giantcfr1

I love looking at hotly modified / blinged Hybrids.
Please post YOURS here and no off the shelf Hybrids.
This is my Cannondale 2007 Badboy Disc to start off.

ColonelSanders

How about some info on what modifications you made?

What difference did it make to the bike, and what does it now weigh.

giantcfr1

Good point...
Firstly I think we modify our bikes for very different reasons.
I am a mixture of maybe three...
Firstly, many of my changes happened as the original parts broke or wore down. I am on a budget always as I have other priories. Anyway, I shop around and find a balance of value and quality. I always buy the best I can afford, and am not afraid of used parts.
Secondly, I change my bike depending on my mood. I go through different stages with wants and needs relating to my bike, which makes a Hybrid sooooo good. Easy for me to go road / trail / mountain easily and cheaply.
Thirdly, I think it's OK to spoil yourself sometimes. For me, within reason. I have a desire for American companies in relation to my MTB / Hybrid needs. Hence my mixture of Cannondale (yes mine is American) and Thomson. If I had the money, I'd include Chris King.
My changes are a combination of the above.
Those of you who've been on bike forums for the past 8 years or so, have seen it with poka dots, red cables etc. The black tie is my current stage. Currently, its set for light trails and mountainous road rides. ie. The single narrow / wide Raceface front chainring (34) and road rear cassette. (11 - 28)
Weight is 11kg but can be quickly lightened with it's SPD-SL pedals and it's 23mm Rubino Pro Slicks which are sitting in the garage when I change my mode again.

Kindaslow

I am prepping mine to be a commuter, but with some cool touches. I have made each of the choicest for specific reasons, either to do with my body (broken and fused neck and heavily damaged knees) or to do with the fact I have two intense hills to deal with. For the neck, I have a riser stem and riser bars. For the knees, I am using WI pedals with clips. To help some with the hills, I will be putting on the Reynold's wheels later this week, just waiting on the correct rotors. The rack just came in, not pictures, and I have Ortlieb red bags for it. I went with a CF Body Float seat post, CF because I liked it, Body Float because it is an amazing design, both for comfort and for a few roads I will be dealing with. Fenders, due to Seattle area. Oh, XT crankset to get the gearing for the intense hills. Front blinking light/headlight, rear blinking light. So, it should be a great commuter, and let me take a few small trips I have planned.

giantcfr1

Looking forward to seeing it all together.

Kindaslow

Me too!!!!

And, I love the first bike!

badger1

No bling here, don't know about "hot", but ... I chose the bits, it's mine/it's paid for, so can I play in this thread?



Frame, fork, seatpost (still to be replaced), stem and bars: 2010 Specialized Sirrus Comp. The rest was replaced Spring 2011, except the wheels (Spring 2014).
Headset: Specialized Mindset w/full cartridge bearings.
Saddle: Spec. Avatar
Front/rear derailleur and crank (48/34): SRAM Apex
Shifters: SRAM flat-bar double tap/10spd.
Cables: Dura Ace
Cassette and chain: SRAM Force (12-32)
Pedals: Shimano XT
Brakes: TRP CX9
Levers: Avid SD7
Cables: XT
Wheels: Giant PSL-1 wheelsystem (DT Swiss internals)
Tires: (not shown/last year's pic) Specialized Roubaix Pro 30/32
Grips: Ergon; bar ends Specialized.
Cost of all this: stupid; I'm no bargain/online shopper, but
Smiles per mile: priceless, and the bike is "mine" in every sense. Fits like a really good pair of worn-in handmade shoes. That's all that matters to me.

ColonelSanders

I think your bike has that classy understated look about it and I like it very much.

With the changes you made, what was the thinking behind you making them and what is the difference now that you experience when you ride your bike?

giantcfr1

You have ticked all the right boxes, so yes you can play, and you rightfully have

badger1

Thanks ColonelS.

My thinking was in fact pretty straightforward.

1. I had been looking for a 'flat bar road bike' frame/fork that I really liked for a couple of years before, and finally found it in 2010. I rode the bike stock for a year (Tiagra mix drivetrain, generic Tektro brakeset, heavy stock wheels etc.) and decided it was a keeper, and that I would have it rebuilt to my liking with a mix of relatively reasonably priced bits. I said "stupid expensive" simply because it always costs more to do this 'upgrade' thing than buy new at the desired level, but so it goes.

2. Objectives: ergonomics, durability, and save a little weight in the process. Ergonomics: drivetrain/brakes. Durability: drivetrain/brakes (especially), and headset. Specialized sold this bike with a crap 'caged ball bearing' headset. That had to go. The brakes I couldn't keep adjusted. The TRPs are fantastic; they've been on the bike since Spring '11, and I've not done a thing to them except clean 'em up occasionally and a single (yes, one) pad replacement. They never, ever go out of adjustment. Weight: overall bike weight went down from 22ish to 19ish pounds. No big deal; it doesn't make me 'faster', but I like the 'feel' of a lightish bike.

3. I finally replaced the wheels last year; got a great deal from my LBS on a Giant wheelset. They're nicer than stock -- that's about it.

I find my bike to be simply 'nicer' to ride as a result. There was a cost, but I consider it relatively insignificant given the use I get out of it and the longevity. I don't have a "stable" of bikes; I prefer to have one 'nice' bike that I use for the riding I want to do: flat bar road bike, 6-7000 kms/year, a mix of 5-day a week commuting and longer weekend road rides, including metric and imperial centuries, and a bit of very non-technical off-road -- all solo. As I've set it up, it works for all of that.

If I change bikes, it will only be because I want to switch to something different -- something like a Spec. Crosstrail for example -- for various reasons (not least being age!). If I do that, I'll do exactly the same thing -- buy the 'base' bike (for the frame/geometry/fit) and then re-work it into precisely what I want. 'Custom' would be nice, but it is not necessary in my opinion, and anyway I can't afford it! My method is as close as I can get to that.

ColonelSanders

This is a good example of what I still need to learn more about, I am totally clueless on headsets.

And this is exactly the kind of feedback I value very highly.

I've got no choice but to use rim brakes on my old Trek and I have ordered in some Deore XT V-Brakes and if they fail to live up to my expectations, then I would be very happy to give the TRP's a go.

badger1

One always like a little validation, giantcfr1.
Cheers!

badger1

Depends what you have on your bike. I've no clue when it comes to threaded headsets, but I do know about threadless. What you want: a correctly-specc'd headset that uses proper sealed cartridge bearings. The paradigm is Chris King, but there's lots out there -- Cane Creek makes good ones. Fit and forget -- for years. If one rides a lot, the cheapo 'caged' loose ball bearing ones have a tendency to rust, pit etc.

Brakes? XT is really, really good stuff; I've had XT v-brakes in the past; they are excellent. You shouldn't have any issues, assuming good/clean cables, clean the pivots/bushings once in a while etc.