2018 ReTul adjustment: 100 mm stem replaced the stock one, bars moved as low as they go, Power Arc saddle. |
- Improve the angle of my wrists on the extensions.
- Raise my forearms to bring my shoulder to wrist angle closer to 90 (my ReTul report says it's 83-88, but it looks >90 to me).
At the point my bike would require stripping of virtually all parts to make these changes, I had to consider the merits of rebuilding the Slice versus considering some other bike frame that might be more worthy of all these modifications. Not to mention that I never liked the Slice's color scheme.
Coincidentally, my friends at Ironman Hawaii were test riding and buying 2018's featured bike: the Ventum. Its features include:
Ventum. The blue part of the top tube is actually a water reservoir. |
Sitero older (left) and newer (right) models. |
- Ease of wrenching, such as break down and rebuild for travel.
- A built in hydration system that looks sleek, improves the aerodynamics of the bike, and is easier to use than an in-frame bladder systems (Specialized Shiv with Fuelselage) or newer behind the seat version (S-works 2019 Shiv disk model).
- Available as a frameset, so I wouldn't get stuck with another set of handlebars / extensions that might limit my comfort.
- I posted faster speeds for the loop on my Slice with training wheels than on the Ventum with Zipps.
- The Slice is lighter and climbs well.
- Keeping the Slice meant avoiding having to research and select a new crank & PM option, since I couldn't easily sell the Slice without including all of its components.
- Painting the Slice (to fix that I found it ugly) would cost less than buying a new frame, crank, and maybe new power meter.
Though I'll confess: I went straight home from that test ride and immediately bought the identical saddle; while the earlier Sitero model seemed horrible to me, this new one - and really Ashley's entire bike fit - felt fantastic.
Coming next, Adventures in Bike Modification
Coming next, Adventures in Bike Modification