Bike Diva

Bank Robbery VS Bike Upgrades
Unfortunately, I haven't won the lottery. So that custom built Project One Trek Madone 6.9 WSD road bike I've been dreaming about, will not be materializing anytime soon. And option #2, becoming a professional bank robber, might interfere with family life, so I'll have to put that scenario on hold also.

Ceramic Bearings for Bottom Bracket
Looks like option #3, upgrading certain components on my current road bike, is the winner. I have a really great frame, a Trek Madone 6.5 - full carbon, very light weight carbon frame. I've been thinking about upgrading to ceramic bearings on the bottom bracket. The one problem with the Trek is that I've had to get the bearings replaced twice in my bike, since buying it in 2008. Strange problem that shouldn't be happening. Gunk and water keeps getting in the bearings, and my husband takes really good care of my bike. We practically have our own bike shop in our back yard. Luckily our local bike store has gotten the bearings replaced twice under warranty.

 

F1 Ceramic Bearings

Speed Racer?
But now that I've been doing a bit of racing, I've been thinking of upgrading to ceramic bearings. As luck would have it, F1Ceramic Bearings has just offered me a Pro Deal sponsorship through SponsorHouse - SWEET! Trek has a different size bottom bracket than most brands of bikes, but F1 Ceramic Bearings makes a set of press-in ceramic bearings for the bottom bracket of Trek Madone frames. I'll have my bike shop take out the old bearings and put in the new ones, just to make sure it's done correctly.

Deep Dish Carbon Wheels
So, while I'm waiting for my ceramic bearings to arrive, I started thinking of what other upgrades I could do. I've been dreaming about a set of deep dish carbon wheels for a long time. There are tons of options out there, all different brands of wheels, all different types of carbon wheels. I was getting a bit confused, so my husband and I went in to the Boca Raton Bike America store to talk to Lee, the owner.

He said a friend of his just dropped off a set of Reynold's deep dish carbon wheels to see if he could sell them for him. I wanted clincher wheels, the kind with inner tubes. I know all my really hard core triathlon friends use the lighter weight tubular wheels, but dang if I could ever figure out how to install them. Lee said the wheels were Reynold's SDV66C deep dish carbon clincher wheels, and they were in his office at the store if I wanted to take a look at them.

How Much!?!
Of course, as soon as I held the wheels in my hand, my husband knew I had to have them. Had to wait a day for Lee to contact his friend and see how much he wanted for them. So on Sunday, my husband swung by Bike America and offered $1,400 cash. The wheels look brand new, don't look like they've ever been used. They retail for $2,400 to $2,700, so I was real happy. Reynold's also makes this wheel in a tubular version, SDV66T, which retails at a bit less than the clincher version, or around $2,100-$2,300.

My non-hardcore biking friends don't understand why you would pay that much money for an entire bike, so $$ for a set of wheels seems crazy to them. My bike cost $6,000, what's a $1,400 wheel upgrade? That Project One custom build bike I want goes for around $12,000 so buying a set of wheels is a much more economical option.

Here's a blurb on my wheels from the Reynold's website:

"If you’re a rider who insists on striking a balance between performance and convenience, the SDV66 C is it. The identical profile and performance of the SDV66 T in an elegantly simple clincher design. Stiff, strong and responsive, it instantly translates your every pedal stroke into blistering power. What’s more, the SDV66 C features a full carbon braking surface to make slowing and stopping smooth, positive, and vibration-free."

Rim Depth:	66mm
Spoke Patterns:	16/20
Weight:	1675 grams per set
Hubs:	Reynolds DT Swiss 240S HYB
Front Spokes:	(Radial) DT Aerolite
Rear Spokes:	(Radial, 2x Drive) DT Aerolite and DT Competition
Brake Pads:	Reynolds Carbon-Specific Design

Bits and Pieces
My husband just stopped by the Racer's Edge store in Boca, in between sales appointments. They are a hardcore, custom built bike shop. He was able to get my inner tubes, new set of racing tires and carbon brake pads. So hopefully he'll be able to get my new screamin' demon wheels set up on my bike tonight, so I can try them out tomorrow. AWESOME!

Here's a review of the Reynold's SDV66C wheels on the Competitive Cyclist site: 2009 Reynolds SDV 66C Clincher Wheelset

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva