Carrera Virago Carbon

Prime586

Frame: Carrera Virago carbon 52cm
Forks: generic Chinese carbon with tapered alloy steerer
Bars: Ritchey Comp Anatomic
Stem: Ritchey Comp 100mm
Headset: FSA No.44 Integrated Tapered
Bar Tape: Diadora padded carbon effect

Brakes: FSA Gossamer
Groupset: Shimano 105 5700
Cables: Shimano SIS/SLR

Seat: Thorn carbon effect with Ti-Alloy rails
Seat Post: generic Chinese carbon
Seat Post Clamp: CSN Superleggera

Cranks: FSA Gossamer BB30 Compact 50/34
Bottom Bracket: FSA BB30
Pedals: Shimano R550 SPD-SL
Cassette: Tiagra 4600 10-speed 12-28
Chain: Shimano CN-5701 with KMC Missing Link

Wheelset: 4ZA Cirrus aero profile alloy clincher
Spokes: Stainless butted aero profile (20 front, 24 rear)
Hubs: 4ZA sealed cartridge bearing (made by Chosen)
Tubes: Continental
Tyres: Continental Ultra Sport

Accessories: Tacx bottle cage, Krex chain catcher, Mio Cyclo 105 computer, Bontrager ANT+ speed+cadence sensor

Weight: approx 8kg

The frame was an unused spare still in it's packaging that I bought from a surplus stock dealer (they found a few of them amongst pallets of bike parts from Halfords they had bought at a disposal auction). I have built it up to a similar spec to how they were originally sold (this version of the Virago was a limited edition sold during 2012, promoted in the 'Tour De Francis' adverts) with the bars, stem and seat carried over from my previous bike.

The forks came from eBay and where originally plain white. I stripped them back to carbon, repainted them in pearl white with decals in a similar style to the frame and C & G Finishes did the 2-pack epoxy clearcoat. The wheels were take-offs from a new Ridley which I got at a bargain price from a dealer in Tyneside.

It rides really nicely - quite lively and it's a lot lighter than my old mid-90s Carrera Virtuoso which helps a lot when going uphill. The carbon frame is also a lot more comfortable over longer rides than the alloy frame of the Virtuoso (it absorbs the bumps better too). All-in, I reckon it's cost me about £550 to build, which is pretty good for a carbon bike. It's a Carrera though, so I'm preparing myself for some incoming...

declan1

That bike looks way too big for you...

Remarkable

Lovely bike & great job on the build. Looks much too big for you though. Compact frames should have a lot more seatpost showing.

sloppyschleckonds

Looks a comfy ride, if you think the optimum amount of seatpost showing is between 6-10 cm its not far off. Stem looks a bit short which may make it handle like a plank off wood. Nice job on the forks.

imposter2.0

Looks nice, but either the seat is set way too low, or the bike is too big.

Prime586

Thanks for the replies. I expected the seatpost height would probably be a cause for comment. Comparing the geometry with sizing guides on the net, it' comes out more like semi-compact (the ETT is 54cm). I'm 5' 7", but I suffer from a long body and short limbs (I'm only a 29" inside leg), hence the short seatpost

The seller had a Medium and a Large for sale, and after comparing the measurements with my old frame (conventional geometry with level top tube) it was similar enough to be worth a punt, given the price. I've seem pictures of the Small (48cm) frame, and it has a lot more rake in the top tube so may have been a bit cramped. I take the point about the stem though - it handles pretty well, but after putting a few hundred miles on it I am thinking og swapping it for one that's a bit longer.

Salsa

Nice bike!
I did a frame swap over/rebuild for some one with one of those Viragos and he ended up giving me the frame and fork in part payment for the job. Built it up with a 105 group I had lying about, a few budget Deda finishing parts and some Mavic Aksiums.
Truth be told it rides really nice, more comfortable than my racier bike although the trade off it's a little bit more flexy. Still I always enjoy riding it!
I went the other route to you stripped the graphics off and gloss blacked it.

declan1

You could have got a smaller frame and a longer stem.