Since I’ve been asked by a few people, here are the specs on the new bicycle:
Marinoni 55cm Turismo frame and fork with mounts for disc brakes, fenders, front- and rear racks. (If I dig out the panniers, I can finish that trip down the the Pacific Coast!) I have a Tubus rear rack, aluminum fenders and my trusty Ortlieb handlebar bag. The 32C tires are the largest I can fit under the fenders.
The drivetrain is a Sugino triple (26-39-52) and SRAM 11-34T, 9-speed cassette. Plenty of low gears for me to contemplate life while going uphill. For comparison, I have a 26-36-48 and 11-34T on my Cannondale.
After using brifters for the last 20,000+ miles, I’m not too crazy about going back to the Dura Ace bar-ends. Despite what Grant may imply, I find I like being able to rapidly shift up while in traffic, especially when the light turns green. Cane Creek SCR5 levers work the disc brakes. The levers’hoods are flatter than the brifters’, which is a bit more comfortable.
The front hub is a Schmidt SON28S and the bike has a Supernova E3 headlight and tail light. I like it. With this setup for nighttime/dusky riding, I’m more likely to keep the lights on now because I won’t have to mentally calculate how much of the three-hour battery capacity I have leftover. The better bike fit and not wearing the triclops light strapped to the helmet helps improve my overall comfort.
Finally, the saddle is a Brooks B-17 with the copper rails.
As of Friday evening, I have just over 150 miles on the bike. (Boy, howdy, is it hard to get back into crap-weather/fall riding after spending so much non-riding time last month traveling.) The Marinoni is definitely heavier than the Cannondale, but it’s also steadier, a good thing this time of year. I appreciated this steadiness when I accidentally ran up onto a curb last week. Eyes on the road, mister!
The disc brakes have been a bit of a nuisance with their chattering, but I think I may have (knock on wood) adjustimated it. I still want to add a second layer of bar tape for cushioning.
The lighting system rocks. As soon as the wheel ekes forward, the E3′s LED flashes on. At around 4 mph, it becomes steady with brightness gradually increasing until its peak at about 8-10mph. The range of the beam is superior to my CatEye TripleShot, though the spread isn’t quite as good. (The CatEye has two diffuse LEDs to fill out the sides.)
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Thousand mile update: April 2009: This winter has sucked for my biking.
In early March, I lost a chain ring bolt, taking away the much-needed option to shift into the granny gear on the 12% grade home. Since I was due for a free post-purchase tune-up, I used the red bike (Cannondale) while Sammamish Valley Cycle was working on it.
- Dang the Marinoni is heavy, something I notice every time I hang it up in the garage. The generator, disc brakes, and rack add up. I really ought to weigh it, but I’m guessing it’s in the mid 30s, compared to 26 pounds for the Cannondale. I’m not a gram freak, honest!
- Disc brakes are much nicer for riding in the muck.
- While the metal fenders of the Marinoni look cool, they rattle a lot more than the Cascadias.
- I (heart) the second layer of handlebar tape on the Cannondale. I’ve since added another layer on the Marinoni’s bars.
- The brake hoods on the Marinoni are more comfortable than the brifters on the Cannondale. In fact, the latter give me weird