...how once the “new bike” honeymoon is over reality sets in.

For example, I have been building up this Canopus frames y that I bought from a buddy of mine. I have ended up spending too much on it, and along the way discovering things about it. I have taken it out a couple of times, and while it does ride nice...it is not my favorite.

But I am WAY excited to get back on my Torpado and head out in just a little while. It got a flat several weeks ago, and rather than just fix the flat, I switched bikes (as most of you do, I have several to choose from). But yesterday I fixed all the flats in my garage (three) and am about to head out on a nice long, overcast ride on the Torpado.

Anyone else ever feel like this? You build something...wanting to like it...just to find out you liked what you already her better.

Yep. I've been a big fan of Eisentraut bikes for a long time, so I was psyched to find (and win!) a mid-70's Limited touring frame on 'bay. But what a disappointment! Beautiful metalwork and great handling, but typical of big (65cm) frames of that era, it was built with REALLY heavy-gauge tubing. Would've been fine for carrying a load, but it just felt sluggish and dead. Gave up and sold it after a couple years.

the grass is always greener

I chalk it up to the fact that I've only been into cycling since right around whenever my BF "join date" is, which means nearly every bike I purchase is a wholly new experience... but Yes, I've had the feeling more than a few times. Put on CL, try to break even, and on to the next!

I've been excellently fortunate in that respect. Each of the bikes that I've gotten have pretty much delivered exactly what I expected. The only one that hasn't was a bike that has a little different geometry... I get used to it really quick, it rides really nice after I acclimate to it- but it's so foreign when I first get on it.

There's also my old bike that I've had since 1991- My 87 Schwinn High Sierra. I know how cool it is, so much of that bike has shaped what I think is cool about bikes- but it doesn't do it for me. I've changed most everything out on it- saddle, bars, stem, wheels, shifters... I could try different cranks, but I think it just might be it's the way that bike is.

Like you and your Torpado, [MENTION=309332]Essthreetee[/MENTION], I have two bikes that I keep getting reacquainted with, my '85 Trek 600 series and my '87 Tempo. Every time I drag one of them out of the pile and ride them, it's like "Why don't I ride this bike more often?"

Man, I have almost the opposite problem. I recently Repaired the RD on my '84 Trek 610, put 32mm Vitorio's on it and I love it. Then I finally swapped the stem on my '86 Miyata 710 for a shorter one, and also upgraded the tires on it. It's like a new bike, awesome ride. I know the '88 Cannondale Crits I have are just awesomely light and responsive. The Canny ST Series is just as light and stiff but sooo stable and handles heavy panniers...

Maybe it's that all my bikes are Trek Miyata or Cannondale, they just did it right. I haven't gotten into anything European, nothing older than about '83/'84 so my field is very narrow.

I have the same experience, but since there are so many variables, and I still don't know what it is exactly that makes me like a bike, I'm holding on to all of them until I do know for sure.

I'd hate to have sold a great bike just because the stem was too short, or it had the wrong tires ...

I have been surprised in both directions. One of my favorite bikes is a throw-together of random 26er parts and a frame.

This is a great topic. I sure wish I knew just what made a "great" bike, vs just "good", or even "meh". I suspect most of it comes down to tires, and then after that fit, and maybe a distant third, geometry or frame tubing.
As an example, probably my best bike is a 1976 Centurion Semi Pro. Nice light Tange #1 tubing, and pretty standard 70's stage race geometry - 72.5 degree parallel head and seat tubes. When I bought it, it was shod in 27x1 1/4" tires that had almost fossilized. They weren't cracked and didn't have any sidewall issues, so I left them on for the first few rides. Boy, what dogs those tires were. If you had filled them with water, and frozen them, I don't know if I would have been able to tell the difference. If I hadn't swapped them for new Paselas, I'm sure I would have sold the bike in short order. After the swap, it was like riding a new bike. Maybe not the fastest, or nimblest ride, but very nice. Later, I finished building up a tubular wheelset, and put some nice Schwalbe One 28mm tubulars on there. Wow, now it's like a rocket. Very nimble, but still smooth riding. The bike just begs to go faster.

In contrast, I also have a 1976 Centurion Pro Tour. 2 cm taller in the seat tube, but the top tube and all angles / fork rake are the same. The tubing is supposedly the same, but I suspect maybe a bit thicker on this taller model. The only difference is it still uses the 27"x1 1/4" Paselas, and the stem is about a cm longer. It's still a very nice riding bike, but subjectively, it feels much heavier, and not as lively. Without weighing the frame, I can't really tell if it's the tires, heavier tubing, or the slightly more stretched out riding position. (The bike does weigh about 1.5 lbs more, but that is about in line with the heavier tires, and slightly taller frame.) I really should throw on the tubular wheelset, and see what sort of difference that makes.

Ultimately, the biggest takeaways I've found is that crappy tires make for a crappy riding bike, while really nice, supple tires will make almost anything ride better. Past that, I'm sure geometry and frame tubing make a difference too, but I suspect it isn't nearly as great as many seem to think it is. (I read an old article where they had 7 bikes made up of different Columbus tubing sets, but were otherwise identical. Many of the riders couldn't reliably tell them apart, and of those that could, the ones they liked the best were usually the mid grade tubing. The really heavy / stiff, and super light flexible ones weren't as popular.)

similar experience. Being all excited about finding a Pinarello, I rode it for a couple of years and 4500 miles. Then I felt bad that the Colnago was just sitting for that time period so aired up and started riding it. What a great bike! It felt smoother than the Pinny, the difference was clinchers on the Pinny and tubulars on the "nago.

