(2009?) Speedvagen Road

[sasquatch16v]

For anyone wondering, which I'm sure is almost nobody because it's not from the big 3, but this Ltwoo groupset I tossed on the fairdale last night to get it back on the trainer.... feels really quite nice! And the weight is not terrible either. Shifts feel pretty crisp, a little heavy to push the lever comparatively but nothing too bad. Downshifts are great.... Feels as good as the ultegra I took off the bike.

Starting to run the linked housing on Speedvagen today while I wait for the cassette and brakes to show up!

[sasquatch16v]

And we are finished!

A little fine tuning left I’m sure. I refuse to have my first “ride” on this on a trainer… so it will patiently wait for nicer days!

I cannot wait!

[Famous Amos]

Woah! The EE brakes are WILD

[krooj]

Originally Posted by Famous Amos

Woah! The EE brakes are WILD

They're fakes... :/

[sasquatch16v]

Originally Posted by krooj

They're fakes... :/

they are indeed the ChinEEse brakes... Impulse bought them, because I loved the color, while ordering random bits to build up the trainer/backup backup bike(still got to say, the 90$ shifters/derailluers are working great... believe me or not, but I would put them on any bike).

They look great, and I did end up taking it out for a cold shake down ride yesterday. They worked better than the internet(facebook post where I was torn apart by purists) would have otherwise believed they would. They were crisp and did an adequate job of slowing my ass down.

That said, I do plan on replacing them with Ultegra brakes. Not cause the internet told me to (including a SV employee), but because after just a little 90 min rip... this bike is good, very very good... and considering the borderline abuse it is about to receive eliminating one "what if" variable is probably the smartest option. I have no reason to believe they will fail, buuuuuuut never say never. I plan on having this thing PINNED going down some mountains during vacation in July. I'm a larger (195lbs this morning) and fairly powerful rider, I should exercise a little self reservation from time to time.

Aside from justifying my stupidity... This bike rips. It was 27* yesterday and my body barely works once it starts getting that cold and I felt like I was flying. It's ability to somehow absorb the bumpy ****ty roads but feel crisp and sharp when ripping on it is pretty amazing! It has potential to turn my supersix into a garage queen!

[krooj]

Originally Posted by sasquatch16v

they are indeed the ChinEEse brakes... Impulse bought them, because I loved the color, while ordering random bits to build up the trainer/backup backup bike(still got to say, the 90$ shifters/derailluers are working great... believe me or not, but I would put them on any bike).

They look great, and I did end up taking it out for a cold shake down ride yesterday. They worked better than the internet(facebook post where I was torn apart by purists) would have otherwise believed they would. They were crisp and did an adequate job of slowing my ass down.

That said, I do plan on replacing them with Ultegra brakes. Not cause the internet told me to (including a SV employee), but because after just a little 90 min rip... this bike is good, very very good... and considering the borderline abuse it is about to receive eliminating one "what if" variable is probably the smartest option. I have no reason to believe they will fail, buuuuuuut never say never. I plan on having this thing PINNED going down some mountains during vacation in July. I'm a larger (195lbs this morning) and fairly powerful rider, I should exercise a little self reservation from time to time.

Aside from justifying my stupidity... This bike rips. It was 27* yesterday and my body barely works once it starts getting that cold and I felt like I was flying. It's ability to somehow absorb the bumpy ****ty roads but feel crisp and sharp when ripping on it is pretty amazing! It has potential to turn my supersix into a garage queen!

I didn’t mean any offense by it - I actually bought a set myself and eventually gave up on them when they fell apart.

I think Merlin has some killer deals on DA9100 stuff, and DA brakes should be light and match that Ultegra kit

Love that frame, btw. I might have to put in an order with SV before they’re totally done with rim.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sasquatch16v]

Originally Posted by krooj

I didn’t mean any offense by it - I actually bought a set myself and eventually gave up on them when they fell apart.

I think Merlin has some killer deals on DA9100 stuff, and DA brakes should be light and match that Ultegra kit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh I didn't take offense to it, I knew what I was getting into when I bought them.... the reaming I received was a little more than I had planned for lol.

I'll check merlin. Competitive Cyclist has a good deal on R8000 brakes which I know work fantastic.

[sheepdog84]

FWIW, on my last Rim brake SV, I didn't like the performance of the authentic EE brakes w/ Carbon rims. Even though I had set them up correctly, they always super sketchy. The modulation on Shimano is definitely superior, imo.

[sasquatch16v]

Originally Posted by sheepdog84

FWIW, on my last Rim brake SV, I didn't like the performance of the authentic EE brakes w/ Carbon rims. Even though I had set them up correctly, they always super sketchy. The modulation on Shimano is definitely superior, imo.

I think the linked housing I used DID improve the potential feel a little, but comparatively they did feel harder to pull than my shimano brakes (dura ace or ultegra). If they didn't look so cool they would be so much easier to give up!

[sailorkevin]

I'm hearing more and more about Speedvagons, yet I have never seen one on the road. Hope to see this one some day. Hope it is everything you wished for.

[sasquatch16v]

Originally Posted by sailorkevin

I'm hearing more and more about Speedvagons, yet I have never seen one on the road. Hope to see this one some day. Hope it is everything you wished for.

I've only ever seen one on the road aside from this one... and it was glorious as well. Now this snowy winter needs to end so I can ride it more!

[Metz]

Gorgeous frameset and I woulda grabbed it if I had seen it before you! Good luck getting some better weather soon so you can properly put it through its' paces.

[pdonk]

Originally Posted by sailorkevin

I'm hearing more and more about Speedvagons, yet I have never seen one on the road. Hope to see this one some day. Hope it is everything you wished for.

Originally Posted by sasquatch16v

I've only ever seen one on the road aside from this one... and it was glorious as well. Now this snowy winter needs to end so I can ride it more!

Except for my trip to Portland to when I was getting fit for mine, I have only ever seen one other in real life.

I frequently get spoken to about mine when I ride it and people want to be friendly.

I think peak speedvagen has passed, but they are still great bikes.

[krooj]

I do see the odd one here and there in the Bay Area, but as far as customs go, I see many more Rock Lobster, Kirk, and Sevens. For "production" bikes, I see a lot of Pegorettis and Moots. The rest is just a morass of Cannondale/Trek/Specialized.

Say what you want about SV/Vanilla, but these frames are aging well to my eye and I'm >.< close to plunking down a deposit for something rim-road before they roll up the sidewalks on that line.

[robt57]

Enjoy, looks great!

Not that it matters, I think your caliper change for some ballistic descending is a wise decision. There's a lottery I'd not want to get tickets for.

#damnsnow