Tsunami - 2.0 Updates

Today I finalized some plans for the upcoming trip. Specifically I finalized plans for the Tsunami#2, the new frame I'm buying, and the parts that go along with it.

For various reasons I'll be doing a training camp with two Tsunamis. I'll be flying out with the Tsunami#1 complete, meaning my 2010 bike as it is now (albeit packed):

Pictured in Edwards, CO, just before Interbike 2010.
I hate the gel tape so it'll be normal tape when I pack the bike.

I'll be bringing along a lot of parts for the second bike, many of them stripped off my old primary race bike, the carbon TCR.

Carbon TCR in CT.
Most of the parts are still the same; just wheels/tires are different.

This includes the levers, brakes (good thing I'm writing this - I'd have shown up without brakes), the derailleurs, probably a seat post, and all the Nokon segments I can save.

I'll also bring out some parts I've bought or saved for the Tsunami#2.

Tsunami#2, from a previous post also.

This includes a fork, headset, a set of new crit bend heat-treated 3ttt bars, tape for the same (I'm gonna use some well aged Cinelli), my default 120mm 73 degree Ritchey stem, saddle, tape, front chain guard thing (the N-Gear unfortunately won't fit the new frame - the seat tube is definitely not round), Nokon cable housing, some BB30 bearings, and I'm sure some odds and ends I've forgotten.

Of course I'll be very close to some really big shops, superstores really (the kind that advertise in national magazines), so if there's anything big I forgot I can always ride over to one of them and buy whatever widget I need.

Once Tsunami#2 is up and going, I'll get Tsunami#1 shipped home. Ultimately it'll be my backup bike, perhaps my primary bike for certain conditions - wet, rough, or otherwise not ideal for standard road bikes. I'm saying this just because it has a longer wheelbase and a bit more room for larger tires - I seriously doubt it'll give up anything in performance.

(Ultimately, if the shorter stays make a huge difference, I may look into "shorteningfying" the Tsunami#1 to get close to the shorter stays on the Tsunami#2.)

I thought about waiting until after the trip to get Tsunami#2 going, but after a bit of thinking I realized that I just couldn't do that.

First off, I want to get some hours on the bike before the 2011 season. I'd like to get an idea of how it differs from Tsunami#1 - I think the radically shorter chainstays will affect the weight distribution (a desired effect), the aero downtube will (should?) adversely affect stiffness, and the aero seat tube (with integrated mast) will be the joker - I don't know if it'll do anything but I'd rather not find out in the first race at Bethel.

Second, I always try something new out in the training camp - leaving behind the frameset would gnaw on me, driving me nuts with "I shoulda". Plus I'll have a lot of time on my hands in California so I can hone the bike fit or build while I'm there.

Finally I know that my detail-oriented SoCal host will be curious about the frameset knowing some of the driving ideas behind it. Leaving it behind in Connecticut simply is not an option. It's the least I could do to satisfy the inherent fascination he has with all things bicycles.

So, yes, I'll be bringing out the new frame. But it comes with that catch phrase that parents on Christmas Eve just dread.

"Some assembly required."