What road bike do you have?
03-23-15, 06:53 PM
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Bikes: 2012 CAAD8 7 Sora, Specialized Hard Rock Rigid Altus C3
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CAAD8 Upgrades.
Here are some of the updates to the CAAD8...
This how she came from the factory -
This is after a season of riding and learning...new Shimano 5800 brakes, Fizik 3mm Performance Tape, Power Form E3 Saddle, Shimano PD-R540 SL pedals, Kustomcaps Sugar Skull, Cateye Strada, Blackburn cages and lights...
This how she came from the factory -
This is after a season of riding and learning...new Shimano 5800 brakes, Fizik 3mm Performance Tape, Power Form E3 Saddle, Shimano PD-R540 SL pedals, Kustomcaps Sugar Skull, Cateye Strada, Blackburn cages and lights...
03-23-15, 09:19 PM
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Here are some of the updates to the CAAD8...
This how she came from the factory -
This is after a season of riding and learning...new Shimano 5800 brakes, Fizik 3mm Performance Tape, Power Form E3 Saddle, Shimano PD-R540 SL pedals, Kustomcaps Sugar Skull, Cateye Strada, Blackburn cages and lights...
This how she came from the factory -
This is after a season of riding and learning...new Shimano 5800 brakes, Fizik 3mm Performance Tape, Power Form E3 Saddle, Shimano PD-R540 SL pedals, Kustomcaps Sugar Skull, Cateye Strada, Blackburn cages and lights...
How to you like the Fizik Performance tape? I recently switched to it, and love it.
03-24-15, 06:48 AM
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So far, it seems good. It is thicker than the Synapse tape that came on the bike, but not bulky. It is all black, not black with white perf holes (flash just makes it look that way). Definitely an improvement.
If there is anything I have learned so far it is that small changes (relevant to comfort and fit) make a much bigger difference in riding performance. Much more so than just making everything lighter....if it fits better, you ride better. This is why I went with productive changes such as better tape, the right saddle (love it!), and I am spooning on a new pair of Conti GP 4000s II's tonight (700x25) as I have read it will increase comfort and decrease rolling resistance, harshness and, yes, some weight. The Schwalbe Luganos have been good to me, but they are a wire bead (heavy) and my trainer ruined my rear tire this winter.
It is easier and cheaper for me to lose pounds than for the bike to lose grams....and more effective.
Plus my Kustomcaps Sugar Skull added at least(!) 1-2 mph in average speed, just from the "coolness" factor!
If there is anything I have learned so far it is that small changes (relevant to comfort and fit) make a much bigger difference in riding performance. Much more so than just making everything lighter....if it fits better, you ride better. This is why I went with productive changes such as better tape, the right saddle (love it!), and I am spooning on a new pair of Conti GP 4000s II's tonight (700x25) as I have read it will increase comfort and decrease rolling resistance, harshness and, yes, some weight. The Schwalbe Luganos have been good to me, but they are a wire bead (heavy) and my trainer ruined my rear tire this winter.
It is easier and cheaper for me to lose pounds than for the bike to lose grams....and more effective.
Plus my Kustomcaps Sugar Skull added at least(!) 1-2 mph in average speed, just from the "coolness" factor!
03-24-15, 07:12 AM
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Late to the party I suppose, but I bought this '14 Novara a few weeks ago at the REI member's "garage sale," retails at $1099 (apparently the previous owner brought it back after riding it once and not liking it, looked brand new) got it for $330. I wasn't planning on buying a bike that day even though I wanted to get into cycling, but it was my size, and at that price, couldn't pass it up. Total noob in this sport but it seemed decently equipped for the price. The seat was the first thing I upgraded . New pedals are in the mail. What do y'all think, good place for a beginner to start?
. New pedals are in the mail. What do y'all think, good place for a beginner to start? Novara is the house brand of REI, so I cannot speak to the frame, but what level of components did it come with? Looks like an FSA crank and (maybe) Shimano pieces, but I cannot tell for sure.
It looks good but, more importantly, it gets you in to cycling! Get out and ride it like you stole it! (Which, you kinda did....)
03-24-15, 07:24 AM
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Looks reminiscent of a Specialized....
Novara is the house brand of REI, so I cannot speak to the frame, but what level of components did it come with? Looks like an FSA crank and (maybe) Shimano pieces, but I cannot tell for sure.
