VB-TT-023 Finished Build

[hartmanr105]

Hey all, just wanted to share some pics of my recent TT build. I decided to go for mechanical shifting even thought the frame was very clearly designed to NOT accommodate anything other than electric so it was a bit of a process to get everything working but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Originally I had mechanical shifting and brakes - we determined that only a single mechanical brake lever could be used due to the angle of the internal cable routing. It was barely possible to route three cables, and likely impossible to get decent braking without changing the entire headset.
In order to make this race legal (and safe, I guess) I had to buy hydraulic brake levers - the most expensive part of this build besides the frame.

Components:
VB-TT-23 frame
TRP HD T-910 Hydraulic Brake Levers
Microshift Aero Bar-end Shifter (1x)
Lingmai T47 BB
KMC X11 chain
Shimano 105 RD (Medium Cage)
Magene PES 505 Crank Power Meter (170mm)
Stone Round Aero Chainring (50-tooth)
Microshift cassette (11-speed: can’t remember if it’s G-series or H-series)
fi’zi:k Tempo Argo R5
Zipp 303s
Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed (28mm)



I don’t have pricing at the moment but I’ll update the post when I have time later. Before adding the brakes, the entire build came in well under my $2k budget due to having most of the drivetrain and wheels already.

Considerations for the future:
Rear disc wheel
Electronic shifting
Saddle-mount bottle cage
TT-specific saddle

I think I will only upgrade if I continue to place well in races. I want to avoid doubling the cost of the bike if I am still finishing mid-pack.


Happy to answer any questions about the build.

[Serge_K]

Clean, well done! if you start a thread, then you have to tell us more, like what components did you use and maybe weight / cost.
I dont think i'd do a mech build myself (did you consider the new ltwoo TT groupset?), but last time i looked at brakes, the mech vs hydro price difference was huge. what did you pick and why?
Your chainring is too small and your wheels too shallow, but that's just me being shallow
how wide are the rims and tyres? last time i looked, i was surprised to see that triathletes are en masse still running 25C, with 28 being exotic AF, which i couldn't understand.

[hartmanr105]

Thanks for letting me know, Serge! I just updated the original post.

I went with mechanical shifting for budget reasons but if I decide to upgrade next season then I am considering electronic, with ltwoo near the top of the list. I like the price point - just not quite ready to pull the trigger yet.

Internal width of the wheels is 23mm, I am using 28 tires. I agree; I feel much more comfortable on wider tires.

[Serge_K]

Interesting! for someone starting without existing groupset components, it may be that going electronic shifting and mechanical brakes may be almost the same cost, if not cheaper, as hydro brakes & mechanical shifting then (last time i checked the hydro brakes options for TT were costing over 250 eur per pair, which just feels insulting.
Good to know that it's extremely difficult to route 4 hoses through the bar & frame. The velobuild listing says it's both di2 & etap compatible, but it doesnt say it's not compatible with mechanical shifting, idk if it's vague on purpose or not.

[ejump0]

electronic shifting would be an easy upgrade if you go franken sram route too. just need RD, blips, cassette n chain. you can stay with your existing brakes n crankset.
i went 1x 105 with microshift shifter to rival axs 12sp after a year on my tt912