Then I got a flat on the 'Nago, then a rear spoke popped, and parked it while waiting for new tubulars and truing Started riding the Pinnarello and ran into a car door that opened in front of me. It took out the front rim. Put a different front wheel on it, then noticed how one of the brake levers was significantly lower than the other so removed the tape, piece by piece! Don't want to put new tape on it if I am going to change over to egos.... so pulled the Langster out for commuting.

I have to say there is a big difference and time saving with riding a SS. It is fun and keeps you honest. Now I have to glue up the tubulars once the wheel is trued and dished. Spin Dr truing stand sucks so am making my own dishing tool.

Thinkiing about pulling the Bottecchia down next......

Freudian slip?

I usually feel the exact opposite. I get a vision in my head, build the bike and I'm happy the bike lives in reality vice my mind. This feeling was strongest when I finished this bike: Another Colnago Project

I can see how it can work the other way, tho. I've had buyers remorse once or twice in my life, but it's rare 'cause I normally think long and hard about something which I'll spend hard-earned cash for.

DD

Been there a hundred times, or more. It took a long time and many serious comparisons to find the bike that rides best for me. So I kept it. As for the other hundred or so...

Most I sold or gave away. A few I kept to display, as wall hangers, to an important and appreciative audience - me. And the rest, the ones that I have not found yet, who knows? There just might be something coming that I build and then don't particularly like, to ride or to view. But I still like to find them, research them, build them and who knows, even ride them if they are worthy of, well - me;-)

Man oh man, those old Miyata 710 tires hard as rocks, a little cracking but the threads were fine and they had plenty of rubber. New tires were a revelation! The old ones were Tracers, maybe Michelin? 25mm and thick age stiffened sidewalls. The new tires are 23mm race trainers of some kind, but higher TPI and far more compliant. I NEVER would have gusses that thinner tires would give a cushier ride, but that's what happened. So shocked.

Reminds me of motorcycle tire reviews, every new tire is awesome compared to the squared off tread-less one that came off the bike!

Just the opposite with me. I built up a '73 Super Course from a found bare frame just to see if I could do it - never built a bike before. Proud to say I sourced all the parts and and got it running all myself. It needed some frame repair, and braze ons replaced which I had help with ($$$), as well as final paint and decals. I have other vintage, modern carbon, and aluminum in between, but the old Raleigh is my new favorite. I got a set of old high flange Campy hubs on Mavic MA 40 rims from a friend. It's a sweet ride. I just discovered two new cracks in the rear hub, and I'm bummed. I built the bike, but haven't built a wheel since college. I found a replacement hub on ebay, so now I'm deciding what the next project is, build a wheel, or pay the expert to have it done right. Pictures, as found, finished, and cracked hub, below.

^^^ Aw, man, that's a heart-breaker right there. Darn old aluminum!!

To the OP, certainly have felt the disappointment or at least quiet uncertainty of a "logically good" build and then it's....ok? My Masi is on its third groupset build under my ownership (just passed the 1-year mark), but it's the Version 3.2 that has it really singing. The 7400 Dura-Ace was doing well, but I bumped up from a 12-19T 7-speed FW to a 12-23T 7-speed unit a little bit ago. Still, not as fun as it could be. It's always been a smooth bike, but I wanted it to be more fun--something I knew it could be. Well, swap the 20+ year old tan wall tires (look great with those MA40s) to muuuuuch newer Conti GP 24mm ones, while tucking the wheelbase in another 1-2mm, and this thing hums and rides like perfectly adjusted bearings. Not harsh, not cushy, just right on the freakin' money.

If I've learned anything from builds with expectations (like many of us do), it's to give the bike a little bit of a chance to 'find itself' under your care and ridership. It may be a visual composition thing, or a ride quality thing, and/or a fit thing. The Peloton went through this and is my #1. The Masi has done that as well, and is my #2 (by just a tiny bit!). If you really like the frame and know it has part of or all of an 'it' factor that you like, keep with it. Let the mental marination of solutions simmer for a while. And if the frameset has to lie fallow for a while, then so be it. You'll figure it out one way or the other.

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Have always envisioned non-fixie's personal quarters to be something akin to the Winchester Mystery House - ever expanding so as to contain the burgeoning velocipede holdings...

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One time I swapped bikes with my brother. He took my former Colnago Super and I was on his Lemond. I swapped back after a few miles. He was glad, feeling my ride was brutal, and me feeling that if I rode the Lemond any more it'd spoil me forever. It was a sweet ride. I wanted to continue to be happy with my stable so I willfully chose blinders.

Note: the Raleigh Comp GS and the Paramount are much more comfy than the 'Nag.

Isn't it like that with women?

N+1 is still a chronic disease.

Despite all the bikes I've built since the Masi I still like the Masi, but no that doesn't surprise me. The others are pretty nice though. It's tough having to make a choice.

There is a happy accident theme to some builds. It just works out that way, disproving theory, perhaps.

There is, sometimes, a disappointment to a pile of good parts put together with good intentions and effort to create "blah." It just works out that way, disproving theory, perhaps.

I'm either a freaking bike genius or a self-hyped failure in either situation. Yep. Been there, done that.

More of an ebb and flow.

I bought my Battaglin used back in 1996. I was relatively new to cycling and went through all sorts of issues with the fit. First I thought it was too small, then I thought it was too big.

Eventually, I converted it to a single speed. I got a couple of other bikes and the Battaglin ended up in the basement for 5 years.

In 2015, I rode the DD and needed a "hill bike", so I built up the Battaglin. Been riding it almost exclusively for the last 2 seasons.

Just an observation about the broken hub: it's been relaced with leading/trailing spokes going in the opposite direction from a previous build. I'm not a wheelbuilding expert, but I've seen/heard that it's safer to relace the same way. True, it didn't fail at the spoke hole/flange rim, where you'd expect; but still . . .

Wheelbuilding Used Hub, Spoke Direction