Feb 5, 2007 - Bicycling    Comments Off on And the winner is…….ME! Orbea/Rolff

And the winner is…….ME! Orbea/Rolff

At a Triathlon show on Saturday, I entered my name in a hat for the door prize, and guess who won it? ME! Just writing some thoughts on what my options are.  Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks to Southeast Triathlon Expo and Gran Fondo!

Yeah, I can’t believe it.  I’m not writing this to brag.  I’m looking for advice / opinions.The package I won is from Gran Fondo and includes a set of Rolff wheels (about $600) and an $1000 ‘gift certificate’ for Orbea products.  I really don’t need two sport bikes.  Here are my thoughts.
  • OPTION 1:  I can either strip components from my Colnago (Campy Centaur/FSA/decent wheels) and build up on a higher-end Orbea frame.  I’ll ebay what’s left to cover the difference.
  •  OPTION 2:  Get one of the Orbea “package bikes” like the Orbea ONIX TDE, with the new SRAM Rival group.  Might be interesting to try the new group.
  •  OPTION 3:  An Orbea 2006 steel frames, like the Spirit, or the Spirit Carbon.  What excites me about that is having a higher-end frame with a comfortable steel ride.
I’m not very excited about the Rolff wheels, so I hope Gran Fondo will work something out with me.  My riding style makes my focus ‘functional and reliable’ first, weight second, and racing a very distant third.  You know what I mean. The Rolff wheels are typically aero wheels with low spoke counts.  I’m too fat for that at about 200 pounds.
 
Thanks for your opinions, if you’re interested in responding via this story via this site.  And of course, you can email me.
PS – at the time of this writing, I’m tied on Option 2 and 3.  Then, sell off my Colnago Asso, which has carried me many wonderful miles over the last 3-4 years.

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