MIKE:
Kestrel RT700 frame buyer
Happy as I could possibly be. See blog for love stories.

Mike,

Your 2009 FLY Pro:

Does it have the 2007 or 2008 SID Race?

I'm loving my Vuelta XRP Carbon 50mm wheels, by the way.

Thanks.

There is a lot of confusion about this
the 2007 and 2008 Sid are the same; there is a 2009 [not shown on RS Site yet]

The current Fly Pro has the 2007/2008 Sid

Ones coming in after September will have 2009

mike

MIKE:
Kestrel RT700 frame buyer
Happy as I could possibly be. See blog for love stories.

Same here , i am having a hard time putting miles on my Madone Sl for all the miles i am racking up on my RT700.

Lindsay will be requesting payment on Ti Road Bikes Soon

Some will ship out of our warehouse Wednesday; some two weeks later
but due to container loading at factory; I do not know which until they unload

We will ship paid orders as soon as possable

And these last Ti bikes will close out this Holiday Special; which certainly took longer to complete than any of us expected.

It has been an interesting and learningful experiment for me and I hope everyone was happy with what they got. I know that several were; as I have seen their posts

Thanks

Have a great summer

mike
Mike,

What exactly do you mean by some will ship out on Wednesday. Wednesday when?

The waiting is the hardest part. Thanks

Jeff

Did you ever get this resolved???

Thanks, and curious...

DPN

I just talked to my mechanic today and he said he resolved the issue. He said the caps weren't tightened enough so he used some kind of binder to keep them tight. I asked him to throw it on a bike and check it out and he will do a test ride to make sure all is good. Not sure exactly what he did because I was a bit groggy on Percosets when I talked to him.

Not that I am going to ride anytime soon. I broke my fibula just above the ankle this morning and I will be getting surgery hopefully in a couple days to get it set. We had torrential rain through the night and water was pooling in the basement, unbeknownst to me, and when I stepped off the last step onto the tile floor my legs just went out from under me.

Lindsay will be requesting payment on Ti Road Bikes Soon

Some will ship out of our warehouse Wednesday; some two weeks later
but due to container loading at factory; I do not know which until they unload

We will ship paid orders as soon as possable

And these last Ti bikes will close out this Holiday Special; which certainly took longer to complete than any of us expected.

It has been an interesting and learningful experiment for me and I hope everyone was happy with what they got. I know that several were; as I have seen their posts

Thanks

Have a great summer

mike

Mike,

So what you're saying is that there's a chance that my Ti Team is going to be in the first shipment? You said several days ago that the Teams were in the second shipment.

Thanks!

I got the payment request for my Le Champion Ti (non-Team) today. Now just waiting for the tracking number...

I got the payment request for my Le Champion Ti (non-Team) today. Now just waiting for the tracking number...

Me, too. Hurray!

Nothing in my mailbox yet......the wait is killing me...

Me, too. Hurray!

Me too. yeah baby!

Did you ever get this resolved???

Thanks, and curious...

DPN


Just talked to Tom again and he said all is good. he used a Loc-Tite binding product called 609. He said they use it all the time on Trek products. He said my hub was milled probably within tolerances but a minor intolerance can have a seemingly larger effect. He didn't think the hub was defective, per se, and that if I swapped them out I might get a hub machined exactly the same. The binder fills in the very fine gap between the hub and the bearings. I feel good now, and insted of staring at this pic...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/novataco/Gerald-4.jpg

I can stare at this one for motivation as I recover...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/novataco/e_H2L8425.jpg

Received my payment request for my 57cm Ti SL. Unfortunately I am on travel. I did make backup plan and having it shipped to my friend. I can not wait!

Steve

Got my tracking # and have a scheduled delivery date of May 20 for my Le Champ Ti. Excellent!

There is a lot of confusion about this
the 2007 and 2008 Sid are the same; there is a 2009 [not shown on RS Site yet]

The current Fly Pro has the 2007/2008 Sid

Ones coming in after September will have 2009

mike


Mike,

I love my Vuelta XRP tubular carbon wheels. Have about 250 miles on them and still true as can be!!!!

