It's been said before but I'll say it again. Craig Calfee will knock off that paint and clear coat it with a decal or 2 or more. Whatever you like. He doesn't charge much to do it either. Having said that, I'd just ride the hell out of it for a year or two and if I felt something more for it, then maybe I'd repaint it.
Production bikes....the thing is they are dated immediately. Not just by the paint but by the latest tube iteration. I hear nothing but wonderful things about the Super Six. I've ridden one each of the last 2 years years and they are "super". But then about 6 months after you own it you start hearing how much better the next one is...and so on. Better or different? Just trying to get your loyals to re-up every year or two?
Bikes aren't electronics with quantum shifts every 6 months. Bikes are on a different curve. It's so easy to find a good ride today. Owning a bike which makes you want to ride, and keep riding it, that's something different and where production bikes usually fall short.
i've put about a week of riding into it. the boys like the look of it.. but i'm more a retro-metro.
that being said... i'm impressed by the bike... and the gestalt of the thing.
its stiff in every dimension and the front and the back end feels the same. so the bike makes sense from the saddle.
it rides smooth. its tracks dead on, and it is great in turns. there's no rattles, i didn't have to file anything to build it. the mast cut was easy and spot on.
and its very hummingbird.
i won the sunday local world champs on it. it felt good sprinting on it all out and its great going down hills.
feels like a race bike. and is markedly better than production bikes of yore. it weighs about 15 lbs.... and for me, bikes lighter than that feel funny....
so.... cheers to production bikes. i can't make a personal connection to the bike as an expression of some deeper ineffable expression of me... which is really how its supposed to be anyway, isn't it?
shrink, terrorist, poet, president of concerned cyclists for the abolishment of bovine source bicycle parts and head of the disaffected commie dishwashers union.
thanks for the compliment. i don't know how to answer the question without sounding like a bigger douchebag than i already am.
with all the love for the brunkian perspective on bikes.. yes they are all different.. but if they fall within a certain range of dimensions and execution, they all just feel like great bikes.
shrink, terrorist, poet, president of concerned cyclists for the abolishment of bovine source bicycle parts and head of the disaffected commie dishwashers union.
Swoop-- this is a good looking bike IMO. not because of the graphic novel cosmetics but because underneathe it is what it is.
it's like 'that girl' who you know is ultra hawt but she insists on wearing heavy mascara and gaudy lipstick to cover up the fact that somewhere someone told her she wasn't pretty.
the bike fukcing works, it's good for you to stretch...feel it.
the first millisecond work bounces back.. assuming it does bounce back... call is going out to Crumpton. i hope work bounces back. Carbon is a great material.
You won't be disappointed. I love my SL. Talk about hand-in-glove; this bike is superb.
shrink, terrorist, poet, president of concerned cyclists for the abolishment of bovine source bicycle parts and head of the disaffected commie dishwashers union.
thanks for the compliment. i don't know how to answer the question without sounding like a bigger douchebag than i already am.
with all the love for the brunkian perspective on bikes.. yes they are all different.. but if they fall within a certain range of dimensions and execution, they all just feel like great bikes.
A box showed up today. My latest find. Threw a couple things on to make some measurements. This'll do just fine methinks.
Now I need a new Super Record groupset and a set of those badass Edge wheels...... Thankfully, I do have a new set of used Nucleon tubulars which will do in a pinch.
I'm really, really looking forward to riding this one. All the tubes on this are substantially larger than on my KG381i, especially the downtube. It's not god awful light, but pretty close. It could easily be built to under the UCI limit and I'd be banned from starting the Tour.
This one was briefly in my possession. I gave it to a friend, as it was one of his "holy grail" bikes. And it fit him better.
Steel Look track bike. Pretty stiff, I thought.
Cool! That is a real rarity I think. I have never seen one of these. The only Look track bikes I'm familiar with are the sprinters' bikes used in World Cup track events. They do look wild. And the stems are quite unique.
Also, a buddy of mine in the late '80s had one of the steel 753 Looks. Very cool and very rare.
Still trying to figure out where to come up with the funds for my own new one.
Here is my Look 585. I really want a new 11-speed groupset for it, but for now it's either use old stuff with silver look and square-taper BB and crank or have the bike sit in the garage unused. I choose the former.
FWIW, the chainrings and chain are nearly new, as is the cassette, so it's not like I'm using old drivetrain. It just isn't fancy schmancy all-carbon Record and there are no batteries.
A quick recon ride around my condo development makes me think this is good. But the rear tire isn't glued up and the steerer tube needs to be cut before I go rip roaring around town on this.
Something needs to go for this to arrive though and the Lemond Sarthe has been an interesting experiment, but it's going on the trading block soon.
More pics (with a real camera - not the iPhone one) and a ride report to follow soon.
BTW, yes, I know the shifter cables are too short. But the whole setup came off the Lemond, cables and all attached. Looking to get it set up initially as cheaply as possible and even though they look too short, they are not binding anywhere.
Here are a couple of slightly better pictures. This is an advancement over the 381 I also own. First, it fits a bit better. The other Look is too small by about 1 cm or so. The 585 is also stiffer, no doubt about that. The bigger tubes make a difference. Ride is otherwise very similar and those who have Looks know what I'm talking about. Muted and comfortable. Handling is absolutely proper. Responsive and stable. Precise is a word that comes to mind.
You can definitely feel that the power to the cranks is slightly better translated to forward motion on this bike than on the 381. That's the added stiffness and larger tubes.
Needs a better (newer) groupset and wheels. These are my Nucleons which took a massive blow last year. Amazing what you can do with a hammer when spoke tension just won't cut it anymore. Slapped on a Veloflex Criterium and we're back in business. Even so, they'll never be the same. The components are from 2001 or 2002. They are my original 10-speed groupset from when I owned my Anvil. Amazing. Still works nicely. Shifters have never been rebuilt and do not need it.
Even so, the stuff is 'tired' and there is play in the rear derailleur and slop in everything else.
All in all, a nice ride for a great used price.
Edit: Now with appropriate crank and -17º Thomson stem...
Last edited by Saab2000; 05-17-2010 at 04:17 PM.
Reason: -17º stem and UT cranks more appropriate to the carbon fiber aesthetic
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Originally Posted by swoop 
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