Congratulations! And you even have $500 left over in your budget to put towards a power meter! ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Yeah... I got a Cannondale (see previous post). 56 is a tad big for me... i ride 52-54...

Although I'm sure if you advertised the soloist frameset in the classifieds, you'd get more than a few nibbles...

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Chewie
Slowtwitch Aeroweenie since '06

Well...if it ends up being too big, I've got a '06 54 Kona Zing Supreme (with custom Kona "team issue" orange paint) you can have for ~$750. It's built up with Ultegra 9 speed.

Ha...you pulled the trigger too fast! Now you'll find out about ALL kinds of bikes available ;-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

I know you've already pulled the trigger, so what I'm saying here probably isn't really targeted at you, per se, as much as just thrown out there for any one else looking to do the same thing -- buy a bike for road racing.

Get a cheap aluminum frame, hang Shimano 105 (or Ultegra if want a little lighter weight) on it, ride the HELL out of it, then throw it away.

You want something out there that you don't have to think about, something that you won't be tentative about throwing into a corner or diving through a gap, for fear of losing your "life savings" investment. I know there are people who will chime in and say "I've never thought about my bike when I've been racing", but I will also tell you I've seen people hesitate, and when talking to them later, they said "I was afraid I'd hurt the bike." Seriously. So don't get in that area at all.

Cheap bike, reliable equipment. Ride it like you stole it.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

That's exacly what I've been doing. Riding around with a cheap Scattante built up with older Ultegra 9sp parts from my Giant TCR Aero 1, when I transformed the latter into a Tri/TT setup (had leftover shifters and handlebars, figured I might as well make a cheap bike out of it). And then I got my Cervelo P3, and so that Giant TCR Aero 1 goes to my dad.

And so I've been racing a pretty cheap bike. 105 parts, with Ultegra shifters, Ksyrium Elite wheels from my Giant TCR Aero 1. So the excuse has been "The guy who won the race had a better bike than me" as opposed to "I'm afraid that I'll hurt my bike". Which might be arguably true... I've come in a close 2nd in a race where the guy who beat me was riding a Soloist Team.

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Chewie
Slowtwitch Aeroweenie since '06