BluesDawg

Tempting. My son has outgrown his bike and he is rapidly approaching needing the same size bike as me.

GipsyKing

Not to tempt you guys too much, but today is the last day of the current 20% off deal they are running. Heh heh!

foofighter29er

the 20% does not apply to the bike, since they did a 15% off bikes and frame (i emailed them and asked and they schooled me on the fine print)

GipsyKing

Ah, good to know, foo. Still, 15% off ain't bad. If I didn't have it, I'd buy the same bike again at that price fo sho.

DirtRoadRunner

I rode mine into work today for the first time. Overall it is a very nice bike for the price. The generic saddle is even comfortable. I like that the new 105 brifters have internal cable routing like my SRAM Rival brifters. Ride quality is great with the steel frame and carbon fork. It handles pretty well too and is fun to ride. Overall a big upgrade from my downtube-shift touring bike I was commuting on. $725 shipped. I added 700x25 tires for commuting and it is reasonable quick. I plan to take it on a 50-ish Forest Service road gravel tour this weekend!

foofighter29er

I did the same thing, running 700x25 scwhalbe Ultremo dd

ean10775

15% off still got it to me for under $700 and that is with Ohio tax added. I'm building it up now and apart from a couple minor inconveniences I'm happy with how everything is turning out for the price paid.

Timm357

Stopped at the store for 5 minutes to grab a steak at 10:30 am 2 Sundays ago and the only crack head awake and in the area walked with my bike helmet and gloves. Just finished mounting my Aksiums, Kool Stop salmon pads and Gatorskin 700 x 28's. It was glorious and I loved it. I have a good relationship with the local police and the camera footage was excellent. The resulting positive ID of this a$$hole resulted in a Grand Larceny warrant being issued. Some lucky scumbag probably picked up my new steed for $50 or less. I know I know should have locked it up, but at 10:30 am on Sunday you would think 5 minutes would be ok. I liked it so much I think I'll order another. Dammit.

Barrettscv 

Sorry 2 hear.

GipsyKing

Yeah, that sucks. Sorry to hear that!

ean10775

Got mine built up this weekend and took it for a test ride yesterday. I swapped out the old Shimano 7-speed shifters, cassette and 105 9-speed derailleurs and chain from my #2 road bike onto the Nashbar, put a Tektro RX-5 mini-v on the front, and opted for a set of old Ultegra/Open pros mounted with Conti Gatorskins (though I'll run Challenge Grifos for CX). The build came it at 23.4lbs for a size 58cm, but I dropped 1.9lbs off of my #2 road bike by swapping in all the 10-speed stuff from the Nashbar, therefore, I would guess it would have been in the 22lbs range - still no lightweight, but respectable for a lower-end chromoly bike. The frame rides well - very predictable and comfortable. I'm glad I went for the smaller of the two sizes I was considering. Thanks for all the help I received from this thread. I'm going to have fun, and suffer, racing CX with this thing.

GipsyKing

If anybody is interested in this bike, it shows up in my cart at Nashbar right now for $589.26 shipped. Unbelievable price. Item price reads 687.77. Scroll down to shipping 13.99, then a discount applied of 824.72 for a net price of $589.26. I need to call Amex and get a price adjustment!

ean10775

Does AMEX even offer price protection anymore? I thought they stopped doing that years ago because people were using it too much with all the fluctuations in airfare prices. I'd also guess you'd have a hard time getting a price adjustment since the advertised price is still $687.77 and it seems like a glitch in the shopping cart software is causing the lower price to be offered, but I'd love to hear how it works out - that would be a great deal.

Stoeger

I just tried it and it's showing as $687.77, doh!

GipsyKing

Well I called Amex and I guess they don't do that anymore, that sucks! I think it must have been a glitch anyway as you guys couldn't get it to work. Odd.

nayr497

Has anyone picked up the 2013 version yet? It's red and all steel. Would like to hear a review and see it built up with some swapped out parts (stem, saddle, post, etc.)

Walt_Uoob

I happened across a thread where someone posted a few unboxing pics of the new red version (fifth page, post #48 here). I just ordered this bike too ($663 shipped after a 20% off deal) and should have it by the end of the week. I'll try to post my thoughts and get some good pics, though I won't be swapping out much.

Differences I've noticed from reading reviews/specs of the green version and red version:
-- it sounds like the green version had a carbon fork, whereas the new one has a steel fork (as you note)
-- the new version has "cheater breaks," which I don't think the prior version had
-- they widened out the gearing, from 12-25 on the back to 11-28

nayr497

Just seeing this, Walt.

I've had the red 2013 version for about six months now. I actually like it more than the green version. The ride seems better, nicer, smoother, better handling. I do think the geometry is slightly different. I don't miss the carbon fork at all.

I have full fenders and a rear rack on mine. I run 28mm road tires that are smooth. Have swapped the seat pillar, stem, and bars. Oh, and I actually pulled off the 10-s 105 and put that on a road bike of mine, replacing it with 105 9-speed.

The BEST upgrade I made though was swapping out the Tektro Oryx cantilever brakes for some Tektro RX5 v-brakes. Wow, a world of difference. And the cable clears my fenders as well, no modifications needed. The stopping power is significantly better and I feel much more confident when riding with two full panniers.

I'd suggest this swap to everyone with this bike. The RX5s are pretty inexpensive and besides that, braking isn't something you should really put a price tag on, not in my opinion. New teeth cost a lot more.

Enjoy the bike, Walt!