Newbie introduction

[Wonderman]

Hi all,

Iv been on here a few days now and have been helped by a few of you already so I thought it only proper to introduce myself in the correct way

So here goes, I'm 29 from England, a regular gym goer and football player to a decent level until recent injuries (and commitments, 9y/o boy starting his own football career) have forced a end to that so being as iv always loved MTB I decided to see how I'd get on with a road bike.

So recently I purchased a trek 3.5 Madone and have loved every minute of it, being the person I am I knew I'd want to improve the bike in any way I could,

So after looking through forums and especially here, iv put together a bit of a plan on what I want to do to the bike in the future I'll put a list below but I'm sure things will change as I go through the process

I will post a pic of the bike as it is shortly and hopefully in a few months post another with the upgrades I hope to make,

My idea is to create a reasonably light but solid bike I can use everyday in any conditions with upgraded parts that I can keep for a long time and perhaps move onto another frame one day when the time/cash flow is right.

I will always appreciate any help or critacism of what I'm doing as I'm fully aware there are some very experienced people out there who know far more than me.

Any ways that's me


Trek 3.5 Madone green and white

Upgrades to come -

Ultegra brakes - ordered (the bike came with 105's)
Ultegra rear cassette - (the bike came with 105)
Ultegra front mech - (the bike came with 105)
The rest of the group is Ultegra
Carbon front mech holder - not found the right one yet

Omni full carbon seat post - ordered
Colnago SLR Flow Kit Carbon Bicycle Saddle white -

New exposed carbon handle bars - I havnt really looked into this yet so not sure which ones -
New exposed carbon stem - as above
Carbon spacers for stem

Mavic cosmic carbone sl wheels
Schwalbe Ultremo ZX Road Tyre

Probably at the end of all this I'd like to either replace the frame or get mine resprayed to one solid colour.

There other little things like some nice lightweight cages and some carbon quick release catches but I won't list everything until its all done.




Anthony

[Kayrehn]

You can google eXotic carbon front D clamp and get it for $29 on ebay or at their own retail shop. I got it, scrap the clearcoat and logo off with a penknife and had a nice matte carbon clamp that works.

For bars, go look at the shape that you like best: traditional, compact, ergo? Round or flat top? Good to consider these before buying on the looks. Some have a longer reach compared to others so you will have to get the right stem length too.

Good luck and post up pics soon!

[mellowJohnny]

Forget the carbon stem unless you are hell-bent on the look. Lots of great AL options out there for 2 or 3x less money. 3T, Ritchey, FSA, or even more exotic brands.

And above all - enjoy and have fun doing it!

Cheers from Canada!

[BTM]

Welcome, sounds like you've got a nice durable build planned out. Any reason you're going for a Colnago branded SLR Flow? AFAIK it's the same as the Selle Italia branded SLR carbon and the Colnago branding seems a little out of place on a Trek - not hating, I own both

Also, regarding the "any conditions" statement, I would keep an AL brake track at least if you insist on going with carbon wheels (they do look awesome)

[Wonderman]

Hi and thanks for your replys guys,

No particular reson for the saddle apart from its light and I like the shape and look of it however as I originally thought some of the components listed have changed slightly,

Iv decided on a Fizik saddle - http://www.fizik.it/saddles/road/Arione_R1/white/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And Im currently considering another set of wheels, probably as a second set to the carbones,

They are from a custom wheel builder in london the spec is -

Dura Ace hubs,
DT 465 white rims on DT competition spokes (revolution at the front)

for £500

[Wonderman]

Thanks for the advice,

Defo wheels and tyres are going to be the first big expense done in the next couple of weeks, I'll take into acc what you've said regarding the smaller upgrades and might consider holding out for a bit longer and going to the more exotic stuff I'll have to weigh up if I feel the extra cost is worth the extra quality or weight save as on the whole I don't know just how far I want to go

Will get pics up as soon as things start moving

Cheers guys