Eddy Merckx

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.
That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.
I have it priced well below what Pro's Closet is asking for the same thing.

On Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:11:22 -0600, AMuzi wrote:

On 3/2/2021 3:06 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 3:45:16 p.m. UTC-5, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?

-- Jay Beattie.

I was at Zehrs store here in Ontario, Canada and whilst
waiting for my niece to get off work I browsed the entire non-food
sections of the store. I could NOT find ANYTHING that was not made in
China. I don't know about where you are but it seems to be getting
harder and harder to buy stuff that isn't made in China.

Cheers

Yes, you're right. There are categories of things we now
generally buy as used vintage USA made. Recent example: a
right angle pneumatic drill. Bought it from the son of a
deceased aircraft factory worker. Not made in PRC!

And if the minimum wage is ever raised to $15/hour as I read in the
news that a number are advocating I suspect that "Made in America" may
become a very rare item indeed. I read that even the auto makers use
Chinese made "chips" and are reducing production because they can't
get them.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 16:15:00 -0800 (PST), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2:17:24 PM UTC-8, AMuzi wrote:
On 3/2/2021 3:35 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?

-- Jay Beattie.
You could be correct about Chinese Ti forks not being particularly safe. But there are local frame builders that can supply GOOD aluminum forks. Remember that Felt is local.

Local in Taiwan ROC or local in PRC depending on which Felt.
They're no more American than Trek.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
The top line of Trek are all built in Waterloo. Just like the three top lines of Shimano are built in Japan while the rest are built in China. Felt regardless of where they are built have a very good quality control. I would not be talking about them if I was not highly impressed with their workmanship.

https://allamericanreviews.com/trek/

"Unfortunately, there are no more Trek bikes that are fully made in
the USA. They used to produce a small number of bikes in their U.S.
facilities in Waterloo and Whitewater, Wisconsin (about 20,000 bikes
per year), but that came to a halt in December 2017, according to a
source we have inside the Trek engineering team."
--
Cheers,

John B.

On 3/2/2021 2:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.



I'd be surprised if the 62cm frame wasn't the main reason it didn't
sell. Dumb consumers will happily ride a bike that's too short, but
they can figure out real quick if the bike is too tall for them. 62cm
is gonna be too tall for a very large fraction of the market.

I can't explain why the Specialized sold fast, assuming it was also a
tall frame. Maybe a tall buyer happened along at just the right moment?

Mark J.

On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 10:11:19 AM UTC-8, Mark J. wrote:
On 3/2/2021 2:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part..

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.



I'd be surprised if the 62cm frame wasn't the main reason it didn't
sell. Dumb consumers will happily ride a bike that's too short, but
they can figure out real quick if the bike is too tall for them. 62cm
is gonna be too tall for a very large fraction of the market.

I can't explain why the Specialized sold fast, assuming it was also a
tall frame. Maybe a tall buyer happened along at just the right moment?

Mark J.

He sold my old 61cm Roubaix for top dollar (much more than the $1K I charged him), and an older S-Works Tarmac, also 61cm. His 62cm Emonda had to be parted out, and I don't know why it didn't sell.

He over-priced the Roubaix (IMO) and sold it to someone in a hurry who knew little about bikes. That was probably a "right moment" thing. His S-Works Tarmac was gone in a day or two for a lot of money, although it had new eTap and some swanking after-market wheels. There is a real fan-base for the S-Works bikes, probably because the new models are in the used-car price range.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 11:49:59 AM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 10:11:19 AM UTC-8, Mark J. wrote:
On 3/2/2021 2:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum so they are using more complex shape to achieve the desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws, the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight. It was so light that my car almost floated on the way home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are giving you the worst possible travel times and so they are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but the bike would then be 100% metal except for the Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim. That is a large reason that they are turning to disk brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum bikes unless you're someone with a full time power output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt. Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro? How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over 200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they are all now on the market. Though since nothing is moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I expect it will be a long time before they move. I am moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's fault they're sitting on the market.. My son couldn't sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the latter tends to have better resale, particularly S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The difference in weight should be substantial, and if it isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a reputable manufacturer. https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork

Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist? Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.



