Talbot Frameworks custom road frame

you reckon you can avoid compact if you go 12-29?

Sadly no...

I don't quite understand why the shame of going compact (less so with the 12-29)*, if it give you a decent range, most especially when it reduced the likelihood of cross-chaining.

That's an awesome looking bike that'll look even more amazing with the groupset you've chosen, I'm quite fussy with choosing the right groupset to the point of buying NOS Dura Ace just to keep it looking smart.

I can tell you this, you'll enjoy having more weight on the front wheels for once, especially during the Ditchling Devil.

*doesn't the pro usually run 11-32 on some mountain stages with a compact?

I'm only half serious... it's far more embarrassing struggling up hills. I'm just very aware of the cliche of turning 40 & buying a fancy custom road bike with relaxed gearing.

I'm thinking more like

It's lovely but it has the laughable PowerTorque cranks.

Laughable in what way? Campag's a bit of a mystery to me...

And a happier man you shall be if you keep it that way.

The great thing about the internet is finding out every possible option's wrong...

Laughable in what way? Campag's a bit of a mystery to me...

In that it requires more investment in tools to just remove the cranks than it does to service one of Cannondale's ridiculous proprietary suspension forks.

If you can find a NOS set with UltraTorque then snap it up. Otherwise consider a different crank or pony up for the collection above.

Or just pony up for Record 10 / 11

Funnily enough I've got one of cannondale's ridiculous proprietary suspension forks on another bike...
But then I've got round that by never servicing it.

On the one hand this does bother me quite a lot as I've always done all my own mechanics. On the other hand, providing I stop taking the piss out of his photography, I suspect Matt will be fairly good with letting me use his tools, so it really just depends how often I'm likely to need to remove them I suppose.

Or, black chainset with other parts silver? With silver chainrings it could work I suppose.

(I am well aware none of this colour co-ordination really matters)

Funnily enough I've got one of cannondale's ridiculous proprietary suspension forks on another bike...
But then I've got round that by never servicing it.

Then you sir...are missing out.

Anyway: buy Athena 11, remove chainrings, find NOS / used Athena UT crank, install 11 speed chainrings, install crank. Job done?

To be far almost all of those tools in the picture Howard posted are needed with UltraTorque if you intend to pull bearings from the spindle and replace them yourself ..

The point of the PowerTorque design was to keep a more aggressive price point than UltraTorque which is an expensive design to manufacture while maintaining the same narrow Campagnolo Q factor that you don't get with Shimano and Sram. The main 'bitch' with the design is you need a crank puller to remove the non drive side arm as it is not a self extracting design.

and then there's some sort of weird chain system that you can't undo without a fancy tool isn't there?

I don't know, it bothers me to have bike parts I can't easily maintain myself, but then for the kind of riding I'm going to be doing on this, it's probably not such an issue. I've still got a sensible touring bike if I ever get the chance to go to places far from mechanical assistance. Which with a 10 week old baby is unlikely anyway.

The Campagnolo chain needs a special tool to fit properly but there's alternatives .. KMC make 11 speed missing link or what ever they call the quick fit system

Lezyne do a cheap 11sp tool that'll do campag chains.

This one: http://road.cc/content/review/68127-lezyne-chain-drive-11-speed-chain-tool

£28 isn't that cheap compared to already having one on my multi-tool that would do the job on all my other bikes...
Actually the chain thing bothers me a lot more than the cranks because I have needed to fix a chain by the roadside.

Despite all this I'm still probably ordering Athena tonight.

Interesting. I run a 13-29 on Campag btw - gets you up hills quite nicely, yet still goes fast enough down them.

Based on our recent research 36/27 deals with 10% gradients quite effectively, maybe a mid-compact 52/36, or if your cassette is going to feature a 29T sprocket a conventional 39/53 would give the same results?

If you can find a NOS set with UltraTorque then snap it up.

http://fcdn.roadbikereview.com/attachments/campagnolo/232929d1307651189-campa-super-record-crank-broken-campa-super-record-ultra-breuk.jpg

?

I think the chances of me breaking any cranks are pretty minimal...

I'm currently thinking proper compact with 12-27 cassette - I don't think I'm going to be spinning out at 50/12 very often, whereas I can see myself using a really low gear quite a bit as I tend to like trying big climbs.

^^ there's pictures of all major manufacturers cranks broken if you care to look around the web! Just some are genuinely rubbish .. Like the Easton cranks that were recalled.

A nice example of modern silver road groupset on steel bike:

More here

Nice looking bike, but surely if you're going silver groupset, you've got to have nice shiny silver spokes with your silver hubs??

Thing is my frame will look quite a bit more modern what with carbon fork and large-ish tubes, so I don't necessarily need a group that looks old fashioned. It's more the red/silver/black clolour scheme that I'd like to achieve.
I've still made no decision - most likely to go for silver Athena still, but not ruling out 2nd hand Sram or something, have been keeping an eye on ebay. Headset (silver Chris King), bars (Ritchey Classic curve) and seatpost (Thomson) all ordered while I make my mind up. This would give me the option of temporarily building it up with my old groupset if I get really desperate.
Definitely geting all silver wheels. Trying to decide on rims - maybe open pros, maybe H plus son Archetype, I'm not sure.

Definitely geting all silver wheels. Trying to decide on rims - maybe open pros, maybe H plus son Archetype, I'm not sure.

2 different rims but if you want to go for classic look and still have a wide rim TB14 is the way to go. http://www.hubjub.co.uk/store/index.php/rims/h-plus-son-tb14-detail

If you want a bargain (but not silver) there is one for sale on the forum atm: http://www.lfgss.com/thread108218.html