{"id":935,"date":"2009-03-15T00:43:27","date_gmt":"2009-03-14T08:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/03\/15\/bicycle-bicycle\/"},"modified":"2009-03-15T00:43:27","modified_gmt":"2009-03-14T08:43:27","slug":"bicycle-bicycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/03\/15\/bicycle-bicycle","title":{"rendered":"Bicycle, Bicycle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In case you didn&#8217;t get it, the title in should be in the tune of Queen&#8217;s <em>Bicycle Race<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Now that I&#8217;m officially done with my other major project (car), time to move on to the next one: Investing in a bicycle.<\/p>\n<p>The funny thing is: I&#8217;ve been planning on getting a bike since last year, but have always been putting it off since I didn&#8217;t want to be riding a bike alone. Luckily my fellow Soulsearchers seem to be getting into it <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">1 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Everyone wants a way to get\/remain fit at our age<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><!--more--><!-- \/\/ --><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve always thought cycling was a very practical hobby to have. Unlike the gym, you can get in shape <em>while<\/em> travelling, so it has both a practical and healthful purpose if you really think about it. It&#8217;s also a pleasant socializing tool, as groups of cyclists seem to be like Mac users&#8230; you get together and you tend to easily break the ice by talking about your stuff hahahaha.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;m getting would&#8217;ve been free by now <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">2 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">That&#8217;s actually a lie<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> <em>hahahaha.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>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. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">3 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">I did have a shortlist of a configuration I thought I had wanted earlier in the year though<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script>.<\/p>\n<p>I decided to get off my ass and start finalizing my decision because at the rate I was going&#8230; the bike would forever be a &#8220;plan.&#8221; And if there&#8217;s one thing I hate, it&#8217;s the lack of follow through in any decision a person makes&#8230; so I heeded my own pet peeve and bit the bullet and set a list with a deadline of next week.<\/p>\n<p>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:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Choose the components I found ideal for my use\/taste<\/li>\n<li>Get the price<\/li>\n<li>Set &#8220;initial&#8221; budget in the ballpark (of course trying to drive it down)<\/li>\n<li>Canvas and get better deals to match the &#8220;target&#8221; budget I had created.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This way, the &#8220;compromises&#8221; 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 &#8220;decent&#8221; bike out of that, you&#8217;ll be forced to get pre-configured &#8220;stock&#8221; branded bike and that&#8217;s that. While you saved yourself a lot of headache by not selecting anything but a brand and package, if you&#8217;re as particular as I am, finding out what components could&#8217;ve been in that bike would drive you nuts.<\/p>\n<p>So with the second approach, I first decided the non-negotiables (e.g. carbon fiber frame), and set the budget accordingly. And because I&#8217;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)<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m having an official fitting for the geometry of the bike I need on monday, but I&#8217;m basically set on these components:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Frame:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orbea-usa.com\/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&amp;#38;taxid=70&amp;#38;pid=410\">Orbea Alma Team<\/a> (carbon fiber)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fork:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/foxracingshox.com\/fox_bicycle\/bike_index.php?redirect=09_forks\">Fox 32 F-RLC F120<\/a> <code>(already bought)<\/code><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wheelset:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mavic.com\/mtb\/products\/crosstrail-disc.995198.1.aspx\">Mavic Crosstrail<\/a> <code>(already bought)<\/code><\/li>\n<li><strong>Groupset:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr.html\">Shimano XTR 970<\/a> <code>(already bought)<\/code>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-BL-M975.-type-bl_mountain,br_mountain.html\">BL<\/a> \/ <a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-BR-M975.-type-bl_mountain,br_mountain.html\">BR<\/a> M975 brake set (SM-RT97 rotor)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-CS-M970.-type-cs_mountain.html\">CS-M970<\/a> cassettes<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-RD-M970-SGS.-type-rd_mountain.html\">M-970 SGS<\/a> (low-normal) rear derailleur<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-FD-M971.-type-.html\">FD-971<\/a> Front Derailleur<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-SL-M970.-type-sl_mountain.html\">SL-M970<\/a> RapidFire Plus shifters<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bike.shimano.com\/publish\/content\/global_cycle\/en\/us\/index\/products\/mountain\/xtr\/product.-code-FC-M970.-type-fc_mountain.html\">FC-M970<\/a> crankset<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<li><strong>Seatpost:<\/strong> Zeus Carbon<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stem:<\/strong> Zeus (alloy)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Handlebars:<\/strong> Zeus Carbon Flatbar<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pedals:<\/strong> ?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saddles:<\/strong> ?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tires:<\/strong> ?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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&#8217;ll probably get a dual-function that allows platform-type and clipless. Same goes for the actual tires (tubeless or not?) &#8211; I&#8217;ll probably decide on monday after the fitting.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Upon further research, I noticed that I ended up with basically an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orbea-usa.com\/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&amp;#38;taxid=70&amp;#38;pid=150\">Orbea Alma World Cup<\/a> configuration with the following differences:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>N\/A: I used the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orbea-usa.com\/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&amp;#38;taxid=70&amp;#38;pid=410\">Team frame<\/a> instead of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.orbea-usa.com\/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&amp;#38;taxid=70&amp;#38;pid=150\">WC<\/a> 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. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_4');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_935_1('footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_4');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">4 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_4\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">You still have to have a sense of style even with these sorts of things IMHO<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_935_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/li>\n<li>Downgrade: Using a <em>Crosstrail<\/em> wheelset instead of the <em>Crossmax<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Upgrade: Using a <strong>Fox F-RLC F120<\/strong> The 120, while half a pound heavier than the [RockShox] <strong>SID Race<\/strong> I initially considered, is of <em>much better<\/em> quality (Fox is Fox after all, so definitely an upgrade)<\/li>\n<li>Downgrade: Using a low-normal alloy 970 rear derailleur instead of the WC&#8217;s carbon 972 (top-normal).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Otherwise, it&#8217;s near top-end for the Alma series&#8230; the best thing about it is that it literally totalled about 1.5k USD cheaper than a pre-configured Alma WC! It&#8217;s a steal relatively speaking.<\/p><div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_935_1();\">Notes<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_935_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_935_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_935_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">Notes<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_935_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Everyone wants a way to get\/remain fit at our age<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_935_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_2');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_2\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">That&#8217;s actually a lie<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_935_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_3');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_3\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">I did have a shortlist of a configuration I thought I had wanted earlier in the year though<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_935_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_935_1_4');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_935_1_4\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>4<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">You still have to have a sense of style even with these sorts of things IMHO<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_935_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_935_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_935_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_935_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_935_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_935_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_935_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_935_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_935_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_935_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_935_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_935_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_935_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_935_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In case you didn&#8217;t get it, the title in should be in the tune of Queen&#8217;s Bicycle Race Now that I&#8217;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&#8217;ve been planning on getting a bike since last year, &hellip; <p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/03\/15\/bicycle-bicycle\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Bicycle, Bicycle&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,4,13],"tags":[80,152,153,473,854,1068,1321],"class_list":["post-935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cycling","category-general","category-technology","tag-alma","tag-bicycle","tag-bike","tag-general","tag-orbea","tag-shimano","tag-xtr"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}