Project Ti

tomisitt

Greetings, all

I have curated (I didn't actually build it, I gathered the requisite parts together and got someone less ham-fisted than myself to build it up) what I believe to be the perfect road bike...for me. I wanted a titanium frame, but a race one rather than an audax or sportive one. I wanted a decent Campag groupset, but nothing electronic. I wanted light alloy clinchers, not heavy carbon ones. And I wanted everything that wasn't titanium to be carbon-fibre. So here is my Spin Spitfire MkIII.




Frame: Spin Spitfire MkIII titanium
Forks: Spin Quicklight carbon
Bars: Zipp SL V2 Short/Shallow carbon
Stem: Spin Monolithic titanium
Headset: Spin Bling T-iCandy
Bar Tape: Fizik



Front Brake Lever: Campagnolo Chorus
Front Caliper: Campagnolo Chorus
Rear Brake Lever: Campagnolo Chorus
Rear Caliper: Campagnolo Chorus



Shifters: Campagnolo Chorus
Cables: Campagnolo
Front Mech: Campagnolo Chorus
Rear Mech: Campagnolo Chorus





Seat: Selle Italia SLR Team
Seat Post: Spin Monolithic titanium
Seat Post Clamp: Spin Quicklight titanium




Cranks: Campagnolo Chorus
Chainring(s): Campagnolo Chorus compact
Chain: Campagnolo Chorus
Cassette: Campagnolo Chorus 12-28
Pedals: Shimano Ultegra carbon
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Chorus



Front Wheel: Spin Speedmetal 30mm alloy clincher (702g)
Spokes: Sapim Race
Hub: Spin Fast
Tyre: Continental 4000S



Back Wheel: Spin Speedmetal 30mm alloy clincher (848g)
Spokes: Sapim Race
Hub: Spin Fast
Tyre: Continental 4000S



Extras: Campgnolo Chorus bottle cage (ludicrously self-indulgent!)

Weight: 7.4kg (approx)

I've ridden a couple of hundred miles on it, and am absolutely delighted with it. It's fast, light, comfortable, pretty, and uniquely mine. Would be interested in hearing the collective opinion of the forum.

napoleond

Nice selection of bits but it looks like you have enormously long legs and a very short body! I don't like the red Spin logo but,well, aesthetics are personal.
I'm thinking of making the switch to 11sp Campag on my bike...

tomisitt

Yep, long legs and short body is pretty accurate. Not keen on the logo either, but will keep it for the time-being (was toying with the idea of getting a smaller Spin logo laser-etched on the frame, like Qoroz do).

ritchiel1707

Looks lovely. Im building up my next bike in a few weeks with Campy Chorus. Certainly looks the part and should go well on my De Rosa Neo Primato.

Milkmaid

One of the nicest bikes I've seen on here for a long time. I'm hoping to take delivery of my own Ti race (non-audax/sportive) bike sometime this week. Considered the Spitfire, but opted for a Van Nic Chinook.

RideOnTime

smashing looking bike

clarkey cat

absolutely love this

tomisitt

Milkmaid — I also looked very closely at the Chinook, but I've always been a sucker for a Spitfire! Hope we'll see some pics of your Van Nic on here when it's finished.

Milkmaid

Photos of the Chinook will appear - if the bike EVER TURNS UP. 5 weeks and still waiting. Grrr!

pompeydave

8) Lovely looking bike.I'm building up a Moots at the minute and am interested how a ti frame rides.If mine looks as good as this I'll be well 'appy
Nice to see you prefer cables to electric.

jimmm

Wow that's what you call a nice looking bike. Absolutely love it!

If you don't mind me asking...how much did it all set you back roughly?

tomisitt

Hmmm...well I have steadfastly refused to do the maths (am in denial about how much money I spend on cycling), but the frame/seatpost/stem/headset bundle was around £1500, the groupset around £800 and the wheels around £350. So not much change from £3000. Spin do frames from £990, so it could have been built to a lower spec considerably cheaper (Spin do full builds with SRAM kit from £1999), but I'm a sucker for Ti with carbon bits. The process of "curating" it was very pleasurable, and it rides as well as it looks, so I'm happy!

jimmm

Sorry for making you do the maths! Worth every penny though. One of the best looking bikes I have see on here; and as they say - titanium frames are for life! Enjoy

Miklosh

Great looking bike!
What's your opinion on the wheels ?

Sharpy_lad

Well done on that build. I saw spin's stand at the cycle show last year and their bikes were some of the most memorable there, I'm very envious of your bike, I bet it rides fantastic!

