Spider Build: Final Piece

It's Christmas Eve today and with that came the final piece of my Spider build. I had finally purchased a seat and handlebars of my own back in November when they became available at Bike Bling and forgot to post an update here, but that's not the focus of today's post. (For what its worth, I went with a WTB Pure V SLT saddle and Easton Monkeylite ML mid rise carbon bars, both of which I like very much.)

After getting my seat and bars, the only piece of the bike that wasn't new was my pedals. I had been using old Shimano M505 pedals from my Specialized FSR XC Pro, and while they worked decently they were far from high-end.

I had been researching pedals for a couple of months, trying to get an idea if I wanted to stick with SPD's or switch to Crank Brothers clipless pedals. Early on in my search I fell in love with the CB Acid 2's, thanks to their light weight, decent size platform, and cool white color that matched my bike. The problem was that the best price I could find for those pedals was around $160.00, which was outside my budget for pedals.

I had been combing ebay for a while, and a few days ago spotted the exact pedals I wanted (brand new) with a reserve of $60.00. At that point there were three days left on the auction, and I figured the price would go up to the $150 range eventually, but I put in a bid anyway just in case.

I monitored the auction closely, and was surprised and thrilled when I won the pedals for only $80.00. What was even better was that the seller voluntarily offered to reduce the shipping cost to me because he was just up the road in Lake Elsinore, so the total cost was $85.00.

I was in the office this afternoon working (on Christmas Eve!) when the mail arrived, and was blown away that the pedals came already. They were in perfect, new condition, and the seller had even included a second set of cleats and shims for free which was amazing.

Even better, the boss let me bang out of work around 1 PM, so I headed home and installed my new toys as soon as possible. They went on with no problem, and clipping in and out has never been easier.

I rode around the driveway to test them out, and at first blush I absolutely love them. They look perfect, feel really good under my feet, and are extremely easy to clip in and out of, something I had a problem with while using the SPD's.

I'm excited to take the bike out for a ride this weekend now that its in final form. Building it from scratch has been a ton of fun, and I feel inordinately blessed to have such a quality bike. It has truly been a merry Christmas already, and the big day isn't even until tomorrow...

Here's how she looks in all of her complete splendor:

Spider Pics

I took a few pictures of the Spider this morning before its maiden voyage. It will never again be "brand new," so I wanted some photographic evidence of it in pristine condition before it tasted dirt for the first time.

The more I look at it the more I like it. The contrast of the white fork and white brakes to the midnight blue frame looks great, and the shiny new XT parts are beautiful. I won't get my handlebars or seat until next week, but the pictures tell most of the story.

Picking up the Spider

I picked up the Spider tonight, and so far I couldn't be happier. I showed up at the shop around 5:30, and they had most of the build complete. I'm still waiting on my easton monkeylite bars and Intense saddle, so I'm borrowing some shop parts for the time being until those two final pieces arrive. I also decided to use my old Shimano M505 clipless pedals, because I had them laying around and the build was getting really expensive, so I had to save some money where I could. Maybe I'll ask for new pedals for Christmas.

Here are the final specs:

2008 Spider XVP Frame w/Manitou Swinger 3-way shock, midnight blue color, size medium.
2009 Fox F100RLC fork with 15mm QR thru-axel.
Shimano XT Shifters
Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes (lightly used, purchased from STR)
Easton Monkeylite MX handlebars (arriving soon)
Thompson Elite X4 Stem 100mm
Chris King Headset (blue)
Ergon GC-2 Grips
Shimano XT front derailleur
Shimano XT Shadow rear derailleur
Thompson Elite seatpost
Intense saddle (arriving soon)
Shimano XT crankset
Shimano XT cassette
Salsa flip-off QR rear skewer
Shimano M505 clipless pedals (used)
SRAM 971 chain with powerlink
Custom built wheelset, with blue Hope Pro 2 Hubs (front and rear) laced to Mavic 819 tubeless rims with DT Swiss competition spokes.
Kenda Nevegal UST Tubeless tires

It weighed in at about 27.5 lbs on the shop scale, including pedals. I figure that number will drop a little with the lighter bars and seat when they're installed sometime next week.

I plan on taking it for an easy first ride tomorrow with the Skyline MTB group at Spring Canyon, and then am looking forward to really testing it out Sunday at the Cuyamaca Poker Ride. With all the climbing at Cuyamaca, it should be a good test for whether the benefits of a lighter, more XC-style bike are really worth what I paid.

I have a generally good impression of the guys over at Bike Bling. They seemed to do a good job on the build, and the pricing was very competitive. Its so close to work that I'd love for it to be "my local shop," but I have the underlying suspicion that Kerry is a little bit of a "salesman," and is more interested in profit margins than relationships. In this economy its impossible to fault him for that, but I don't know if I'm ever going to feel at home at this shop, or if I'll always feel like a customer. Time will tell.

The Spider Build Begins

Almost two months after I purchased my new Intense Spider XVP frame, I'm finally going to get it built up. I spent several weeks trying to decide whether to keep the Spider or purchase an Intense 5.5 instead. After a trip to see Alex at World Cycles for a fitting, it became clear that I was in-between sizes for the 5.5, and the Spider was the way to go.

After committing to the Spider, it was time to plan the build. I made an Excel spreadsheet that included every part I would need, and then made a "dream list" of parts I would purchase if funds permitted. I spent several weeks soliciting advice on the merits of particular parts and comparing prices online, and then formulated a plan.

