrote:Bars:Vision Trimax team Aerobars with Vision Alloy base bar


If racing under UCI rules, confirm the Vision basebar is UCI legal (3:1 aspect ratio). I had to swap out my Trimax bars when they changed the rules a few years back...

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