New TT Ride - Leader 735TT
07-16-06, 01:09 PM
#1
Ride it like you stole it
Thread Starter
New TT Ride - Leader 735TT
Okay, I could have just put these pics in cycle17's thread, but I thought it would be better in it's own thread.
I have wanted a real TT/Tri bike for a long time and have help on a buildup of my nephews Leader Mountain bike. I knew what to expect from a cheap frame and from Leader specifically. I will try to post all the specs I know and the build cost, what is good and bad, per my usual on a bike build. I do not have the frame weight nor the complete bke weight as the batteries were dead on my Ultimate scale and I am waiting for my AAA NiMH to charge.
The Frame:
I chose the Leader 735TT as a basis for this build as it was a cheap frame and I was already familiar with the quality of their frames from the MTN frame my nephew got from them. After unboxing and removing all of the bubblewrap (it was completely wrapped in bubblewrap), I still had alot of cardboard packing material to remove also. To say it was well packaged is an understatement, it was overpackaged. I examined the frame carefully and there were no dings or scrapes in the paint the decals were all properly applied and under the clearcoat, just as they advertised. One thing I did notice is that the front derailleur hanger is not made specifically for the areo tube they use in the seat tube, the profile is different, so the middle of the bracket sticks out from the frame and there is about a 1/8" gap (this info will become important later on). I would like cycle17 to verify if his is that way too. I did order the bike one frame size smaller than my road bike so this is the 53cm model. I did not order the Leader fork.
The Fork:
Picked up one on eBay from Wheels & Sprockets, it is a Real Design Aero fork. It is all carbon and about $60 cheaper than the Leader fork. There is a difference in fork offset, the Leader is 45mm and the Real Design is 43mm. I am not too concerned about the difference since it is in a direction that will increase the trail measurement which will make the bike a little slower steering than a bike with the Leader fork on it. Who needs to steer a TT bike anyway?
The Wheels:
These are my event wheels for my TST. They are a Mike Garcia built wheelset. I will be replacing them on this bike with something else. I am scouring eBay daily for either a Renn disk rear, HED3, or some sort of deep profile clinchers. I have nothing else to say about the wheels. The tires were also takeoffs from my Immortal Force, they are Kenda Kaliente, they are a relatively light smooth surface tire. No need to pay for new tires when I had these and they have never been on the road.
The Cockpit:
The base bar is a Vision aero flat bar that was purchased from Chuck's Bikes and included the brake levers and cables. These looked like overstock/run of the base bars from Felt as the cables had Felt embossed on the ends. These bars are 42cm bars and are very short depth wise. They were a good valve considering the inclusion of the brake levers and cables. The extension bars are a set of Syntace C2 in a medium size purchased from Performance with 10%off and $.99 shipping. There is also a Syntace computer mount that I will use to mount my Polar HRM. I do not think I will put any other cyclocomputer on this particular bike as it is only going to be used for one purpose: Hammering! I replaced the black cork wrap with some red Cinelli gel wrap to better match the frame color. The stem is a 110mm Aeon purchased from PricePoint for this bike. As I get used to the fit I may find myself replacing it for a 100mm stem, so I can bring my elbows in closer to my knees and at more of a 90° angle from torso to upper arm.
The Saddle:
The saddle and seatpost were parts removed or not used in other builds that were just laying around and that I had no other use for. The saddle is a Fizik Poggio Eco that came on our Cannondale Tandem. It is a crappy saddle but it was the lightest one I had sitting around. It will get replaced. The seatpost is a zero setback carbon post from Pricepoint, it was in use on Bittersweet's old Cannondale R400, which I have since sold on eBay. I will most likely keep it as it's the only zero setback seatpost I have.
The Brakes:
Since we all have to stop sometime, there needed to be brakes. Again these were parts removed from another bike. They are Cane Creek SCR5. They are not a bad brakeset, I just never liked the way they secured the arms with the knurled knob and tiny allen set screw. The stop well enough for this application. I am deviating from my standard Kool-Stops on all my bike since I now have a pile of brand new Ultegra pads. I replaced the Cane Creek pads with the Ultegra. It will do.
