Finally finished the mishmash...

ed_j

Okay, so I finally finished my bike today and am over the moon with it. Yes it probably is the biggest cut and shut in road bike history, but I had to buy/steal/scrounge/beg the parts that have been put into it, (even I find the gold titanium seatpost scary). I just wanted something to get out on the road on, as my starter road bike was this that I did hundreds of miles on...

http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac23 ... 153312.jpg

Believe me, that's a kind angle of it.

It's taken me 6 months to get all the parts, spending every penny on it. Overall I think the quality of the components (if not the look) really reflects the time, effort and thought I put into it.

Let me know what you guys think.

http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac23 ... 182825.jpg

Frame: Principia RSL (Mk I?)
Forks: Easton EC90 Aero 1"
Bars: 3T 4GX
Stem: 3T Zepp
Headset: Cane Creek S2
Bar Tape: Massi (Courtesy of a holiday in Spain)

Front Brake Lever: Shimano Ultegra
Front Caliper: SRAM Apex
Rear Brake Lever: Shimano 105
Rear Caliper: SRAM Apex

Shifters: Front mech Carbon fibre downtube, Rear Shimano 105
Cables: Shimano
Front Mech: 105
Rear Mech: 105

Seat: Selle Italia SLK Gel
Seat Post: USE Alien Titanium 27.2
Seat Post Clamp: Principia

Cranks: Truvativ Rouleur
Chainring(s): -
Chain: 105
Cassette: 105
Pedals: Mavic Sprint
Bottom Bracket: SRAM GXP

Front Wheel: Aksium (training until I am good enough for anything requiring nippier wheels)
Back Wheel: Aksium
Tube: Michelin A1
Tire: Pro Race 3

Red_Logic

Add some red to the frame so the forks look less out of place....apart form that its a tidy bike!

declan1

Looks nice! The fork really looks out of place though, and the handlebars look angled down too far (or just move the hoods up). It does look really good for a mash-up though!

ed_j

Thanks guys, considering lightly sanding the forks to black? Not sure how difficult it'll be.

You can't be too picky on a student budget anyway!

Oh and as for the shifters being too far down, I have crazy long arms. That's a 125 stem on a 56cm frame there. If you consider that compared to how much saddle is showing!

ricklilley

Not a bad looking bike, as has already been said add a bit of red (maybe a red ribcage or racelite bottle cage).
And i'd honestly lose the gold seatpost as it doesn't blend with anything else, a silver one would look good with the wheels and drivetrain!

ed_j

ricklilley wrote:

Not a bad looking bike, as has already been said add a bit of red (maybe a red ribcage or racelite bottle cage).
And i'd honestly lose the gold seatpost as it doesn't blend with anything else, a silver one would look good with the wheels and drivetrain!

Agreed, but titanium seatpost's go for silly money and I really didn't want a carbon one.

When one comes up and I have the cash, I'll get it! Anyone got a Campy record 27.2 titanium seatpost? I'll give you £20...?

ed_j

Right, question for the fashion police About to buy some principia decals, do I get them in silver or red?

declan1

Ed J wrote:

Right, question for the fashion police About to buy some principia decals, do I get them in silver or red?

I would say red. Actually, silver would look better. No - red. Or maybe...

timmyturbo

I love it mate , de-brand the lot and spray the forks the same colour and maybe some all black or grey tyres ?

did you win the forks on ebay ?? i was bidding on 2 pairs that went for about £120 and £140 .

great effort and nobody else has one , SPOT ON !! (-:

ed_j

timmyturbo wrote:

I love it mate , de-brand the lot and spray the forks the same colour and maybe some all black or grey tyres ?

did you win the forks on ebay ?? i was bidding on 2 pairs that went for about £120 and £140 .

great effort and nobody else has one , SPOT ON !! (-:

Any idea on how to debrand the forks? Can I just wet sand with some 600 grit and clear coat?

Hah, yeah sorry about that, that was the fork I won!

Glad you like it, I'm over the moon with it

timmyturbo

yes you can de-brand with wet and dry and clear coat , i de branded all of the components and parts on this , including the seat and chain rings and tyres , not shown in these pictures .

viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12867506&p=17756684#p17756684

cheers (-:

nweststeyn

Are the Easton EC90s not carbon forks? I would feel very hesitant taking sandpaper to them...

timmyturbo

yes they are carbon , 600 grade would polish a ford focus , well not really 1200 grade for that .
i have done to lots of carbon before , the magic phrase is " BY HAND " and with plenty of water , i would just spray them myself though .

ed_j

timmyturbo wrote:

yes they are carbon , 600 grade would polish a ford focus , well not really 1200 grade for that .
i have done to lots of carbon before , the magic phrase is " BY HAND " and with plenty of water , i would just spray them myself though .

Unfortunately can't spray as the 'paint' is actually decals that sit above the carbon fibre so spraying wouldn't get rid of them, you'd still see an outline. So my options are leave and produce a white, black and red colour scheme or sand and spray.

What do we reckon?

timmyturbo

sand and spray in the semi Stealth B2 colour of the frame i reckon bud, hidden power is my favourite , like when Americans make sleeper cars , standard looking VW beetle with 300BHP etc lol . cheers

hipshot

Really like your bitsa. Fast & purposeful looking. Built to do a job.

I'd leave the fork as it is, overly colour coordinated bikes are boring IMO.

(I've wondered about using that wheel sensor position too, what does it do to signal strength? Oh, and your rear derailleur cable loop is too big. )

ed_j

Thanks Glad someone likes it the way it is! Still think I'm going to get those decals in red though.

The signal strength is fine surprisingly, you wouldn't notice the difference to it being on the front wheel. If you think about it, sensors these days are designed to send information that far, cadence sensors have to.

As for the loop being too big, I was assured you needed a couple of centimetres of straight section to get the best shifting perfomance. I had a quick flick through bikeradar's pro bikes, to see how the mechanics set them up and I'd say my cable length was pretty similar:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... d--34462/1

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... x-34965/18

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... rs-35048/1

Oh and just to keep everyone happy, I've rotated the bars up very slightly:

http://i882.photobucket.com/albums/ac23 ... 1540-1.jpg

Didn't notice the difference after rotating them up, so it's win win for pounciness and function.

hipshot

Ed J wrote:

As for the loop being too big, I was assured you needed a couple of centimetres of straight section to get the best shifting perfomance. I had a quick flick through bikeradar's pro bikes, to see how the mechanics set them up and I'd say my cable length was pretty similar

Actually, it looks fine on the second image.

Thinking mine is probably too small now :evil: Time for some new outers and sensor zip ties...

ed_j

hipshot wrote:

Actually, it looks fine on the second image.

Thinking mine is probably too small now :evil: Time for some new outers and sensor zip ties...

Centurion1

Hi. If you still have this bike and are bored of the ec90 fork, let me know. Maybe we can work out a deal. Thanks.