The new ride for 2009 has been completed! This year I'm looking forward to sporting a nice new Kuota KOM. A bit of a break in tradition for me in some ways, and some familiarity at the same time. First of all, I love Italian bikes, my Bianchi EV2 was (and still is) my favorite bike... although that may soon change! It was all a bike should be, fast light, smooth riding, and great looking. So after being on a very nice Trek Madone last year, it will be nice to be back on 'Italian soil'. A bit of a departure for me will be the flash of the past few bikes. The fast yellow Madone, and the Celeste Bianchi, are what I like, colour, so this year, it'll be a bit different to be on an all black bike!
Another bit of a break in tradition with this bike is the component choice, or should I say choices. All of my prior bikes would have had complete groupsets, for two reasons, functionality, and looks. This time, a bit of a mish-mash. The shifters and derailleurs are SRAM RED (Force F. Der), the cranks are Campagnolo Chorus UT, with Rotor Q-rings. Shimano Dura Ace chain, with Shimano and Sram cassettes (depending on which wheelset is used). So a bit off in choice, but everything has been chosen with purpose, and I'm sure will make for a well functioning machine. Zipp wheels, along with a set of Mavic Ksyrium's and even a Power Tap for training will keep it rolling. Deda bars, Easton stem, Thomson and Kuota seatposts each with a Selle Italia SLR saddles (different set ups for different position choices) round out the hardwear. According to the bathroom scale, all this totals up to a very nice 7.05kg (15.5lbs, w/zipp's), keeping it just above the legal limit for racing.
Can't wait for spring to get here!
