153
« on: January 14, 2023, 11:07:47 AM »
Just preordered a large standard frameset in blue from Cycling100, despite the clear risk that this will take forever. With COVID lockdowns ending I imagine lead times are going back to normal. Was quoted "10-12 weeks"...we'll see about that. Fingers crossed I guess. It's still early in the season, so if all goes well I hopefully will be able to have this bike in time for May. I'm in my 15th season of amateur racing so I definitely have the mechanical chops to build it up, but I'm poor graduate student so I really am seeking to cut costs.
My current bike, a Tarmac SL5, is nearly 10 years old; it's high time I got something new, and the proliferation of LTWOO disc groupsets has really brought the cost of the build down. I have been painstakingly speccing out possible builds. For a while I considered the Elves Falath but that frame would have been about 250gr more than the Seka, but in the end only ~$300 less. Similarly I could have gotten a Yoeleo R11 or R12 for slightly less, but the yoeleo bikes aren't as beautiful, are essentially the same price. The R11 isn't quite as aero, and I believe the R12 slightly heavier. I might end up regretting not getting an R12 instead--we'll see.
Geometry wise, I currently run a size 56 on my Tarmac with a 110mm stem, 80mm bar reach, and ~0.5cm of spacer--which has always felt a little short for me. I have abnormally long arms relative to my height and run a very-forward saddle, so in general I need a lot of reach, something that is at odds with the Seka's geometry, and with Chinese frames and bar-stems in general. The combined frame+bar reaches of the "size 56" equivalent Seka, R12 and the Falath are all about 1cm shorter than my Tarmac, therefore the only way to get the geometry I really want is to get a 130mm stem, and Seka is the only company besides Farsports offering of a 130mm stem with 380mm bars. Some might retort that this isn't an issue when you run a separate bar-stem, but I really believe in the aerodynamics of a combined bar-stem, making the availability of a 130mmx380mm handlebar a key selling point for me with the Seka.
Current build plan is:
-standard Seka frameset+bar+Token BB (1054gr frame, 370gr fork, 325gr bar, 165gr post, 105gr BB)
-LTWOO R9 Disc carbon (11-speed) groupset (1167gr brifters+derraileurs+calipers, 200gr cables+housing)
-Magene P325CS powermeter crank (730gr)
-YBN SLA-110 chain (249gr)
-SROAD one-piece CNC cassette (230gr)
-|||PRO brand rotors (308gr)
-ICAN Aero 35 disc wheels (1355gr)
-GP5000s tires (280gr x2)
-Specialized power S-works carbon saddle (160gr)
-No-name Supacaz imitation handlebar tape (50gr)
According to my calculations given quoted weights for everything is estimated at 7100 grams. We'll see about that! I'm guessing going from a M to a L will add ~200g+, and the accumulated error on quoted weights will add up to over ~300gr, so I would be very happy if it was anywhere close to 7.5kg dry.
MSRP for this build is right around $3700 including cost of shipping to the US (excluding saddle since that's taken from my old bike). A comparable bike like the soloist with ultegra is $4300--and that's without shipping, racing wheels or power meter--so add about $2000 to that to reach a similar spec.
Anyways, wish me the best of luck!