The Drivetrain:
Shimano Ultegra crank, from and rear derailleurs. All purchased from ProBike Kit. PBK did not have any Ultegra BB in stock so this bike has a Dura-Ace BB, from PBK it was cheaper to get the DA BB than buy an Ultegra stateside. Also from PBK was the Shimano 105 Pedals. They have them in both Black and Silver, the silver look almost identical to the Ultegra pedals, maybe just a bit brighter in color, they are only a few grams heavier, no need to splurge on pedals. The chain was a 10sp KMC that I was able to buy on sale and then another 10% off from Bike Nashbar. Also from Nashar were the bar end shifters. Since I knew I did not want to maintain two different sets of rear clusters I had to go 10sp. The only option Shimano offers in 10sp bar ends is Dura Ace. They have that same familiar click and firm feel of the downtube shifter I used to use. They seem to be very well made. Remeber that comment about the front derailleur mount, here is why it was important. I needed to grind out some along the inside edge to get the front derailleur to move in far enough to actually shift into the small chainring. with the mount sticking out away from the seat tube it could not be mounted in close enough to allow it to shift. It was a minor inconvenience, but it was a little annoying just the same.
My Conclusions:
I just don't have any yet as this bike has been built for a week but I have not ridden it even one pedal stroke because of illness. I will post as soon as I have something. Wait I do have some, I think Leader is filling a market with inexpensive frames that needs filling. I love the looks of the Red/White frame. I don't like all the graphics, but certainly can live with them.
The Pictures:
I did not take any pictures during this build, but I do have a few post build, I hope you enjoy them. They are rather large images. Also try to limit your comments on the number of spacers I left the fork purposely long to fine tune fitting.
I have wanted a real TT/Tri bike for a long time and have help on a buildup of my nephews Leader Mountain bike. I knew what to expect from a cheap frame and from Leader specifically. I will try to post all the specs I know and the build cost, what is good and bad, per my usual on a bike build. I do not have the frame weight nor the complete bke weight as the batteries were dead on my Ultimate scale and I am waiting for my AAA NiMH to charge.
The Frame:
I chose the Leader 735TT as a basis for this build as it was a cheap frame and I was already familiar with the quality of their frames from the MTN frame my nephew got from them. After unboxing and removing all of the bubblewrap (it was completely wrapped in bubblewrap), I still had alot of cardboard packing material to remove also. To say it was well packaged is an understatement, it was overpackaged. I examined the frame carefully and there were no dings or scrapes in the paint the decals were all properly applied and under the clearcoat, just as they advertised. One thing I did notice is that the front derailleur hanger is not made specifically for the areo tube they use in the seat tube, the profile is different, so the middle of the bracket sticks out from the frame and there is about a 1/8" gap (this info will become important later on). I would like cycle17 to verify if his is that way too. I did order the bike one frame size smaller than my road bike so this is the 53cm model. I did not order the Leader fork.
The Fork:
Picked up one on eBay from Wheels & Sprockets, it is a Real Design Aero fork. It is all carbon and about $60 cheaper than the Leader fork. There is a difference in fork offset, the Leader is 45mm and the Real Design is 43mm. I am not too concerned about the difference since it is in a direction that will increase the trail measurement which will make the bike a little slower steering than a bike with the Leader fork on it. Who needs to steer a TT bike anyway?
The Wheels:
These are my event wheels for my TST. They are a Mike Garcia built wheelset. I will be replacing them on this bike with something else. I am scouring eBay daily for either a Renn disk rear, HED3, or some sort of deep profile clinchers. I have nothing else to say about the wheels. The tires were also takeoffs from my Immortal Force, they are Kenda Kaliente, they are a relatively light smooth surface tire. No need to pay for new tires when I had these and they have never been on the road.
The Cockpit:
The base bar is a Vision aero flat bar that was purchased from Chuck's Bikes and included the brake levers and cables. These looked like overstock/run of the base bars from Felt as the cables had Felt embossed on the ends. These bars are 42cm bars and are very short depth wise. They were a good valve considering the inclusion of the brake levers and cables. The extension bars are a set of Syntace C2 in a medium size purchased from Performance with 10%off and $.99 shipping. There is also a Syntace computer mount that I will use to mount my Polar HRM. I do not think I will put any other cyclocomputer on this particular bike as it is only going to be used for one purpose: Hammering! I replaced the black cork wrap with some red Cinelli gel wrap to better match the frame color. The stem is a 110mm Aeon purchased from PricePoint for this bike. As I get used to the fit I may find myself replacing it for a 100mm stem, so I can bring my elbows in closer to my knees and at more of a 90° angle from torso to upper arm.
