I wanted to ride a 100 shakedown miles before sharing my NBD journey
I was on the fence between the Endurace CF7 and the BMC Roadmachine 5. The sale pricing and the referral discount, made the choice for me. I went for XS size (66.5″ height, 32″ inseam) and I am at the max end for that size. ( Coming from a 2014 Giant Defy Al in Size S)
​
**Assembly/Shakedown:**
* Bike came together easily, having a cheap torque wrench made everything easy. 8.4 kg!
* Bike was super noisy out of the box and following this subs advice – cleaned the factory grease, removed and reinstalled the rear wheel, refined the derailleur settings
* Unhappy with the front derailleur I went through the whole install process from scratch as per the Shimano manual (Tip – dont follow GCN/Park videos as they are for the older style derailleurs)
* Waxed the chain with a drip wax
* Had to regrease the seat post as it was squeaking
* I purchased the myvelofit bike fitting package for 2 weeks to get dialed in. Removed about half the spacers. Still not convinced I know what torque to apply to the top cap.
Runs so much better, but still not quite perfect as there is some rear derailleur noise (maybe a stiff link in the chain) and the front derailleur gaps seem tiny
​
**Accessories/Parts:**
* Pedals – ES600 SPD. Already have SPD shoes and like the ability walk
* Bottle Cage – Tacx Deva
* Computer – Purchased a used Garmin 530 (what insane pricing for crap tech)
* Powermeter – 4iiii left crank (ordered but not yet received)
​
**Ride Review:**
Compared to my old Giant, the shifting is insanely fast, brakes are from another league. The ride quality is way more comfortable. Also there is a sense of urgency with the pedals that I enjoy the most, you stomp on the pedals and it takes off. A lot of joy every ride!
​
**Questions/Next Steps:**
* Should I cut the steerer tube? Any best practices to follow? What is the correct process/torque for the top cap?
* Should I upgrade the H17 handlebar to the Zipp Ergo SL-70 Aluminum? Is it an upgrade? Would I need to bleed the brakes or there is an external groove? Is there really no space for TT bars on the 380mm version?
* Will be installing Profile Design clip-on TT bars in spring
* What mid depth carbon wheelset upgrade to consider over winter? Light Bicycle AR, Winspace SE. Switching to TPU tubes and 28c GP5000 at the same time.
​
​
https://preview.redd.it/rqsyzb9ucesb1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47cb5414fd957f4e7307fb9a60538a3a6e7fd90d
by Happy_Frood
1 Comment
as far as the top cap torq it is really very little. I have adjusted my headset preload a few times and do not use the torq wrench canyon provides as it is not needed just go finger tight and enough to remove any play in the front forks when holding the front brake on and rocking the bike back and forth. all the top cap is for is to set preload on the headset. stupid design but it does not take much to get it set. I was all set to get new wheels as was not loving the fulcrum 900db my cf8 came with but after 2000 miles I actually like them. they are bomb proof and not like I am racing with them. I can do 80-100 mile rides at 18-20mph and I doubt other than the warm and fuzzies new wheels might give would be any faster over those distances. I figured the rear tire would have worn out by now but it is still showing good. I have a new set of Pirelli 28c velo race tires and tpu tubes ready to go on when the tire finally gives up.