Heracles

• It's not at all that I have a bias against triathlon or triathletes. Many of my friends and associates are self-identified triathletes, and I wouldn't refuse to break bread over this fact. In fact, I've been known to hobble through a triathlon or three, albeit unadorned with the typical festoonery. Come to think of it, I really didn't feel this way prior to moving here to Chicago. Could it be that these early morning spandex spartans with their poor handling skills and lack of road etiquette have so colored my view of an entire sporting community? Then again, it could be the trappings of the triathlon industry, which is even more egregious than the cycling scene in terms of its adoption of bad science, obsession with theoretical aerodynamics, and rather humorous nutritional theories.

  And so this Heracles project posed a bit of a challenge. The owner clearly wanted a custom titanium roadie that was triathlon friendly. After gently walking him back from the edge of dedicated tri geometry and fairing-like tubes, we settled on a reasonably conventional road setup with a couple of ovalized and aerodynamic tubes, super beefy wheels, and a clip-on carbon cockpit and matching tri saddle.

  Far stiffer than the aluminum KHS it would replace, Heracles would still maintain a modicum of vertical compliance and a bit of cush, thanks to 700x26c Panaracer Urban Max rubber. It would be training on the south side of Chicago, after all, and the wheelbuild reflects the rider's size and chosen terrain: 32h Velocity Deep V rims laced 3X to Ultegra hubs. In over 1,000 miles of pothole-ridden roads thus far, they've not needed even a quarter turn of the spoke wrench.

  The rest of the build is a hodge podge of Shimagnolo.

  • Shimano Dura-Ace rear mech
  • Campagnolo Centaur front mech
  • Shimano 105 BB & cranks
  • Shimano Ulegra shifters
  • Kalloy seatpost, stem, bars
  • Yokozuna cables & housing
  • Tektro brakes
  • Tange headset
  • Minoura Dura-Cages, ti
  • Crank Brothers Candy pedals
  • Build exclusively with Phil Wood grease & tenacious oil