[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by amol4184

I have no doubt you will love this legit race bike. am I seeing Flight Deck shifters there? are the electronics working on it?

I had no idea there were electronics in there! It shifts quite well, but the drivetrain is quite grimey and needs a good clean. Will do that over the weekend.

The Klein for 700 looks quite good, it has been 1x converted, but I have no more space in the apartment anymore Might sell my Triban RC500 now that I have this. Tire clearance on the CAAD seems to be extremely tight though, don't know if it'll even take a 28.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

I had no idea there were electronics in there! It shifts quite well, but the drivetrain is quite grimey and needs a good clean. Will do that over the weekend.

The Klein for 700 looks quite good, it has been 1x converted, but I have no more space in the apartment anymore Might sell my Triban RC500 now that I have this. Tire clearance on the CAAD seems to be extremely tight though, don't know if it'll even take a 28.

Yeah the flight deck connects to biking computers, I am not sure if they work with modern computers though.

I think 28c will fit in *just* barely if you want to risk it. I checked on mine and 25c looks about right. Come to think of it, that is not terrible. My 15 year old younger SuperSix Evo barely fits 25c tires so I would say for a 2002 frame that clearance is pretty great. Those were the days when 23c tires were the most common on race bikes.

[amol4184]

Has anyone used Brooks Cambium C15 or similar modern Brooks saddle? I always thought they are not suitable for super light carbon road bikes and skipped right over them. I finally have a bike on which this will look good (I guess). But how are they in comfort department? The Cambium is not leather but rather some flexible rubber and the shape is suitable for all types of cycling per Brooks. I am curious.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Has anyone used Brooks Cambium C15 or similar modern Brooks saddle? I always thought they are not suitable for super light carbon road bikes and skipped right over them. I finally have a bike on which this will look good (I guess). But how are they in comfort department? The Cambium is not leather but rather some flexible rubber and the shape is suitable for all types of cycling per Brooks. I am curious.

I have a leather Brooks on my Brompton but that’s obviously heavy. Just intuitively, my association with Brooks is more on the lines of comfort and for more of the commuting / lifestyle sort of cycling (my perception - I haven’t researched this). I haven’t necessarily explored them in the context of a light saddle for high performance road cycling on a super light carbon road bike. Better to look at the more conventional ‘high performance and light’ options there I would imagine.

Above is just my perception again. I haven’t specifically checked out this Brooks model.

[amol4184]

So. I went and tried the Cambium C15 on someone else's bike. The saddle even though is not real leather looks very much like leather and the workmanship is fantastic. The shape does not look too odd on road bike. The fake texture is on point and will fool onlookers into believing into leather. But that's where the goodness ends. For one, its a pretty penny at $160 and not very comfortable which is odd because Brooks are known for comfort. I guess its hard to beat real leather. Giving it a pass for now. Oh and it weighs a whopping 450 grams.
Might look into 3D printed carbon saddle next which are light and yet not hard like usual carbon saddles.

[itisravi]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Might look into 3D printed carbon saddle next which are light and yet not hard like usual carbon saddles.

If you don't mind experimenting with Chinese ones, there are some nice options on Ebay/Aliexpress ."Mixed 5D carbon saddle" is one. There are also options from more popular brands from Rockbros or WestBiking that are a bit more expensive, but still a lot cheaper than global brands. All these weigh less than 200 grams.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by itisravi

If you don't mind experimenting with Chinese ones, there are some nice options on Ebay/Aliexpress ."Mixed 5D carbon saddle" is one. There are also options from more popular brands from Rockbros or WestBiking that are a bit more expensive, but still a lot cheaper than global brands. All these weigh less than 200 grams.

I have the Mixed 5D! The shape of that saddle is somewhat uncomfortable. It has higher than normal raised back that continuously pushes you forward. Weighs an astonishing 116 grams though. Its amazing in that little weight they have managed to sneak in a layer of foam too.

I did go ahead and got a proper 3D printed saddle and the comfort is really, really good while clocking in at 184 grams - not bad. The top layer is 3D printed mesh that is spongy thus eliminating the need for a foam layer.



That mesh is a two bladed sword. Its rather comfortable on one hand and on the other its a nightmare to clean. There are hundreds of nooks and crannies that accumulate dirt. Its still dry and warm here and I could just blow the dirt away but once it starts to rain and mud gets in there, the only way to clean it would be take it off the bike and wash it under the faucet

I will report how it sustains the regular usage. For the price, it feels and looks amazing. The whole thing is one solid unit without any seams or joints. No signs of glue either. I suspect they printed the saddle rails too.

[strawmUnkey]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Linking a post below which has some pics of my flaming orange one.

That flame lacquer paint job is just fabulous.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

CAAD5 Saeco comes up for sale near me. Picked it up today for 450. Need to ride it a bit before giving a full opinion, but those welds are certainly special. Please post more often

I see your CAAD 5 Saeco and raise my CAAD 3 Saeco not just old but proper old school too with skinny 1 inch threaded steerer fork, threaded BSA bottom bracket, and down tube shifters.

