Good to hear they're considered one of the better setups. I can't complaint about the price though, being able to speak to someone stateside throughout the ordering/shipping process is valuable enough for me. I'm extremely happy with how the bike came out.

All of the components/group/etc were bought on eBay so I saved some money there. Been picking and choosing parts for about 2-3 months and just waiting for that eBay last minute grab, ha.

Final weight came out to 15lb, 10oz. Very, very happy!

PF is hot, although I might consider losing the green tape. Not sure. Also, cutting the steerer a little more wouldn't hurt.

2012 Madone 4.5
 

Mostly a lurker and learning a lot. Past MTBR and used to have a Spec Langster but this is my first real road bike...

Just wanted to post my Madone 4.5. I've had it a couple weeks dialing in the fit. Just had the fork cut down so thought I would go ahead and post it up. I tried a bunch of different bikes and it just felt right. I know Trek doesn't get a lot of love here or on the other forum but I am really enjoying it.

Added red cages and bar tape to add some color but I'm still on the fence with whether i would like white better. A couple upgrades -- bonus points if you can spot them - one is pretty obvious the other, not so much.....

I still want to go a little lower with the bars but my LBS didn't have a shorter headset bearing cap (dust cap).

Just a not so great cell photo...

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...D/IMG_0275.jpg

Had not heard about Far Sports wheels - any good links on them? I just got my tax return. Not much left over but was thinking of trying to find a quality Chinese carbon wheel or rim (opinions welcomed).

Dude, at least get a pic that's in focus, por favor.

Is the accent color white or silver?

Looks like Silver on the Seat-tube and white lettering. Could just be the weird lighting and lack of focus.

Personally, I dont dig the Red. there are no red accents on the bike itself. Black or charcoal fizik microtex would look good IMO.

Correct me if I'm wrong : these wheels are not race-legal , correct?

Not sure if I read it correctly but UCI approves certain equipment to be used in races (?)

Sorry I dont race yet and I'm from Canada.

Have at it.

Temporary bar tape and I need to chop the steerer tube more.

http://distilleryimage3.instagram.co...381052c0_7.jpg

Flamin' hot. But not too bright. The rider really should have paid someone to photoshop it...ya think?

Upgrades = saddle and bars...which saddle is that?

New pic when complete - but looks good... too bad SA ruined all S2 for hotness after he posted his. His is the standard now lol

I have the same cages as you. Even on my bike, I don't really like the look, but mine weighed in @ 21 and 22g

check out slamthatstem.com... They have some really small dust caps

That; I have the same color scheme on a 2011 2.3

Yeah - I'm thinking the same thing; the red looks kind of out of place. Although you can really see in the pic, the romin saddle has red accents. I typically like white tape. I wonder if the LBS will let me swap out the cages?

Silver and Black with white lettering. The 5.2 fork I was able to pick up ebay matches quite well and is a little lighter. I wanted to get lower but keep the original uncut in case I switch frames. I still want to get a little lower - smaller dust cap - and may need to cut the fork a little bit more.

I don't know why the photo turned out so blurry. I'll take some others with better focus.

DD

Honestly, no idea. I ride a lot but I don't race at all. If anything the 'competitive' riding is just making sure I don't get dropped by the peloton on the weekends.

They're perfectly legal as far as I can tell - why would they be illegal?

UCI says they need to approve wheels with a depth over 25mm. They test them to destruction and make sure bits don't explode out towards other racers. No name deep Chinese wheels probably aren't on the approved list.

Yeah but the UCI doesn't sanction any of the races I've been in (that I know of).

Sure, it's irrelevant to almost all of us, but he did specifically mention UCI so I just wanted to mention their regulations.

Kinda makes you wonder...was there a problem with exploding wheels at one point?

Actually Mavic did have problems with their R-Sys wheel system with the hollow carbon spokes. There's a infamous crash photo sequence from a race here in Austin showing a racer getting dumped after his wheel came apart. Not sure if that's what prompted the rule or not although I doubt it - that race wasn't UCI sanctioned. Although maybe there were malfunctions in a UCI sanctioned race somewhere.

Here is mine, I just finished building it. Most of the parts are used due to being on a budget. Its not as nice as a lot of the bikes I just got done drooling over, but she looks good to me. Its a Blue RC8 frame, Ultegra group, and Rolf wheels.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=248412
pic gets bigger if you click it

svrider...whatcha think of the blue? I have a friend that raced for them in Seattle and he liked his. You (I) dont really see many of those around.