Tsunami - Shakedown Session + To Do List

Heh.

"Defaced" was the word the missus used. She actually liked the SDC sticker, but she pointed at the USAC one when she said that.

Hm.

My first session on the bike, as preferred, happened on the trainer with a bike lacking bar tape (and full finger gloves on my hands). After finalizing any angle adjustments on the bars and brifters, I'll tape up the bars.

I have to admit that since the bar/brifter/stem unit came right off the Cannondale, it should be okay, but, you know, tradition dies hard.

So how'd the bike feel?

It felt just like the Cannondale, just longer. Without going on the road I can't tell how it'll ride, but it certainly feels longer.

Oh, in case you didn't know - this bike is a lot longer than my SystemSix.

I spent the first 15 seconds marveling that, hey, the hub is kinda obscured by the bars. Usually I see not just the hub but also the fork and the brake and even the brake pad mounting bolts.

Now it's just barely the hub.

Other than that, on a trainer anyway, not very much of a difference. Okay, it's way longer. But I'll need to ride it outside to see, and that won't happen until Wednesday at the earliest, Thursday being more likely.

Of course I refuse to test ride a bike in cold climates so I'll fly out to the San Diego area to properly test the Tsunami. Maybe I'll fly out Wednesday since I have a team meeting tonight and I figure I'll need a day to pack. I mean, this is what everyone does, right? I couldn't imagine riding a new bike on the salty, sandy roads around here.

Heh.

No tape, no second cage. Saddle is level, but the angle makes it look like it's pointing up.

The saddle is a bit beat, I may swap it before I leave for my outdoors test ride trip. Amazingly it's totally centered on the rails, not slammed forward like normal. I need to finalize the position but I have time to do it.

Reverse angle.

This is a loooong bike. I want some "L" stickers for it, like the Audi A8iL or BMW 750iL "L", for Limo or Long Wheelbase or whatever.

From the top. Slim tubes.

Comparison of the same stem on the Cannondale.

On the Cannondale the stem looked miniscule. On this one, it overpowers the front end. It's a 13 cm stem. I'll be bringing a 12 cm stem as well. The bike is that long.

Adjuster barrels from some old RapidFire shifters I had laying around.

I actually had the shifters in the box for some aerobar and/or recumbent bike shifter experiments. Those projects never materialized...

The threaded housing stops are a first for me for a long time. The Cannondale has just housing stops, no threads, so no adjuster barrels. The two Giants are the same, although they came with in-line adjuster barrels that work best with Shimano STI levers (although I used them with Ergo levers). The bike before that, the Specialized M2, had downtube mounts, and I used the STI adjusters (I really like the right side quick-adjust gizmo).

Anyway, I like the threaded boss feature.

Carpe Diem Racing. Dirty front brake. And some busted up Nokons.

Certain things make a bike look really sharp, and if those items look beat, it's hard to make the bike look anything but beat. New tires. New tape. New rims. And new cable housing.

I'm using beat up Nokons off the Cannondale, so the bike is lacking some of those final touches. The saddle isn't great looking either.

USAC decal. So sue me.

I need to get some stuff done before I consider the bike complete. Obviously the tape, but more subtle things include:

- Chainstay guard. I used a SRAM one I got at Interbike. I want to get a clear one.
- Frame protectors where the housing will rub. Clear ones.
- Figure out how to get two cages on there. With the Elite metal cages there's an "interference" fit. I think a good way to do this is to ride to various shops near the SoCal training camp area and browse the cages.
- Put a nicer saddle on, or at least one with better leather on it.

Tonight, team meeting. Tomorrow, a last trainer session plus packing for the test ride.

Wednesday, fly out for the test ride.