The Saddle:
The saddle and seatpost were parts removed or not used in other builds that were just laying around and that I had no other use for. The saddle is a Fizik Poggio Eco that came on our Cannondale Tandem. It is a crappy saddle but it was the lightest one I had sitting around. It will get replaced. The seatpost is a zero setback carbon post from Pricepoint, it was in use on Bittersweet's old Cannondale R400, which I have since sold on eBay. I will most likely keep it as it's the only zero setback seatpost I have.
The Brakes:
Since we all have to stop sometime, there needed to be brakes. Again these were parts removed from another bike. They are Cane Creek SCR5. They are not a bad brakeset, I just never liked the way they secured the arms with the knurled knob and tiny allen set screw. The stop well enough for this application. I am deviating from my standard Kool-Stops on all my bike since I now have a pile of brand new Ultegra pads. I replaced the Cane Creek pads with the Ultegra. It will do.
The Drivetrain:
Shimano Ultegra crank, from and rear derailleurs. All purchased from ProBike Kit. PBK did not have any Ultegra BB in stock so this bike has a Dura-Ace BB, from PBK it was cheaper to get the DA BB than buy an Ultegra stateside. Also from PBK was the Shimano 105 Pedals. They have them in both Black and Silver, the silver look almost identical to the Ultegra pedals, maybe just a bit brighter in color, they are only a few grams heavier, no need to splurge on pedals. The chain was a 10sp KMC that I was able to buy on sale and then another 10% off from Bike Nashbar. Also from Nashar were the bar end shifters. Since I knew I did not want to maintain two different sets of rear clusters I had to go 10sp. The only option Shimano offers in 10sp bar ends is Dura Ace. They have that same familiar click and firm feel of the downtube shifter I used to use. They seem to be very well made. Remeber that comment about the front derailleur mount, here is why it was important. I needed to grind out some along the inside edge to get the front derailleur to move in far enough to actually shift into the small chainring. with the mount sticking out away from the seat tube it could not be mounted in close enough to allow it to shift. It was a minor inconvenience, but it was a little annoying just the same.
My Conclusions:
I just don't have any yet as this bike has been built for a week but I have not ridden it even one pedal stroke because of illness. I will post as soon as I have something. Wait I do have some, I think Leader is filling a market with inexpensive frames that needs filling. I love the looks of the Red/White frame. I don't like all the graphics, but certainly can live with them.
The Pictures:
I did not take any pictures during this build, but I do have a few post build, I hope you enjoy them. They are rather large images. Also try to limit your comments on the number of spacers I left the fork purposely long to fine tune fitting.
__________________
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
Last edited by WheresWaldo; 07-16-06 at 04:14 PM.
07-16-06, 04:13 PM
#2
Ride it like you stole it
Thread Starter
I have tried to post the exact cost after any discounts and including shipping and taxes if applicable. Here is the build up cost breakdown:
There may be more stuff that I am leaving out. The total by my count is $1111.57 which I don't think is too bad for a ready to roll Ultegra based TT bike. I will likely look for a new saddle on eBay and something different in wheels, like a used Renn disk or a HED3 Wheelset so the cost will go up some. By comparison this bike is equiped inbetween the Felt S22 and S32, and came out cheaper to build than both, plus I was the one that put it together, a double bonus.
- Frame - Leader 735TT - eBay - 379.00
- Fork - Real Designs Aero - eBay - 96.00
- Base bar - FSA Vision - Chucks - 74.50 including brake levers and cables
- Clip ons - Syntace C2 - Performance - 116.08
- Headset - Cane Creek IS2 - pulled from spare parts - 0.00
- Brakeset - Cane Creek SCR5 - pulled from spare parts - 0.00
- Seatpost - Apex Carbon - pulled from spare parts - 0.00
- Stem - Sette Aeon - Pricepoint - 16.91
- Shifters - Dura Ace 10sp bar ends - Nashbar - 86.75
- Wheelset - Mike Garcia - pulled from other bike - 0.00
- Chain - KMC 10sp - Nashbar - 25.54
- Crankset - Ultegra 53/39 172.5 - ProBikeKit - 138.82
- Derailleurs - Ultegra F/R - ProBikeKit - 82.09
- Bottom Bracket - Dura Ace - ProBikeKit - 32.82
- Pedals - Shimano SPD-SL 540 silver - ProBikeKit - 37.52
- Tires - Kenda Kaliente - pulled from spare parts - 0.00 includes rim strips and tubes
- Saddle - Fizik Poggio Eco - pulled from spare parts - 0.00
- Tape - Cinelli Gel - left over pieces from other bike - 0.00
__________________
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
Last edited by WheresWaldo; 07-16-06 at 04:20 PM.
