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A pedal suggestion: go for something double-sided. Some people use Speedplays. I use Shimano XTR SPDs. I started with single-sided Ultegra road pedals, and fiddling with the pedal orientation while also trying to get rolling through an intersection quickly became a pain. I use Shimano RX8...

I notice the sweat too. One of the first things I do when I get home from a ride is slip off the foam headrest cover, fling out as much sweat as I can, and let it dry off the bike, rather than drip all over the back end.

I too am cooler on the V, because of the air flow, probably. But laid out as we are, we do certainly get a lot of sun exposure. I notice this right away on hot rides when I have to from full air flow to full stop at a red light. The sun catches up in a hurry.

You can put as much hurt on yourself on a V as you like, as far as training and exertion go. Here's what you will miss out on: "Man, my [ass, neck, hands, shoulders, back] really hurt. How many more miles do I have until I'm home?" Instead, once you're warmed up and the endorphins start...

I don't tend to do much drafting on my V. I can do it, no problem, but here's why I don't tend to: 1. on flat routes on fairly calm days (winds under 10mph), my I-can-do-this-all-day cruising speed is about 23-24mph. At that speed, I am pretty much a one-person paceline. I can ride out in...

Descents make me feel like I'm flying a fighter jet. Not that I've ever flown one, but... Once you're acclimated to the bike, and the wobbles are over with, your feet shouldn't interfere with your descending. I spin out my 52/11 at about 38mph, and coast from there. My top speed, that I...

@gaspi101 When I ordered my V20c back in March, they were only selling whole bike builds. I would have gone for just the frameset, but I didn't want to wait until fall. I replaced the 11-speed Microshift drivetrain and wheels with SRAM Red and carbon hoops right out of the box, so I never put...

Story time. I'll try to be brief. 2015: After 27 years riding DF bikes at a spunky pace, my lower back just couldn't do it any more. It totally seized up at the top of a long climb; and I love climbing. I could: quit riding, ride sitting bolt-upright at about 12mph, consider alternatives...

@vosadrian I've heard plenty of good stuff about Yoeleo as well. I've never ridden their wheels, but the reviews are good. @cruzKurt If I know what spoke I'm looking for (DT Swiss Competition, 14/15/14 gauge, or, Sapim Race, for example), I start Googling or eBaying, looking for the best...

@HeyHealy Same here. Not only does the clamping strength of the bottle cage matter, but it seems that the way they are oriented plays into it as well. When I arranged mine as you describe, with "the open side facing the back of the headrest," my bottles started sticking around.

@ChaleJake Thanks! No plans to sell my adapter, but it's easy enough to make, if you want to talk it over. I'm adding two more pics of the same bracket that I just made for my S30. It does cannibalize a couple parts from the CB bracket, but it gets rid of the clamp bolt that kept breaking on...

Oops! I also meant to include these two pics...

I can carry up to four bottles--two behind my shoulders and two under the seat. I started with the Cruzbike bottle cage bracket, but I kept breaking the bolt that holds the clamp to the headrest, dropping the whole bottle assembly to the street (including at mile 80 of a double century, on a...

At the risk of asking a dumb question (seriously, I am terrible at visualizing such things), could you flip the adaptor the other way? Would the brake caliper still engage with the rotor? (I imagine you tried that already).

One thing I like about Light Bicycle is that they will make you just about what you want (as along as you are willing to wait 6-7 weeks). When I built my V20 up seven years ago, I started with aluminum rims. It didn't take me long to trash three aluminum front rims. Much of that was pilot...

Yes, the rear spacing is 100mm. That part is easy. For the front (of a Cruzbike), there was a time when frame and hub manufacturers were dithering between the traditional 130mm spacing that worked for so long, and the "newer" (but now quite old and vanishing) 135mm spacing that came along...

One nice thing about bar-end shifters is that they operate independently of the whole braking system, meaning that you should not have to worry about mating the shift and brake levers. They are now separate pieces, with separate jobs. What kind of brakes do you plan to use (calipers...

Ditto what the others have said, to which I will add the importance of finding the best place for the bottom bracket--neither too far out nor too far in. Even with short cranks, if the bb is too far in or out, you will most likely experience pain. But get that spot just right, combined with...

It sounds like you are well on your way. Enjoy the process, as it is almost a kind of initiation. Good to hear from a fellow wheel builder. It's such a satisfying job.

@rdl03 The idea with the headrest is to have the pad contact the knob at the base of the skull, but not so much the neck bones and tissues beneath that knob. The skull is pretty tough, while the neck is rather delicate. I am attaching some pics to show how I bent the headrest slightly...