New bike day

My last brand new bike was a Raleigh Chopper.

Since then bikes have been secondhand. My brother gave me a Peugeot mountain bike, which was replaced with a two year old Kona Blast. Next was a very old Carrera road bike. I bought the Giant Defy in May 2019, it's now ten years old.

Over the years my priorities have changed: I want to compete in time trials, ride faster and further, and have better brakes. While making the latest steed faster, this years carbon wheels have been a slight backwards step as far as stopping is concerned, especially in the wet. 

I have been saving a long time for this purchase. I sold most of my photography gear to fund it as well. It wasn't getting used and was loosing value as technology improved. I still have a small digital camera and lenses that will work with Nikon film cameras so I haven't severed all links with that hobby. Hiring equipment is easy should the need arise.

I'm not sure how much value the Defy has, the wheels are still worth a fair bit. I should think someone from my club will buy them.

The new bike is a fairly custom build, because I had some specific parts in mind. Standard sizing from a mainstream manufacturer would have supplied handlebars that were too wide, and the price point would have compromised on the type of wheels I wanted. I avoided additional purchases and having to sell the unused parts. I was also able to tweak other parts of the bike to improve the fit. The stem, it joins the handlebars to the forks, comes in many lengths. Ross had a few for me to try.

This whole process is another reason to consider your local bike shop. It's not always cheaper to buy online or from a chain store. I don't expect any problems, but if there are I'm not reliant on support over the phone or email. He is just a very short walk from my house.

The frame is from LavitaVelo the wheels are from Hunt, both UK based. The rest is from the usual suspects. Ross at Ross Cycles spec'd it after we chatted about what I wanted.

He also took pictures at various stages of the build. Another option only open to you if using a bespoke or local bike shop. 

to slam or not to slam

 

When I've ridden it for a few miles we can alter the handlebar and saddle height. Swap the stem as well if needed.

bike nearly finished

I haven't ridden it yet; way too icy outside. A review will follow.