I stripped the frame and gave a nice bath. Next up I did a simple spray on ceramic coating and polished it. Taped all the prospective cable rub areas with a thick tape. Red yellow paint job is beautiful and so are the welds. A lot of effort has gone into sanding down the welds and making it look seamless.

Not a fan of the old groupsets and especially the down tube shifters so rebuilt it with modern components. This time though I skipped the entire front shifting system and went 1x.

I also don't like how quill stems look thankfully a company called Profile Design makes 1 inch to 1 1/8 inch adapter on which you can install any modern stem which is what I did. Polished silver components to finish the retro look.

The wheels are dull and heavy Shimano Rs010 but will have to do the duty till I get a deep carbon wheelset. That would complete the refurbishment of the bike. In the meanwhile I went on a ride and it rides fabulous. Very stiff and very fast!

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by amol4184

I see your CAAD 5 Saeco and raise my CAAD 3 Saeco

What a beauty And a very tasteful restomod. I absolutely love 1x drive trains, but can't seem to get one ever. You must have great knowledge to pull off a conversion like this. I spent a few hours last week trying to look for deep carbon wheels for the CAAD5, and immediately gave up. Compatibility with the frame and drivetrain felt like a nightmare to figure out. sticking to the Mavic Cosmos for now

[RiderZone]

I could use some help with a strange issue on my CAAD5. The cable guide under the bottom bracket seems to have been damaged by the front derailleur cable. The cable is digging deeper into the cable guide plastic than it should, which is causing the cable to rub against the frame on the downtube.

The other bikes I have seem to have a cable guide which can be changed by removing a screw, but this one doesn't seem to have any.

Could someone please advise if there's a way to make this cable guide work? If not, how exactly do I remove it for a replacement? Thanks!

Marked in RED where the front derailleur cable is digging into the cable guide. Marked in GREEN where the cable is rubbing on the frame. Issue not present for rear derailleur cable, only the front.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

The other bikes I have seem to have a cable guide which can be changed by removing a screw, but this one doesn't seem to have any.

Could someone please advise if there's a way to make this cable guide work? If not, how exactly do I remove it for a replacement? Thanks!

CAAD 5 uses press fit cable guide. There are no threads in the frame. You remove the cables and simply pull out the guide. When installed cable tension keeps the guide in place.

There's a chance previous owner used glue to hold it in place in that case you will have to pry it out with a screwdriver but make sure you don't scratch the frame.

If the guide is broken beyond repair get a new one and use double sided tape to secure it to frame but that's completely optional.

As for the cable rub, there are tiny rubber grommets/frame protectors that you need to slide into the cable to stop cables hitting the frame. It's advisable for all exposed cables including brake lines.






P. S. If you can't find the exact cable guide get the one that Shimano makes (with screw) but don't use the screw. Stick that part (glue or tape) in correct place so the hole on the frame matches with hole on cable guide.
Part - Shimano SP-18-T BB Cable Guide

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by amol4184

As for the cable rub, there are tiny rubber grommets/frame protectors that you need to slide into the cable to stop cables hitting the frame. It's advisable for all exposed cables including brake lines.

Sorry I don't get how these grommets would work. If I slide this on, wouldn't the grommet start rubbing onto the frame instead? If you mean this should go at the end of the cable outer, there's one already in place.

[amol4184]

Naah those are soft rubber compound. Pliable. Even if they rub they don't mar the frame. Not at the ends, you pass the cable through them -



Or better still, use tape on all potential cable rub areas in addition. You can see the tape in the picture above

[amol4184]

I recently discovered that polishing raw aluminum parts is easy peasy. With help of some YouTube guides I managed to bring shine to a nearly 40 year old bike.

Things you need:
1. Scotch Brite pads. Green ones, the regular variety used in kitchen.
2. WD-40 or any other paint thinner
3. Aluminum/metal polishing compound.
4. Some elbow grease and patience
5. Microfiber cloth
6. Optional, sand papers of different grit levels if you need mirror polish.

The process is simple. First, you douse the Scotch Brite pads with WD-40 and start rubbing the component. After a minute or two you will see black powder being released from the surface. Wipe it and repeat till you have rubbed off top layer/scratches/oxidization patches. If you don't need shiny surface, you can stop and wash the part. Its ready for use with nice brushed aluminum finish.

But if you need shine, some more rubbing is in store. This time with metal polish. I used Mother's metal polishing compound. The process is written on the can and its simple. Microfiber cloth + polish and rub the part. Stop and wipe the black dust and repeat till desired shine.

Note: I didn't use any sand paper and stopped at initial scrub with Scotch Brite. That was good enough for me. If you don't want crisscross marks, rub it only in one direction and finish it off with finer grit sandpaper.

Attaching some polished to shine goodness!


Quill stem, before and after



Seatpost, before and after



Polished shifter on top, unpolished below



Polished crankset