Andrews V20C Build 2025 discussion (1st time building bike)

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
And plus I just plum want to have new bike. I have not had a new bike since my 12th birthday when i got a Huffy from farm and fleet store.
I think it is about time - get everything you want! If you ever want to have a disc on the back (that is not loud or hard to fill) - just get the inexpensive wheelbuilder covers. They do the trick and will just fit over any rear CF wheelset you have. They are also easy to put on and off, and can even go under the disc rotor - so no braking problem
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member
After extensive additional research from all the questions and suggestions from above i have a new parts list with some additional parts i forgot with a few additional questions. I upgraded my brakes and switched out the left brake controller to etap now that i understand how it shifts. I also had a consultation with he bike wheel manufacturer and they guaranteed the wheels will work. While researching I actually came up with a few questions on more possible upgrades and needs.

1) Is the yoke for the handle bars on the V20C carbon or aluminum? Was looking at purchasing some aero bars and they say that the fastening device has to be carbon as well.
2) I still have not found a concrete answer to the brake lever question of "if the lever is good for rim brakes then it should work for mechanical disc brakes as well".....right?
3) And if i understand everything properly for the etap set up.......Theres CR2032 batteries in the hoods and the derailleur recharges thru USB?

Attached is new parts list
 

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Henri

scatter brain
Was looking at purchasing some aero bars
Drop bars with wing shaped tops? The handle bar sits at a different angle and the aero shape will probably not have an advantage, maybe it will even slow you down. Depends on your exact fitment, when you are on the bike.

and the derailleur recharges thru USB?
It has a removable battery and the battery charging cradle connects to USB. You can't charge the battery in the derailleur. There are sets that include the charging cradle, but you might need to buy ine separately.
 
@Henri is correct about the wing handle bars. Mine’s like an airplane taking off. The angle is limited by the drops. I have it set so my wrists can rest on the drops.
Shown here on a curved slider.
 

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The slider is fully carbon (unless there are metal threaded inserts)

My brifter batteries still have plenty of life left, but I carry extras in my bag just in case. BTW the Garmin monitors the battery levels.

The derailleur battery charges off the bike with the (included) cradle and USB cable. Again, I carry an extra battery, but never had to switch it out. Once I was on a long ride and the Garmin alerted me to a low battery level, but it worked until I got home for recharging.

I have no experience with the lever’s compatibility with the disk brakes, but I think they’ll work well.
 

chicorider

Zen MBB Master
1) Is the yoke for the handle bars on the V20C carbon or aluminum? Was looking at purchasing some aero bars and they say that the fastening device has to be carbon as well.
2) I still have not found a concrete answer to the brake lever question of "if the lever is good for rim brakes then it should work for mechanical disc brakes as well".....right?
1. The V20c slider is carbon, including where it cradles the bars, but the clamps that wrap around the other side of the bars are aluminum. So the most accurate answer to this question is, half carbon, half aluminum. Hand position with these bikes can be pretty particular, and can vary from rider to rider. If the bars that I use on my V20c and S30, set to where my hands feel most comfortable, were aero bars with flattened, winged tops, the wings would be nearly vertical, making them the opposite of "aero," and possibly obstructing my view a tiny bit. You might want to start with the bars that come with the frame kit, see how you like them, see where your hands like to be, and go from there. There have also been several discussions over the years about bar choice here on the forum. Search "Handlebar options v20c" as a start if you want to see what some have said on the subject.

2. Mechanical disc brake calipers come in "long throw" and "short throw" versions. Road bike style brake levers tend to be short throw, while mountain bike brake levers are often long throw. Many brands offer both types, and the trick is knowing if you have long throw or short throw levers. For example, TRP makes the Spyre and the Spyke. They are basically the same brake caliper by design, but the Spyre works for road levers while the Spyke is meant for mountain bike (or flatbar) levers. Avid specifies "Road" (short throw) or "Mtn" (long throw). The Growtacs only come in short throw, so they are best suited for road style levers.

