to respond to a few posts:

yep, the wheels are loud. they're ridiculous, but i like them. if i ever have to attend a formal event i'll use my more modest wheels they actually come in a louder RED color, but i wanted to go with the calmer look.

and i like the red/black/white color scheme. makes the bike look like a black & white desaturated photo with just a bit of color.

i'd like to try the red saddle, but it seems my ass is too wide for the red saddle market - i use a Selle.it ProLink @ 144mm; all of Selle's red saddles are in the 130s. last 130mm saddle i used gave me numbness. if anyone has suggestions, i'd like to hear it. it's weird, are most cyclists just "ok" with a 130mm saddle? you'd think that the vast majority would be in the middle, not on the small end.