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eMAyaRKay
Just wanted to say hi and make a small update. Apparently frame is on it's way to Lithuania and should be in my hands on Tuesday, maybe even Monday! Another batch of parts is now somewhere in Poland, so should not take too long either. I recon that most of the parts should be in hand next week with the exception of groupset (which is coming from China).
Meanwhile, I've took a few rags, some alcohol (in the form of nail polish remover) and some water, and proceeded to clean off the parts which I was using for three years on Koga-Miyata. There are some signs of use on them, but they perform really well and are pretty light. Certainly worth to be re-used:
Wheelset
I've built this wheelset about three years ago and was riding on it ever since. I am very happy with it so far. The philosophy at that time was to invest in a quality wheels, which would be light, fast, pretty and dependable. I've used Mavic Open Pro rims, Shimano 105SC hubs, 36H Rear (which 8/9 speed version), 32H Front. Titanium QR axles, DT revolution spokes, because they are butted and there for very light and pretty easy to work with. Aluminum nipples were chosen due to light weight and rightfully so, but if I would build these wheels now, I would go for brass, which are heavier but more durable, stronger and retain shape better (resistance for the tools is better). Front wheel was laced straightly, this (subjectively) looks a bit cooler, offers much lower weight (as spokes can be a lot shorter) and it is really easy to build this way. The downside is that the wheel is a little bit weaker and a lot more stressful for the hub. This particular 105 hub seems to be handling the stress pretty well tough. I am far from being a light weight rider, thus the rear wheel was built to be stronger. 36 spokes were used together with the classical way of lacing. The weight is 1016g Front, 1318g Rear (as they are in the picture, with tubes, tires, without sprockets). Condition is still good, only a tiny portion of the rim is eaten by the brakes. Tires are Schwalbe One (23mm front, 25mm rear), really awesome tire for the road, highly recommended!
Handlebars and Stem
These are 3T Prima 199, 400mm (c-t-c) ergo, aluminum bars with 26.0mm clamp. The weight is incredible! 199g as advertised. It comes at the cost tough. The stiffness is somewhat inferior to the most of other bars I've seen. Nonetheless these bars felt really, really nice for me and I was using them for as long as I've had a Koga-Miyata. Cannot imagine parting with them. 3T stem is new, 120mm 10 degree flip-flop. Upgraded it with titanium screws which were lying around and it is now at 160g (dropped from 175g).
Saddle
A good saddle is valued more than a good bike. This is why this tried and true Selle San Marco Aspide will be re-used. It is pretty hard saddle and there for slightly uncomfortable for the short, casual rides in normal clothes, but once I am out here in a proper, cycling outfit, it is God sent! I can ride 300km or more in a day and never think about saddle.
Pedals
Look Keo 2 Max. Pedals themselves are really awesome! Easy to click in or click out. Spin extremely smoothly and offer excellent support. A pleasure to ride. But I won't be using them for long unfortunately. The biggest problem with them is that cleats are rubbish! They are expensive and wears out completely in two months or less for me, plus they differ in size and must be re-adjusted on every cleat change. Once I'll wear out my cleat stock, they will be changed for something else. Maybe for Shimano PD-A600 or something like that.
Small parts
Brakes are Shimano Sora, they work OK, maybe I should change the pads for something better. Seatpost is a no name from Poland. Water bottle cages are really nice and worth a notice. They are slim, light and cheap, fits great to any classically framed bike and can be obtained from the rosebikes.de ;) The downside is that they tend to be harsh on the water bottles, but these should be replaced from time to time anyway, due to best practices of hygiene. I have prepared a handful of titanium screws for water bottle mounts, fenders and racks.
Cannot wait for the frame and rest of the parts to see how they fit!