I'd be surprised if the 62cm frame wasn't the main reason it didn't
sell. Dumb consumers will happily ride a bike that's too short, but
they can figure out real quick if the bike is too tall for them. 62cm
is gonna be too tall for a very large fraction of the market.

I can't explain why the Specialized sold fast, assuming it was also a
tall frame. Maybe a tall buyer happened along at just the right moment?

Mark J.
He sold my old 61cm Roubaix for top dollar (much more than the $1K I charged him), and an older S-Works Tarmac, also 61cm. His 62cm Emonda had to be parted out, and I don't know why it didn't sell.

He over-priced the Roubaix (IMO) and sold it to someone in a hurry who knew little about bikes. That was probably a "right moment" thing. His S-Works Tarmac was gone in a day or two for a lot of money, although it had new eTap and some swanking after-market wheels. There is a real fan-base for the S-Works bikes, probably because the new models are in the used-car price range.

-- Jay Beattie.
I though that the Pro's Closet was overpricing their bikes when I went out on eBay and the prices were very similar. I'm priced below them so they aren't selling because no one has money now that the Democrats have done their best to kill this economy.

On 3/3/2021 12:11 PM, Mark J. wrote:
On 3/2/2021 2:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8,
wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie
wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8,
wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom
Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it
here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the
design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum
so they are using more complex shape to achieve the
desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws,
the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide
and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima
handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight.
It was so light that my car almost floated on the way
home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard
part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new
Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as
soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is
mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is
scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are
giving you the worst possible travel times and so they
are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a
gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike
I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to
rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even
Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so
that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes
rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but
the bike would then be 100% metal except for the
Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon
wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply
isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal
riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the
roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are
limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of
the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are
not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well
since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can
overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim.
That is a large reason that they are turning to disk
brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of
the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum
bikes unless you're someone with a full time power
output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt.
Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike
than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of
sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro?
How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over
200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more
important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are
not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads
than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to
aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the
advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive
long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've
bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they
are all now on the market. Though since nothing is
moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I
expect it will be a long time before they move. I am
moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you
don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen
CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's
fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't
sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had
to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his
Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the
latter tends to have better resale, particularly
S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The
difference in weight should be substantial, and if it
isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you
want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a
reputable manufacturer.
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork


Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And
why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist?
Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004
technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the
price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the
right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't
sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it
apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame,
which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.


I'd be surprised if the 62cm frame wasn't the main reason it
didn't sell. Dumb consumers will happily ride a bike that's
too short, but they can figure out real quick if the bike is
too tall for them. 62cm is gonna be too tall for a very
large fraction of the market.

I can't explain why the Specialized sold fast, assuming it
was also a tall frame. Maybe a tall buyer happened along at
just the right moment?

Mark J.

With 50 years of retail I can say with confidence that a
successful sale is always due to the genius and skill of the
seller. A lack of sales is caused by weather,
inflation/deflation, regulation, the neighborhood,
suppliers, customers, interference and /or astrology.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 2:15:19 PM UTC-8, AMuzi wrote:
On 3/3/2021 12:11 PM, Mark J. wrote:
On 3/2/2021 2:17 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8,
wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 12:45:16 PM UTC-8, jbeattie
wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 11:41:05 AM UTC-8,
wrote:
On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:42:25 PM UTC-8, Tom
Kunich wrote:
I thought I posted on this already but I don't see it
here.

I received the Eddy Merckx via FedEx today. I like the
design. They are using a thinner than normal aluminum
so they are using more complex shape to achieve the
desired stiffness in the correct directions.

With the headset, seat collar, steel bottle screws,
the cable adjuster, the under BB plastic cable guide
and a heavy stem on it it weighs in at 5.3 lbs.

I just drove down to Piedmont and got a 3T Prima
handlebar from a guy and almost fainted at the weight.
It was so light that my car almost floated on the way
home. Getting a stem worthy of that bar will be a hard
part.

