MY NEW BIKE!!
Since 2011 I've been riding Matt Ancona's old Orbea Ordu frame. Obviously it has an awesome track record with an ironman AG win and a trip to Kona, among other successes. But it started to show it age this year, with some frame issues that have been diagnosed as unrepairable.
I looked at a lot of options for a new bike both built and frame+build. But the basic problem was that unless I got a Ceepo frame (since they are a Zoot sponsor and I get a discount), I couldn't figure out a way to get what I wanted for under $5k. Frankly, nothing I looked at would have been less than about $8k out the door. I'm too price sensitive in general, but I do feel that spending close to $10k for a bike starts getting pretty ridiculous.
Amazingly just as I started looking I came across a bike on Craigslist. A 2013 BMC TM01, Ultegra DI2. It wasn't the one with the red trim I really wanted, but it looked like a good deal and the seller claimed in the ad that the bike was virtually unused other than to race IMWI and for the last month and a half of training. The frame size was M-S although my current fit puts me right on the border of M-S and M-L. Probably M-L will limit my ability to get much more aggressive because as I get lower I need to get longer, but I was convinced that adjustable aerobars will allow me to get where I need to go, fit-wise.
I rode 45 miles out to meet the guy and see the bike one Saturday morning near his place in the Chicago suburbs. The bike looked good and the guy was totally legit. He bought the bike for over $9k at a local retailer I know well. He did IMWI, finishing in 14:xx with a bike split of almost 7 hours. So a lot less of a track record of Ancona's bike!! I rode home another 45 miles.
I then made a mistake. I lowballed him $3,500. He countered with $4k and I walked. I'm not sure why I walked, but I did. I think it was a bit of an emotional reaction. About a week later I emailed him back to revive the deal but by then he got cold feet and was unwilling to do the deal at $4k anymore and went back to his original price of $5k. So that was a big bummer. I spent another couple weeks looking but didn't have much success in finding anything. Finally I found a frame on eBay where the seller was willing to transact at a good price. I would have had to build it up and I suspect it would have been in more "used" condition but it was a good option. So I sent a last-ditch email to the original Craigslist seller to let him know that I was about to close on a deal in the event he changed his mind about $4k. To my great surprise, he emailed me back in under 2 hours agreeing to the deal. I picked up the bike a couple of days later. DONE!!!
Before I ride it, I plan to do the following:
- Take it to the LBS to have it inspected to make sure there are no fatal flaws and I didn't get screwed on the deal!! Plus have the LBS do some of the stuff on the list below.
- Replicate the fit to be identical to my current Orbea fit
- Put on a Cobb V-Flow Max saddle identical to the one on my Orbea (already purchased via Amazon)
- New aerobars…3T "mini" aerobars, only 30cm for the base bars…pretty narrow but I don't ride hilly courses and spend time in the base bars (bought from 3T on line for $430 on sale)
- Get the DI2 junction box put inside the bike. Right now it's mounted to the stem but on the 2013 frame this isn't necessary and no idea why it's set up this way
- Swap my Quarq Elsa crank over to this bike, including mounting a Quarq cadence magnet. May require BB adapter (LBS will tell me when I take it in)
- Add a hydration system. My Orbea is a dual-bottle behind-the-seat x-lab setup and frankly I really love it. But I know a lot of people are going "between the aerobars" these days, so I may experiment with something new for this bike
- Adjust brakes and ensure compatibility of my race wheels and training wheels
LOOKING FORWARD TO MY NEW RIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Comments
Hard to imagine you on an M/L frame, Matt. This is probably a better size for you.
Here's hoping your much more aggressive position will be able to get dialed in on this machine. It looks like it was set up for the kind of riders which perplex me out on the course … they look like a dog sitting up, heads in the air, smiling away, blissfully unaware how much their head and chest are slowing them down.
In any event, here's hoping you're getting at least 5 minutes in an HIM for those 4,000 $$$$
I got the same frame and same color. Did you know the color is called "aloha"? That was the selling point for me
Must guarantee a KQ in your future! Enjoy! I love mine!
Man I love looking at bike porn!
Ok, she's back from the LBS and READY TO RACE
#wolfwhistle#