I'll do the full bike-porn layout once I get the build finalized, but here's a shot of my 53cm 05 KG481SL. Soon come: Thomson post, new rear cluster and derailleur, white zip ties for the cadence sensor. :p

I've only taken it on the rollers and one short 30 miler, so no real impressions other than the usual I-got-the-exact-bike-I-wanted superlatives: quick, responsive, climbs like a scalded monkey. I have a pretty heavy two weeks of training scheduled and then a race at the end of the month, so i should be able to give some more detailed feedback.

Unfortunately, I already have one quibble: the fork is spaced about 5mm wider than the hub, so I have to unscrew the QR several turns to get over the lawyer tabs. (And, since they're carbon, I can't file the tabs off.) Wonder if others have this problem w/ their HSC 5's? Or maybe this is an early production run problem - this frame was built up for Interbike, which meant a nice discount for me. And the paint scheme is slightly different from the one's I've seen in catalogues/ websites which have an all-blue HT and clear carbon lettering on the fork. Now isn't that special? :rolleyes:

very nice.

What size cassette do you have on there? Also, is that a 34/50 on the front?

enjoy it!

Looking forward to hearing your feedback.

34/50 in front and currently a 12-25, which will be replaced by an 11-23. I average 8-10,000 feet of climbing a week (and am far from skinny) so the compact crank is a knee-saver. Was running the front der. left over from my triple set-up and just added a Campy Compact front der. with this build - huge difference in shifting! Nice and crisp now.

Love that paintscheme - wish they'd offered a 585 in that :(

Very nice.

CC

Peterpen,

Nice bike! Look and Campagnolo. Ok. Now, between scotland boy and yourself, I have seen a couple bikes built that way. I had a bike shop insinuate that Looks were built to use Shimano. What nonsense, and the shop not selling Campagnolo really didn't have anything to do with that statement (yeah, right). Anyway, congratulations!

Very nice bike!!! That color is great!!!

Peter,

I'm seriously looking into getting a 481 with a similar set-up. I was contemplating going with the 585 but I think the 481 is better suited to my needs. There are a lot of long steep hills where I ride, I also like to spin a lot due to a bad right knee. I was considering getting the 34/50 in front and either a 12-25 or a 11-28. How does the 34/25 feel for you?

I know I will be missing some gears by going to a 11-28 but it may be worth it for my case. I currently run a 38/53 and a 11-34 in the back... that's right, a 11-34. I rarely use the last gear now but the second to last one I like, 38/30 I think it is. So I'm trying to decide between the 12-25 and the 11-28 to go with the 34/50.

Also, do you have the short or medium length rear derailleur?

Thanks

I would imagine the 12-25 should be fine. I came off a triple w/ a 11-23 and really didn't notice the difference. 11-28 is going to have huge jumps and a 25/28 combo is pretty insanely small. Unless you're riding multiple Hors Categorie climbs or are very heavy, it would be hard to imagine needing it.
The 34/25 feels great on the steepest (ie, over 15%) pitches but I'm going to opt for a tighter 11-23 in search of smaller jumps and a bigger gear for pedaling on descents - mind you, I currently only spin out at around 37mph/ 115 rpm, but there are occasions when I want to keep going. I'll just have to work a bit harder on the real steeps.
That's a medium cage rear der. on there but it was incorrectly spec'd - you only need a medium for a 13-29 cluster or a triple. I'll also be switching to a short cage once my wallet recovers from this outlay.
So far, I love this bike! Will be doing a fast-paced 50 mile/ 3000' ascent ride tomorrow and can't wait to really put it through its paces.

wow, 37miles per hour on the 50/12 @ 115rpm? that's pretty fast... That's almost 60km per hour... I'm sure I won't need to spin out faster than that going down a hill... I'd just coast from there. Thanks, that's really good to know. I was thinking that the 12 was not small enough but according to your info, it should be just fine.

On the other end, I'm not sure if the 25/34 will be enough. There is a pretty steep hill by my house, I can try the equivelent on my current set up and see how that feels.

If I end up going with the 12-25, I'll get the small derailleur... should I go with the medium length if I decide to go with the 11-28?

Let me know how your ride goes up the big hill.

Take care

On the other end, I'm not sure if the 25/34 will be enough. There is a pretty steep hill by my house, I can try the equivelent on my current set up and see how that feels.

The thing about tiny gears is, if you have them you will use them. And if you don't, you might still get by. I wouldn't want the big jumps in an 11-28, but you know your limitations and health issues best. And I'd guess you'd need a med. cage der. with the 11-28, but check with an experienced Campy mechanic for the final word. FWIW, the two things that have helped me most with climbing weren't gears but 1) losing 15 lbs. and 2) being willing to suffer. :D

Today's ride was amazing. It's blue skies + 65F here in Northern California and I did my usual loop out to Pt. Reyes in just a base layer, short sleeved jersey, and bibs. It's a great route with four ~700' climbs and a long stretch of rollers on a freshly paved HWY 1 right next to Tomales Bay. All the climbs were done out of the saddle and I noticed the stiffness of the 481 compared to my steel Colnago. That and a slacker seat tube angle seem to make a bike that climbs much better, more so than losing 2.5 lbs. with the new frame/fork combo. And the bike really shines on the descents - hit 51.5 mph on one descent (new top speed on that hill for me) and felt much more secure than on the Colnago. Think this was partly due to a much stiffer front end (the old bike had a 1" steerer) and partly due to the new Record calipers which give me the confidence to go faster since I know I can actually slow down as needed. :p
Still have to fiddle with my position a bit, but I'm grinning ear to ear.

Sweet!

So a 12-25 matched with a 34/50 will give me a 25/34 going up the hills. That's equivelent to a 29/39 or on my current setup, like a 30/39. That's my second to easiest gear (34/39 is easiest). That should be just fine Pete. I'll stick with the 12-25 and go with a small length der. Then I can stick with all campy products making shifting crisper.

Now I gotta decide between the Red Credit Agricole and the Carbon - Silver 2005 finish of the 481's. I love the nude black carbon (hence my falling in love with the 585) but am not a fan of the silver accents on the 481. I think the red and white Credit Agricole looks decent although it shows very little of the nude carbon.

Thanks for the help on the cassette Pete!

That would mean there will be 2 Credit Agricole 481's in the Greater Toronto Area. Jeese I hope we don't cross paths. Could risk the chance of parallel universe shisto-samiasis :eek: That's like when all time stops and they have to reset the world clock. ;)

WBC

That would mean there will be 2 Credit Agricole 481's in the Greater Toronto Area. Jeese I hope we don't cross paths. Could risk the chance of parallel universe shisto-samiasis :eek: That's like when all time stops and they have to reset the world clock. ;)

WBC

Now we can't have that happen!

What year is yours? I don't think the shop that I'm buying from stocks any in the Credit Agricole colour. Would you be able to post some pics of yours? Would love to see what it looks like other than on the Look website.

Thanks!

I'm still waiting for it to come in. Hopefully within the next 2 weeks. This waitng really sucks. :( I ordered it. Nov 29th.


WBC

what component setup are you going with? Did you buy it all online?

what component setup are you going with? Did you buy it all online?


Dura Ace group with AC 420 wheels. :D Oh crap now I'm thinking about waiting again. :mad: