“I want to be able to pick up some speed and stay consistent for the IM (Ironman). I want to be able to be comfortable enough to ride the entire 112 mile course” These were just two of the goals I heard from Rebecca when we first started talking about her next bike. Rebecca came to us after hearing about one of her peer’s experience with us. Our paint jobs are always the immediate thing people notice about our bikes, but most riders come to us for much more. Rebecca was no different. She was very excited about a cool paint job, but she was looking to make a big change in her riding style.
The biggest change we were focused on was Rebecca’s bike size. She wanted to change from 650c to 700c wheels. While she thoroughly enjoyed her Cervelo P2, she wanted to make some upgrades — namely for speed, comfort, and cater the stiffness. These were key balances for her when racing Iron and Half-Iron triathlon distances. Other goals were to improve the bike’s climbing ability, create a snappy ride, make it as light as possible for her budget, and of course, paint an eye-catching and unique bicycle.
After identifying her “must-have” components, we began recommending parts for her to achieve her riding goals. One of the discussions was on wheel selection. We needed to find a balance between race and training wheels. An additional “must-have”: she wanted decals that complemented her pink bike. Rolf Prima entered my mind. On-top of building well-respected wheels, they have custom decal options which helped make the wheel decision easier. Braking ability and integrity were also discussed. As a result, we decided to go with an aluminum braking surface and a lighter rim over a slightly deeper aero wheel. Handling the day-to-day training rides was a little more important. The idea of more race-focused wheels would come down the road.
The paint job collaboration with Rebecca was quite fun! She wanted a flashy bike that she would be proud to show off during a ride and be “girly”. From talking with her, I could tell she wanted her bike to have some edge to it as well. She perused our graphic art work options and she arrived at some tribal hearts and flames. She sent me images from the internet as well. The rest was up to me. I emailed her my first batch of potential designs. While she liked them all, she was particularly fond of one of them. She said she’d probably pick it, but would like to see more. I always enjoy this part because it allows me to design new paint jobs that we can paint for our showroom. Rebecca even let us post her designs to the Facebook crowd. We presented the top three contenders and heard other people’s feedback. It was one of our biggest posts to date!
While we were working on her build, Shimano and its suppliers were in the midst of transitioning from 10-speed to 11-speed, so the typical 3-4 week turn around time was longer by a couple weeks, but certainly worth the wait. One of my favorite parts of my job is when our riders start finding triathlon or cycling kits that go with their bikes. Rebecca called me about one of them — this kit in particular was wicked!
Once her bike was ready to ship, we boxed it up and sent it to her. Her ride reports have been “The bike rides great! Definitely notice less leg fatigue. I love the paint job! And I have to tell you at least four guys have told me they want my bike for themselves… Hahaha!! I guess the pink isn’t a limiting factor of any sort to them.”
Thank you to Rebecca.
Below is the final build.
Shimano Dura-Ace 9000
Rolf Prima Vigor custom pink wheels
Profile Design SVET base bar, aero bars, Aero-HC water system
ISM Time Trial saddle