Quote Originally Posted by mimitabby
ah, very very cool. How did you know what wheels, etc to use?
(not to mention, how did you figure out the dimensions for the custom frame?)

I had a 3 hr fitting done by the bike shop. The fitter is Serotta trained, actually he is one of Serotta's fit trainers and very well respected in the Serotta community. He took the specifications from my current bike and set me up on a size cycle (a bicycle that can be adjusted to your body). I pedaled for a half hour before he made adjustments. When he was satisfied with my position on the bike he took the measurements, sketched out a prototype and sent the information to Serotta, then Serotta takes it from there and designs the bike.

Originally, I was having problems with my current bike that I bought in 00. I thought it was fitted perfectly but when I would do multi day rides I was getting neck and shoulder pain. Plus, my saddle had to be nose down, which probably contributed to my pain. In 2004, I had a knee and elbow problem and had signed up for 4 week long tours. Plus, I bought a Titus mtn bike that was fitted by a Serotta fitter and was experiencing none of the problems with it that I was on the road bike.

There was a Serotta trained woman in Cincinnati. I had her refit my bike and it turned out my handlebars were too low and I needed a zero degree seatpost. We refitted the bike and voila it was perfect. Except now it has 4 cm of spacers and a very steep stem to raise the handlebars. But the fit was right on.

She said then the only way I would get a really good fit is to get a bike with a higher head tube angle and sloping tt. There really aren't any stock frames that would fit me without the spacers. So I decided to do custom.

As far as the rest of the components, I have used Campy bfriters since about 1998 when I complained about how uncomfortable Shimano brifters were. My LBS told me that riders with small hands liked Campy better so I put them on my Cannondale. When it came time to build my Aegis we used Campy Record with a Specialties TA crankset (Campy doesn't make 165 crankarms).

My LBS recommended the Zero Gravity brakes, the Ritchey WCS stem and the tires.

The guys on the Serotta Forum suggested I go with handbuilt wheels and recommended the wheelbuilder. I did a little research and found out that in general 650c wheels are 25% stiffer than the same wheel in a 700c. I also bounced the idea off of Lennard Zinn and he agreed that I would get a wheel better tuned to my weight with handbuilt. So the wheels are built to be strong but be compliant enough to give me a nice ride. The front has 20 spokes and the rear 24. They are built for a 105lb person rather than a 165 lb person.

It was also through the Serotta forum that I found the Modolo Venus handlebars. They are designed to shorten the reach from the drops to the brake levers. I put them on my Aegis and they really do work, I absolutely love them.

I forgot, I'm also using a Chris King headset, also on my Aegis.

Anyway, this is probably more info than you want to know but this has all come about from riding bikes that don't fit and finding products that work well for me and finding some knowledgable bike fitters.

I also found out that it is very difficult to find high end frames to fit small riders without going custom. Finally, it took me 2 yrs to decide to go this route but I've been very comfortable with the decision.