BackgroundHey everyone, relatively new to this forum. I fell down this rabbit hole because I wanted a TT bike, but the off-the-shelf offerings from western brands seemed to be pretty poor value (and maybe more importantly unaffordable...). Having the ability to customize the paint to my liking was also a big deciding factor for me. I was mainly between the ICAN TT-017 and the VeloBuild TT-023, but I ultimately chose the TT-017 simply because I preferred its looks. The TT-017's baseplate will be a problem to solve at a later date. This will be my first time building a bicycle (or doing any kind of work on a bicycle really) so hopefully it goes with as few hiccups as possible.
Order ProcessI sent an inquiry via ICAN's website on around December 11 and Sherry replied on the 12th with a quote of $950USD for the frame and $169USD for UPS shipping to Canada. I actually used AI to create a mockup of the paint scheme I wanted along with some other sample photos of the type of metallic green I wanted:
She then provided me some paint swatches which I signed off on, and the paint customization was $85USD. I was a little nervous about how the lime green highlight on the front forks would turn out since I wanted the top line to be parallel to the ground like in the AI render I sent her. I wondered how much I should attempt to micro-manage the specifics of the paint job, but in the end I figured with the language barrier it might just cause more confusion so I simply went with the flow. I fully understood I was pursuing a budget option. On December 16 she sent me this mockup from their paint department which I signed off on and promptly sent a payment of $1261USD via PayPal (including a $57USD PayPal fee).
Sherry informed me at the time of payment that they had one Large frame in stock at their warehouse so it would only be 7 business days for paint and I would not have to wait for a frame to be produced. On January 2, Sherry sent me photos of my painted frame at their warehouse and that it would be shipped that day.
On January 7 I received the frame. I was on the hook for $64CAD (~$46USD) for duties, taxes, and brokerage fees which I didn't consider to be too unreasonable. Overall I found the ordering process from ICAN to be smooth and straightforward.
The FrameMy first impression of the frame is that it looks very nice. Again, I don't have a lot of experience with building bikes, but my road bike is a 2019 Cervélo S5 so I have some sense of what a premium carbon frame should be like (ironically some interesting design choices by Cervélo have me questioning the extent to which the S5 can be considered a premium frame). The metallic paint looks absolutely beautiful.
Now, onto the fork paint that I was a little nervous about. Essentially exactly as I'd feared, the line was not quite parallel to the ground. It's pretty easy to see that they simply used used straight masking tape along the curved surface of the fork which caused some distortion, as well as a chevron-shaped join where the masking tape overlapped at the leading edge of the fork. There was definitely a lack of attention to detail in this area as I'd feared, however again I will not nitpick too hard since I actively decided not to over-communicate my specifications. You get what you pay for. Had I made my requirements clear, I would be disappointed.
A nice detail of the fork is that it has an asymmetric front profile to shield the front brake caliper.
In terms of facings, the edges of the paint were quite thick and noticeably raised around the BB threads and the brake mounts.
I'm particularly concerned about the rear brake mounts. I don't have any experience with this so I don't know when it becomes an issue that requires facing to deal with. Not only does the paint create a raised edge that rises above the mounting surfaces, I'm also pretty sure that the mounting surfaces are not flush with each other? Did anybody here have any issues with this or know if this is cause for concern?
Build InfoI've been gathering the rest of my components over the course of the last 2 months, through a combination of classifieds and retailers. Got lucky on a few holiday sales deals too. I, like many people, am doing a SRAM 1x build for simplicity (i.e. not having to pay for a front derailleur... the aero is a bonus) as I will only be racing on flat land anyway.
This is what I have so far
| Component | Cost ($CAD) |
| TT-017 Frameset (incl. duties) | $1799 |
| SRAM Red D1 rear derailleur | $360 |
| SRAM X-Sync 50T aero chainring | $316 |
| SRAM Red D1 170mm crank arms | $355 |
| SRAM S-900 HRD levers and calipers | $550 (lucked out on this deal) |
| Shimano Dura ACE RT CL-900 rotors (160mm front, 140mm rear) | $120 |
| SRAM Blips | $127 |
| SRAM eTap battery | $79 |
| SRAM eTap charger | $64 |
| SRAM Force flat top chain | $66 |
| SRAM DUB T47 68mm BB | $88 |
| Total | $4195CAD (~$3000USD) |
The wheelsets are obviously still outstanding, as well cassette, tires, saddle, etc. I'll probably be getting a deep front wheel and disc wheel off of Aliexpress. I will figure out aero extensions later since it's only indoor riding here for the next few months anyways.
Overall very excited for everything to come together (hopefully).
