details, details, details. what are you particular about on your bike?

[DCT]

for me its 40c-c bars. maybe its because i swing a tennis racquet all day and my hands are used to a certain feel.

i can't stand wide bars. different saddles, different wheels, different frame materials, etc i'm all about.

whaddddabootyew?

[Rico]

for me its 40c-c bars. maybe its because i swing a tennis racquet all day and my hands are used to a certain feel.

i can't stand wide bars. different saddles, different wheels, different frame materials, etc i'm all about.

whaddddabootyew?

Saddle height, tilt and set back. If it ain't right for me nothin else matters.

[zetroc]

saddle height (753)
clean drivetrain
campagnolo 10v/11v (both good)

[j44ke]

No overlubed chains.

[GSmith]

No overlubed chains.

+1

Nothing says "I don't give a shit" like a dirty drive train, and not in a rebel, I'm cool, sort of way. The half-wheelers and sketchy bike handlers on my Saturday AM group ride inevitably have dirty drive trains. Coincidence? I think not.

Dirty drive train hall pass for hard core commuters, in the winter.

[SteveP]

pedals/ shoes

hate changing anything to do w/ this.
that said i just took my first ride in a pr of giro factors.
pedals rxs carbon- which i have 6-7 pr..will last until i quit the sport.

[jitahs]

Everything.

[Matthew Strongin]

needlessly noisy drive train. i can handle slight changes most everywhere else, but a derailleur that's just slightly off drives me nuts.

[thollandpe]

Classic bend bars, with enough flat for a proper grip on the drops, which are nearly parallel to the ground (sorry, DCT I'm a 42 c-to-c guy).

Low Q factor.

Black shorts.

Glasses over the helmet straps.

A small but properly stocked bag under the saddle.

[Matthew Strongin]

pedals/ shoes

hate changing anything to do w/ this.
that said i just took my first ride in a pr of giro factors.
pedals rxs carbon- which i have 6-7 pr..will last until i quit the sport.

This too. I dread new shoes. Even the tiny differences in runs of the same size of the same model drive me nuts in trying to get the cleats in the right place. Going through this now since my last pair got trashed.

[72gmc]

I'm a little freaky about lube. I think I grease my seatpost, pedals, etc more often than most. Product of a rainy environment I guess.

And I cannot abide branded finishing tape on my bar wrap or, recently, decals on my wheels.

[AntLockyer]

Noise. When my friend and I swapped MTBs the other day he said "it feels really solid" I'm pretty sure he was experiencing the quietness of it.

[jb1883us]

Shifter placement is key for some reason. My road bike and 'cross bikes are all identical bar/shifter set-up.

[corko]

tubs mounted straight
valve extenders thatl do not rattle or come loose
tyres pumped prior to every ride
chain lubed (and wiped) before each ride ... high five Gary

[david]

cleat placement, mostly angle.
i swear i can feel it when it's one degree off.

[professerr]

Saddle tilt. Given that road levels vary constantly in both dimensions, it makes no sense to me that a 1/4 turn of the seat post adjustment bolts makes a difference I can feel by the time I reach the end of the next block. I’d call bs on me but my ass has a mind of its own.

[echelon_john]

1. Bar tape finished at the top with black electrical tape, no matter what the tape color, NOT the cheesy finishing tape that comes with most bar tape. Wrapped so that there's no exposed edge of the layer of electrical tape underneath the final wrap, and no big ridges. Cut the tape with a razor blade or scissors to eliminate the possibility of pucker from tearing it.

2. Proper wheels with pulling spokes the same on front/rear, rim labels on the same side, hub logo readable through the valve hole, tire label centered over valve. QRs mirror image of each other; pointing to about 2:00 (front) and 10:00 (rear)

3. Matching cages and water bottles

[csbmo]

feet 'n ass

[chasea]

Saddle tilt.
Cleat placement.
Bar wrap starts at the top, finishes with the plugs, and no tape.
Clincher tire logos line up with the valve stem.
Bar end plugs aligned neatly, not just shoved in blindly.
Shift cables cross under the downtube.

[Jonathan]

Drinking and posting should be discouraged.