Third bike: Argon 18 tt Mercury

Ok...finally got a TT (time trial) bike. It's probably 3rd hand. I've always wanted to have 2 bikes, one road and the other a TT bike. To build a new one easily cost 10k and above. And that, we are talking about basic configuration. Getting a cervelo p2c can set you back 15k. Slap in those HED carbon wheel sets and you add another 4-5k.

Allrite, since it's third hand, I've found out some surprises. The front derailleur mounting is not the original. I suppose it fell off during a fall, and they had one screwed up to the frame. The work done on this, according to the bike workshop, was not at a good angle. So he had a small rubber padding to reangle the FD.

The second surprise, was although it had ksyrium wheelset, it's actually for tubeless tyres. At the moment, I've not much knowledge on how to deal with this, in case of flats. Looking up the net gave some idea that you need some inner sealant, that quickly seals when a puncture happens. The tubeless tyre is actually glued to the rim, so changing a new tyre for puncture doesn't kind of cut it. Oh well..nvm..another thing to learn.

Pedal and rear casette is ultegra, FD is 105. And the seat really need a change.

The previous owner ( a lady ) probably haven't sent it for servicing. The rust, and almost impossible to shift gears issue, testifies to that. That's why ...woman needs man, to fix stuff...ehem..

After servicing, I took it for a ride to Salak with team THG.

Aero position, another new thing to learn. It's kinda hard to get down and cycle. But this will take some time. But once you go aero, and pump in the power, it really flies. I reached speeds up to 46km/h and boy..that was fun. However the uphill part would require some adjusting of climbing. Since your whole body actually is brought forward, you'll lack rear power transmission.

But then, the front tyre had a puncture after resting at Salak. Thanks to Michelle's pump, at least the bike can still go on. Yet, with deflated front tyre, the bike still goes fast.

According to a cycling article I read which compares normal road bikes & TT bikes, you'll get 4kmh more from the same cycling power. So, you could either go faster or cruise at the same speed with less work.

This will definitely help in Langkawi Ironman.