Bicycle, Bicycle

In case you didn’t get it, the title in should be in the tune of Queen’s Bicycle Race

Now that I’m officially done with my other major project (car), time to move on to the next one: Investing in a bicycle.

The funny thing is: I’ve been planning on getting a bike since last year, but have always been putting it off since I didn’t want to be riding a bike alone. Luckily my fellow Soulsearchers seem to be getting into it ¹ Everyone wants a way to get/remain fit at our age

I’ve always thought cycling was a very practical hobby to have. Unlike the gym, you can get in shape while travelling, so it has both a practical and healthful purpose if you really think about it. It’s also a pleasant socializing tool, as groups of cyclists seem to be like Mac users… you get together and you tend to easily break the ice by talking about your stuff hahahaha.

And seriously, if I had a nickel for every-time I had to walk somewhere a bit too far, but not far enough to justify wasting gas, this bike I’m getting would’ve been free by now ² That’s actually a lie hahahaha.

I started researching late last year, and was supposed to get a bike at the start of the year (2009), but the car was too good an opportunity to pass up (promo and all). That, and I was still ultimately undecided on the components I wanted. ³ I did have a shortlist of a configuration I thought I had wanted earlier in the year though.

I decided to get off my ass and start finalizing my decision because at the rate I was going… the bike would forever be a “plan.” And if there’s one thing I hate, it’s the lack of follow through in any decision a person makes… so I heeded my own pet peeve and bit the bullet and set a list with a deadline of next week.

I also decided to not focus so much on compromising component selection because of budget concerns. What I mean is: instead of setting a budget and trying to squeeze components into that budget and ending up forcing to compromise too much, what I did was this:

1. Choose the components I found ideal for my use/taste
2. Get the price
3. Set “initial” budget in the ballpark (of course trying to drive it down)
4. Canvas and get better deals to match the “target” budget I had created.

This way, the “compromises” I ended up doing would be compromises that I can live with. For example: in the first scenario, lets say you arbitrarily set 30k as your budget. Automatically, to get a “decent” bike out of that, you’ll be forced to get pre-configured “stock” branded bike and that’s that. While you saved yourself a lot of headache by not selecting anything but a brand and package, if you’re as particular as I am, finding out what components could’ve been in that bike would drive you nuts.

So with the second approach, I first decided the non-negotiables (e.g. carbon fiber frame), and set the budget accordingly. And because I’m not constantly trying to pencil push as a reflex, I got a shortlist of components done in the same hour I talked to the shopkeeper. Then I went on finding better deals on the most expensive components (e.g. fork, groupset, wheelset, and frame)

I’m having an official fitting for the geometry of the bike I need on monday, but I’m basically set on these components:

• Frame: Orbea Alma Team (carbon fiber)
• Fork: Fox 32 F-RLC F120 (already bought)
• Wheelset: Mavic Crosstrail (already bought)
• Groupset: Shimano XTR 970 (already bought)
  • BL / BR M975 brake set (SM-RT97 rotor)
  • CS-M970 cassettes
  • M-970 SGS (low-normal) rear derailleur
  • FD-971 Front Derailleur
  • SL-M970 RapidFire Plus shifters
  • FC-M970 crankset
• Seatpost: Zeus Carbon
• Stem: Zeus (alloy)
• Handlebars: Zeus Carbon Flatbar
• Pedals: ?
• Saddles: ?
• Tires: ?

Still on the fence on what pedals I want. Clipless pedals are nice and efficient, but I want to be able to bike with regular shoes during trips to Hypermart or something. So I’ll probably get a dual-function that allows platform-type and clipless. Same goes for the actual tires (tubeless or not?) – I’ll probably decide on monday after the fitting.

Upon further research, I noticed that I ended up with basically an Orbea Alma World Cup configuration with the following differences:

1. N/A: I used the Team frame instead of the WC for purely cosmetic reasons: black and white instead of black and blue. The transition from the black to the white is perfect for the [white] fork I got. ⁴ You still have to have a sense of style even with these sorts of things IMHO
2. Downgrade: Using a Crosstrail wheelset instead of the Crossmax
3. Upgrade: Using a Fox F-RLC F120 The 120, while half a pound heavier than the [RockShox] SID Race I initially considered, is of much better quality (Fox is Fox after all, so definitely an upgrade)
4. Downgrade: Using a low-normal alloy 970 rear derailleur instead of the WC’s carbon 972 (top-normal).

Otherwise, it’s near top-end for the Alma series… the best thing about it is that it literally totalled about 1.5k USD cheaper than a pre-configured Alma WC! It’s a steal relatively speaking.