Any chance of helping us out with sourcing some spare spokes/nipples? If I break a spoke I'd like to be able to have one on hand...

Also, I was thinking about upgrading to a ceramic bearing...I measured the front bearings as 9mm ID X 20mm OD X 6mm width, but I haven't looked at the rear yet...is it 5 bearings back there?

Any chance of a schematic or cutaway view?

Anyway, a very happy first time customer...


DPN

Got my tracking # and have a scheduled delivery date of May 20 for my Le Champ Ti. Excellent!

Same here. Only 6 days to go for my SL. Too bad I might not be back on Tuesday from travel.

Steve

Are we all supposed to get payment requests? I haven't got one.

Are we all supposed to get payment requests? I haven't got one.

I don't think you get a payment request until just before the bike is ready to be sent out. I seem to recall Mike posting that the titanium road bikes were coming over in two separate cargo shipments, so if yours is in the later cargo you probably won't get a payment request as soon as some. Don't recall how much time difference there is between the two shipments.

I'm not absolutely certain about that info though.

You may want to send Lindsay an email. I asked her why I didn't get a request and she said that my paperwork was missing but she is going to straighten in out. Scared the crap out of me.

Woohoo, I got my payment request!

It feels like XMas!

UPS says I'll get the bike tomorow!!

I'll take lots of pictures and review it this weekend if it shows up.

Well, I guess the Team's aren't in the first shipment. Here's an email response I got from Lindsay asking about them:

"We have not started getting the balance due for the Le champion team ti bikes. We are going to start billing those on the 23rd."

UPS says I'll get the bike tomorow!!

I'll take lots of pictures and review it this weekend if it shows up.

ugh, UPS never came and the status still hasn't been updated by UPS. God I hate UPS..... where is my bike..:cry::cry:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3162/2500789186_9ed6a21286.jpg?v=0
Between busy and rain, just mounted them today, and took a crappy picture before it got dark
- 50mm tubulars

Which bikes did you guys order? I ordered the Ti SL but havent heard from anyone yet.

-K

Which bikes did you guys order? I ordered the Ti SL but havent heard from anyone yet.

-K


Mine's just the Le Champion Ti, but SteveCT apparently has an SL on the way to him. You might want to drop Lindsay an email and make sure your paperwork is in order.

My Ti Road bike is here, looks like I am the first to received it. Unfortunately, I am on travel. My friend stayed at my house and accepted the package for me. Here are two photos. When I returned on wed, I will have it together. There will be more photos soon. Can't wait to come home!!!

Big Thanks to Mike for putting this sweet deal together!

Steve

Nice, I'm soooo jealous. :-) I think mine is still in a container waiting to make it's way to UPS. I can't wait to read the report after you get it together.

So lucky

christmas in may?

My Ti Road bike is here, looks like I am the first to received it. Unfortunately, I am on travel. My friend stayed at my house and accepted the package for me. Here are two photos. When I returned on wed, I will have it together. There will be more photos soon. Can't wait to come home!!!

Big Thanks to Mike for putting this sweet deal together!

Steve

Got mine and assembled it tonight. Very nice!

I can confirm that the rim ERD is 563 for the 50mm tubulars. Please note that the ERD assumes a 12mm inverted nipple just like the current spokes. My wheels look great. Used a new black PowerTap wireless hub and DT Aerolite spokes and Vittoria Evo Corsa CX tires.

This is torture, knowing my new Ti bike is home but it will be another 48 hours before I see it in person.

It sure is Christmas in May.

Steve

Got my Le Champ Ti! All I have left to do is put the pedals on. Looks great, even better than I thought it would. Stem appears to be a 10cm. Bars(44cm C-C) are wider than I expected them to be on a 53cm, but I have a Deda bar and stem that I'd planned to switch to the Le Champ anyway. Probably will switch my Neuvation R28 SL3's to it, as well. I'll give it a test ride with the stock parts before I change things around. Weighs 17 lbs. 13 oz. without pedals (& with all the reflectors still on it.)--dunno how accurate my scale is though.

