More Aero frame in direction of Merida Reacto?

[Serge_K]

It came with all the usual stuff, so Alisa charged me for the headset, thru axles, a spare RD derailleur hanger. I bought bars separately, ultimately i dont remember what came with what, but i was able to build the bike. BB is ZTTO machined alumiunium type where 1 side screws into the other, it's been working great on various bikes. It's kind of like a hambini BB in spririt (you end up with a solid metal sleeve across the BB instead of standalones PF cups), but it costs <20 eur. ceramic bearings make no sense in cycling, so i have steel bearings. I avoid riding in the rain, i dont commute, so my bike lives a bit like a princess.
I absolutely loathe aligning rotors, but eventually i managed (took me several hundred km of breaking stuff in, i find that you need to ride the bike a fair amount including sprints and downhills for stuff to fall into place).
I feel like mentioning again how much i hate aligning rotors. For me that's by far the worst bit of the build. The rest, now using electronic groupsets, is so easy.
I have a set of fine files and picks on hand because i've built tricky bikes, but here i dont think i needed them. but i consider it normal to file an exit hole for example, especially on the bars, because it takes 10 seconds and can make your life easier. Housings get scratched very easily by sharp edges of carbon, doesn't help w routing.
Route 1 housing on each side of the steerer, for symmetry. be mindful of how the housing enters into the bars as well. It's the kind of thing that if you mess it up, the bike may tend to not track straight which is not feng shui.
You probably need 5min routing through the chainstays instead of 10 seconds because it's 2 triangles glued together (like 90+% of bikes), so i have an aliexpress routing kit that probably cost me 4 eur and i typically use it. I think you could just as well use a gear cable. I use duct tape either way to attach the routing wire w the electric cable.
I routinely 3d print tools & shims but from memory wasnt needed on that one. For T47 BBs for example i have 3d printed tightening tools, but for this one i think it's the standard format that you have in any set of bike tools.
I used packing materials to stick the battery in the seatpost, was appropriately ghetto, but i guess it's working.
I dont think i ll build mechanical bikes again. hydraulic brakes are just better, and electronic groups are so much easier to install. the er9 is cheap (at least compared to what can be found in europe).

A lot of words to basically say i had no issues. Take your time, make sure the room you work in is well lit, and try to enjoy the process

[Rei]

Thank you so much for the detailed info! I'd definitely enjoy a two piece BB. I've had one for other bike of mine and it's the best.
Do you have any good/bad experience with bearings from china? I got DT style hubs from there and the bearings are 6802 2RS but from a lower tier brand. At least it's some name for it. I'm thinking should I upgrade to enduro bearings right away or use these up and then swap them out...
I'm also torn between R8020 mechanical Ultegra and Di2 Ultegra or the Force from SRAM. I like the idea that bike will work no matter if I charge it or not, but then again especially with Force the fact that there are only two brake lines and that's it makes me very happy about it. I guess you do enjoy your electronic shifting, would you ever go back to mechanical?
I'm in no rush for a change, just came out few weeks ago from knee surgery so I can do this slow and as good as possible. I might even reface the brake post mounts, maybe it would help with brake alignment?

[Serge_K]

I have nothing of value to say about bearings. i know ceramic ones make no sense for cycling. I know Hambini feels strongly about them. I know my ZTTO BB spins so well without load you'd almost want to post it on insta. Beyond that...

I am very pleased with my er9. When it's charged (it doesnt work if it's not charged, and that is not trivial, i am an imbecile after all, the thing died on me twice already because i thought it was charged, and wasn't (my fault entirely)), it's really great. Now, assuming you maintain your drivetrain and set it up properly, mechanical works super well. I think the biggest difference is front derailleur shifting. One cute trick i found with electronic is shifting the front & rear up or down at the same time. It's flawless and makes shifting the front smoother than usual. Doesn't work if you're already at the end of the cassette, but it's not something i would ever do on mechanical. I also find myself shifting much more on electronic because it's effortless and instant. Front shifting on mechanical does require quite a hand movement, electronic is just a click.
So, do you need it? no. Is it nice? yes. For c.400 usd (if not less) for the er9, i think it's super compelling. I also like the gear protection option (you can't cross chain the last 2 cogs), and, super important, you can change from 7 to 12s in app. The last batch of 4 bikes i built, i bought a mix of 11 and 12 components for various reasons, it's incredibly helpful to install whatever on the bike and just change it in the app (I'm thinking large cassettes especially that exist in 11 but not 12s, for example, like 11-36 superlight).

Now, if the groups start dying on us, i'll do a 180 degree on my opinion, but for now, we all love our groups. I have an older friend who's got several s works, ultegra & dura ace (not the latest). He says the er9 is faster, smoother and more silent than his ultegra. Having ridden behind guys on ulegra di2 (not the latest), Ultegra has a distinct sound which the er9 barely has, it at all. Arguably you can sneak out on friends that way, like if you shift intelligently, you can outsprint them and they wouldnt hear it coming.
I havent ridden in the rain, i know some people have reported problems. That does worry me. I bought liquid eletric tape but i need to 3d print some narrow applicator cap thing because i currently have zero precision to seal the connector on the RD. Afaik, people who sealed that port have fixed any problems they had with waterproofing. At which point, i think the thing just works.
But again, only time will tell. So far so good, but we've ridden probably 2-2.5k km total, which really isnt much.

Last, my bias. I think most of SRAM innovations in recent years are an insult to engineering, and i think most of what Shimano's been doing in years is patent trolling. So i vote with my money as well. I'm a contrarian, and i have little interest in funding the marketing budgets of big brands. As far as I'm concerned, Jumbo visma can buy their own groups, just like i'm not paying for the shoes that OM or PSG football players are using.

Rant over.