I hope this helps. Happy building!
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member
Getting ready to start purchasing some parts but I cannot find the "Force eTap AXS Shift-Brake Lever" for mechanical brakes (EB-FRC-D1). My local bike shop even contacted SRAM and they said they were discontinued even though they are still on their website. Surfed the web this morning and found some online retailers and they are showing out of stock as well. Even the "Reds" are discontinued and out of stock.
 

Henri

scatter brain
When Google reaults for stores come up but are out of stock, sometimes I have some luck by using the picture search. Often the results are from stores as well and carry an 'out of stock' or 'in stock' label. But thats probably not working well for brifters where it's hard to see, if the picture shows a slightly different model.

Yeah, it's rare that someone would want the bleeding edge modern electronic shifting and the classic cable braking. I'll just remind you that you can set up a cockpit without brifters. I use a Surly Corner Stop handle bar or alternatives, MTB style brake levers and MTB or cummuter style shifter.
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member
Well now you cant find "blip boxes" in stock anywhere either. Some of the fun has been reduced since we seem to have a part shortage on SRAM equipment. Going to look at shimano electronic shifting again i guess.
 

cpml123

Zen MBB Master
Getting ready to start purchasing some parts but I cannot find the "Force eTap AXS Shift-Brake Lever" for mechanical brakes (EB-FRC-D1). My local bike shop even contacted SRAM and they said they were discontinued even though they are still on their website. Surfed the web this morning and found some online retailers and they are showing out of stock as well. Even the "Reds" are discontinued and out of stock.
This?
 

Frito Bandito

Zen MBB Master
yikes thank you very much, really dont want to order from ebay. will have to think about it for a bit.
I checked the site I bought my SRAM AXS stuff on here in Japan and right now there are no Blip Boxes on it but they are listed sometimes. You likely already know this but just in case, with AXS there is no need for a Blip Box.Screen Shot 2025-01-20 at 11.01.28.png
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member
I have relented and will be purchasing the HRD version of the brifters. I was just trying to stay with mechanical brakes but i might as well embrace 4 new technologies with my first ever build. In the long run i think it will be easier on myself and less maintenance. I was just afraid of hydraulic brakes up here in wisconsin where i sometimes ride in weather lower than 40 degrees F. I guess my fears are irrational?
 

Frito Bandito

Zen MBB Master
I have relented and will be purchasing the HRD version of the brifters. I was just trying to stay with mechanical brakes but i might as well embrace 4 new technologies with my first ever build. In the long run i think it will be easier on myself and less maintenance. I was just afraid of hydraulic brakes up here in wisconsin where i sometimes ride in weather lower than 40 degrees F. I guess my fears are irrational?
I don't know what the lower operating temps are for hydraulic fluid, and I stayed away from the first batch because usually manufacturers kinda rush a bit to get new products out but I am pretty sure they have worked the kinks out by now. I'll stick with mechanical brakes for the time being, but I hear the hydraulic brakes are the bees knees. 40F though? Forget that! 10C is my threshold. Any lower than that and I'm hibernating. Can't wait to see you logging miles on your new bike though.
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member

Ok just got off my scheduled call with Hunt wheels and made my purchase of the above wheel set. What great customer service Hunt has. The tech actually talked me out of the more expensive set of wheels. He warned me about the carbon spokes on the ones I "thought" were the best. He said the 100 gram increase in weight would be offset by the deeper profile and less chance of breakage, and if i did break a spoke (which i have almost every single year) my local bike shop should be able to fix easier. So instead of 1210g wheelset 32 deep, carbon spoke @ 1500$, I purchased 1466g wheelset, 44 deep, AL spokes @ 1100$. Now i just need to find wheel covers for when i travel to the flatlands of America.
 
Andrew I just redid s40 with 2x sram axs etap. It has mechanical mechanical brake brifter so less expensive than hyd. TRP and Juin make a hybrid mechanical/ hydro caliper that might interest you . I have original mechanical on s40 but will be changing to the hybrid this spring. It was nice to meet you at the Race the Lake, hope to see you this year as well.
 

Andrew Roerkohl

Active Member
Race the lake is August 17th and i already made my room reservations. However the event company has not opened reservations yet, but when they do i will create a discussion for it. We may have enough cruz bikers to create our own wave this year if we wanted to.

140mm or 160 mm rotors, which ones do i buy?
 
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