Ponying up.

I went to my local bike shop yesterday. I spent about an hour talking to a guy there about stuff I was interested in for my new road bike. He had some really good suggestions. He seemed to "get" what I was looking for. Comfort, durability, performance, and a more classic look. We picked out some really great parts and did some calculations on what kind of crankset and cassette to get. Took an inseam measurement for cranks and measured my shoulders for bars. Dialed stuff in for me.

I really like the shop and I'm going to have them build the bike. I 1) don't know what I'm doing. 2) don't have the right tools 3) don't have the workspace and 4) don't have the time to build a bike right now. I want my bike built before spring and with my work schedule etc.. it's not going to happen. Plus these guys will do a great job. I won't be off riding and stuff will start falling off. I'll have confidence in my bike, which will be a nice feeling again.

So, I left the shop and they said they'd email me the price of everything. Component group, wheelset, and misc stuff. Later that day I got the mail. Ouch. They did give me a group discount... but still. I have reviewed everything on the list and have plugged in cheaper substitutions. Stuff that would work fine. But then I stopped. It's not what I want. I have spent a lot of time doing research and looking for parts that fit my philosophy for this bike. To compromise on the bike would betray that hard work. This is the bike that I laid out and planned. Every choice had a purpose. I'm not going to abandon that.

I'm giving the shop the green light to start gathering the parts and to start the build. Stay tuned.