Cycling Photos

My Kestrel 200sci before aeros, new cages, Delphi 400 and Looks

 

Well damn that was a productive post for your forrey into this thread. Nothing about what you ride, or how much VAST cycling knowledge you have amassed in your whopping 17 years of life.

Now see I have done my research before deciding to shoot off my mouth here. I know your age, and I am aware that you are a salesclerk for spokes etc. In Northern VA. But lets see, since I have been cycling since before you were born, and have been through the Specialized SBCU Batchelors and Masters classes, as well as their Body Geometry fit school out in California. I am pretty sure that I am more than qualified to A. actually put in the wrench time to customize something, and B. be well within my rights to call it custom once I am done.

cus·tom·ize [kuhs-tuh-mahyz]
–verb (used with object) -ized, -iz·ing. to modify or build according to individual or personal specifications or preference.

cus·tom [kuhs-tuhm]
–adjective
12. made specially for individual customers

Since a Specialized S-Works Tarmac e5 frame was never available with any group set other than Shimano Dura Ace or Campagnolo Record I am pretty sure that purchasing just a frame and building it up with Sram Rival (A group that had not been created when the frame was made) decidedly fits the definitions referenced above.

A 2007 Specialized Dolce Would have been factory built with Shimano 8 speed Sora shifters, house brand tripple crankset, house brand brakes, Sora front and Tiagra rear derailleurs, heavy as hell Jalco wheels and hubs, and a Dolce saddle, and all of those parts as well as the bars, stem and seat post have been replaced, I am pretty sure that pretty much fits the above definitions also. Now just to further shoot your argument in the foot. Yes, a Dolce Elite does come with Tiagra shifters, but the similarities end there as the Elite is still a tripple, still has no-name brakes and cranks, and still has the Jalco wheels, and just for the record was not available in black which would be why I stripped a base Dolce to the frame and re-built it to my specs, since the wife wanted a black bike.

A 2007 Specialized Ruby Comp Would have been a full Shimano 105 10 speed double bike with Specialized hubs laced to Mavic open-sport rims. All of which was replaced with a full Shimano Ultegra group, and a set of Shimano Dura-Ace wheels, as well as a Jett saddle with Titanium rails. A Ruby Expert would have had the Ultegra group, you are right about that, but would have had Ultegra wheels not D-A wheels, and again would not have been the right color. I will admit that I was wrong about the year of the frame though it was an early 07, and not an 06 as I had initially stated.

Now as for the mountain bikes. A lot more of them remains from stock as opposed to the road bikes... I'll give you that, but since there was only one model of FSR XC Womens and not multiple trim levels, and there was nothing above the mens FSR XC Pro bike that year I defy you to prove to me how either of them could have been purchased out of the box with what I have "customized" them with.

Firstly, only about 75 frames per size were made in that lime green. Second it came with Sram SX-5 shifters, and a Sram X-9 rear derailleur, and house brand hubs. It now has Shimano XT shifters, and an XT rear derailleur and XT hubs laced to Mavic 217 disc rims. Wow, on that one I left the cranks and front Derailleur alone. That's gonna have to bump this into the custom pile too.

The FSR XC womens bike would have come stock with Shimano V brakes, which were replaced with Hayes Mechanical Discs, the obnoxious looking silver seatpost was ditched in favor or a darker specialized pro post, and it is now also sitting on XT hubs laced to Mavic 217 disc rims (I was bored one day at the shop) Since in 2006 the women's specific FSR XC frame was not available with disc brakes I am pretty sure that this one qualifies as custom as well.

Have a nice day, and sorry for the tirade, but I am pretty sure that I have amply defended my right to use the word "custom."

 

Maverick I read your post and can't find the word custom but instead all I see is customized. Am I right?
Custom to me in my 20 + years of riding racing and building up bikes usually refers to the frame being custom geometry for the individual. Customized is everything else we do to it to fit our needs. No one I ride with has a box stock bike.
Love it when some sales ASSOCIATE at a local shop that doesn't even carry the caliber of bike I ride trying to tell me something about bikes too.
Like you I have been involved in cycling far longer than Tacoma jack has been breathing and still have my first REAL bike that is 20 years and going in for a repaint next week.
Now if this rain will stop soon I will go out and get some of my 10,000 miles in for this year.

 

I did use the word, custom twice in the original post that he was quoting, however the word custom was followed with build, not manufacturer, so I am good with your distinction between "custom" and "customized." Though I do not think that was even the distinction he was making, he was flat out saying everything I had done could apparently be ordered from the factory like that. Pretty interesting since Spokes Etc, in Northern VA. is supposed to be a Specialized dealer even. Perhaps he should maybe take one of the product catalogues home tonight and brush up on his information.

Thanks for the support,

 

OH SNAP!!!

BTW, Mav, if you are interested in an actual "custom made" bike i'd be happy to fab one up for you. I've never welded or worked with metal but i did take shop class in middle school. I can probably make you something pretty badass out of oak and some maple. You're pretty old so i'm guessing you want something with a banana seat and streamers? I'll get to work on it when i get home. we'll negotiate the price later. When you hit the trails with your all wood mtn bike nobody will be able to say its not custom

 

Dude, you could get like 3 feet of air with something like that......don't forget pegs.