The only thing missing from assembling it is a new
Campy cable set. So I should be able to set it up as
soon as I get the Felt off of the workstand. That is
mostly awaiting the Lower fork race driver. That is
scheduled for April but these days the Chinese are
giving you the worst possible travel times and so they
are usually more than a month over predicted.

After I get the Felt together, I'll take it out on a
gravel ride and if it handles like a cyclocross bike
I'll have to apologize to Jay. If it doesn't I get to
rag him about it.

Then I will assemble the Eddy Merckx Elite. I've even
Found a Chinese company that sells Titanium forks so
that I can change out the carbon fork if the bikes
rides well. The difference in weight would be nil but
the bike would then be 100% metal except for the
Record parts.
This morning I decided that I couldn't take deep carbon
wheels anymore since the type of riding I do simply
isn't fast enough to gain any advantage for normal
riding. I don't give a damn how steep the hill is, the
roads and garbage on the roads is such that you are
limited by 100 things other than the aerodynamics of
the rims. And let's face it head on - carbon rims are
not only ****ty braking, but they are dangerous as well
since if you have to do a lot of heavy breaking you can
overheat the rims and break a clincher out of the rim.
That is a large reason that they are turning to disk
brakes.

What I'm seeing is that we got pretty near the top of
the food chain with the late 90's steel and aluminum
bikes unless you're someone with a full time power
output of over 400 watts. If you're climbing Mt.
Ventoux you certainly could go faster on a 16 lb. bike
than a 24 lb. bike. But isn't the entire object of
sport riding to tire yourself out? Are you a Europro?
How many of the people here EVER developed a FTP over
200 watts? Is getting to the top of a climb faster more
important than getting to the top? If so, why?

So, since I like to be able to stop and carbon rims are
not good at that (though they're better with Campy pads
than with the no-name brand) I decided to go back to
aluminum wheels for the Eddy. This also has the
advantage that I don't have to buy stupid expensive
long Presta valve tubes.

So in the last ten years since my concussion I've
bought up to the very top-of-the-line bikes and they
are all now on the market. Though since nothing is
moving due to the likes of the Democrats and Biden, I
expect it will be a long time before they move. I am
moving down and steel or aluminum are the bikes you
don't have to wonder about as you're descending at speed.
Top of the line when? 2004? Good luck selling last-gen
CF bikes with odd-ball components. It's not Biden's
fault they're sitting on the market. My son couldn't
sell his Emonda during the Trump administration and had
to part it out. It was a great bike, too. OTOH, his
Specialized sold fast. I like both brands, but the
latter tends to have better resale, particularly
S-Works. Even old S-Works go for a lot of dough.

And have fun with those no-name Chinese Ti forks. The
difference in weight should be substantial, and if it
isn't, then the Ti forks will ride like noodles. If you
want metal forks, get some nice steel forks -- from a
reputable manufacturer.
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...d-crmo-49-fork


Chinese Ti forks would not instill confidence in me. And
why must you support the Chinese? Are you a communist?
Are you willing to take a face plant for the Chairman?
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004
technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the
price is right -- but I don't pretend to know what the
right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra just didn't
sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it
apparently lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame,
which makes it harder to sell.

-- Jay Beattie.


I'd be surprised if the 62cm frame wasn't the main reason it
didn't sell. Dumb consumers will happily ride a bike that's
too short, but they can figure out real quick if the bike is
too tall for them. 62cm is gonna be too tall for a very
large fraction of the market.

I can't explain why the Specialized sold fast, assuming it
was also a tall frame. Maybe a tall buyer happened along at
just the right moment?

Mark J.
With 50 years of retail I can say with confidence that a
successful sale is always due to the genius and skill of the
seller. A lack of sales is caused by weather,
inflation/deflation, regulation, the neighborhood,
suppliers, customers, interference and /or astrology.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
Have you been studying the intellectual capacity of Frank?

On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 16:16:42 -0800 (PST), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but
I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra
just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently
lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.
-- Jay Beattie.

I have it priced well below what Pro's Closet is asking for the same thing.

