# I bought a bike!



## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

Well, I pulled the trigger and bought a bike. 
Now, I know a lot of people here might disapprove the fact that I did not go with the LBS, but, hey, that is my choice. 

I did go see the bikes at my LBS and they were pricey. For the same amount of money and even less, I had better components bikes... maybe with a frame of lower quality, but they can be bought later. Just the components justify the price. 

I nearly went for a Tommaso Mondial with the 30% off on the cyber Monday.
I also saw a bike Fuji 2008 Aloha all dura Ace, but the frame was 58cm... for $800 though! nearly new
I also looked at the Motobecane Sprint and the Windsor Fens. But, this is on Ebay that I bought a Bottechia 2009 carbon frame monocoque. 
I will take some pictures once I receive it. 

It is not all ultegra, and I was able to find out that it weighs a little bit more than 19 lbs (to be confirmed) because the wheels could be lighter. But I like the wheels the way they are for a start. 

Here are the refs below. 
FRAME: BOTTECCHIA FULL CARBON FIBER MONOCOQUE
FORK: BOTTECCHIA CARBON-FIBER 1-1/8” FITTED WITH FSA ORBIT-X AHEADSET
WHEELSET: VUELTA XRP PRO 30mm RIM W/ AERO SPOKES W/ PRECISION SEALED BEARINGS 
TIRES: KENDA 23c DUAL COUMPONDBLK/RED/BLK
CRANK:FSA OMEGA COMPACT 50x34T ISIS w/EXTERNAL BEARINGS
PEDALS:BOTTECCHIA SPD ALLOY
SHIFTERS: SHIMANO 105 SHIFTER/BRAKE LEVER
BRAKES: CANE CREEK SCR3 DUAL PIVOT COLD FORGED
FRONT DERAILLEUR: SHIMANO ULTEGRA (I hope it is 6600)
REAR DERAILLEUR:SHIMANO ULTEGRA (I hope it is 6600)
CASSETTE: SHIMANO 5600 10-SPEED 12/25T
CHAIN: SHIMANO 5600 10-SPEED
HANDLEBARS:VUELTA XRP PRO 31.8 OS 6061 ALLOY
STEM: VUELTA XRP PRO 31.8 OS 6061 ALLOY
SEAT POST: VUELTA XRP PRO 27.2 x 300mm 6061 ALLOY
SADDLE: BOTTECCHIA

I hope the crankset will hold as I read that some are having problems. With minor improvements, it seems to be OK though. 
I regret that the seat post is not carbon. 
Not sure about the brakes. 

I suppose it will meet my needs as a first bike. 
Hydro


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Congrats! Good first bike!


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Very Nice


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Congrats


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## Cornel (Sep 25, 2009)

I have that bike and I'm very happy with it but there are a few things that you will (eventually) need to upgrade:

- order some Kool Stop's ASAP!!! I cannot describe how bad the OEM brake pads are...
- the saddle - the stock one is ok I guess but nothing special
- you will have to invest in a better crank, the shifting on the OEM is extremely poor... 
- I'm not gonna complain about the pedals since usually a new bike doesn't come with them but you will def want to invest in some better ones

I have roughly 1000 miles on the bike with no problems. It worked pretty well out of the box (you will need to adjust the derailleurs) but its performance was greatly improved after 200 dollars worth of upgrades (crank, pads, saddle, pedals). Oh, and the wheels seems to handle my 210# pretty well so far...

Enjoy! (I know I do )

C.


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## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

Hello, Thanks for the feedback. It is good to find someone else that owns that bike. 
Well, I might wait a bit to upgrade the saddle and spd pedals. As for the crank, I am will see. 
Once I get my $200 Bing cash back posted on my paypal account, then I might. 
I never owned a bike that expensive in my entire life, so I will likely not notice the problems you are telling. 
But brakes are important, so that is the first thing to order. 
What model? 

Hydro.


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## Cornel (Sep 25, 2009)

Here's what I upgraded (YMMV, of course):

brake pads=13

crank=95

saddle=35

pedals=40


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## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

Wow, that is quick. 
On JensonUSA, there is aslo a crank 105 for 22 bucks?


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## Cornel (Sep 25, 2009)

hydrocynus said:


> Wow, that is quick.
> On JensonUSA, there is aslo a crank 105 for 22 bucks?


I wanted a compact but that 105 is good option I guess. Don't forget to buy a BB for that crank though... I also seem to remember that that particular crank was designed for 9 speed. Not sure how well it will work well with a 10s or if it makes any difference since many people are running 10s cranks with 9s drivetrains with no problems.


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## twobournes (Oct 1, 2009)

hydrocynus said:


> Wow, that is quick.
> On JensonUSA, there is aslo a crank 105 for 22 bucks?


I have used a compact 105 crank w/Ultegra bb; the setup works wonderfully for me on my Trek.


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## Cornel (Sep 25, 2009)

twobournes said:


> I have used a compact 105 crank w/Ultegra bb; the setup works wonderfully for me on my Trek.


You can do that as long as the cranks use the same type of BB. But that's not the case here since the 5502 crank uses an older Octalink V1 BB while his bike comes with an external-bearing BB... So he will need to buy a BB... It may be a blessing in disguise though since the MegaExo that's on the Bottecchia doesn't really have glowing reviews (although I haven't noticed any problems on mine yet).


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## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

I have received my bike. I did not have time to tune it yet, but it arrived in good shape. I will post pictures once it is ready to go. Here is a link to someone who posted some pictures of his bike on photobucket https://s880.photobucket.com/albums/a...view=slideshow
For the price I got it for, it can*'t* be beat. (Sorry, typo)

I think I did pretty well before the holidays.
I already had some road bike shoes that I bought a while back for my spinning classes. They cost $ 165 and I got them for $35 shipped at Sierratradingpost.

I bought an Ironman Kona helmet for $39 from dicksportinggoods.com (it retails normally ~$160).

I also bought two Sugoi Men's Pulsar Shorts for $47.77 (that is for two, the MSRP for one is like $70).

I guess I need to drop another $100 for lube spare tire, tire kit, bottle holder etc. I will be making a bike stand soon. Plenty of place in my garage to make a permanent stand attached to the bench. 

I asked Santa for a AK 37 bike mechanic tool box, but I am unsure he will listen.  

Hydro


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## bobthib (May 28, 2009)

hydrocynus said:


> I have received my bike. I did not have time to tune it yet, but it arrived in good shape. I will post pictures once it is ready to go. Here is a link to someone who posted some pictures of his bike on photobucket https://s880.photobucket.com/albums/a...view=slideshow
> For the price I got it for,* it can be beat. *
> 
> Hydro


I hope that's a typo!


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## Solearas (Nov 6, 2009)

I rode that one too at the store.

Very nice for the money, I mean it. Congrats.


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## aaronis31337 (Apr 7, 2008)

Just a FYI:
This bike was sold by a guy who works for Mike. It's the same frame as the Moto Century and is available under a few other names. Everyone who rides it likes it. It's a great deal on e-bay -- less that BD I think.

Ride long...ride hard.


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## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

After two months of use, I have no complaints with this bike. Sweet deal!
Hydro


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## orangeclymer (Aug 18, 2009)

The Kool Stop salmon pads that were mentioned is what i just purchased for my cane creek SCR3 brakes if your inclined to replace them.


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## hydrocynus (Nov 10, 2009)

*Update on the Bottechia bike*

Hello all. I have been riding that bike for over 9 months now. I use it to commute to work as well as on week ends. So far so good and no complaints. Cheers to all and happy biking. 
Hydro


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