 

I'm totally making a wooden bike now. I'll call it, "Nate's Big Woody"

My tagline will be "It's biodegradable, you dont hate nature do you?"

 

damn!!!!!! i wasnt trying to make enemies or anything, im going to sbcu this summer, and i already completed trek university. but what u have done sounds to me more like upgrades. and most of what u have done can be ordered directly from specialized. but for example ur s-works which is an awsome bike can be ordered with the sram force, and quite possibly the sram red. seven cycles, serotta, suburban cycles, those are all truly custom bikes that are made fo he customer. i have a specialized p. street with magura hs33s in the rear and magura lousie witha venti rotor in the front, and a king headset other than that it is stock. i just recently picked up a specialized enduro sl comp. and that thing is bone stock. i will post pics sumtime tommorow.

 

At the risk of belaboring this point to the status of dead horse, I am going to try to explain this to you again.

1. Specialized makes their bikes as they see fit, and equips them as they see fit. You CAN NOT mix and match parts directly through Specialized. Check with your boss on that, since you seem to be mis-informed, I'd hate for you to be telling this to potential customers and risk loosing your shop a sale. Perhaps you are confusing Specialized with Trek, or Orbea, both of whom will let you order their highest end bikes equipped how you want.

2. Yes, You can get a brand new 2008 S-Works Tarmac SL with full Dura-Ace, and you can get a brand new 2008 S-Works Tarmac SL2 with Sram Red, and you can probably still get a brand new 2007 S-Works Tarmac SL with Campy Record. What you CAN NOT do is get a Brand New 2008 S-Works Tarmac e5, or even a Brand New 2007 S-Works Tarmac e5. The Tarmac e5 was last offered as a 2006 model. In 2006 you could have gotten it as just a frameset, or as a complete Dura-Ace bike, and the last time I checked the dealer website there were only two Tarmac e5 framesets left in all of Specialized's warehouses. Are you following yet. You seem to only be seeing the Tarmac model name and not paying attention to the designation following it. That would be like you telling me that you can go to a Toyota dealership today and have them order you a brand new 2004 Tacoma equipped exactly how you want it. It's not going to happen because it is not possible.

3. The same statement holds true for the Dolce and the Ruby Comp. that were detailed in my previous post. Those exact frames could NEVER have come from Specialized equipped as they sit today. I am pretty sure that is still the definition of customized that I have already provided you.

4. I'll meet you half way though, I just "upgraded" the mountain bikes. I'll call that fair since I did re-use more than just the frames from them.

5. Also, please be aware that Serotta also sells "box bikes" so please don't think that just because it says Serotta on the down tube that it was necessarily "custom" made for the person who is on it.

6. Also just for the record, with the vast range of sizes, womens specific geometry, as well as stem and crank length's that are available in today's bicycle market that the number of people who ACTUALLY NEED a custom built frame could practically fit in the palm of your hand. I mean hell, every Quick Step and Gerolsteiner rider are on stock Specialized frame sizes, and we are talking Le Tour level athletes here.

Ok, hopefully we are passed this mis-understanding of yours now, and I'm going to officially call this a dead horse and try to return this thread to it's regularly scheduled photographs.

 

Are you trying to score a moderator position?

 

LOL.

 

Haha......I think I just woke my kids up laughing!

 

im glad u have access to the dealer website.. ur cool. ibd.specialized.com i wasnt trying to make a huge deal out of this but u obviously like to type so. i guess its w/e floats ur boat. as i was saying nice bikes, i just didnt feel that they were "custom". and fyi if it is a frame, frame set, module, or complete bike that your heart desires if u kno the right people usually get it as long as it is within reason. ex: hot pink epic marathon ( i will post pics dont worry) with a color matched carbon link you can get it if u try hard enough. neways im not trying to make enemies on the internet. so lets continue on with the awsome topic of bikes

 

Here's my tri rig.....2007 Cannondale Slice 3,

Ultegra shifters
105 brakes
Trigon carbon aero seatpost
Trigon carbon stem
Selle Italia Nova saddle
Truvativ cranks
Stntace aerobars
Profile design bull horn
Slice Aero carbon fork
Dura-ace shifters
Xero wheels

Love to have a set of Zipp 404 Clydesdale wheels someday but they sure are spendy.

 

Squad,

That's a pretty sweet ride. In fact untill just now I had forgotten that Cannondale even made a TT frame. Thanks for the refresher.

Ride-on.

 

Thanks Mav,I really like it...It's my second Cdale,my previous was an R800 Caad8.Actually,I was in my local shop two days ago and noticed the owner had his Slice Six13 frame for sale.It's the exact same frame geometry except with carbon inserts on the top and down tubes.I would transfer all of my componentry and simply switch frames.He's going to give me a trade price tomorrow and we'll see....Keep it to yourself though,I haven't mentioned it to my wife yet.

Here's the Six13 frame...