Post pictures :-)

Was able to get in about a 30 minute test ride today on my Le Champ Ti. Smoooooth. Takes off like a rocket when you sprint. My ride was all flats today, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Le Champ climbs. I think people are going to love their ti road bikes from BD. Slight cross-chaining issues with the compact crankset and 12-27 cassette, but I didn't give that a thorough test. No flex related problems. Worked flawlessly just putting it together and hitting the road with it. Seems like it's going to be a great bike. Big thanks to Mike for the deal!

I'll try to post a pic or two tomorrow.

A few pics of my Le Champion Ti. I put on some SPD pedals I had sitting around because that's what's on my other road bike and the type of cleats that are on my road shoes. Tried to show the nice welds in the second pic and the shaped tubes in the third pic(which haven't shown up well in any photos I've seen of the Ti road bikes including this photo). Poor photos but my camera was running out of juice. The bike looks just like the bike in the Bikes Direct gallery of it, so look there for better photos.

First things I'm going to do next are switch saddles and take some spacers out. I badly want to get back on the road with it, but t-storms threaten today, so it looks like I'm going to have to wait a while.

Here is a comparison of my Shimano/Pro2Race training wheels and the Vuelta/EVO CorsaCX 50 mm tubies.

trainers:
3/25 Distance: 15.15 miles, Ave Speed: 22.0, HR: 154, Ave Cad: 83, Norm Power: 238
4/22 15.80 22.6 156 88 240
Vuelta's
5/20 15.94 22.9 158 89 247

Each trial consisted of 2X20 min. intervals with 2 min rest for 42 min total. The first and last rides were on the same course. You can see a little training effect and benefit from higher cadence in that my power went up. Overall I would say that the tubies aren't slower and may be a bit faster. Next month I'll do the trial with the trainers. My fitness should flatten out a bit. I'm into triathlon, so I don't churn the watts (300+) of the cyclists.

Here is what I have done with my Ti SL so far. Bike is well packaged with no shipping damage. The bike is assembled with little effort. Brakes need to be adjusted and the shifting is pretty good out of the box. The frame is gorgeous! The photo does not do it justice. The top and down tub are triangular shaped while the chainstays are ovalized.

So far I removed all the reflectors. The spoke protector is next but I will wait till tomorrow. I installed a Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow Saddle. Tomorrow I will fine tune it and go for a test run. I might have to get a seatpost with more setback.

The Ti bike is beautiful, I will report back with a ride report.

Steve

Damn it.

IT'S GORGEOUS!!!! SHOULD OF KEEP MY ORDER DUB

And my bike is on the unopenned container!!! Why me? When is the other container going to be openned and the bikes shipped? It is Memorial day weekend and I won't be able to ride my sweet Ti bike.

Well, at least they should start billing us today according to the email I got from Lindsay last week (see post above).

I've been billed and paid. Did that last week. I'm only missing the bike now.

Took the Ti out for the maiden shake down run. The bike handles well and feels nice. The shifting is really nice and smooth after I tightened the barrel adjuster by a quarter of a turn. I can't give a more detailed report until I go for longer distance. But so far so good. Here is a Bike Forums approved photo of the Le Champion SL. :D OK, time to put the bike back on the stand to admire the beautiful bare titanium finish.

Steve

I did a 2 hour ride on my Le Champ Ti on Sunday. I'm still impressed with the way the bike soaks up the road vibration without feeling flexy and without feeling dead. Not much climbing on my ride, just some overpasses--bike was fine on that. I haven't put a computer on the bike yet, so I don't know for sure how fast I've been; there's one section of this loop that I typically hit over 40 mph and the Le Champ Ti was rock steady on that. The Cane Creek brakes are more than adequate for me. As expected, the Ultegra shifting was nice. The Biomax bar is a mixed bag--I don't care for the drops, but I like the slightly swept back tops of the bar. I prefer a narrower bar than what was supplied on my Le Champ, so it's coming off anyway.

