build me up, buttercup

So long snowboards, hello bicycles…

My boards are officially zipped up and put away for the summer. It’s sad, really, but that’s the way the weather goes. We’re quite into the spring here, with weather consistently in the low 70s, the cyclists are out in full force. I’ve been peer pressuiring myself into a road bike (or a 10-speed, as Bryan insists on calling it) ever since Sarah stole bought her Serotta and built it with love/borrowed parts, I’ve been wanting a bike of my own. Her Fierte rides like butter, it does.

After looking around a bit, I’ve decided that a steel frame is definitely the way to go. I can’t imagine the day I’d be so into road cycling that I’d really appreciate either a carbon or titanium frame, so I might as well get the vibration-eating joy of a steel frame. Thus, the SOMA Smoothie ES. There are a few purchasing things I need to work out, so it may not be the final final final decision on a frame, but should it not be a SOMA, it’ll probably be a Surly. Now I just need to put parts together for this. I’m hoping to also get a bike that love partially builds, nabbing used parts from NotNeighbor!Dave. It’ll save me a few bucks and allow me to get a better wheelset and/or fork. For the two of you who care: because of my frame size, it’s recommended I get a fork with a 45mm rake, which is more difficult to come by and means I probably can’t get that Ritchey carbon fork we’d been looking at.

Because I’m just that much of a nerd, I’ve begun a spreadsheet for the bike build, tracking how much I’ll be spending, what parts I still need (I’m on my way…I have pedals and a saddle), and sizing everything just to keep track of it.

How much beer will it take to get Sarah and Jon to build it for me? That’s the real cost question here…