Here are some pics and a description of my setup for IM. I'm pasting from a blog post, so sorry it's so long, but I thought there might be some interest--even if just to make fun of my bike, driveway, fence, garage, etc.
Taper week for IMChoo, so I finally have some time to type a review of my new racing chariot. I upgraded to the DiamondBack Serios this summer.
I had some anxiety about changing bikes in the middle of Ironman training. The fit was dialed in on my old bike, I had working power meter, tested ways of carrying nutrition, and I knew I could race well on it.
It took a couple rides and some back and forth with my fitter, but the first time I rode the bike with the right fit, I knew I was racing on the Serios.
Diamondback did a lot right here. The bike just feels fast. I can’t prove it, but I’m confident that this is the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden. One small measure, as of this writing, I have uploaded 1149 laps of Hanes Point on Stava. Over 1000 of those laps were on different bikes, but my 5 fastest have all been on this one. My wattage isn’t higher than past years, so it’s proof enough for me that this bike is measurably faster than my old one.
The bike rides the way it should. Stable and properly weighted. No detected wobbles. Responsive in and out of the saddle. Some folks have mentioned the limits on the turning radius. I don't find it to be a problem at all. Even U-turns in the road are fine.
The stock build is high-end. On the Serios AF, it comes with the integrated corsair bars, full Ultegra Di2, and Hed jet 5 wheels. That’s an awful lot of bike. It also ships 99% built. This is an amazing feature. They also have a community of support on their website for folks that need help. Even if you’re not a mechanic, if you have basic familiarity with your bike, you can probably have the bike ready to ride within an hour of taking it out of the box.
That said, I suspect most folks will still want to take it to a shop. For me, I wanted help cutting the steering tube and aero bar extensions and also adapting my fit.
I put a lot of thought into setting the bike up in a way that was comfortable, fast, and carries all the food, Osmo, and gear I need. Another shout out to the Bicycle Pro Shop and my father for patiently helping me solve problems as I obsessed over details.
I was able to move the quarq powermeter from my Kestrel to the Serios. It took some work. Quarq is owned by Sram, and the DiamondBack came with Shimano, so the powermeter and chain rings weren’t compatible. Reading online there was some question about whether Sram chainrings are stiff enough to handle Shimano’s Di2 shifting. I wound up buying Praxis rings with Sram’s bolt pattern and they’ve worked like a charm.
The next challenge I ran into was the disc wheel. My disc is 10 speed and the DiamondBack is 11. I really didn’t want to have to buy a new disc. Eric at the Pro Shop was able to solve the problem by removing a cog from an 11 speed cassette, fitting it on the 10 speed wheel, and then limiting the rear cassette and adjusting the Di2.
Shift quality has been fine. I notice a small hitch when the chain goes over the missing cog, but it makes the shift every time. I don’t get to take full advantage of the DB’s 11 speed drivetrain, but I have enough gears and didn’t have to spend $2000 on a new disc wheel, so I’m happy.
For hydration, I have the Torhans 30 oz between my aerobars and a single bottle behind the seat. Plan is obviously to rely on on course nutrition to fill the Torhans on the fly. The rear bottle is affixed to my saddle with a half dozen zip ties. The Pro Shop (remember I told you they were awesome?) helped me lock it down, even drilling a small hole in the carbon cage to make room for one last zip tie.
I cut both the straw and the fairing for the straw to make the Torhans more aero and less likely to smack me in the face and I mounted my Garmin between the aerobars directly in front of the bottle. I’m using the aero tray behind the Tornans bottle to put my flat repair kit and nutrition overflow that doesn’t fit in the bento box. I can get 4 Clifbar block packs on top of the tray (about 750 calories). And if you look back at the front view, it’s all completely hidden from the wind.
One last custom mod I’m proud of. DiamondBack hides the Di2 battery in the seat post with a port inside the large headset. This is a solid approach that will work for most people. Especially with all the adjustment I was doing to make the 10 speed disc work, I wanted easier access to the port. So I cut a small hole in the bento box and ran the cables through the headset and stuck the charging port in the box. It’s worked great, so it’s an idea people may want to steal.
I think that’s it. The bike is ready for the Ironman, so hopefully, I am too!
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