I went to the shop two blocks from my work, a new outfit called Bike Bling. I spent quite a bit of time with the owner, Kerry, and we put together a package that worked for both of us. Essentially, he agreed to meet or beat every price I found online, and I elected to purchase everything from him and have him build both the bike and a custom wheelset. I dropped the bike off today, and should be able to pick it up on Friday or Saturday, just in time for the 2008 Cuyamaca Poker Ride I signed up for last month.

Its costing a ton of money, and I had some serious hesitation about spending that kind of cash on a bike, especially in this economy. But almost the entire budget has been paid for with supplemental income, and if I decide later to sell the Enduro, the entire amount should be covered.

So the next time I see it, my new Spider should be built up and ready to ride...

The Spider Box is Opened

So some supplemental income checks arrived today, and it was time to finally open the box and lay eyes on my new Spider frame for the first time. It was worth the wait, the thing is beautiful.

I don't know how soon I'll be able to get it built up, but after finally holding it in my hands, I'm getting antsy...

The Spider Arrives

It's here!

Reality has set in, as my new Spider arrived via UPS this afternoon. I've decided that I'm not going to open the box until I have earned all of the funds required to pay for it without dipping into our monthly retail budget. I cleared about half the purchase price from the sale of the FSR, and am expecting another check for around half the purchase price for a recent CLE presentation that I did. Once I get my CLE check, I'll open the box up and post some photos of the unboxing. Until then, the picture will have to serve as a preview...

I'm very excited.

New Bike!

I did something pretty impulsive today, which is very out of character for me. I bought a new bike, an expensive one, without weeks and weeks of research and analysis.

The story of this purchase really starts with an online merchant by the name of chainlove.com, which is a division of backcountry.com. Chainlove specifically is an online bicycle that sells bike gear and accessories at a significant discount in limited quantities. Here's how it defines itself:

What is Chainlove.com?

THE MISSION

Biking is your lifeblood, not your hobby, and you're not a millionaire (yet). You’re addicted, and Chainlove is here to help. We're the stone-cold pusher on your corner with the premium product at cut-rate prices. Our merchandise? Everything from the Tour to the North Shore, and we’re not afraid to take it off the back of a truck if our connect gets spooky. We’re talking completes, components, apparel, tools—just name your vice.

Here's how it goes down:

• We slap a primo piece of cycling gear on our site at a scandalous price.
• We sell it 'til it's gone.
• You leave feeling like a smooth criminal.
• The gear arrives fast and you're back in the saddle.

I've ordered several things from chainlove in the past, including Oakley MTB shorts and a jersey. The prices are amazing, the shipping is extremely fast, and the limited time nature of the sales alerts adds a sense of urgency, making every alert seem like a raging deal that you don't want to miss out on.

So today I'm sitting at my desk at work, drafting a motion in the Guatay case, and a chainlove alert pops up with a freaking 2008 Intense Spider XVP for $1,200.00. I just sold my FSR a week ago, and have been mulling the purchase of a lightweight XC rig even before I sold it. The Enduro has its uses, and I like it OK, but it is a pig to haul uphill, and I'm not doing any major hucking or stunts to take advantage of all that travel. I had actually gone as far as calling some local shops, and had spoken at length with a guy recently about a Santa Cruz Blur XC. He had good things to say about it, but recommended the Intense bikes more highly, if I was willing to pay the extra price. Since the Blur's were more than I wanted to spend, the Intenses were a pipe dream.

Until now.

As I stared at the chainlove posting, I started getting excited. My fingers flew over the keyboard, looking for reviews on the Spider XVP and comparing prices. There was no denying that the deal was killer. And the reviews were universally glowing, calling the Spider the ultimate XC bike. My biggest hesitation was the cost ($1,200 for a frame is still a freaking lot of money to me, regardless of how good a deal it is) and the fact that I would have to buy all the parts to build it up, and then install them somehow. But the deal was too good, the timing too perfect. There was no sales tax, and shipping was only $32.00. I kept refreshing my computer screen, nervously looking to see how fast they were selling. Because with chainlove, once they're gone, the deal is dead.

I couldn't contain myself any longer, and I logged into my chainlove account and let the cursor hover over the "buy now" button. I had selected the midnight blue color, which is probably my favorite color period. Then, in a moment of clarity, I hit the button, still uncertain if I would actually get it, because someone could have swooped in during my hesitancy and purchased the last one. There were only two blue ones available after all.

But then the confirmation page popped up, and I was the proud new owner of an Intense Spider.

My first emotion was elation, followed by panic. Had I really just spend $1232.00 on a MTB frame? How was I going to afford parts? How in the heck was I going to build it up, even if I could somehow get the parts? What parts did I need? My panic quickly subsided, but lingered in the back of my mind as I focused on the joy I felt in purchasing a bike from one of the top manufacturers in the world.

My apprehension led me to post a thread on STR, asking for a suggested list of parts that I would need to begin accumulating in order to build up my new XC machine. Within an hour, I had several helpful posts identifying the list of parts I'd need, and I started to feel a little better.

And then I got a PM and an email from Doug with some of the best news I could hope for. He asked what kind of frame I had purchased, and offered to help me build it up once I got all of the parts. I was blown away. My biggest concern was now not an issue, and I could begin the exciting process of accumulating parts and prepping for my build. Doug has like eleventeen bikes, and clearly knows his way around builds, so I was thrilled at his offer.

I created an Excel sheet with a list of all the parts I'll need, along with a list of my dream items and my budget. I figure over the next couple of months, between some side work I'll be doing and my birthday and Christmas, I should be able to get my new ride built up before the end of the year. I'll keep updating my progress here on the blog, and am really, really excited about this project. The frame should be here in less than a week.