Not that anyone asked

[David Kirk]

So I just built myself up a new bike. I have a new frame every few years for the fun of it but this is the first time in very (too) many years that I've actually put new parts on the new frame. I've been riding the same Dura Ace 9spd group since it was introduced about 8 or 9 years ago. That stuff never wears out.

But I decided to spend money I don't really have and get some new stuff. I have about 100 miles on the bike at this point so I can give a good idea of how the stuff works but I can't say for how long it will work that way. In no particular order...........

Zero Gravity brakes - frankly I wasn't expecting much from these with the exception of being just silly light but with the cool look that matches the rest of the stuff and the low weight I thought them work the risk. I'm very pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to set up and by how well they work. They have plenty of stopping power and the modulation is very good. They are very progressive. I highly recommend them. Did I mention that they are silly light? I have them paired to.............

Mavic Mektronic group - I'm sure most of you have at least heard of the Mektronic but I doubt many have ridden it. I first rode it back in my Serotta days when the rep came by with a bike to test ride it on. Shortly after introducing it Adidas pulled the group so Mavic could concentrate on building hoops. I always wanted one but they became hard to find and expensive. Well with the help of a fellow forum member I was able to get a new kit still in the box. I must say it's fun. It's a tad lighter than Dura Ace 9spd. It shift exceptionally well.......frankly no better that a very good cable system but it sure is fun. The computer functions are worth the price of admission. One of my favorite features is the size and shape of the brake levers and hoods. They fit my big hands very well and you can shift from almost anywhere on the bar. The braking power from the hoods is also fantastic. Now I just need to remember to push the little yellow buttons to shift and to stop trying to push the brake lever sideways for a different gear. Old habit's die hard.

Zinn cranks - According to Zinn I should use a 200mm crank with my 95.5 inseam. I opted for 190's for a few reasons. Firstly, after 15 years on 180's I wanted a smaller jump. Secondly I wanted the frame this were going on the be cool if I decided to bail on the longer cranks. I didn't want a frame built around 200's. With the 190's I could still have 7cm of drop so it wouldn't be too silly. The Zinn cranks aren't light. They are plenty stiff and simple and no frills. I'm very pleased with them and figure they will outlast me for sure. I'm working on getting my foot speed back up to where it was with the 180's and it's coming along. For you long limbed circus freaks like myself I highly recommend them. The climbing torque is just silly. I'm a gear or two higher with no extra effort.

Time RXS pedals - These things kick butt. Very light. Nice and stable. The only downfall is that they are noisy. I had the cleat squeaking in a big way and couldn't get it to stop no matter what goop I smeared on them. I finally cleaned them up good and gave them a good powdering with baby powder (talc) and they are super quiet and smooth. I figure I'll have to "treat" them with powder every few rides but that's not too bad. I HATE a noisy bike.

Well that's it for now. I'm going for a ride before the snow returns late tomorrow. 65° and sunny today.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

[M_A_Martin]

So I wandered over to the custom image gallery looking for a picture of the new project (even a standard garage door shot) and there's nothing there!

Do we get to see the new bike?

Congratulations on doing something for yourself Dave!

Ginger

[mad_mark]

He's being a tease!

Mark.

[Smiley]

190 mm cranks , YOUR a BEAST Capt Kirk .
please show some photo's Dave .

[M_A_Martin]

Thank you Mad Mark...I don't say that sort of thing about married guys. But someone had to!

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . take even one moment off from brazing, Captain K!!! :no:

Get back to work right NOW! ;)

BBDave

[CarlosContreros]

Darn....I suddenly feel very short with my paltry 94.75 inseam!!
And Dave...I ride 172.5's!! What can I say?....I'm a "spinner"!!

Dave....c'mon buddy!...tell us about the frameset now??
lugged? tigged? filet-brazed? huh? huh? huh?
what's a "builder" ride??
steel? ti? alu? carb?

[Ahneida Ride]

Picts Dave ???? Please ??????

[vaxn8r]

That sounds pretty fun. I want to see pics of this bike with 190 cranks. So is this the battery powered Mavic group?

"Thanks for reading". Are you kidding me? We devour your posts. Feed us. Feed us.

[Spinner]

Dave,

Sounds very cool. Looking forward to seeing this new ride in August.

[Marron]

I've been intrigued by Zinn's crank theory for a couple of years. I'm a 94+ inseam riding 175s. The one time tried 177.5s I really didn't like it that much, but I didn't stick with it that long either. I've always wondered if you had to go all the way out to 190+ to experience the improvement.

