New bike time!

I posted a cheeky status here the other day about a new bike purchase, thought I'd give some more detail...

So I've been promising myself a new road bike for a few years now, but had some weight goals I wanted to hit first. Said goals have been hit, so it was time to start shopping.

At the top of my list was a Scott Foil, and I pretty much had my heart set on it, I'd also looked at a Merida Reacto for a while, but a more knowledgeable friend had pretty much talked me out of that. I was going to go and try a Giant, mainly because mine has treated me so well over the past 6 years, but I was really after something different. Also I'm not a massive fan of the colour schemes and looks of this years Giant models.

I tried a couple of Specialized bikes a few weeks back, they were nice, but a little more than I wanted to spend. I was also toying with the idea of going and riding a Cannondale and maybe a Focus.

Last week I noticed the cranks on my bike had some play in them and diagnosed that I needed to replace the bottom bracket. So of I popped to Cyc'd on Wynnum road for a new bottom bracket and associated tools so I could replace it. 

As an aside.. I do pretty much all of my own bike maintenance these days,  when I need something I usually go to either goldcross in Cannon Hill or Cyc'd, depending which direction I'm heading. This year I've tended towards Cyc'd more and I've found them to be really good. Jaaron, the owner, has been very helpful when I've gone in and I've always found his advice very honest.

Back to the story..

So I went in to grab the bottom bracket, but they didn't have the correct Park tool in stock to replace it, it was a quiet day in the shop so Jaaron said to just bring the bike in and he'd fit it for me... win!

While I was in there waiting I had a look around at some bikes. Cyc'd is a Giant store so if I was going to test ride one, this is where I'd do it. So I'm browsing the bikes there and I see something special. The little cluster of last years bikes on sale at incredible prices......

Skip the next few days of obsessing, researching, reading reviews and looking at pics and I'm back in for a fitting and test ride. Skip the next hour of testing a bike and talking and I've put down a deposit on this

It's a 2011 TCR Advanced SL 0 frame (aka, the top of the line pro tour frame from last year) with an integrated seat post. It's in a colour scheme that didn't go on sale here. Giant did the matte black in frameset only, which didn't get brought in to Australia. Cyc'd did a special order of about 20 of them, this is the second last one.

It's got full mechanical Dura Ace.

It's going to have a Fizik Arione Cx saddle, Ultegra Carbon pedals and some Backburn carbon bottle cages.

It's got PRO Vibe carbon bars and stem.

It's running Giant's PSLR1 wheels with DT Swiss hubs

When finished up it should weigh about 6.7 / 6.8 kg (Not that I ever set out to buy a very very light bike, but it's still cool)

I won't tell you the exact price, but... insanely good. I have a friend who manages a shop in Sydney who was going to source me a bike when I was ready and he said "there's no way I could have done anything like that". 

I test rode a model without the integrated seat post and running Ultegra and wow it was fast, light and responsive. This will be just like that, but more!

So I'm a very happy boy, like I said I was going to find something different to buy, but this is amazing. Going with the conventional wisdom that you should buy the best frame you can afford, I'm doing very very well. That it comes with full Dura Ace in my budget is icing on the cake. The fact that I'm buying it from a local shop that I've got a relationship with and give me good advice also factors in to this being a great buy.

I've got to go back in probably next weekend to finish paying for it and have it fitted (and watch the hacksaw come out to trim the seatpost....ouchies).