Frame and Wheel learned somewhere that one of the most important sources of information about a bicycle for a buyer comes from the guy on the floor of the independent bicycle dealer (IBD). A few simple words of praise or doubt can make or break a transaction. Frame and Wheel is quite certain that this is true. Frame and Wheel believes that the recommendation of the mechanic is even more important given that the mechanic is the person who must spend the time and the energy fixing the thing. Frame and Wheel has learned from eBay Selling Services that one learns the true condition of an item as it is cleaned, imaged and described. With new items, real knowledge is acquired when the build process begins. Frame and Wheel brought the sample Austro-Daimler Superleicht to the local mechanic to begin the build up process. The frame was vigorously inspected through experienced eyes and things were spotted that Frame and Wheel would never have spotted.
The first observation is that the frame does not have a mount for the front derailleur. There are holes for the screws that will fix the mount to the seat tube, but the mount is not included (usually a frame is delivered with this mount already on the frame). Frame and Wheel remembers discussing this during the ordering process and selecting a braze-on mount for the front derailleur. It appears that something was lost in the translation. The lesson here is that assume that nothing is fully understood and insist on complete exactness.
The next observation is about what internal cabling really means. Full internal cabling means a clean look to the bike as all the cables run inside the tubes and thus a sharp profile for the cyclist. For the mechanic it means some extra work, some of it quite painful. This frame requires that the rear derailleur cable and the front derailleur cable both run inside the down tube, with the front derailleur cable emerging just behind the seat tube and the rear derailleur cable continuing on through the chain stay and continuing straight on into the rear derailleur. This means that cable housing for two cables must squeeze through the opening on the left side of the down tube. It also means no cable stops.
The fishing line shown in the images allows the mechanic (not the cyclist) to run the cable housing all the way through the frame without having to "fish"the cable housing around for the exit holes; once the housing is in place, the mechanic can run the cable through the housing (all sounds very simple, but not really). This means that there is three or four feet of cable housing running from the brake/shifter, through the frame and right up to the front derailleur and the rear derailleur. This will have some impact on the feel of the shifting and will make replacing cable housing a more time consuming and technical process; it also means more weight. It also means that the cable is protected from the elements and that grit will not work its way into the cable housing and thus making it difficult to shift (cyclocross bikes are set up with cable housing running full length of the cable for this reason). The reality is that the industry is migrating towards internal cabling for high performance frames. Frame and Wheel notes that some companies like Felt Bicycles have made it easier for the mechanics by clearly labeling how and where the cables are supposed to go. Add an instruction manual to the list of things to do.
Finally, it was noted that the water bottle mount for this particular frame is not centered on the seat tube. Indeed, it appears to be slightly angled to the right. This particular frame is a sample frame that will eventually be built up for a test rider. If it were not a sample frame, it would go back to the manufacturer or onto eBay. The conclusion is that this adventure is going to have many challenges and it will take longer than expected to achieve what seem like simple things. That should make achieving these goals that much more satisfying. It also means that Frame and Wheel will be hanging onto the S2.