[marle]

Dave,

Can 190's be accomodated on 8 inch drop frames? thanks

[Serotta PETE]

Dave, where are the pictures of the built up bike. Spokes and I will be coming out to see you in AUGUST>

Pete

[bcm119]

I'm curious to hear if you have any trouble with interference. If the Mektronic functions anything like my wireless computer, you'd be shifting into all sorts of weird gears when you pass under powerlines! I'm sure they have a more robust signal...?

[David Kirk]

Wow.....

This is more interest than I expected.

In order....

Hey Carlos.....I feel pretty certain that you could benefit from a longer crank arm with your inseam. Have you ever tried 180's? You can't put them on and go for a ride and expect wonderful things. They take a bit getting used to. Lot's of folks use cranks that are "too long". Lemond has a pretty short inseam and 180's worked very well for him. I'm not saying what's good for Greg is good for you or anyone else but I'd guess you'd like them.

Vaxn8r - are you a doctor? Yeah it is the battery powered group. They have a very clever way of making it so the battery power isn't what makes the shift....they use the chain's spinning of the upper derailuer cog to do the heavy lifting.

Marron - I think you'd need to ride them for a while to see the benefit. Muscle memory is powerful. On today's ride I felt pretty damn comfy with the long arms. Climbing ( I did about 2000' today) kicks butt.

Liebovic - I don't think I'd run 190's with 8cm of drop. That's cutting it close. I used 180's with 8cm drop for years and had no issues. With the new bike I've raised the BB 1cm ( 7cm drop). The cool thing is your center of mass stays at the same height. Tricky!

BCM 119 - so far I've not had any issues. I've heard from others that it's possible. I have no idea what the frequency is. If it ever does ghost shift on me I think I'll take it as a sign from above that I was in the wrong gear.

As for photos....Honestly I feel funny about posting them here. It feels wrong to me. It seems OK for my customers to do it but wrong if I do. Thin line I know but there you are.

Dave

[dave thompson]

Post the pics on the BikeFanClub photo gallery. I'm sure the Kirk Photo Studio has enough pics to spare so we can all see your 'driver'.

[dirtdigger88]

send someone a "spy" photo to leak to the net

Jason

[Bradford]

As for photos....Honestly I feel funny about posting them here. It feels wrong to me. It seems OK for my customers to do it but wrong if I do. Thin line I know but there you are.

Dave

I agree, it would be over the line to post here. You should post many pics on your own website. Anybody here who knows who you are would naturally go to your website to see what your new bike looks like. It certainly wouldn't be over the line, since you would't say anything about it on the Serotta site.

Post it and they will come.

[soulspinner]

Sounds like a cool build. How many miles a year do you get in? Hows the riding in cowboy land? My wife used to live in Montana and petitions me to move there a few times a year.

[M_A_Martin]

(and I did surf all three sites before I asked about the pictures here! It sounds like an *interesting* build...sorta like e-richies snow ride pics...)

[shaq-d]

I agree, it would be over the line to post here. You should post many pics on your own website. Anybody here who knows who you are would naturally go to your website to see what your new bike looks like. It certainly wouldn't be over the line, since you would't say anything about it on the Serotta site.

I'm pretty sure Dave will err on the side of safety anyway, but i for one disagree. this is a cycling forum and a cycling pic can very, very, rarely be wrong.

sd

[Ahneida Ride]

More Picts = More Excitement = More Interest = More Kirks and Serotta Sold.

[Climb01742]

Zero Gravity brakes - frankly I wasn't expecting much from these with the exception of being just silly light but with the cool look that matches the rest of the stuff and the low weight I thought them work the risk. I'm very pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to set up and by how well they work. They have plenty of stopping power and the modulation is very good. They are very progressive. I highly recommend them. Did I mention that they are silly light? I have them paired to.............

dave, any further thoughts on the brakes after a few more rides? i've heard somewhat mixed reviews. one or two people weren't wowed by their stopping power. but their lightness is intriguing. thanks!

[scrooge]

Zinn cranks - According to Zinn I should use a 200mm crank with my 95.5 inseam. I opted for 190's for a few reasons. Firstly, after 15 years on 180's I wanted a smaller jump. Secondly I wanted the frame this were going on the be cool if I decided to bail on the longer cranks. I didn't want a frame built around 200's. With the 190's I could still have 7cm of drop so it wouldn't be too silly. The Zinn cranks aren't light. They are plenty stiff and simple and no frills. I'm very pleased with them and figure they will outlast me for sure. I'm working on getting my foot speed back up to where it was with the 180's and it's coming along. For you long limbed circus freaks like myself I highly recommend them. The climbing torque is just silly. I'm a gear or two higher with no extra effort.



Dave: Do you notice a difference when you switch to your mtb, which I'm assuming has much shorter cranks? Any concerns about this?

