Originally Posted by
RobbieTunes
RoS, you have definitely hit your groove. You've picked up on the "vision thing," with an eye towards what the bike will do, balanced against the esoterics, balanced against the innovation needed to pull it off. The fun you're having shows through. You rig the rig. Great work.
I apologize for not seeing this a lot earlier, but thank you! With race frames (which I love) in the past, it's been easy to just do a full-gas build on it. All fast parts etc, and then try and figure out what it's trying to say. As I've gone along, the realization of what kinds of pieces and what particular pieces do to performance and ride characteristics has come along, as has my preference for things. The Trek 710 is a bike you can temporarily hustle when needed, but it really grooves on rolling miles smoothly (and it really lets me know that, all of the time
). My Prologue is a super light race bike, but a lithe, sinuous one--you can crank on it to accelerate etc, but she's happiest with a more loving touch. The Davidson is something you can totally hammer on--it loves big power inputs but is a hesitant steerer unless you tell it what to do...or lower the hood/brake lever height (the Prologue "falls" into a turn very naturally by contrast). I feel like I've finally got a decent handle on the non-racing bikes (tourers and sport tourers) and have matured to appreciate what they can offer, and how I can bring what I like into a sports touring setup to complement and (hopefully) enhance the good that was already present. The 710 and the black Paramount are prime examples of great frames limited in capability by their original components. They worked well enough then, but since their manufacture, much improvement has been made in componentry, and those pieces could make a great original frameset perform even better. So the trick was/is for me, to listen and discover what the frame is all about, and work with that, blending in the wants/needs of my riding style and (importantly) riding environment to create the best version of that bike as possible.
As the Prologue, this Trek, and my Paramount are my three for sure keepers, it is good that I've figured things out as much as I have. Building the best I can do. I've always tried to 'listen' to a bike and integrously build something cohesively, but only more recently have I felt that I'm really 'getting it.' And you have said as much!
*******
Side note: The biggest thing for the joy of it all, is just being able to ride and pedal without knee pain. I've been fighting a shifty, multi-faceted knee/foot/shoe/pedal issue lately (to say nothing of that issue being a stealth one for several years running, off and on), that began in earnest in early February, as I attempted to train for an early March three day tour with some other BF members. That set in motion yet more examination and resulting experimentation with my already very dialed in setup/fit. Turns out having a heel-to-ball-of-foot difference between feet (a few mm)
AND a ~5mm shorter femur really muck things up, and it can take a while to finally discover that, and then rectify it. These last two weeks or so have seen a lot of learning, as well as a lot of being bummed out trying to find a solution while greatly limiting riding due to my left knee just saying 'no' until I sort it out. But between last Thursday's initial confirmation and then today's test ride, I'm finally out of the forest and it feels amazing to have both legs feel/pump the same. It's time to
ride.