100 hour Motobecane SL report

My sigma computer reports total bike time, which I find pretty amusing.
I've just hit 100 hours on my Motobecane SL from bikesdirect.com and have the following observations:

Executive summary: I am happy with my purchase.
Stuff I didn't like:
Cane Creek brakes didn't do it for me at all, even with a brake pad change to KoolStop salmon. They never felt like they were really going to stop me. I replaced the front brake with a DuraAce 7800 and and much happier.

The seat it came with didn't come close to fitting my rear. Others may like it fine as seats are highly individual, but this was the most uncomfortable seat I've ever been on. I replaced it with a Selle Italia SLK that I'm very happy with.

Stuff I like:
It's really light compared to any bike I've owned before. I'm amazed it's this light for this price.
Coming from a full aluminum bike super-stiff bike, the carbon forks really make a difference on rough roads.
Ultegra shifting is a delight.

Other observations:
The welds that connect the tubes are very visible; they aren't smooth like the ones on my wife's Trek. Not horrible, but hers are creamy smooth. It doesn't bother me, but the OCP crown will hate it.

Again, compared to the Trek, The paint is OK, but not "rich" and deep. I don't care, but some might.

The American Classic wheels are really light, and look way cool. But I sure feel them in a cross wind. It's been windy here and I get moved around a bit more than I'm used to. Not enough to be bad, but I can feel it. They also sound different on the pavement, they hummmmmmm a different note and there is more difference in the sound as the road surface changes.

The tires it came with were super light and felt great, but in the land of broken glass and road crap they didn't last. Both got ripped wide open with giant gashes in less than 800 miles in a way that has never happened to me before. I don't blame the tires, I blame the glass and giant bolts I ran over.

Stuff I added to make my light bike weigh more:
Shimano Ultegra Pedels: Thumbs up
Sigma wireless computer: Like it lots
Small Performance seat bag for tube and patch kit: I live in the land of broken glass.
Topeak road morph pump w/ gauge: A great pump. 120 with no pain.
2 water bottle cages, Stryke from REI. Look good, work better than metal. Cheap!
2 Polar water bottles: Like 'em
1 Salsa cross lever: explained elsewhere on this blog.

Stuff I changed:
Seat: see above, and elsewhere on the blog
Front brake: see above
Chainring: 36 to 34 because I'm older now
Cassette: 11-23 to 13-25 for the same reason.
Replaced tires

East County Road Race

Tricia and Joyce battle it out for the yellow jersey in this years East County Road Race. The grueling competition feature a 130 mile ride over some of the steepest hills in North America. These professional riders can hit speeds of over 90 mph on the downhills, and attain 40 on mountain passes too hard for cars to climb.

Darn it, this doesn't play right on some computers. Here's a link to it on YouTube

Joy and sorrow

I haven't posted lately because I managed to loose an entire card of cool photos and videos from my new Fuji FinePix. It was all my fault, but it's still a drag. I had me riding, Trish as a video, and my buddy Dave's 70s Raleigh that we cleaned and polished.
I've started again. Here's a video of fast-riding Joyce coming down Diablo. I shot it on her quick "Hey, let's go up to the junction, down through Danville and, wait, let me add just this little bit on" ride last weekend. Give it a click.

Canyon Classic - Patterson

The Canyon Classic ride out of Patterson was a delight. The people who run it are so nice they even arranged wonderful weather. The winds weren't bad, but what there was helped us up hill. The route was a wonderful tour of the Golden State. The food was tasty. If I have a complaint it's that the commemorative shirt graphically challenged, which is odd because previous years efforts are very nicely done. Still, I'd go again.
Joyce's friend Dan took my camera and twisted around to make this photo of Joyce, Norm, a friend of hers, me, and Tricia.
Some caffeine drink called Savage(TM) was passed out on the ride and was over consumed by me, which made me not be able to sleep that night. A grand time was had by all.