07-16-06, 05:11 PM
#3
Quarq shill
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ohio
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Nice build. I built a Fort Komet a few months ago, spec'd almost identical. I came in around $1300 with disc and deep front wheel. It feels good to build your own and come out with a good bike for a better price.
07-16-06, 05:28 PM
#4
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I'm looking forward to hearing your reactions after a ride or two. I've been considering a new bike and that frame caught my eye. If you have any more to share on the build quality of the frame, I'd be very interested in your thoughts.
07-16-06, 05:38 PM
#5
Baby it's cold outside...
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SK, Canada
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Bikes: Trek 5000, Rocky Mountain Wedge, GT Karakoram K2, Litespeed Tuscany
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Nice, it looks like it would be a very fun ride for sure!
Congrats!
Congrats!
__________________
-Trek 5000* -Project Litespeed* -The Italian Job* -Rocky Wedge* -The Canadian Connection*
-Trek 5000* -Project Litespeed* -The Italian Job* -Rocky Wedge* -The Canadian Connection*
07-16-06, 06:36 PM
#6
Warrior Cyclist
Hey Waldo! First congrats on finishing the bike! It looks great! Of course I'm baised having recently finished my 753TT bike build also. My FD hanger is the same, but I don't didn't see it as a problem at all. It would take a heck of a bad crash and direct hit to it to possibly have a chance at breaking it off. It is welded to the frame with two beads of TIG weld. My bike also came "over packed" with bble wrap, but you won't ever hear me list that as a complaint.
Now having ridden mine several times (including the most recent TT race last week) I can say that the bike is light 19.8 for a sub $2,000 build, is responsive, yet stable and seems very well designed. I cut 1minute and 11 seconds off my personal best the first race out of the box. Leader has been excellent to deal with and in fact...I'm considering buying another frame from them in the future to build a road/commuter type bike. They have the chance to capture a substantial niche in the market, if they continue to be very customer friendly and offer quality products at a price point the cyclists on a budget can afford.
I think your gonna love the TT bike. I know I do! Mine is already on the Leaderbikstore "testimonials" link/page. Congrats again! Sweet ride!
Now having ridden mine several times (including the most recent TT race last week) I can say that the bike is light 19.8 for a sub $2,000 build, is responsive, yet stable and seems very well designed. I cut 1minute and 11 seconds off my personal best the first race out of the box. Leader has been excellent to deal with and in fact...I'm considering buying another frame from them in the future to build a road/commuter type bike. They have the chance to capture a substantial niche in the market, if they continue to be very customer friendly and offer quality products at a price point the cyclists on a budget can afford.
I think your gonna love the TT bike. I know I do! Mine is already on the Leaderbikstore "testimonials" link/page. Congrats again! Sweet ride!
__________________
Just Do It..
Just Do It..
07-16-06, 07:42 PM
#7
Ride it like you stole it
Thread Starter
cycle17 your comments are appreciated, and it reminded me that I did not post the weight. The bike as pictures came out 19.13 pounds, not bad, not weight weenie either. With a disk wheel it will go up in weight.
cslone I am looking for a used disk, did you purchase yours new or on eBay?
munckee, the build quality of the frame looks very good, the welds are even with no extra flash hanging off the frame, not hand finished like Kleins used to be, but a solid clean weld. The paint was applied well, there are no runs, no overspray and no orange peel. The decals are under the clearcoat. It is not the lightest frame in it's size but it is a $380 frame, you are getting a good frame from an honest reseller, not a frame from that costs $1000 or more. As far as I can tell, it looks as good a frame as any Quintana Roo that I have seen, and they cost more.
cslone I am looking for a used disk, did you purchase yours new or on eBay?
munckee, the build quality of the frame looks very good, the welds are even with no extra flash hanging off the frame, not hand finished like Kleins used to be, but a solid clean weld. The paint was applied well, there are no runs, no overspray and no orange peel. The decals are under the clearcoat. It is not the lightest frame in it's size but it is a $380 frame, you are getting a good frame from an honest reseller, not a frame from that costs $1000 or more. As far as I can tell, it looks as good a frame as any Quintana Roo that I have seen, and they cost more.
__________________
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
"Never use your face as a brake pad" - Jake Watson
The Reloutionaries @ Shapeways
