Custom Tsunami build

[fa63]

Here is a quick shot of the bike with my Mavic CC SL wheels:

[prendrefeu]

Much better!!

[prendrefeu]

Ride report?

[fa63]

Laterally stiff and vertically compliant?

Just kidding; I have some preliminary thoughts but I will wait to write a ride report until after tomorrow morning's group ride.

[jz4nyc]

That bike is all business.

Looks great!

[Powerful Pete]

A pure race bike.

Looking forward to hear your ride report.

Do you mind PM'ing me the cost of the frame?

[fa63]

Powerful Pete- Thanks for the kind words. I sent you a PM with the price.

And ride report is coming tomorrow.

[Powerful Pete]

Mille grazie.

[fa63]

Initial impressions:

I have only done a couple rides on the bike so far, mostly around the roads near my house. This includes riding both on rough back roads and on smooth, freshly paved roads through an industrial park with several crit-style sharp, high-speed corners. For reference, frames on which I have previously spent a considerable amount of time on similar roads include an aluminum Felt F75, Cervelo S2, Scott CR1, Cannondale Six13, a Lynskey built titanium frame, and Planet X SL Pro Carbon.

So far I am very happy with the bike; the fit is good (to be expected from a custom geometry frame, although I might need to go a 130mm stem or a longer reach handlebar, but I will give it a couple weeks and see how this works out), the stiffness is good (no chain rub when out of the saddle even in my 53x12), the bike corners confidently and feels stable when riding no-handed, and the comfort over rough roads was not bad. With the same wheels / tires (Campy Zonda with Hutchinson Fusion 2 tubeless tires) at the same pressure (100 psi), it transmits high-frequency vibrations a bit more than my Planet X and titanium frames, but it still absorbs large bumps fairly well. In this regard, I would say the frame most closely resembles my old Cannondale Six13 (which I have since handed down to my brother) in its combination of stiffness and comfort. With the Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL / Veloflex Carbon combination at 100 psi, it does ride quite a bit harsher. With that said, I think tubeless or tubular tires (my tubular wheels are sitting at the post office to be picked up) will compliment this frame much better.

I will try to expand on this review as I put a few more miles on the frame, especially after doing a little bit of climbing and descending to see how it performs in those situations. But right now I will leave it by saying that nothing beats a good-fitting bike. And here is a shot with the silver Chris King spacers and Thomson seatpost collar fitted:



Next up are the Ambrosio Nemesis / DA wheels, and the titanium bottle cages. After that, I think I will leave it alone and enjoy the ride for a while.

[fa63]

I just picked these up from the post office:









Forum member ergott built these up for me; Ambrosio Nemesis rims laced to Dura Ace 7801 hubs using silver Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples. The rims came in at 464g each, the hubs were 392g total (127g front, 265g rear). The total build was 1,810g. Heavy wheels for a heavy build (and heavy rider) Now I just need to order my tires and start putting these puppies to good use.

[fa63]

I just came back from an out of town business trip, and the Ti bottle cages had arrived:



They weigh 30g each with the included bolts. While the mass is good, the quality seems a bit iffy as they are slightly out of alignment. I will try them out for a little bit and see how well they hold bottles before I decide whether I will keep them on or not.

[LouisN]

Go for King Ti cages !!! And it<s time to cut that steerer tube also !!!

I reallly like the bike !!!

Louis

[Powerful Pete]

Excellent.

Please get yout Ambrosios mounted and a pic taken on the bike. Pretty please?

[fa63]

Finally put some tires on the Ambrosios (excuse the crappy picture, better outdoor pictures to come tomorrow):



I went with a pair of Bontrager Race X Lite tubulars that my LBS gave me a good deal on (I try supporting them when I can, in return I get great service and cheap labor when I need help). From LBS owner's experience and what I have read, they seem to be pretty good tires (290tpi casing with a latex tube) so I will give them a try and see how I like them. Decent weight, too, at 255g per tire. First ride on them will be tomorrow, so I will report on them after I get a chance to ride them.

I have to say though, I think the wheels look pretty damn good on there

You might also notice the classic bend handlebar on there; I switched from the Easton EC90 SLX3 to a 3T Rotundo Pro to get a little longer reach. The trade-off: 100g extra mass (the 3T weigh 310g in 44cm size).

[fa63]

Here are some better shots with the Ambrosios mounted: