Pasteys Titus Solera (with added blue bits)

pastey_boy

heres my titus solera. its had quite a few makeovers in its short life but im almost settled on a final spec

















SPEC
Frame: 2008 titus solera bought new end of 09 54cm
Forks: scott cr1 pro full carbon
Bars: itm millenium ergal wing bar 241 grams
Stem: reynolds etape x-105 100mm
Headset: fsa extreme w/ u.s.e ringo-star
Bar Tape: charge synth leather black

Front Brake Lever: sram force
Front Caliper: planet x cnc caliper ti hardware
Rear Brake Lever: sram force
Rear Caliper: planet x cnc caliper ti hardware

Shifters: sram force
Cables: yokozuna jet lube system. gears and brakes
Front Mech: sram force
Rear Mech: sram force + kcnc gold ceramic jockey wheels

Seat: sdg ti-fly wht/blk
Seat Post: easton ec70 layback
Seat Post Clamp: dkg usa cnc clamp

Cranks: sram s900
Chainring(s): sram force ti/anodised 53/39t 130bcd
Chain: stronglight 10spd nickel plated
Cassette: shimano 5600 12/25
Pedals: crank brothers quattro sl
Bottom Bracket: sram gxp
WINTER WHEELS:
Front Wheel:
Rim: alex r380 32h black
Spokes: stainless black / brass nipples
Hub:novatec superlight
Tube: michelin
Tire: continental gran prix poly x 24x700c

Back Wheel:
Rim:alex r380
Spokes: stainless black
Hub: novatec superlight
Tube: michelin
Tire: continental gran prix poly x 24x700c
Qr skewers: planet x ti/carbon 43grams
Accessories: carbon bottle cage, bikemate wireless computer,
Weight: 16.4 lbs verified inc pedals and bottlecage, not bad for a ti frame with solid wheels. will lose more weight when i change wheels/tyres/tubes. may also fit some super light pedals

Other info: this bike started off life as a 2009 boardman pro carbon. all that remains is the crankarms, bb, mechs and levers

CarbonCopy

Very nice i`m liking all the Bling.

pastey_boy

i think ive just about erred on the side of tastefulness although im pretty sure others will disagree

ravey1981

For me the gold is too much....I'm a lover of all things anodised but I don't think gold compliments the frame very well.. I would love to see it with anodised blue bits to match the highlights on the frame...i'm sure it would look amazing then.

pastey_boy

you may have a very valid point but please take into account my total lack of taste. would cost me a fortune to get all blue bits now so its staying as it is as i have a mountain bike project next on my to do list. just weighed the bike properly at 16.36 pounds which i find good considering i could easily shave 200 grams off the forks, another 200-300 off the wheels, 100 off the saddle and post and 50-100 with a chainset and cassette swap. i reckon a sub 15lbs build could be on the cards without losing too much in the way of strength. will buy the bits i need after i complete my next mtb

pastey_boy

although i think a blue saddle would not be out of the question in the not too distant future

rake

nice i like Ti.

galatzo

Like it.

I was close to getting one of these frames from the old Titus distributor in Scotland.
New range is pretty expensive but very nice stuff.

Anonymous

I liked it in full Bette Lynch mode...

pastey_boy

semi bette mode will have to do for now but i promise the wheels i have planned for her will elevate her way past bette mode and will probably see her knocking on elton johns back door. i might even get crazy and get some pimped coloured hoods. i did fit a white and blue saddle off my mtb the other day and it looked good so i reckon a white saddle, hoods and rims coupled with gold hubs will look ultra winton

pastey_boy

ok ive got some big changes planned for the solera this week . fitting a full set of yokozuna gear/brake cables, a set of sram red rings, a pair of ultegra spd sl,s. changing the bars over to a set of alu itm wing bars as the fitted ec90,s are too wide and flex more than i would like. also fitting some black leather effect bar tape with gel pads beneath. a reynolds etape x105 stem. also fitting a carbon railed saddle and a set of gold cnc ceramic jockey wheels. im also going to swap the forks over to an alpha q gs10 full carbon which will knock of over 200 gram without losing stiffness will udate pics later in the week once the bits are fitted

pastey_boy

heres my solera with its new bits on. will have a set of ultegra spd sl,s tomorrow. today i fitted a set of yokozuna gear/brake cables and i have to say they are a huge improvement and feel amazing especially the rear brake. also fitted a narrower alu itm bar thats only 30 grams heavier than the easton ec90 carbon bar it replaced. i stuck some gold ceramic jockey wheels on i had lying around. i put charge leather effect black bar tape on and fitted cinelli gel pads under the tape. i fitted sram red chainrings and a reynolds etape stem. will be fitting a pair of ultegra spd sl,s tomorrow. the changes have added a bit of weight but it still weighs 16.9lbs. my planned fork and wheel upgrade will take it below 16lbs whilst maintaining the bikes solid yet forgiving feel

pastey_boy

after going for a quick blast this morning i decided to swap a few bits around. i put the force chainrings back on as they are lighter and feel just as stiff as the sram red ones. used my ultegra spd sl,s and road shoes this morning for the first time and i have to admit they are a huge improvement over the mtb spd,s and shoes i had been using, i felt my foot had a whole lot more support and i felt more connected to the bike. the carbon soled shoes felt great too with every ounce of energy i put into the pedals not being wasted. also ditched the easton ec70 post for a titanium model with carbon cradle. i removed the karbona saddle and replaced it with a selle italia slr ti with the padding and leather cover removed, now it weighs 117grams and im hoping its as comfy as my old flite evolution carbon saddle .
next up is a new pair of forks and some lighter wheels to take the weight down into the 15,s

pastey_boy

ok my ar5e didnt take to kindly to the stripped down slr. but as luck would have it my mate ordered a white selle smp composite saddle(£179) tried it for an hour and didnt like it so he gave to me for servicing his bike it feels great and kinda goes with the white lettering on my frame. so ive ordered some white sram hudz and a white stem,

pastey_boy

just ordered some new black wheels, alex r380 rims 32 hole with black cnc novatec hubs. they should weigh around the 1600gram mark so no difference to the xero,s fitted but i like the fact they are 32 hole so easier to true and will be that little bit stronger, i dont feel the need to go lighter with the wheels as my 17 stones would probably kill some super lights. also swapping the chainset over to a sram force, should save me 60-80 grams over the fitted sram s900,s. last but not least im gonna pop down to merlin cycles for a pair of rubino pros in white. will stick new pics up when the bits are fitted

ascurrell

Hi Nice bike, sorry for late input, excuse my poor memory but was the stem one that I sold you ? The Reynolds etape stem is a a great stem that don't seem to get a lot of credit.
Talking about your saddle I've got a flite original on the way I bought off ebay that has been stripped down to the bare shell, probably never ride it just more interested in what it looks like.
Out of interest whats your favourite out of your road and mountain bike?
Also how much do your forks weigh I have a spare Real Design fork that I may off load in the near future. That's if that is your next weight weenie exercise,
Cheers, Alan

pastey_boy

ascurrell wrote:

Hi Nice bike, sorry for late input, excuse my poor memory but was the stem one that I sold you ? The Reynolds etape stem is a a great stem that don't seem to get a lot of credit.
Talking about your saddle I've got a flite original on the way I bought off ebay that has been stripped down to the bare shell, probably never ride it just more interested in what it looks like.
Out of interest whats your favourite out of your road and mountain bike?
Also how much do your forks weigh I have a spare Real Design fork that I may off load in the near future. That's if that is your next weight weenie exercise,
Cheers, Alan

hi alan
yep that stem is one of the 2 ive had off you and yes its a great piece of kit. as for the stripped down slr , it was indeed light at 117grams but i got hold of a carbon flite evolution 3 saddle which feels much better. my mtb is my fave as i am an mtb,er first and roadie 2nd but having said that im sending a load of my roadie bits off to be anodised and have quite a few upgrades planned . i seem to recall the forks weighing 500ish grams which is to heavy so forks are on my wanted list. sadly i have already tried a pair of real design hp pro,s and to say they flexed a bit would be a massive understatement . in my opinion it would have been dangerous to ride with them. a pity as they are a good looking and light fork ive got my eye on a pair of reynolds ouzo pro,s

pastey_boy

ok another round of upgrades. i managed to get hold of a pair of scott cr1 forks and they seem to suit the frame as well as being over 100 grams lighter and just as stiff but much more comfy. i stuck a new headset on along with a U.S.E ringo star ahead adjuster that works nice and weighs nowt. also suck on an old selle italia flite evolution 3 saddle that has to be one of the comfiest saddles ever made. also stuck a pair of planet x carbon/ti skewers on and at £20 delivered have to be one of the bargains of the year and they weigh 43 grams on my scales. my next upgrade will be a set of wheels that im building myself. bluehope pro 3 hubs with black dt revolution spokes and black 32 hole mavic open pro ceramic rims. should weigh sub 1500grams but will also be strong

pastey_boy

just fitted a sram og1070 11/28 cassette which is lighter than the cs5600 12/25 it replaces, it should help me a bit on the hills. taken the sram red rings off and replaced with my old sram force rings as i think they look better and are lighter. sadly i had to remove the flite evolution seat as it was creaking badly beneath me, have replaced with a fsa carbon/ti leather topped model, slightly heavier but seems more solid beneath me, i only hope its as comfy as the flite

Garry H

I'm sure I've seen that bike. Are you Scottish?

pastey_boy

nope im very english but i purchased the frame from a shop in aviemore who imported them so i guess there will be a few knocking about up there

dulldave

Garry H wrote:

I'm sure I've seen that bike. Are you Scottish?

