Building a new Race Bike

I got my first bike when I was a freshman in college. It was a 2013 Trek Lexa with 8-speed claris components. I then upgraded to a 2013 Felt B16W triathlon bike, with 10-speed ultegra components, and I love that bike. Now, I like my Madone and my Domane, but I love my triathlon bike, and I think that love has helped me begin to start training more again. The only thing I don’t love about the bike is the rim brakes, so I decided it was finally time for a new bike, and while I wanted to wait for a disc brake speed concept, with covid and supply issues, I knew the likelihood of finding exactly what I wanted from Trek or Liv was unlikely, so I looked around online and found a 2020 Felt IA Advanced with disc brakes that was new and never ridden from The Pro’s Closet.

The only problem with this bike is the mechanical shifting, because when I did Ironman Louisville in 2016 I found I would love shifting on the base bars. So, like any good bicycle mechanic, I decided to buy the bike, sell the parts, and I am going to replace them with Force eTap AXS components, except the brakes, because hydraulic brakes are expensive, and I prefer TRP or Shimano hydraulic brakes that use mineral oil. I may still swap to the Sram in the end, only because of base bar shifter compatibility.

This build so far has been interesting. The Pro’s Closet did an excellent job packing the bike, but I honestly wish none of the cables were installed, because it would make taking it apart easier for me, but I know most customers probably aren’t taking the bike apart entirely. I have some Allen keys and a set of cable cutters at home, so I was able to disconnect everything myself, but it was a pain to have to take the cables out. I also borrowed the remaining tools I needed from the shop and returned them the next day while they were closed, so no one was missing the bottom bracket tool or the little star tool you use to remove Shimano cranks.

The other difficult part of working on this bike is the seat post. It is very wide and requires a special adapter to fit in a work stand, so I have been leaving it on the floor for most things, except installing the front brake, where I set the frame in the stand, but did not clamp it. Since I am going with eTap, I don’t anticipate too much need for a stand, especially since I already removed the bottom bracket while sitting on my living room floor. The bottom bracket removal made me very nervous. The IA has an English threaded bottom bracket, so first I double checked which direction it threaded in, because I am always confused by it, and then I had to take my bottom bracket tool and rubber mallet to actually remove it. In the end I was very proud of myself for getting this done at home without a proper stand.

I like my older Felt a lot, so I am hoping for a similar fit when I get around to making adjustments, but it will probably be a while. I have the Blip Box on backorder from Sram, and it will not be in stock until September, and I have wheels on backorder that are not available until January 2022. The remaining parts will come in between now and the end of July, so I am going to hold off on doing much until I can get further along, and I will post progress as the bike comes together.

Singlespeed Cyclocross Build (Part Two)

​I ran into some problems with the second half of this build.

Problem 1​

TRP brakes.  I’m used to Shimano, where the hose is not attached at the shifter to make for easy installation on an internally routed frame.  I ended up having to cut and bleed both anyway, but it made the routing more complicated than it needed to be, aside from the rear chainstay where Trek has made it as simple as possible where the frame forms a tube for the hose to run through.

Problem 2​

I had to warranty my rear brake after ​installing it and trying to bleed it when we found out the bolt was over tightened, meaning I could not loosen it to bleed the brake.  TRP was very good about it though and promptly shipped a new caliper, and I am able to cannibalize the first one for spare parts.  Then I had to cut the hose again, but it was not as much of a problem this time and the bleed got done.

Problem 3​

Not necessarily a real problem, but I hate wrapping bar tape.​

Overall, this build finished up well, although I do not like bleeding TRP brakes.  The brake levers actually have holes in them, so they look pretty cool in photos, and the bike is fun to ride with perfect gearing.  Learning the dropout system and setting up a singlespeed is a little new to me, but with the help of more experienced mechanics I got it all done.​

Disc v. Rim Brakes

My short answer to this question is that I do not plan to purchase another rim brake bike. I love my bikes, especially my Madone, but disc brakes would make the ride so much better.  The problem I have with the brakes on my Madone is that there’s not enough stopping power.  I have the same problem when I run carbon wheels on my triathlon bikes.

Reasons I Love Disc Brakes

1. More stopping power

2. Ability to modulate braking

3. Less maintenance

4. The 2-piece rotors look cool​

5. Easier wheel swaps​

Reasons I Waited​

1. I hadn’t ever ridden them​

2. Most bikes until this year were rim brake​

3. People made them seem significantly heavier​

4. There is a price difference​

5. I wasn’t in the market for a new bike​

More Explanation​

My first disc brake experiences were limited to test rides, so I didn’t know too much about the difference in feel until working on bikes with disc brakes and eventually riding a Trek Emonda Disc for a week.  I knew by that point the advantages of being able to modulate the braking power and the pads moving in as they wore down from working on them, but I didn’t realize the difference in stopping power until I rode them.​

Going forward, I also like not having to swap brake pads if I swap wheels.  If I plan to ride my tri bike outside this winter I will ride my carbon wheels, specifically because I don’t want to swap brake pads to ride my trainer wheels outside.  My Domane though I can swap wheels with my husband’s Domane if I don’t want to take the carbon rims through the dirt and salt.​

Overall, I see no true disadvantages to riding disc brakes on my road bikes and in the future my tri bike.  I love my Madone, but a Madone SLR 7 Disc is on my wish list too.​

Singlespeed Cyclocross Build (Part 1)

Funny thing, I bought the pedals for this bike before I even bought the frame.  I knew I would be building the bike within a year, and I knew which pedals I wanted that just got released by Trek, so I bought the pedals first.

The frame is a 2019 Trek Crockett in what they call Miami Green, and it is beautiful.  I had my eye on it from the moment I saw it after choosing not to buy the limited edition gold frame they did the previous year. 

The decision to go singlespeed was a little more difficult. I like my gears, but hydraulic shifters, Sram or Shimano, are not easy to come by used and are not cheap. I also ride a single speed hybrid on the greenway, which is fun, so I thought maybe this could be a new challenge for me to attempt. It meant I only needed brakes. No shifters, derailleurs, or other major drivetrain parts other than the crankset.

A simple google search of single speed hydraulic brakes led me to purchase the TRP Hylex brakes and levers, and as you can see in the pictures, no calipers on the bike yet. I also forgot my handlebar at home. The calipers do require you to purchase adaptors and screws in order to install them, which I overlooked. They also already have the hoses attached on both ends, and my frame is internally routed, so I will be detaching and cutting at least the rear if not both. For rotors, I prefer two piece rotors and to stick with one brand, so I bought TRP two piece centerlock rotors, which did not come with lockrings, which led me to buy Shimano lockrings for them.

The wheels were a difficult decision. I could have gotten a reasonably good price on a set of wheels from Shimano, like I put on my husbands bike, but I like a slightly wider internal width to my rims, especially since these will have cross tires some day. I needed centerlock hubs as well, which is something not found in all brands. I ended up going with Bontrager Paradigms, because I run the Paradigm Comp most of the year on my Madone and have enjoyed them as a good aluminum set, and they met all of my standards.

The easiest part of this bike was picking out the crankset and stem. I knew I wanted to run a Sram one-by cross crankset, and I knew which bottom bracket it had to fit from looking at the Crockett 7. I ride a 170 mm crankset on all of my bikes (I will swap any bike that comes with a 165), so the crank length was determined. I wanted Apex, because it was the cheapest, and I got a 42 tooth chainring, because that was what came with it. The stem was all about fit. On a men’s geometry 52 cm bike I run a 80mm 7 degree stem with one 5mm spacer above it and the stem turned down.

During my downtime I have installed all of the parts I can on to the bike, and I am waiting for a chain, brake adaptors, tires, a rear cog, a spacer kit, and then I should be good to ride. Part two will cover a little more of the tech side of setting up the single speed on this bike as well as how I picked the size of the cog and the final fit adjustments.