Custom Tsunami build

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jmilliron
Posts: 2012
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:03 pm
Location: Denver, CO

by jmilliron

Yup, I dig it.

Though, do you have long femurs or something? More setback then I'm used to seeing.
2013 Wilier Cento1 SR || 2009 Ridley Crossbow || 2011 Yeti AS-R 5 Carbon

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fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

Yes, very long femurs.

The frame has a 72.5 deg STA, and I am running a 27mm setback seatpost with the saddle mounted a bit behind the center of the rails.

by Weenie


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majklnajt
Posts: 3637
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:40 pm
Location: Lenart, Slovenia EUROPE

by majklnajt

Nice ride!
Simple and elegant!

I liked it more with the Easton bars... looked more comfy ;)

NGMN
Posts: 1497
Joined: Mon May 30, 2005 7:13 am

by NGMN

That is a classy looking bike

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Powerful Pete
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Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:22 am
Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

Perfect with the Ambrosios.

Simple. Classic. Elegant. Race Bike.
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

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fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

I have now put quite a few miles on this bike with the different wheel / tire combinations, so I wanted to expand my thoughts a bit and provide a more detailed ride report:

Fit: This frame was built using dimensions from my latest fit (which I felt very comfortable with), and so that I could run a -6 degree, 120mm stem with minimal to no spacers (yet still achieve a good stack height, hence the relatively tall head tube). On paper, all the critical measurements are within a couple millimeters of each other. However, for some reason I have been having minor discomfort on the bike, mainly pressure on my hands. Part of me thinks this may be due to me not being able to ride as much as I used to (I pretty much only ride on the weekends right now due to work schedule, and unfortunately due to lack of motivation). Hopefully, I will snap out of this and start riding more, and I am hoping my body will once again appreciate the old position which it once was so used to. Also, the classic bend 3T Rotundo handlebar is not working for me, so I am going back to the shallow drop Easton EC90 SLX3.

Frame: One quality that is immediately noticeable about this frame is the stiffness in the BB area. When placed in my fluid trainer, the lateral movement in the BB is noticeably less than the Lynskey-built titanium and Planet X carbon fiber frames I have been riding lately. I don't think this really makes a difference in real life, but the difference is there. As far as front end stiffness is concerned, I guess it is good because I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary there. The bike tracks and corners well, and holds its line confidently in the corners. The frame is also reasonably comfortable when I am using my Ambrosio Nemesis / Bontrager tubular combo, or using my Campy Zonda 2-Way Fit / Hutchinson tubeless combo. With the Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL / Veloflex Corsa clincher combo, the ride can be buzzy / harsh at times, especially over chip seal.

Wheels / Components: I have been riding the Ambrosio Nemesis / Bontrager Race X-Lite tubular (290 tpi, latex tube) combo a lot lately. The stiffness of the wheels seems good (no brake rub front or rear), and the tires ride pretty well at 120 psi (I am a big guy, so I pump them up a bit higher than usual). Although I should note that it is not quite the difference that I remember feeling between clinchers and tubulars when I first made the switch about seven years ago. This is probably a testament to how far clinchers have come along in the past few years. I also really enjoy the ride with the Campy Zonda 2-Way Fit / Hutchinson tubeless combo on this frame; it compliments the frame well IMO and it is definitely the most comfortable setup among all my options.

I also want to share my thoughts on SRAM Red. I just rented a bike with Campy Record on it, and after riding it for a day I couldn't wait to go back to SRAM. IMO, double-tap shifting is hard to beat (my big hands did not get along well with the thumb shifters), the ergonomics are really good, and of course the weight is hard to beat. Having ridden Di2, I wouldn't change SRAM for anything else at this point other than Ultegra Di2.

This is all I can think of for now...

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Powerful Pete
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Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:22 am
Location: Lima, Peru and the Washington DC area - it's complicated.

by Powerful Pete

Thanks for the update (despite the sacrilege re: SRAM & Campagnolo :wink: ).

Sounds like a nice bike. And makes me feel bad for getting a new set of wheels with DT Swiss rims (with Campa Record hubs, of course) instead of sourcing Ambrosios!

Enjoy it and get your riding mojo bike! That is a hot ride!
Road bike: Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix...
Supercommuter: Jamis Renegade...
Oldie but goodie: De Rosa Professional Slx, Campagnolo C-Record...
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

tigoose
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:23 pm
Location: Mal Born, Oz.

by tigoose

excellent bike indeed. i'm thinking of doing the same as i'm after a tall head tube too. i may even go for a 19cm head tube but things aren't worked out yet. can i ask did you consider a Spooky frame as well and if so why choose Tsunami over Spooky?
also could you pm me the price of the frame alone too please if it's not intruding too much?
one last thing, does the harsh ride of the frame cause the lack of motivation to ride?
regards

jz4nyc
Posts: 666
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 7:07 am

by jz4nyc

fa63--nice writeup, sounds like you're having fun. drop that psi! you don't need 120, it'll ruin any frame's ride. i'm close to 200lbs and run 100psi at most on any of my wheels on my tsunami (including on carbone sl's like yours), and that's on nyc roads which rival any crappy roads in the 3rd world. i promise you, try it, it'll be a world of difference. :beerchug: :thumbup:

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fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

tigoose,

Thanks for the compliments. I didn't consider Spooky, mainly due to personal preferences. Plus, everything I read about the Tsunami frames was positive so I figured the chances of me being another satisfied customer were high (and that has indeed been the case).

I don't think Joe (with Tsunami) minds if I post the price of the frame; it was $750 including paint and shipping to me. Keep in mind this was about five months ago, so his prices may have changed since then.

As for the harshness of the frame- I wouldn't really call it that, by the way; the choice of tires/pressures has a huge impact on the ride of any bike and with the tubeless or tubular tires, the ride is far from harsh. With that said, my lack of motivation to ride the bike is only related to my crazy work life. If I worked a regular 8-5 job and didn't have to take work home with me all the time, I would be riding a lot more.

Good luck with your decision!

tigoose
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:23 pm
Location: Mal Born, Oz.

by tigoose

thanx fa63,
can i ask your inseam measurement and saddle to bar drop?
thanx for your info
regards

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fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

My inseam is 85 cm (33.5 in.). The saddle to bar drop should be right around 5 cm.
Last edited by fa63 on Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tigoose
Posts: 234
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:23 pm
Location: Mal Born, Oz.

by tigoose

thanx fa63. i'm 5'10.5 with an 88.5cm inseam with a similar bar drop. quite difficult to get a frame that fits off the shelf. i've been on 55 and 56cm frames as per 2 proffessional fits over the years but nothing hits the spot.
i'm selling 4 frames on the bay that are 56 as i've just acquired a 58cm frame to see if this works. 20cm head tube old steel threaded thing, so far so good.
my saddle height is 77.5cm.
regards

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fa63
Posts: 2533
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

Just put on a Ritchey Classic seatpost to match the stem:

Image

The seatpost is advertised as having 25 mm setback, but when compared to the old seatpost that was on there (with 27 mm setback), the saddle is about 1 cm more forward with the rails clamped in the same place. So I have had to push the saddle all the way back to make up for the difference. We will see how that works.

HillRPete
Posts: 2284
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:08 am
Location: Pedal Square

by HillRPete

I've never seen alu/carbon wheels look so good on a bike, the brake track works very well with the chrome parts. The Ambrosios look classic and very nice as well.

by Weenie


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