details, details, details. what are you particular about on your bike?

[DCT]

for me its 40c-c bars. maybe its because i swing a tennis racquet all day and my hands are used to a certain feel.

i can't stand wide bars. different saddles, different wheels, different frame materials, etc i'm all about.

whaddddabootyew?

[Rico]

for me its 40c-c bars. maybe its because i swing a tennis racquet all day and my hands are used to a certain feel.

i can't stand wide bars. different saddles, different wheels, different frame materials, etc i'm all about.

whaddddabootyew?

Saddle height, tilt and set back. If it ain't right for me nothin else matters.

[zetroc]

saddle height (753)
clean drivetrain
campagnolo 10v/11v (both good)

[j44ke]

No overlubed chains.

[GSmith]

No overlubed chains.

+1

Nothing says "I don't give a shit" like a dirty drive train, and not in a rebel, I'm cool, sort of way. The half-wheelers and sketchy bike handlers on my Saturday AM group ride inevitably have dirty drive trains. Coincidence? I think not.

Dirty drive train hall pass for hard core commuters, in the winter.

[SteveP]

pedals/ shoes

hate changing anything to do w/ this.
that said i just took my first ride in a pr of giro factors.
pedals rxs carbon- which i have 6-7 pr..will last until i quit the sport.

[jitahs]

Everything.

[Matthew Strongin]

pedals/ shoes

hate changing anything to do w/ this.
that said i just took my first ride in a pr of giro factors.
pedals rxs carbon- which i have 6-7 pr..will last until i quit the sport.

This too. I dread new shoes. Even the tiny differences in runs of the same size of the same model drive me nuts in trying to get the cleats in the right place. Going through this now since my last pair got trashed.

[72gmc]

I'm a little freaky about lube. I think I grease my seatpost, pedals, etc more often than most. Product of a rainy environment I guess.

And I cannot abide branded finishing tape on my bar wrap or, recently, decals on my wheels.

[fixednwinter]

pedals/ shoes

hate changing anything to do w/ this.
that said i just took my first ride in a pr of giro factors.
pedals rxs carbon- which i have 6-7 pr..will last until i quit the sport.

Thumbs up for Giro shoes on Time pedals. I'm using the Giro Prolight shoes on RXS as well as the even older Impact pedals. Nothing else will do. Other details -

- Perfectly positioned contact points
- I must have round bars
- really great brakes and levers set up perfectly

[PGSmith]

Every bike I touch:
Shifter to bar transition - Especially when double wrapping or using really thin tape, this can take some finesse.
Shifters must be absolutely level - Look around and you'll see that shifters are rarely lined up.
Cable length - Not too much in front and not too little in back
Quiet - I should only be able to hear the pawls, the rollers, and the tires.

My bikes:
Brakes - I'm finicky not only about the setup, but I'm also picky about the equipment. I can't stand flimsy brakes or unpredictable pads. Could be my motor sports background, but I won't compromise the power or feel of my brakes.
Tire pressure - This obsession is even worse on dirt. I don't pre-ride the course to warm up, but to dial my tire pressure for the crucial sections.

[Matthew Strongin]

needlessly noisy drive train. i can handle slight changes most everywhere else, but a derailleur that's just slightly off drives me nuts.

[thollandpe]

Classic bend bars, with enough flat for a proper grip on the drops, which are nearly parallel to the ground (sorry, DCT I'm a 42 c-to-c guy).

Low Q factor.

Black shorts.

Glasses over the helmet straps.

A small but properly stocked bag under the saddle.

[thollandpe]

Confession: I cut the shift cable housings about an inch too short on my latest build (for me, I'd have fixed it for anybody else) and it gnaws at me.

[Sola SL]

For me it is handle bar angle and hood position on the bar. Nice flat transition to the hoods and neutral wrist angle in the drops. It is amazing how attention to this area can help out with fit issues!

[mimbresman]

I ride a single speed and it seems I'm a slob compared to all of you, but saddle height is really important or my knees bother me. It needs to be just right. I also like my brake levers at a certain angle, about 45d. Stem has to be perfectly aligned (obviously). I get weird about the tire logos being lined up with the valve stem, but don't obsess about it. Tire pressure is important, and I like fat tires (2.4 Mutanos) at about 35 p.s.i. since I use a rigid fork. Other than that, I just ride it.

[coolberto hipsterdor]

Fit, mechanical reliability and safety, general cleanliness, I feel like my standards aren't that high but then I see and ride other people's bikes...

[jerk]

It doesnt really matter, but a I am miserable without narrow handlebars, a 54/42 crank and 177,5 or 180 cranks. That being said I just rode seven hours a day for ten days on the alpes on a rental bikr with a 175.triple, a dumb saddle and it was fine. I dropped the stem, the shop pht 38cm bars on the thing and.it was fine.

[thollandpe]

Vertical exits for cable ends?

Don't get it, please help me understand this strain of Oh See Dee.

[EricKeller]

Vertical exits for cable ends?

Don't get it, please help me understand this strain of Oh See Dee.

please, please don't explain because this will just be one more thing that I know I'm not doing on my bike. The saying involving the cobbler's children was coined knowing that I would eventually be born.