Sale on Javelin complete bikes (Page 15)

Seriously, you don't need to take the Narni to a shop to be assembled.  You have to put all of 3 pieces together.  After that, take it in for a tune up, but don't pay someone to do what you can do yourself.  It took me all of 20 minutes to get all the stuff on the Narni that I needed to (and that was only because it was a pain having to hold up the aerobars by myself.  If I'd had someone there, it would have taken 10 minutes).

Anybody 6'2" with a 34 inseam (or close to it ) order a Parma if so what size did You get?

Thanks

That is almost exactly me and I got a 55.

On mine (built by the Dave @ Javelin, himself), I have to push a little further than I do on my other road bike with shimano shifters, but not so much that it seems out of line. He also said that after 30-40 miles, the cables would stretch and I'd need to have them adjusted. Have you ridden much on yours yet? Perhaps it's just the cable stretch issue.

I picked up my Parma on Friday and he said they only had 51s and 47s left. Though, it's worth a call because it seems as though others have called and they've been able to find one here or there.

He said he'd sold 600 of the 900 bikes he needed to sell. He also said he'd considered doing this via Ebay store, but is really glad he went with the Team Javelin & friends route, as it's been screaming successful. 

Not that much.  Do you have another option for an LBS?  The guy at your current one is a jerk and shouldn't get ANY of your money.

You can adjust them yourself.  There are two screws on the FD that can easily be turned.  Go to Youtube and search "adjust Front Derailler" and there should be a few videos where people show you how to do it.  Good thing to learn anyway.

Hi, Im looking at getting either a varese or sizzano bike thanks to the great deal that bear brought to light. I wanted to go with one of the cheaper road bikes but they sold out on my size 6'1 with 36 inch in seam, 205lbs. They do have the varese and sizzano in a 57 for me though. (does that seem about right to you?)

A couple of questions:
--Is either bike too much for me? Im moving up from a cheap walmart bike to this. the 100 dollar difference in price is making me want to rather go with the higher end varese so I can push buying a better bike further down the road.
--I called dave (who by the way seemed to be a hell of a nice guy) and he mentioned that the bike did not come with a pedals. What are good basic pedals? Id rather not go with clipless until I get from a basic noob to a somewhat competent rider. Right decision?
--Is there anything else that I should purchase to get myself ready for this bike?

BTW, what is a campy? Sorry for the stupid question. I hear thrown around and just didnt know. See I told you that i was a noob.  

thanks a million.  

When I decided to upgrade from my 70's steel 10 speed, everywhere I went they told me NOT to buy a tri bike unless I'd spent considerable time on a good quality road bike. That being said, these are screaming good deals and I'd still say go for it, even you buy it and put it away for a while until you've ridden a road bike.

I went to my LBS and bought a cheap set of Bontrager pedals for my Parma. I believe I spent $7.99 for the pair. You will most likely get some strange looks using platform pedals on a tri bike. But, considering the cost of clipless, and your relative discomfort with the bike itself, I see nothing wrong with starting with platform.

Campy is a shorthand way to say Campagnola (http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/index/index.jsp ) - the maker of the components. There are 2 major manufacturers - Shimano and Campy. Most American road and tri bikes are going to have Shimano. But, there's nothing wrong with Campy, and there are some advantages (it's easier to upgrade with Campy). The tri bikes have bar end shifters, so there'll be even less of a difference in how it feels. For road bikes, unlike on Shimano, where both of the shift levers are accessed from the outside of the brake mechanism, Campy has one shift lever on the outside of the brake mechanism, and one by where your thumb sits if you're riding on the hoods. 

Yes, the size sounds about right. Granted, I'm the same height (and inseam) as you and went with a 54 in the Narni, but you can always make a small bike bigger...can't go the other way around (and aero is surprisingly comfy for me at that size...once I can get there). Either bike will take some getting used to...as is the nature of learning how to ride a tri bike. I say go with the Varese.

It's typical for bikes not to come with pedals. I vote going clipless, but if you want to wait, get some cages at least. There is quite a variety of clipless to choose from...I like speedplay, myself.

What you need to purchase solely depends on what you have. Helmet, bike/tri shorts, aerodrink, etc and so forth. Tell us what you have, and we could probably make suggestions.

Campy is short for Campagnolo. That's the brand of components (gears, shifters, brakes, etc) the bike comes with. Shimano is another (the other) widely used brand...you may have heard of Ultegra, DuraAce and 105? Those are levels of components that Shimano makes (quality is not in that order, though). Campy goes something like something, veloce, centaur, record...

...ahhh...my fellow donkette Deanna types faster then I do... 

My understanding is that Campy has more "plug and play" options. I'm not in any way, shape, or form a bike mechanic. But, from what I've been told, when you upgrade Campy, you can do pieces parts, where as with Shimano, it's sort of all or nothing. There were some posts that were more articulate about this topic earlier in this thread. 

If you are going from 9 to 10 speed.. sure, you will need to upgrade basically everything at once if you have indexed shifters. If you are using bar ends, you can set them to friction mode and be fine. If you are staying within the same # of gears, you can always just upgrade peicemeal on Shimmy.

Thanks for the info, I really mean it. I was quite lost before, still lost in all the lingo but at least stumbling in the right direction. I think I will go with the varese. For a second I was also considering the Narni but they didnt have my size. Ill double check this morning when I call Dave

As to what I have equipment wise. Not much.... really nothing. I have a cheap, cheap bike helmet, some cheap shorts Ive been using to exercise in, and running shoes. Currently dont have a water bottle (other than aquafina bottles). So what order of things do you suggest getting, something like: pedals, better helmet, bike computer, water bottle, tri-shorts/top? Missing anything?

At what point is there need to upgrade campy equipment/bike? 

chadtower - 2008-04-29 7:57 AM  Now I hate the LBS who assembled my bike. Those little levers where your thumb sits don't do anything.

Um, so how are you shifting now? On the right side, the lever by the brake should make your gears shift from hard to easy, and the thumb lever should make it shift from easy to hard. 

No, you're not misunderstanding, but if you shift with the lever that works enough times, you're going to end up in a very spinny gear with no way to get back. Yee ha!