It looks good but, more importantly, it gets you in to cycling! Get out and ride it like you stole it! (Which, you kinda did....)
Novara is the house brand of REI, so I cannot speak to the frame, but what level of components did it come with? Looks like an FSA crank and (maybe) Shimano pieces, but I cannot tell for sure.
It looks good but, more importantly, it gets you in to cycling! Get out and ride it like you stole it! (Which, you kinda did....)
03-24-15, 07:32 AM
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Yes, Shimano 105 components are the best bang for the buck. You did good...go have fun!
03-24-15, 07:39 AM
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03-24-15, 07:54 AM
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2015 Trek Domane 6 Series Project One w/ Shimano Dura Ace Di2 - Zipp FireStrike wheels (Also Shimano DA C50 & C24 wheels not shown)
03-24-15, 09:02 AM
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03-24-15, 11:04 AM
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03-24-15, 11:10 AM
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yes, I did just buy a '14 CAAD10. both are 56cm. Couldn't pass up on a good deal on both. I took my '13 Team Replica caad10 off of the kk 2.0 road machine trainer and placed the '11 Trek 2.1 on there instead
03-24-15, 11:14 AM
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funny, my 14 CAAD10 (same color scheme with Shimano 105) was slightly lighter according to my scale.
03-24-15, 11:16 AM
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03-24-15, 11:42 AM
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03-24-15, 11:50 AM
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when you changed to lighter stuff, how much does your CAAD10 weigh now?
03-24-15, 08:29 PM
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03-25-15, 09:11 AM
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I took about a pound out of it swapping the parts out, and added it back with pedals, cages, chain catcher. It's around 18.8 now.
I upgraded as follows:
Lightweight tubes (about 40g lighter per wheel = (-80g)
Swapped to my preferred saddle (-35g)
Zipp Contour SL SS Carbon handlebar (-126g)
Selle Italia Smootape Corsa + bar plugs (matches saddle) (-100g) - FYI those cannondale bar plugs weigh in around 30g alone, and mine came with their heavier synapse type tape.
Metallic poutine headset cap + steerer reduction (-34g)
Zipp Service Course SL Seatpost (-62g)
total loss -437g
I added back around 420g between pedals, cages & chain catcher.
03-25-15, 09:16 PM
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havent post here in a while.
this was a ride after bike fit.
this was a ride after bike fit.
Last edited by polobreaka; 03-25-15 at 10:33 PM.
03-27-15, 09:14 AM
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Specialized Roubaix SL4 Comp Compact Ultegra set. will be upgrading axis brakes to ultegra when my brake pads wear out. don't have a picture, but here is the link. I have the Flat Black Carbon.
Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components
03-27-15, 11:18 AM
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Just picked up a 2015 Giant Defy Advanced SL 1
Last edited by sqgator; 03-27-15 at 07:27 PM.
03-27-15, 07:23 PM
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I just picked up my new 2015 Felt Z75 Disc yesterday at the bike shop. Just need the weather to warm up so I can get the bike out on the road!
03-29-15, 09:07 AM
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Bikes: 2014 Avanti Cadent ERII 2, 2013 Trek DS 8.4, 2008 Norco Wolverine
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Something a little different for those outside of Oz and NZ.
2014 Avanti Cadent ERII 2 Endurance. Carbon frame, 105 groupset. My first real road bike after coming of a CX (2012 Ridley X-Bow) and a front suspension hybrid (2013 Trek DS 8.4)
(Sold the CX kept the hybrid )
2014 Avanti Cadent ERII 2 Endurance. Carbon frame, 105 groupset. My first real road bike after coming of a CX (2012 Ridley X-Bow) and a front suspension hybrid (2013 Trek DS 8.4)
(Sold the CX kept the hybrid ) 
Last edited by limbot; 03-29-15 at 09:13 AM.
03-30-15, 11:56 PM
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My old ride was a 2010 Trek 2.3 with Mavic Aksium.
Picked up a 2015 Cervélo R2 last week and swapped out the stock Shimano rs10 for Fulcrum 3. Weighs 7.8kg as shown, not light by bf standards, but quite an improvement over my old bike.
Picked up a 2015 Cervélo R2 last week and swapped out the stock Shimano rs10 for Fulcrum 3. Weighs 7.8kg as shown, not light by bf standards, but quite an improvement over my old bike.