Should be able to get in another 2-3 hour ride with a bit more(although gradual) climbing on Monday. This is my first bike with a compact crankset, and it's working out well for me. Overall, I'm extremely happy with the bike. To all whose bikes haven't been delivered yet--trust me, it's worth the wait.

Took the Motobecane Ti SL out on a first real bike ride. I am very happy with my purchase. My comparison is mainly between what I used to, a 2000 Cannondale with the CAAD3 frame. I have been making incremental upgrades to my Cannondale over the years, it is a very stiff frame and weighs 18.5lb with all the trimmings. The Ti bike definitely feels lighter. The Moto also feels tight, it holds a tighter line around the turn. Getting out of the saddle to mash hills, there wasn't any noticeable flex. With the 12-27 cassette, I did feel like something is missing in between two gears near the middle. The 12-25 on the Cannondale has a tighter gear ratio, but I am sure I will get used to it. Where I am most impressed with is the ride quality. On a familiar bumpy downhill portion, my Cannondale used to "bounce" around. The Ti took the edge off, it feels more stable and compliance. The Ritchey WCS wheels spins up nicely. I am very happy with my purchase. I may have to get a seatpost with more setback for better fit. Other than that, the bike is great as is.

Steve

I'm jealous of you guys! I paid for my Team and got a tracking number, but it still says only "billing info received" so I don't think its actually started shipping yet. I'm hoping the estimated delivery date of Tuesday holds up!

I'm jealous of you guys! I paid for my Team and got a tracking number, but it still says only "billing info received" so I don't think its actually started shipping yet. I'm hoping the estimated delivery date of Tuesday holds up!

Me too... :-( My estimate was over a week ago though. I heard that more are being shipped this week but my tracking number hasn't updated yet. The wait is killing me.

Has anyone else received their bike? I've only seen one posted.

anyone want to sell me a 50mm carbon clincher wheelset from the groupbuy?

I received my bike as well last week. I have been on it for about 150 miles. I am not overly satisfied with it. I got the Le Champ Ti with the compact gearing. I don't know why everyone is always saying how great a compact is. I hate it. I should have gotten the sl model which has a regular double setup. There is just to much shifting and even then I never feel like i am in the right gear. My other bike has a triple 52-42-30 with a 13-26 cassette and I can stay in the middle ring for whole rides and the jumps between gears is just fine. And I never thought it mattered because i had shimano equipped bikes in the past but the Campy brifters on my other bike look so sleek and neat compared to those bulbous shimano monstrosities. (Preparing to be flamed) Hopefully the bike will grow on me. I bought it because I had a Ti bike which was stolen a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed that bike. Well enough about mine. I hope everyone else is at least enjoying theirs.

My other main road bike is a triple with a 42 middle ring & 12-23 8 speed cassette. My even older road bike came with a 42t small ring & 13-26 6 speed cassette(ran it with the 42t for the flats but also with a 39t when I was riding routes with some climb.) I agree with you that there's more gear shifting with the compact, but I guess it doesn't bother me as much as it does you. And coming from 6 and 8 speed cassettes, the jumps between cogs on the 12-27 cassette don't bother me much either.

If you don't really need the low end of the 34t compact, you could switch out the ring to a 38t. That'd give you pretty close to what your 42 ring & 13-26 cassette is, and not much different than if you'd gotten the 39t of the standard crankset.

42t & 13-26

84.9
78.8
73.6
69.0
64.9
61.3
58.1
52.6
48.0
42.5

38t & 12-27

83.2
76.8
71.3
66.6
62.4
58.7
52.6
47.6
41.6
37.0


39t & 12-27

85.4
78.8
73.2
68.3
64.1
60.3
53.9
48.8
42.7
38.0

34t & 12-27

74.5
68.7
63.8
59.6
55.8
52.6
47.0
42.5
37.2
33.1


Edit:
Just got through looking at FSA's website, and FSA even makes a 39t chainring for compact cranksets.