Thanks for the kind words. The tires were a risk, but I really do like the way they pop on the bike.

The stem is...an Origin8 with the logos polished off. I think they make a really nice product- classic lines and a very good finish. I used a bunch of them for frame-up builds and finally decided to put one on a high end bike. Works just fine, comes in several lengths, and about $16 each brandy new. While we're at it, the seat post is a Kalloy and I feel pretty much the same way about their products.

The thingamawhosits on the handlebars are indeed new Knog lights. These have an extra blinky mode and use two 2032 coin batteries, so they are super bright and with one on each side they blink out of phase with each other. Not great for light to ride by, but great to alert oncoming bikes and cars.

I have only one problemo: can't shift onto the small ring up front because the FD can't come in that close to the seat tube, even with the tension screw backed all of the way out. The way the 5500/6500 BB's are made there's no way to put a spacer ring behind the drive side cup to bring it further out. Bottom line is,, to use the inside ring I need to move the crank a couple of mm outboard.

Not an issue for me immediately because with the wide spread of the rear cassette I never get out of the big ring on local rides, but eventually I'm going to want to take this into steeper hill country and the small ring will be needed. With the 109.5 6500 double BB the chainline is 45mm to the center of the big ring. I'm happy to buy a 6500 triple BB that's 118 wide, but would like to know if anyone has one lying around that they could measure for me so I can figure out if the extra 9mm is all on the crank side, or wider to some extent on both sides. I doubt it's symmetrical, although even that would probably work out. My other option is to go back to a square taper BB- like a 115- and a 9 speed compact crank from Truvativ or FSA. That's worked on a couple of other bikes (the SuperTempo and an orange Corsa Extra Merckx I'm almost done with) but I hate to give up that lovely Ultegra crank. Plus it matches the rest of the group.

Ideas?