Quick Pro AR:ONE Build

[Merry]

Hello,

Starting a thread to document my build over the next two months (end of September to start of October for the completed build) and to replace that really old thread about the AR:ONE for discussion. I'm coming from a 2011 CAAD10 that I bought used just before the start of 25' that I've been riding the hell out of. So I'm pretty excited to see how my build will shape out, as I've received the frameset a few days ago and my wheelset shipped yesterday.

Background

I was pretty undecided between the ER:ONE and AR:ONE as they're in similar price categories. In the end though, what won me over was that the AR:ONE was said to emulate the feeling of super stiff rim brake bikes AND is aero enough, while being quite light for climbing. I'm about 173 cm tall and 57 kg, and so climbing is one of the most enjoyable things to me. The idea of having a really stiff and light bike to throw around appealed to me the most.

Build Plan and Costs

I live in Canada but I'm travelling to China in September for a bit over two weeks. So I plan to purchase the majority of my bicycle parts in the meantime while I'm there and have already researched costs, so I've got a pretty good rough estimate already. At the moment I've got the frameset & handlebars in, and the wheels have been shipped - I haven't received them yet, but they're from a smaller store.They're advertised as 1165g, but I'll post pictures of them when they arrive and inspect them in person.

Maybe I'll change the bar tape as it's not finalized yet, but I'll see. And in addition to this, I plan to run a waxed drivetrain so that it's clean and lasts longer.

All in all, I think the build will come out to be just 6.9 - 7.1 kg with mounts and pedals. We'll see but it'll be a big upgrade for sure.

Parts & Costs (CAD)

Frameset (includes headset and seatpost): AR:ONE - $2,713
Handlebars: Zephyr SSL - $286 (Includes computer mount).
Saddle: Fizik Vento Arione R5 - $136
Bottle Cages: No name Chinese carbon cages - $20

Bar Tape: Fizik Tacky 2mm - $48
Groupset (w/o crankset): Ultegra DI2 R8170 - $1130
Crankset Ultegra 160mm crankset: - N/A (already had them on my CAAD).
Disc Rotors with 140 - 160 adapter: IIIPro A2 160mm + 140mm - $32 (as a pair).

Bottom Bracket: BBR60 - $15

Wheelset: No Name 45mm Chinese Wheels - $600
TPU Tubes: Spades branded TPU tubes - N/A (Included with frameset order).
Tires: GP5000 30mm - $155 (as a pair).
Pedals: 105 R7000 - N/A (I plan to swap this to Favero Assiomas when they go on sale though in Nov).
Rear Light Mount: AR:ONE seatpost rear light mount for Wahoo - $6 (I want to install a Wahoo TRACKR radar).
Front Computer Mount: Niu Ju - $20 I will probably go with Niu Ju again, but not sure yet.

Total Cost Estimate
$5,158 CAD or 3,701 USD.

Attached a few pictures of the frameset. The frameset was really clean and I didn't see any issues. I think the build will go smooth, but this will be my first time setting up a disc brake bike, let alone a DI2 system. I've only built up my CAAD10 and have cut the fork on it already. Hopefully it goes well - I'll probably get my friend to help me and pay him a Costco pizza and a drink lol. Nothing like dragging your homies for 4 hours of unpaid labour and paying him with food and drinks.

[Merry]

Ended up ordering the bar tape and saddle from Fizik. Here are my thoughts:

Initially, I wanted to grab a Chinese no-name saddle (I mean 120g is pretty hard to resist..) but then I had second thoughts on getting a saddle that was quite different than the one I liked already, the Antares. (Some of you might remember me asking around in the Chinese carbon saddles thread and I was searching for a comfortable saddle.. The search is annoying and I don't want to go through that again).

So I ended up ordering the Arione R5 just to give it a shot. If I don't like it then I'll go back to the Antares. But my thinking is that what I liked about the Antares was that it was slightly longer and had a mostly flat profile which allowed me to shift my fore-aft while riding. I tend to move around on the bike subconsciously depending on if I'm climbing, putting down power or in the aero hoods position.

Because of that I wanted to try the Arione, since it's even longer and has a flatter profile which hopefully will better accommodate my habits. I also run a somewhat aggressive position (long torso and monkey arms, anyone??) so it helps that it's slightly narrower (135mm wide).

I started with a short nose saddle (Elita One Specialized Power clone) but I ended up hating it because it chafed like hell, and I could NOT get the fore-aft dialed in. I'd say that my ass is pretty tolerant of the lack of padding in general, but shape definitely matters the most when it comes to saddles and the shape was just simply incompatible with my ass. And while it did work better if I forced myself to stay planted in one position at all times, it was always going to be a losing battle against my subconscious habits. I did notice though that the saddle supported me better if I was a bit more upright on the bike, but my bodily proportions demands otherwise.

This isn't to trash short nose saddles in general but rather highlight on how weird human bodies can be. Some bike fit trends of today involve running a zero offset seatpost, short nose saddle, shorter cranks or a few spacers to better accommodate aero positions. I tried all of them and aside the short crank change (which was magical to my comfort - overall improvements EVERYWHERE), I ended up running an offset seatpost, longer saddle and running a lower stack height. So I guess the takeaway is to go against the grain if you think it'll turn out better for you and listen to your body.

Anyways, here's hoping that it turns out well. I'm gonna give it a test ride on my CAAD while I wait for the other parts to arrive - the only thing though, is that it's a little bit heavier than the planned Chinese no-name saddle. But tbh, 100g is a minuscule price to pay in exchange for not having a sore ass.

[Merry]

A few updates:

1. I like the Arione saddle a lot more than the Antares. I'll stick with it. With that, I also ordered the bar tape with it.
2. Wheels finally arrived. Attached some pics:

I'm glad I went with glossy 45mm depth, because the glossy coat over the raw carbon material matches so well with my frame. First impressions upon unboxing and inspecting it - I didn't find anything wrong with it. However, I will for sure update this thread on when I finally ride it and get some kilometres down. Anyways, I weighed it and it came out to be 1213g, which is just slightly higher than the advertised tolerance. After updating my spreadsheet and estimating, the build should come in at 7.25 kg ~ which is light enough for me.

It would be really easy though to get it down to 6.8 kg with just three changes: the ultegra crankset to a carbon crankset, going with dual 140mm rotors, 30mm to 28mm tires and changing the saddle to a carbon one. But that's $$$, plus I want the best braking and comfort possible to bomb descents lol. Tbh since I really like this saddle, maybe I'll upgrade to a 3d printed one next year... (It won't shave off much weight, but I'd be able to mount that saddle to my spare bike and try out 3D printed).

I'll continue to update the beginning post as I gather more parts.

[Willos]

what wheelset did you get?

[Merry]

what wheelset did you get?

I got this wheelset: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012659746703.html?_t=gps-id%3ApcStoreJustForYou%2Cscm-url%3A1007.23125.137358.0%2Cpvid%3A91789ca3-03dc-4334-bb27-7f2845f19319%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238116%232002&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2215%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%2213125%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22recommend%22%7D

After the end of July sale and coupons, I got it for $600 CAD (incl taxes and shipping).