I built my own wheels in the spring with some spin hubs and black Kinlin XR300 rims and Drew was very interested in where I sourced the rims from, so I'd hazard a guess the new black speedmetal rim option are probably Kinlin's

tomisitt

Thanks for the comments. I like the wheels very much. At 1548g (actual weight on my scales) they're pretty light, the hubs spin up well, and they seem like good all-rounders. Being 6ft 1in and 84kg, I'm not exactly aero, so these do me just fine. They do seem very similar to the XR300 rims, so I wouldn't be surprised if these are the same. And yes, I too fell in love with the Spins at the Cycle Show (and I love their Ti bolts and bits...beautifully engineered. Am contemplating a full set of "Hendrixed" Ti teeth, if I can persuade Spin to collaborate with my dentist).

hopper1

Nive bike! FWIW, I like the red 'SPIN' decal
Where did you get those vale caps from, they look far better than the standard ones?

Sharpy_lad

tomisitt wrote:

Thanks for the comments. I like the wheels very much. At 1548g (actual weight on my scales) they're pretty light, the hubs spin up well, and they seem like good all-rounders. Being 6ft 1in and 84kg, I'm not exactly aero, so these do me just fine. They do seem very similar to the XR300 rims, so I wouldn't be surprised if these are the same. And yes, I too fell in love with the Spins at the Cycle Show (and I love their Ti bolts and bits...beautifully engineered. Am contemplating a full set of "Hendrixed" Ti teeth, if I can persuade Spin to collaborate with my dentist).

My wheels came in slightly heavier, at 1560g. I was advised by the guys building my wheels not to use the lighter DT swiss revolution spokes on the rear that I wanted, so used heavier DT comp instead for the rear and revolution for the front, but yeah they do look very akin.

Drew was very helpful in providing my with all the info regarding the hubs for when I got them built up. The only slight gripe I've had with the spin stuff is the red seat cradle on my spin seat post discoloured pretty quick - the colour "leaked" and ran off the cradle when cleaning with only very mild car soap and water. Spin sent me another after explaining and the new one is doing it again. Keep an eye on yours!

tomisitt

hopper1 - valve caps are MOWA ones from Chain Reaction (£5 a pair).

Sharpy_lad - thanks for the warning about the colour (I only ever wash the Spin with Evian and a dab of Evelyn & Crabtree jojoba and mango body-wash, so it should be OK ).

Sharpy_lad

We'll see!

Seriously though, being a keen car detailer my bicycles get similar treatment and I use Dodo juice born to be mild shampoo (mechanical bits get Morgan blue cleaner, which kicks ass)

The same colour Firestorm red hubs I have are fine, just the damn seat post cradles.

ascurrell

not enough superlatives to commend this fantastic bike, can't beat Ti !!!

tomisitt

For those asking about the wheels, check out Bike Radar's test of them For what it's worth, mine are still running straight and true after several hundred miles, with no bearing issues or strange noises, and only there merest hint of lateral compliance. Either I got a particular good pair, or Bike Radar got a particularly dodgy set. Pretty terrible PR for Spin, though.

Paul 8v

Beautiful bike :-)

Sharpy_lad

tomisitt wrote:

For those asking about the wheels, check out Bike Radar's test of them For what it's worth, mine are still running straight and true after several hundred miles, with no bearing issues or strange noises, and only there merest hint of lateral compliance. Either I got a particular good pair, or Bike Radar got a particularly dodgy set. Pretty terrible PR for Spin, though.

I can't find the BR review of the wheels anywhere. Can you PM me the review, I'd be interested to know what they didn't like about the wheelset, it'd be very much appreciated. 8)

tomisitt

Doh! My bad...it is on Road CC, not Bike Radar: http://road.cc/content/review/67169-spi ... 0-wheelset

And they weren't impressed! :shock:

Sharpy_lad

Thanks for that link. No, they didn't seem impressed.

I've had zero problems with my front Spin F35 hub. The R62 rear hub is a tad sensitive and I go totally against what that Road.cc say in the spacer needs to be as tight as possible by hand. The spacer only needs to be just and so nipped up by hand. Over tightening the spacer by hand and the wheel has lateral play in it and the hub does make noise when out of the saddle giving it full gas, not surprisingly. I thought the bearings had gone, but after trying various things and playing about with the hub ie not over tightening the spacer I've sorted it. I don't have to adjust it day to day, just when if I take the rear wheel out I make sure before replacing it that the spacer's tightened up right.

Job done!