Originally Posted by
Geordi Laforge
I actually think that spectrum is a fail. Why the setback seatpost and stack of spacers on a custom frame? Why the non-matching Record Pista? Isnt the tail light blocked by the butt rockets?
Close, but no cigar.
I don't like the idea of having a carbon fiber seatpost since a Thomson posts is a lot stronger than a Record post anyway. The post was much cheaper than a record post (why pay more $ for something that's not as strong and isn't going to add any significant improvement to the bike?) I got the seatpost (thomson elite) for $60 compared to $200 for a Record post.
If you're going to nitpick and say "then what is the need for the Record cranks?" My response is I got the Campy cranks brand new with 50T ring and Phil Wood BB for $250 from Totalcycling.com. At the time, the exchange rates were very great and allowed a great deal to be had. It was a no brainer to get them because Sugino 75 cranks w/o ring sell for $225 and Record cranks in the US regularly go for $400 and up brand new (Record BB's are close to $200).
No the light isn't blocked by the water holders.
Originally Posted by
Geordi Laforge
If you build a custom frame, such things should be considered in the build. I can give the spacers a pass (reluctantly), but the need for a setback should have been met with the geometry of the frame in the first place. A setback is for when a stock frame doesnt fit exactly. A custom frame should fit. What this tells me is Spectrum (whoever they are) suck at fitting.
A Record Pista? That frame begs for something modern and black.
If you knew anything about Thomson setback, then you'd understand the setback is actually less than a regular seatpost (regular setposts usually have 20mm of setback and a SB Thomson has 16mm). A straight post Thomson has no setback at all. The builder, Tom Kellogg, who has been building (and racing) bikes for 30+ knows what he is doing.
What's wrong with spacers? The the reason for them is because the top tube diameter is larger than thin regular gauge steel tubing which raises the standover height. Tom had to lower TT height (in order to accomplish the same standover as regular sized tubing) so that way it maintained the standover height needed for me. If the tubing were thinner there wouldn't be a need for as many spacers and the TT height would be higher. So, no the builder didn't mess up.
I could cut the fork and angle it up, but I don't want to because I like the look of a straight stem more. Leaving space on a fork is a wise thing to do on a threadless to allow versatility. It's better to have a lot left, than cutting too much and wanting more later on. If I want to change bars, I have more room to work with. Every bike's fork doesn't have to be cut all the way down. The only reason for it is to increase stiffness. There's the common problem of people looking at pro setups and saying that all need to abide by their example. Last time I checked, I'm no pro.