[cpg]

Dave,

I love Time pedals and I'm really interested in trying the RXS but I'm having a tough time with the idea of a carbon platform. I rarely drag a pedal through corners but if I did it would seem a high price to pay by gouging the carbon body of those lovely pedals. How does the carbon body seem to hold up to the normal amount of friction due to engagement and disengagement? Have you messed around with the adjustable Q-factor?

Curt

[David Kirk]

Hey-

CPG - I can't say how long the pedal will last. Much of the cleat surface is soft or at least softer than the pedal. The business part of the cleat is still brass but it is much small than the older systems. I didn't play much with the Q stuff. I set it narrow and let it there. I've got no reason the mess with it. It's a simple system though. The cleats are offset a bit so you get a wider or more narrow Q depending on which shoe you put that cleat on. I like them.

Scrooge - I haven't gone back and forth yet. No off road riding here yet.....still too wet or snowy. I think I'll be gettting a set of 190's for it too and I'll just raise the BB some by messing with the shock mount.

Climb- I think that they have more than enough power and very nice modulation. I did a descent yesterday where you need to go from coasting at 48mph and then shut it down for a few tight sandy switchbacks at 10mph and they were wonderful. The feel might vary some depending on what levers you pull them with. They work very well with the Mavic levers I'm using but I have no idea what the leverage ratio is compared to the Campy or Shimano.

Soul- The road riding here can be great....or it can suck. It greatly depends on what type of riding you like and where in MT you are. The riding here in Bozeman area is very good if you don't mind riding dirt at times. Some of the best rides are out and backs which took me a bit to get used to.If it's windy it can be a pain as everything is so open. The mountain biking is epic. Overall I like it very it very much.The weather is is wonderful (shhhhh-don't tell anyone) If it's not snowing it's sunny and the humidity is very low. We had a very mild winter so I was able to get some good rides in during both Feb and march. I just pushed to odometer over 1000 miles for the season yesterday.

Thanks for the follow ups -

Dave

[weisan]

Dave-pal, you are one of the nicest people around here and I like you a whole lot but don't make me turn off the electricity in your home, WHERE"S THE PICS ?????!!!! :confused:

Reservations? Take off your builder's hat, put on your rider's hat, you are now among friends!!! :banana:

[M_A_Martin]

Now Weisan...a woman whining at him about it didn't make it happen, I'm not sure threatening to shut off electricity will help either...

I guess we all just have to go to MT in August to see the new build.

:)


By then Dave might have more to say about his drivetrain and brakes!

[Bradford]

That is a nice looking bike. :banana: I like that color blue; I guess that is appropriate for Big Sky country.

I always wondered what a frame builder would pick for lugs, now I know.

The cranks sure look huge; I’m a big guy, but there is no way I could turn those.

Let us know how the Mavic stuff works after you put some miles on it.

I’ll tell you one thing, between the cranks, the wireless group, and the Terraplane, it is the most unique looking bike I’ve ever seen.

[M_A_Martin]

Yep, pretty bike! Big cranks...

[scrooge]

Dave--if you decide it just isn't right for you, I think I could make it work for me (it'd be tough, but . . .) :D

[davep]

Wow, thats a big rear derailleur. Is it wireless or wired? And what are the five small holes in the rear dropouts? Beautiful bike - but would we expect something different?

[dbrk]

Did I miss the pictures? Hmmm.

Okay, don't mistake me but when Dave wrote that he'd outfitted the new bike with Mavic Mektronic I thought he was kidding. I saw, oh about five of these, blow up, not work, quit, and otherwise fail. If it rains in Montana, do be careful not to be too far from home.

Editorial comment (skip if you don't like rants...):
The whole electronic derailleur thing is 1. sure to happen and 2. an "advance" I will deeply lament, nay, relentlessly resist and reject with my most vociferious disapprobations. It's bad enough that shifting a bicycle is a mindless task (rather than a No Mind task, as it were) of buttons but to add yet another gizmo of electronics is further evidence that I need to move to another bicycle planet. On the other hand, I don't resent the least bit what others prefer and, I suppose, my irrelevant preferences and obsolete values will make the things I like cheaper still (well, hopefully). There are plenty of NOS Suntour friction derailleurs out there and, Lord knows, I love'em aplenty.

Back to regularly scheduled rant: Dave, enjoy your bike. Now I'm going to look for pictures. Terraplane is just really neat. My day (hopefully) will come.

dbrk

[Tom]

Electronic shifting is a solution addressing no problems only creating them.

In my opinion it has no value except that it proves it can be done. Like my cat that humps the teddy bear.

[David Kirk]

The whole Teddy bear thing is just creepy.......

