Ok, as some of you know, I ponied up the $75 for a NOS Trek 2500 aluminum frame, circa 1999. Not a bad deal, I thought....and then built up the following around that frame:
Easton EC90SL fork
Chris King headset
Deda Newton Anatomic bars
Thomson X2 stem
Thomson Masterpiece post
SRAM Rival Groupset w/ 11-26 cog
SRAM Force 50/36 compact crankset
Mike Garcia Niobium 30 wheels (DT Super Comp spokes 20F/24R, brass nipples on driveside, Serenity hubs, steel skewers, 1570 grams including rim tape and skewers)
Look A5.1 pedals
Cateye CDW300 double wireless computer
Deda bar tape
Mountain bike bottle cages from the LBS
Michelin Pro 2 Race tires
Here's some pics.....while it's not the prettiest bike on earth, it's fairly light (definitely lighter than my 5200) and should get the job done:
http://www.dubnet.org/vw97jetta/2500_1.JPG
http://www.dubnet.org/vw97jetta/2500_2.JPG
http://www.dubnet.org/vw97jetta/2500_3.JPG
http://www.dubnet.org/vw97jetta/2500_4.JPG
I'm not totally fond of the huge TREK on the downtube, and the mis-matching blues with the frame, tires, and headset....but I'm kinda hoping in that case that people won't pay much attention to the guy on the "ghetto" bike, since I'm not on the latest and greatest machine that the local shop has in stock :D
I think I might take it out today for its' maiden voyage. Or maybe not.
bigskymacadam
03-27-07, 11:52 AM
looks like it'll do the job. have some fun with it.
celticfrost
03-27-07, 12:02 PM
Here's some pics.....while it's not the prettiest bike on earth, it's fairly light (definitely lighter than my 5200) and should get the job done:...
But far, far, far away from being the ugliest. Actually, I think the combo of blue, black and red is pretty sharp and the white bar tape tops everything off.
Get out of work (or whatever else) and let us know how it rides (frame, wheelset, SRAM).
voltman
03-27-07, 12:05 PM
Was the frame lighter than your 5200, or just the overall build?
GuitarWizard
03-27-07, 03:20 PM
Today was hill workout day, so I didn't want to use the new bike as I'm still working on getting the seat postion correct. After it hit 2 p.m., I had to get out and ride....Tuesday and Thursdays (at the minimum) are work-from-home days, so I said screw it and headed out.
I almost went with a white Toupe to match the bar tape - it was a team edition, and had blue highlights on it, so it would've matched pretty well. Not sure why I didn't do it now. Oh well.
I think the frame is MAYBE a half pound heavier than the 5200....if even that much. The Easton fork is a good half pound lighter than my OCLV one, and then the wheels are about a pound lighter than the current setup on my 5200 (Bontrager Race Lites w/ heavy-ass tires)....and then the Rival groupset with the Force crankset is quite a bit lighter than the Ultegra groupset on the 5200....so it adds up. I haven't weighed it yet, but my 5200 clocks in at around/slightly under 17.5 pounds without the wire beaded tires and no Profile Aqua Rack......and the 2500 is noticably lighter when you pick it up.
I think I may end up having to go back to a 100mm stem on this one (switched to a 90mm on the 5200 and then got a 90mm for this one as well), as I think the geometry might be slightly different.....the seat tip to head tube measurement is quite a bit off, and the seat is adjusted how I have it on the 5200. Plus I'm still waiting for the 36T chainring to come in (don't feel like riding it with the 34T), so it should be getting some miles on it in the coming week or so.
I'm kinda pissed that I didn't pay enough attention to the computer I bought....when I first saw it, I thought it was the Cateye wireless one with the heart rate monitor built in. I opened it up, looked at it, then was trying to figure out where the strap was. Duh. Oh well...guess I'll have to get my Polar F11 repaired soon.
waterrockets
03-27-07, 03:24 PM
Nice work.
DreamTheater
03-27-07, 07:06 PM
Pretty sweet!
I'd suggest some kooler bottle cages. Other than that it looks good. I'd ride the hell out of that.
merlinextraligh
03-27-07, 07:47 PM
that bike makes way too much sense. Wha the heck are you trying to prove, that you don't need to spend an absurd amount of money to go racing?
stea1thviper
03-27-07, 08:54 PM
that bike makes way too much sense. Wha the heck are you trying to prove, that you don't need to spend an absurd amount of money to go racing?
ec90 fork? thompson x2 stem? chris king headset? im not going to through everything, but this is definitely not a bike that proves u can race on a budget (obviously it's also not on the opposite end of the spectrum either). the frame is a good deal tho ill admit that.
anyway, nice bike. any bike that serves its owner well is pretty awesome in my opinion.
