Lemond road machine.

It's been a while since I've had a true road bike in the stable. I've been spending a lot of time on my Rawland with 35c Bontrager road tires and my vintage Campy equipped Bianchi. This frame has been hanging in the basement for quite a while now. It's one of the last OX platinum bikes made in Waterloo. I've always been a fan of the classic Lemond bikes, and when I heard about all of the troubles, I bought one of these to keep around.

I've liked the SRAM groups since they was first introduced. Truth be told I still like the shifting system of Campy better, but with their asinine switch to 11 speed puts them out of the running in my mind. I'm not going to even go there. The Rival group is really a true out and out performer. For the money it's light durable, and really nice to look at. The parts finish is great, and the shifting performance mimics many of the traits of it's more expensive brethren.

The wheels are definitely the business end of this rig. I am, and have always been a wheel guy. These are some of the best all around road wheels I've ever used, and they should be! These have been under my bikes for almost 4 years now, and they have been consistent performers all through that time. There are lighter wheels out there, and certainly more cost effective wheels, but I really love how these ride. The tubulars are Conti's Sprinter Gatorskins, which have also proven themselves time and again to be rock solid performers.

Here you go then, good to look at, and really nice to ride! I'm looking forward to putting serious miles on the bike this season.
Alpha Q CS 10 fork matches the frame rather well. Standard S-3 headset from Cane Creek hold it all together. The SRAM brakes are one of the stand out components of the group for me. I love the performance and feel these offer, especially paired with the Bontrager Carbon road pads and rims.


Chopped B-17 Special. I've yet to find a saddle I want to spend more time on. It just works. Cutting the sides really makes for more of a traditional racing saddle fit, without sacrificing durability or classic looks.
Rival OCT standard crank. We live in MN, I've yet to see the need for a compact crank, at least how I ride. There is a wider range 12-26 rear cassette, which should handle WI hills just fine.
A nice clean looking back end rounds out the build nicely.