I agree 100% on the electronic systems. They for the most part answer a question that was never asked.

So why did I install it? It's just plain fun and it works very well. I like working with new ideas and thinking outside the box a bit. I like when problems are approached from a different direction. I like mastering the use of different technologies. All that stuff is fun to me.

I think that things like Shimano's air shifting and the Mektronic stuff and Campy's new electronic stuff are all looking for another way. It may not be the next best thing but unless someone tries it we'll be stuck in the past. I doubt many really want to go back to a fixed gear set up with two cogs on the back.......all you need to do the change gears is stop, undo the wing nuts, remove the wheel and turn it around, and reinstall it. When Tulio introduced the rear derailuer it was herelded as the end of real cycling. It hasn't really worked out that way.

My hat is off to the wack jobs on the fringe that think of the new stuff........whether it's the next big thing or not. Heres to diversity.

Dave

[weisan]

Dave-pal. We are on the same page. Exactly!!! ;)

Success should not always be the ultimate measure of why we do certain things.

[Tom]

I'm reading this great book "Black Lamb, Grey Falcon" by Rebecca West. An account of traveling around the Baltics in the thirties. Lots of very interesting comments on things that are striking because of how they apply today as well... anyway, one comment is that the Slav is not as bound by morals so much, they try any type of behavior to see how it works. Since I'm a Slav, too, I can respect the idea of trying out electronic shifting. However, I'm disposed not to like it because I'm an operating system technician and so often I see somebody designing and implementing a complex but operationally poor system just because the technology's available. I believe simpler is better, so I speak from my prejudice. I am not much of a fan of wireless computers, either, but I have a Polar attached to my handlebars. So there you are.

And my cat? No idea. No idea at all what's going on there. He's not supposed to be thinking along those lines. I have to talk to his vet.

[dbrk]

When Tulio introduced the rear derailuer it was herelded as the end of real cycling. It hasn't really worked out that way.
My hat is off to the wack jobs on the fringe that think of the new stuff........whether it's the next big thing or not. Heres to diversity.
Dave

This is why I've asked Mike Barry if he would build me a new Mariposa for a Campagnolo Paris-Roubaix derailleur. Last made in about 1954 this derailleur involves disengaging the rear, pedalling backwards, and, voila, the chain moves along five cogs. It takes some practice and it's tremendous fun. The rear dropout has serrated (not Serotta-ed...har, har...sorry...) edges and moves it back and forth. These changers work remarkably well, very smooth, and when you see Mike shift, well, it's a thing to admire. So, I'm into new stuff too, 'cause when was the last time you rode one of these? Here's to diversity. I'm with ya'Dave!

dbrk

[Ozz]

dave, any further thoughts on the brakes after a few more rides? i've heard somewhat mixed reviews. one or two people weren't wowed by their stopping power. but their lightness is intriguing. thanks!
I'm most intrigued by their price: $400 for brakes!

They are cool looking, but I'd rather exhaust my bike $$$ buying things that make help "go", not "stop".... ;)

I suppose you could argue they help you "go" uphill...and besides, what else would you use to "stop" your ADA wheels? :D

dbrk - I'm with you on the electric thing....I get annoyed that my bike computer needs three batteries and am just about ready to chuck it! I can't imagine not being able to get out for a ride cuz I forgot the stop by Radio Shack on my way home! :crap:

[pale scotsman]

And my cat? No idea. No idea at all what's going on there. He's not supposed to be thinking along those lines. I have to talk to his vet.

Yep, the teddy bear thing is kinda creepy. Our dog, a 60lb spayed female heinz 57, humps legs, kids, and cats. You can lie on the floor to do "supermans" and she'll get right to work.

My son likes to get his buddies on the trampoline bouncing with the dog, and as soon as one falls she's on 'em 90 to nothing. I've got videos and it's hilarious. The vet says she's confused. Ya think!

[csb]

so i turned to my bud during last evenings ride and asked
him (he asked, demanded, that i not use his real name, so
lets call him jerseydrunk) how many miles he has so far
this year... 2,100.

this is useless information.

[M_A_Martin]

Didn't know bud could talk, let alone ride...

[SMUGator]

For the record, I'm still riding DTS. But when I drive my BMW, it does all the shifting for me and very handily thank-you-very-much. Get to that without a huge weight premium and then you have something. May have to tie it into a HRM to tell how the "engine" is doing though.

[csb]

..

[pjm]

But when I drive my BMW, it does all the shifting for me
What fun is that? ;) BMW is famous for their slick shifting manuals.

[csb]

oh that bud

[bcm119]

oh that bud

Got it dude...like, happy 420, bro.... :) :) ;) :rolleyes: