Originally Posted by RobbieTunes

Every time I see that bike, I know that some things are just meant to be.....

Though the bike in question is a steel Ironman, it begins with two Ironman Carbon bikes. The first one sold to me by Ot(t)o Rax, vended via Velospace; he made an offer not refused. I liked it just fine, though it was too big, a 58.5cm, larger than the 56cm I need.

With the scarcity involved, any size close was good enough. Then Spinz alerted me to one on CL in LA. A deal was secured by riva and shipped to me, just the parts I needed, in exchange for the parts he needed, and I'm grateful for his assistance and efforts on my behalf. It was also 58.5cm. I found myself with a matched pair of rare bikes, and really too large for me. There was nothing to do but outfit one with 8-sp Ergo Chorus and the other with 8-sp 600 tricolor STI and proclaim myself an expert on the difference between groups.

Enter afilado, a man who could fit the 58.5cm frame. He was about to come into possession, as an investment, of a 56cm Ironman, a pretty black '89 Expert. We arranged a trade, one Ironman Carbon frame for the steel Expert frame. An even trade, given that fit is important for a keeper bike, and he has been good to me over time (a privilege to repay in kind).

Alas, when afilado got his hands on the steel Expert to trade, it did not meet his high standards, and he could not bring himself to make an unequal trade. He notified me of this, and sold me the frame for a fair price, in lieu of a trade. It arrived, cleaned up and in need of some TLC. I commenced my touch-up routine as best I could.

I built it into a triple, but I could hear the Ironman in its soul weeping at night, so it was un-built.
I tried a white CF fork and accessories, a double with bright components. Still, I could not find a suitable look.

It seemed the frame did not like me. Perhaps it had heard of an earlier '89 Expert, torn apart, to emerge as a frame-only, CF-accessoried racer, and sold. Whatever the reason, it went to the wall, consigned to a life of leisure contrary to its DNA.

Enter in Razor from KC, whose Trek was stolen. He is a speed demon, or slightly mad, I can't tell.
Somehow, I had one like it, and off it went, me being glad to be rid of it. He made a fine commuter of it.

Through numerous communiques I encountered thirdgenbird.
I think it was while "warning" him of Razor's unbounded enthusiasm for speedy things.

Talk, as it always seems to do, ended up around an Ironman topic, and one thing led to another.
thirdgenbird seemed to have a vision for the bike that escaped me, and he said it was for a girl.
Well, that sealed the deal, and the build is certainly proof of that; such a better job than I could do.

As for the Ironman Carbons, afilado found a different bike, a Cinelli.
Both 58.5cm Ironman Carbons now rest with gmouchawar, but that's a different story.