That might be mine you've seen. It's the 52cm from the same stock.

They look better with black wheels I found.

pastey_boy

here she is with her black winter wheels on, and yes they do look better with black wheels, gonna stick on some nice black carbon jobbies in the spring and i may treat myself to a full sram red groupo

pastey_boy

ive changed the post to an easton ec70 with layback and ive swapped the seat for a much more comfy sdg fly-ti. ive given up on the minimally padded super light saddles. the sdg is still sub 200 grams but is well padded so my ar5e isnt dead after a long ride. also the layback post gives me more options to fine tune my position. since adding the black wheels i feel i should add a set of black chain rings so im going to track down a set of lovely TA rings.

softlad

talking of 'fine tuning the position' - have you tried levelling the saddle..?? it looks a bit pi55ed in those pics....can't be doing your knees any favours....

pastey_boy

ive changed the saddle from the pro logo one in the pic. i find that having the saddle titled forward suits me although its not as severe as the pic above. ive only been riding proper road for approx 1 year so im still chopping and changing alot. but i think im almost settled now, ive been through over 8 stems of various lengths and rises, 4-5 seatposts, and more saddles than i can remember, plus 3 sets of bars, but seeing as im a parts whore and love messing with bikes i dont mind although with hind sight a bike fitting would have saved me a small fortune

pastey_boy

got the bits for my new wheels. going to build a pair of ceramic open pro 32h onto a set of light novatec hubs along with aci butted spokes and black brass nipples. the whole wheelset is going to be black so should look nice and stealthy. also got a set of conti attack/force tyres to try out. im going to stick the sram red rings back on and fit a bling gold kmc chain. ive changed the saddle for an ultra comfy charge spoon leather/ti model.also just got a pair of speedplay pedals to try out. not bothering trying to make it much lighter as im happy with the feel of the ride. pics will follow next week if ive ordered the correct spokes.

pastey_boy

tried the speedplay pedals briefly today and i have to say im astonished at just how good they are. no messing about getting into them endless float and an easy exit yet feel totally locked in. ive read for a long time just how good they are but now im a believer. ive only got a second hand pair of x5,s but they are immaculate and only cost me £37 inc cleats and postage. gonna use these till it gets nice then splash out on a posh pair. ive taken mine to pieces for a good look and i have to say the price is very steep for what your getting but i think the performance balances it out.

pastey_boy

ok ive now fitted all its new bits, speedplay pedals, titanium stem, sram red chainrings, kmc sl ti chain, open pro ceramics 32h built on novatec hubs with db aci spokes all in black, conti attack/force tyres, charge knife saddle, titanium seatpost with carbon cradle. weighs 16.5lbs with bottle cage, pedals and computer fitted.











spec
frame titus solera (med)
fork scott cr1 pro
headset fsa extreme + u.s.e ringo star
stem titanium inc ti bolts 100mm (104grams)
bar itm wing alloy (241grams)
bar tape charge synthetic leather inc prologo end caps
saddle charge knife ti
seatpost titanium with carbon cradle and ti bolts (158grams)
seat clamp dkg cnc

brakes planet x cnc ti with ceramic pads
brake cables yokozuna
brake/shift levers sram force
f/mech sram force
r/mech sram force
gear cables yokozuna
chainset sram s900 with sram red chainrings
bottom bracket sram gxp
cassette shimano 105 12/25 inc token alloy lock ring
chain kmc x10sl ti nitrided
pedals speedplay x5

rims mavic open pro ceramic 32h black
hubs novatec light cnc 32h
spokes aci stainless double butted black
nipples dt swiiss black brass
tyres continental attack/force combo
rim tapes bike ribbon
tubes verdestein
skewers planet x cnc ti superlight (42 grams)
total weight 16.5lbs inc computer, pedals and carbon bottle cage

all in all i have a fairly light bike that can take some stick. very happy with the spec as it stands.

ascurrell

Very nice, each time you change it looks even bettr still, who makes the titanium stem ? Pricey I bet.
Also out of interest and being nosey what do you do with the parts that have been replaced. Cheers, Alan

pastey_boy

the stem is from the far east under the brand name J&L its a work of art and is cast titanium so no welds and weighs 104grams which is very good for a 100mm stem. it cost me approx £100, not bad for what it is. all my old bits end up in a big pile, some i use some i sell. you can never have to many spares