GuitarWizard
03-28-07, 05:46 AM
ec90 fork? thompson x2 stem? chris king headset? im not going to through everything, but this is definitely not a bike that proves u can race on a budget (obviously it's also not on the opposite end of the spectrum either). the frame is a good deal tho ill admit that.
anyway, nice bike. any bike that serves its owner well is pretty awesome in my opinion.
It only cost me a hair over $2,000 to build.
stea1thviper
03-28-07, 06:26 AM
It only cost me a hair over $2,000 to build.
i was going to say something about how 2k is nowhere near a lower cost bike, but then i thought of what ive put into my bike, and the components you have on yours. good deal! ive personally been trying to find an X2 120mm stem with a 17 degree rise, but can only find them at bikeparts.com at full retail. where'd you get your stem may i ask?
GuitarWizard
03-28-07, 06:32 AM
I got it from a guy that helped adjust my bars/stem.....he basically runs a shop out of his house, and charges less for parts than a shop. I bought my handlebars and stem through him.
And this bike is about $1,500+ less than my 5200 with all the parts I have into it :).
merlinextraligh
03-28-07, 07:11 AM
True $2k is not an inconsequential sum. However if you look at it in terms of what you're putting at risk, if you trash the $75 frame, or even the wheels, you'd still have the majority of that $2000 to put on another frame.
GuitarWizard
03-28-07, 08:20 AM
True $2k is not an inconsequential sum. However if you look at it in terms of what you're putting at risk, if you trash the $75 frame, or even the wheels, you'd still have the majority of that $2000 to put on another frame.
That's exactly why I did it :)
GuitarWizard
03-28-07, 05:09 PM
Ok, today was interesting....decided on a 20 mile tempo ride, as it was windy as **** out today (20-30 mph winds) and saddled up on the new steed....
The bike has really good feel to it....very responsive, and while you can obviously feel more of the road than my OCLV bike, it's really quite smooth. Still gotta work on the bike fit a bit, but it's not too bad. I didn't find it to be really harsh or anything at all. The seat either needs some adjustment, or the Toupes from last year are a hair different than this year....as it was pinching me a wee bit; nothing bad at this point, but something to definitely keep my eye on.
SRAM shifting isn't too bad....shifting to a smaller cog is really nice....very fast, crisp and precise shifts. Shifting to a larger cog isn't too bad either - I just have to get past the mental block of not pressing on the brake lever to do so :D. The front derailleur is ok....but I think it needs a slight adjustment, as when I was in the large ring, it would really rub when I was in the second-to-largest cog.
SRAM brakes are also pretty nice too.....when they're properly adjusted. Apparently the $95 I spent to get the bike cabled up (yeah, I ****ed it up when I did it - I'm apparently better at riding bikes than fixing/building them) didn't include adjusting the toe-in on the caliper. So....I don't know how many miles it was rubbing for, but I guess I got more than my moneys' worth on that tempo workout today. Unfortunately it was so windy out today, I couldn't hear it rubbing.
I like the Niobium 30 wheels and Pro 2 Race tires. I can't really say if they are a noticable improvement over my Race Lite wheels, but they roll well and are comfortable. I think they're 6-7mm taller than my Bonty wheels, and I really noticed that in the strong cross-winds.
It was weird riding with a 34T 'chainring....I instantly missed the 36T and can't wait for that to come in. I also don't know if I really like the SRAM cassette....it should be fine for flatter courses, but anything with rolling to hilly courses, I think I'll want the Ultegra 12-27. I found that I REALLY missed the 21T and 24T cogs. I will have to do a few more rides with it (including a couple hard rides) to see how it stacks up. First impression is kinda take-it-or-leave-it.
I also can't get the computer to sync up, and didn't bother getting it to work before riding, so I went "computerless" today. Need to figure that out.
So....it definitely needs some tweaking, but it's not too bad. The bike feels like it wants to be ridden fast, so I guess that's a good sign.
San Rensho
03-28-07, 05:40 PM
Nice! The 2500 is a great frame. I'd race that all day. You crash and wreck the frame and you're out a whopping $75!