Is this the bicycle?
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/d/san-leandro-2018-trek-emonda-sl6-with/7284847343.html
Hmmm... posted 2 days ago.

I have no clue if the price is reasonable. My last bicycle cost me
$50 plus some parts, so this is well outside of my area of expertise.
If this listing uses the same text as your previous failed listing,
then I see the reason why it didn't sell. In your effort to provide
full disclosure and insure that the buyer will not be surprised by
some slight defect, you over-disclosed the problem. The description
is full of negative points, which could be repackaged into something
more appealing and less self-critical.

You should also consider mentioning something about why you're selling
the bicycle.

The photography could be improved starting by washing (and perhaps
waxing) the bicycle so that it looks like $3,500 machine. Washing off
the dirt might be a good start. Also, better lighting without dark
shadows (photo 3), less background clutter (photo 2), better depth of
field so bicycle parts are not out of focus (photos 5 & 7), and detail
on the key components (preferably both sides).

I suggest you change:
"Vittoria Corsa graphene protection tires"
to:
"Vittoria Corsa graphene flat protection tires".

I think it's a fair assumption that any potential buyer would know
something about carbon fiber and might be hesitant to purchase a used
bicycle that hasn't been tested for damage. Some reassurance that it
hasn't been beaten to death might be useful.

Drop the "...if it bothered you" which might be borderline insulting
to a potential buyer.

You mention 200 miles on the pedals "...when I put the bike together".
I suggest you rewrite that in indicate that the bicycle has been
ridden only 200 miles. However, I would be tempted to ask why you are
selling a bicycle with so few miles.

Good luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 7:18:03 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Tue, 2 Mar 2021 16:16:42 -0800 (PST), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 2:17:52 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 1:33:09 PM UTC-8, wrote:
So you think that a 2018 Emonda with Di2 is 2004 technology? Don't tell that to Trek.

That is a perfectly nice bike, and it will sell if the price is right -- but
I don't pretend to know what the right price is. My son's Emonda with Ultegra
just didn't sell. It was a fine, well maintained bike, but it apparently
lacked sex appeal. It was also a 62cm frame, which makes it harder to sell.
-- Jay Beattie.

I have it priced well below what Pro's Closet is asking for the same thing.
Is this the bicycle?
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/d/san-leandro-2018-trek-emonda-sl6-with/7284847343.html
Hmmm... posted 2 days ago.

I have no clue if the price is reasonable. My last bicycle cost me
$50 plus some parts, so this is well outside of my area of expertise.
If this listing uses the same text as your previous failed listing,
then I see the reason why it didn't sell. In your effort to provide
full disclosure and insure that the buyer will not be surprised by
some slight defect, you over-disclosed the problem. The description
is full of negative points, which could be repackaged into something
more appealing and less self-critical.

You should also consider mentioning something about why you're selling
the bicycle.

The photography could be improved starting by washing (and perhaps
waxing) the bicycle so that it looks like $3,500 machine. Washing off
the dirt might be a good start. Also, better lighting without dark
shadows (photo 3), less background clutter (photo 2), better depth of
field so bicycle parts are not out of focus (photos 5 & 7), and detail
on the key components (preferably both sides).

I suggest you change:
"Vittoria Corsa graphene protection tires"
to:
"Vittoria Corsa graphene flat protection tires".

I think it's a fair assumption that any potential buyer would know
something about carbon fiber and might be hesitant to purchase a used
bicycle that hasn't been tested for damage. Some reassurance that it
hasn't been beaten to death might be useful.

Drop the "...if it bothered you" which might be borderline insulting
to a potential buyer.

You mention 200 miles on the pedals "...when I put the bike together".
I suggest you rewrite that in indicate that the bicycle has been
ridden only 200 miles. However, I would be tempted to ask why you are
selling a bicycle with so few miles.

Good luck.

Overpriced. https://www.canyon.com/en-us/road-bi...disc/2862.html No Di2 but cheaper, new and same weight. I like the Emonda a lot, and Tom's bike looks nice enough -- although I'm not keen on the wheels. But its a rim-brake bike, and buyers are going to want a bigger discount.

-- Jay Beattie.