kayakdiver

Just thought I'd post my new build. It's a 2004 Giant TCR Comp 1. I purchased the frame on Ebay and bits and parts from previous bikes and Pro Bike Kit..... and then rounded out a few additional items at my LBS. Still searching for a deal on a saddle.

Full 10 Speed Ultegra except for Dura Ace RD
Crank is Ultegra Compact
Bars are FSA Wing
FSA Stem
Fizik Bar Tape
Cat Eye Computer
Yes... those are Mountain Bike Pedals..... Will be getting some ultegra spds soon
Mavic Aksiums with GP 4000's

Tips the scale with pedals at 17.5 lbs. I'm pretty happy with that weight for a first build. It's at least 12 lbs lighter than my Jamis that I've been using for group rides. I'm pretty good about doing most repairs on the bike so I figured it was worth buying a few tools and doing it myself. Everything went pretty well.

Let me know what you think. I'm still trying to decide on color of bar tape and saddle. Keep it black? I've been kicking around the idea of a Fizik Arione with the blue bar tape that matches... might be a little to much blue?

Should be fun on the group ride tomorrow.... If I can hang with my 30lbs Jamis Aurora on the hills I should feel like super man tomorrow.... Have put about 130 miles on it since I built it on sunday.... still a little tweaking to do but feels pretty damn nice. This thing is so responsive and the ride is pretty damn smooth.... Better than I thought it would be going from 28 Gatorskins on the Jamis to 23 conti's on the Giant.

sheddle

I love eBay/internet builds for some reason. How much did the whole thing cost you?

JF1

Very nice!

kayakdiver

I'm not really sure how much I spent when it was all said and done.... It was just so much fun getting it all together over time and then doing the build myself. Maybe I spent $1200 ish or so... Sure the frame is older but most everything was super lightly used and current Ultegra. The only new bits are the Wheels and Tires.

mustang1

Superlative, very nice

phee

I would go with the blue for the seat and the bar tape. I think it would look good on your bike. But then again I like odd colored bikes. I am currently painting my old Cannondale Kawasaki green

Nice bike either way though. Be careful though, the building bug is hard to get rid of.

-David

kayakdiver

I have a 2000 Kawasaki ZRX (KZ Replica)... love that green. Is that the same Kawasaki color your planning for your Cannondale? Would look sweet!

I'm still on the fence on the saddle and bar tape in blue...... here is what i was thinking....

save10

Nice work. I built a TCR 2 off EBay with the emphasis on budget and spent less than 550 on everything execpt the wheels (used an older set). I've subsequently replaced the wheels with some custom built wheels that cost more than the build. oh well. But yeah. building that frame of ebay was great. it was fun scanning the site everyday for deals on front deraileurs and cranks and stuff. I didn't know anything about bike mechanics really before that so I had to get a book and some tools and figure it out myself. and i made a bunch of mistakes - not tightening various bolts to the correct torque, not realizing the importance of stem length, etc. but it was a good learning experience. Its the only bike i have at the moment as i gave my previous bike to my dad to ride. As a tip - if you are looking to build up a frame on ebay...the Giant frames seem to cost less than cannondale/specialized frames of similar standing...maybe a popularity thing? I got my frame for $150

mloywhite

Nice bike, good luck with it.

kayakdiver

Sounds like you did great! The only item to settle on is going to be the saddle.... Then it will be me riding it until I break something on the bike.......

sibaudio

keep a close eye on ebay for a fizik arione.. I just picked one up for my build with the black bar tape for $75 shipped brand new.. I think that's a pretty sick deal.

HAMMER MAN

really a sweet looking ride

kayakdiver

Thanks!! Hammer Man. And to sibaudio I've been looking hard on Ebay that deal on the Fizik! Hope I can find one.

Copperhed51

Just to give you an idea how it looks, here's a couple pics of my bike with the same saddle and bar tape you're considering. I have blue tires as well but not as much blue on my frame as you.







Sorry, don't have any great ones of the seat with the bar tape but hopefully that helps. I'd snap some more but I'm in Wyoming for the next month or more and my baby is back in Kansas.

dstrong 

Congrats on your eBay build. I did the same thing and really like how it came out. I gotta ask about the seat to bar drop though...it is INSANE! Either the bike's too small for you or you have freakishly strange dimensions.

kayakdiver

It's pretty deceptive when it comes to Giant frames since they are very compact. If you look at the Felt above.. very nice Felt by the way since I'm digging the blue tape on it. Look at the top of my rear wheel and the top tube and then scroll down and look at the Felt.. you will see how much higher the top tube is in the rear than the Giant. It's a medium and I'm 5ft 10in and it's fits quite well.

scr660

How'd ya do it for only 1200?

kayakdiver

PBK, Chainlove/bonktown,Ebay, and LBS. Followed by patients for the right deals.. example...Mavic Axioms from PBK for about $140 delivered.The Ultegra Compact crank for $140 with BB delivered. I'm not including the cost of the tools I purchased that I didn't have since I needed them anyways.

I'm sure it could be done for less. I was trying to be thrifty but I also didn't want to wait until June to be riding it either......