1. I knew they were developing a TT bike. As I have sort of honed in on TT as the thing I like to do most, I was excited about the prospect of owning a proper TT bike. I have been riding on a franken-bike-a-saurus Trek Y-foil that was highly modified to get me in the TT position. The fit is quite a lot of compromise, and the bike is a little too flexy for the shorter, harder efforts of cycling TTs. It would be great for something like and Ironman where fatigue would come into play....but for 15k, 20k, 30k and 40k races, it's just not the right thing. I knew that Ellsworth would do their homework and come up with a great design for their new TT machine.
2. I LOVE that Ellsworth is about doing quality craftsmanship and innovation, right here in the USA. I think part of the reason that our economy is in the pooper is that we've lost the craftsman spirit in this country and no longer make things of value and quality. We like cheap, imported stuff that has almost become disposable. We need more companies like Ellsworth - with a passion for making beautiful, functional, durable machines; using sustainable business practices; which also provide good jobs for folks who like to make stuff.
So, I put in my order as soon as I could. The frame just arrived last week, and now I'm ready to build it up (I mean, supervise while Rick builds it up!). Here is the latest official beauty shot that you'll have to enjoy until I get mine done up and photographed. You can read more about the bike here: http://www.ellsworthbikes.com/bikes/road/
Here's my planned build:
1. Campy Chorus 53/39 crank (I like the really narrow Q-factor of the older Campy cranks)
2 . Campy Record bar end shifters 10 spd.
3. Tekro carbon brake levers
4. Profile carbon aero bars on aluminum base bar
5. Ultegra derailleurs
6. SRAM casette (using JTEK shiftmate to adjust cable pull - this way all racing bikes have the same wheels for interchangeability)
7. Nimble tri-spoke carbon wheels
8. Ultegra brake calipers
9. Koolstop brake pads
10. Ellsworth COefficient size small TT frame, integrated headset, fork, and seatpost
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