Episode 1: Rise of the PHX

This is my multi part expose on the carbon fiber PHX (phoenix) that I will be riding this year for Valdora Cycle's.

Episode 1
Today is the day that the PHX rises from the ashes and claims it rightful place at my side. I wanted to be there for the entire process of going from box to build to fit at Tribe Multisport. Since we knew it was going to take a while since they had only put a few speck peices togethers, a select few gathered after hours at The Tribe to assemble the bike while the store picked up some lost time during the day.

Your going to hate me but I am writing this at 0300 in the morning and I forgot my digital camera at the store. Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon.

I would like to tease that the weight of the frame without fork is under two pounds and with fork is just over 2.5 pounds. The total weight of the bike without water bottles is a nudge under 20 pounds.

The PHX carries Ultegra compo group with a Gossomer crank (very light and strong), Carbon Stryke aerobars, its a ten speed instead of a nine speed so I gain some gearing ratio's, I know in the stock photo I posted it shows Zipp wheels but I actually got Easton Vistas with my race kit, which are not as advanced as my Easton Circuits so I swapped those out with my other bike. The seat is a Valdora seat which looks and feels much like my current and favorite Serfas Tri Seat.

It took till 0100 to get it all put together and swapped and clean up the shop. Two of us sat around and fired off movie quotes for some time while Kevin worked on the second PHX being sold out of the store for tomorrow and some other bike building duties. He was still there when I left working away. The guy goes all out.

It became too late to do the fitting so back to the store at 11oo for that.

If you have made it this far I have a couple of medical announcements to make:
1. Mighty Mo is indeed sick again. Vomit city until passed out from exhaustion. Another weekend of attempting to keep him out of the emergancy room.
2. Mistress is feeling better, just in time, to nuture the Mo. Ankle is black and blue and a bit stiff. Pnuemonia is doing better.
3. Hardcore Mike, the training partner whom I gave my mtn. bike too so he could finish the Soma 1/2 IM after crashing badly in that October race, was in a car on bike accident today. An elderly man swiped him, taco'd the front wheel jamming it into the wheel well of the car and dragging both he and the bike about 20 feet until turning into a driveway to get off the road. Several people stopped to assist, the driver tried to keep the police out of it because it turns out he has a suspended lisense. He says he has insurance but none on him. Hardcore called me as his fiance drove him and the bike to Tribe to get it fixed before IMAZ in just a few short weeks. I tried to tell him to get to an ER after that but he said maybe tomorrow. He's just Hardcore like that.

Pictures today.