Zipp 303 (Page 2)

In my never-ending quest to needlessly upgrade bicycles, I recently purchased a Dura-Ace 9000 compact groupset to replace the Ultegra 9-speed triple on the bike in this thread.  The logic here is flawed I admit but JWKMH said ok so I bought them.  The main problem with the Ultegra 9 speed is that the group is not entirely supported any longer by Shimano.  You can still by chains and cassettes but the rest of the parts are pretty much just old stock.  I need the little plastic faceplate covers and learned that no one has them any longer.  This is purely cosmetic but it bothered me.  Then, I dropped the chain on two successive rides and I thought, well maybe, a newer model would be more reliable.  Plus, the Dura-Ace is that black and silver color combination.  

The purchase of the Dura-Ace 9000 is in keeping with the Zipp 303.  That model of wheels were just about to get an upgrade from  Zipp (and a price decrease) so the old ones were on a significant sale.  The Dura-Ace 9100 has just come out so the 9000's are about 1/2 off from Ribble in the UK.  In slightly wine-induced lowering of my normal risk aversion, I bought the group.  For those who do not know, there are complications, principally import duties, but other risks with a non-US supplier.  So far, all I know is that the parts are in the US.  We shall see when/if I receive them.  

My next move is to replace the old group with the new.  Following that, I need to do something with accumulation of parts taken off my Litespeed Siena.  I only lack a frame and bar tape to have a complete bicycle from the leftovers.  I would welcome a suggestion about how best to recoup some money from the used parts.  Would buying a frame and building a complete bicycle work out better than selling piece meal. It is a worthy discussion.  I do not want another bicycle for myself, nor am I a collector of old parts, so this is purely a question of how best to make use of perfectly usable parts and recover costs. 

On the change-out of groups, I have watched a couple of times a really well-done YouTube video by the Subjective Cyclist on basic build of a bicycle using the Dura-Ace 9000, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOI0mb3X7N8 that makes building up a bike look like a piece of cake.  I have also checked at local bike shops for prices to see how much it would cost to let someone else do it, about $150-180.  I have most of the tools needed but would have to get some bottom bracket tools to build a bike, really not much cost in tools.   Trying it myself would be fun but at the same time, I could ruin both frame and groupset by cross-threading a couple of fittings.  I've never built up a complete bicycle.  I am weighing the options.  Discussion on these two options might be fun.  

I will post pictures when I am done.  This poor frame, in the past, has suffered the indignity of having a seat post rack and being used as a commuter.  Now, it has wheels and groupset far in excess of its rider's capability.  I am not sure what cyclist attitude to adopt in response to any backtalk from the frame.  Perhaps, I shall threaten to put a bell on the handlebar.

TW

Hey all,

Here is the final version of the Litespeed Siena.  The new Dura-Ace group has been installed.  I took the bike to Atlanta Cycling for the work.  I wanted the bike to be perfectly adjusted on the first ride so I could compare with the Ultegra 9 speed I had just taken off. I was pretty sure my first attempt at building up a bike would not be so perfect as the pros.  Anyway, the hype for Dura-Ace 9000 is that it is the best shifting group ever.  After just one ride, It is indeed pretty much ideal. The weight dropped about a pound and a half.  I also changed the Selle San Marco saddle for a Fizik Arione 00.  The Selle San Marco was ok and fairly light but not as good a fit for me as the Fizik Arione on my other bike.  The 00 model also has a yellow line down the center which looks nice with the yellow trim on the bike's decals. I like the look of the bike really well.  The 00 is the same shape as the original Arione model. The frame and rails are carbon fiber and it is a super lightweight.  But, it also has a bit less padding.  I did not notice the difference to much on a short ride.  I would probably stick with the original Arione for a century. 

I was also curious if I would miss the lowest ratio on the Ultegra which was 30/27.  The Dura-Ace is 32/28.  That is pretty close and I did not notice it in Atlanta.  I would probably miss that gear in East Tennessee.  It was my favorite gear ratio. 

The Dura-Ace brakes are also superb.  Very smooth modulation.  Any brakes on Zipp carbon wheels are a little scary in the wet.  I only ride in the rain when I get caught out unexpectedly.  I use the gray Zipp pads.  In dry weather, the brakes work about as well as aluminum rims.  What I notice with the Dura-Ace is the range of braking force with the Dura-Ace.  You can get a little feathering of speed going into the corner if you want.

I have changed out just about all the original equipment.  With the leftover parts, I am a frame and bar tape from having a fourth bicycle.  The leftovers are all in pretty good shape.  I will think about listing some of it for sale here.