Here at Fit Werx our goal is to provide the most consistent builds possible. All bicycles from Fit Werx are designed to provide their owners with the best possible long-term ownership experience and to require as little adjustments as possible. Below we will detail what goes into our Pro Build step by step to show that each step is important in the overall feel and lifelong performance of our bikes.

Frame and Fork

We start with frame and fork alignment and preparation. Here we check to make sure the frame is aligned within Fit Werx’s tolerances which are even tighter than most manufactures.

Next we check the finish on the bicycle to be sure there are no blemishes or defects in craftsmanship. We also record the serial number on three documents that you will receive.

We flex hone the Seat Tube to ensure there are no sharp edges or debris inside that could bind the seat post. We apply grease inside the seat tube for steel and alloy frames, anti-seize inside Ti frames, and carbon paste inside our carbon frames to ensure the seat post does not slip.

Chasing the Bottom Bracket threads ensures it takes little effort to install the bottom bracket straight and reach the proper torque.

Facing the Bottom Bracket shell takes off any additional paint that is left on the outside surface and allows the bottom bracket to fit tightly and flush against the frame. This process keeps the bearings on each side of the bottom bracket aligned so they function smoothly and wear more evenly.

Moving on to the Head Tube we also face the external surfaces to ensure the headset bearing are aligned properly. This makes installation smoother and gives you years of easy turning.

The Fork Crown is an often over looked piece of the puzzle. We also face this surface to ensure the crown race of the headset is centered and straight on the fork crown. This eliminates any asymmetry in the fork headset junction.

Our last step in frame preparation is chasing the threads for the rear derailleur. This step removes any excess paint from the threads and aids in alignment of the derailleur.

Frame Bearing

Moving along in the process, we begin to install the components. The bottom bracket is wrapped with Teflon tape before installation. The frame threads are greased or anti-seized for titanium, and then the bottom bracket is torqued to specification.

The headset is installed next in similar fashion. The frame is coated with grease, or anti seize for titanium, then the headset cups are pressed in with the appropriate adapters to ensure the bearings are not harmed. The logos are correctly aligned, no detail is spared.

The headset race is installed on the fork with a race setting tool. Grease is applied under the race to ease the stress of installation.

The fork is now installed and the bearings are covered with grease to seal from outside contaminants.

Component Installation

We now begin to install the components on the frame. This is everyone’s favorite part and it is easy to forget to grease every bolt that is used here. This makes the proper torque easy to achieve and also keeps them from seizing in place over time. The crank goes in first and all bolts are greased as well as all bearing surfaces. The final step is ensuring proper torque of all bolts.

Derailleurs are the next components to be installed. The mounting bolt on the rear derailleur is greased and attached to the frame.

The front derailleur is a bit more involved to mount properly. The height and rotation of the front derailleur are crucial. We align the outer cage of the derailleur parallel with the outer ring of the crank set. We also set the height of the cage 1-2mm above the teeth of the chainring. We grease the fixing bolt and torque to spec.

Installation of the brakes is a very straightforward affair. We grease the mounting bolts and use longer bolts when required by carbon frames.

The chain is cut to length for each bike and left with extra room to use lower gearing when possible. We then install the chain per the manufactures direction to ensure highest strength.

Cockpit Component Installation

We begin installing the components that the rider will contact. These components are installed to the position dictated by the frame template. The stem is placed at the proper angle with the correct number of spacer below to achieve the correct handlebar position. The stem bolts are then torque to spec.

The handlebar is mounted in the stem and rotated to the proper position. The face plate mounting bolts are torque to the spec allowed by the handlebar manufacturer.

The shifters are installed once the handlebar position is dialed in. We use a straight edge off the flat section of the bar to ensure that each lever is symmetrical to the other.

The saddle rounds out this section in the checklist. The saddle clamp bolt on the seat post is greased and the saddle is mounted to the position dictated by the template.

Wheels

Wheels are a very dynamic part of the bicycle. Every pedal stroke accelerates them and every bump in the road is transmitted through them. Brand new wheels from the factory can have lots of issues. We take each wheel we sell and manually pre-stress each spoke to insure they are properly set in the hub and rim.

We then true and dish each wheel to our personal spec to make sure the spokes are uniform in tension and the wheel can run true for years to come.

Once the wheels have been tuned it is time to install the tires. We replace any factory rim strips that are in bad condition with Velox rim tape. We install the tires with the labels over the valve holes and apply a coating of baby powder to the inside before installing the tubes. We then fully inflate the tires.

We grease the cassette and locking before installing to make removal easier in the future. The skewers are greased and installed into the hubs. Then the wheels are mounted to the frame with the correct quick release tension.

Shifter and Brake Adjustment

The cable housing is routed in the smoothest possible manner and cut to length accordingly. The ends of the housing are ground down to be smooth and leave no burrs to snag the cable. This step ensures the cables will run as efficiently as possible.

As the cables are inserted into the housing a thin layer of Teflon lube is added to aid in the shifting and braking smoothness.

When we have the cable all run we begin to adjust the brakes and derailleurs. The limits on the derailleurs are set to prevent over shifting. The B tension screw is adjusted to position the upper pulley in the closest possible position to the cassette.

The brake pads are adjusted to the center of the braking surface and slightly toed in to provide maximum braking force. On aero bikes we add tension to the rear brake spring to aid in lever feel.

At this point all cables are firmly stretched to make sure the housing and ferrules have settled in firmly. This pre-stretches the cable to minimize future adjustments. All brakes and derailleurs are then readjusted.

The cable ends are then cut 5cm past the anchor bolts to allow easy future adjustments. All cable ends are soldered to keep them from fraying and make it easy to rethread them when the bicycle is shipped.

Final Prep

The final step in the build finishes off the bicycle with a professional touch. We wrap the bars from the bottom to the top and from the inside out to keep the tape from unwrapping under normal riding conditions.

We clean the manufactures grease off the chain and apply a Teflon lube to the chain to keep from attracting too much dirt.

We install and calibrate any additional accessories such as computers and water bottle cages making sure all wires and cables are secure and cleanly routed.

Once all the work has been completed the bike gets a final polish to give it that shine.

The last touch is the Fit Werx decal.

The bike is now ridden and put through its paces to make sure the bicycle is performing as it should. Once the test ride is completed the bicycle is fine tuned again and all the bolts are checked for proper torque. We also weigh the bike and record it on your checklist.

Here you have the finished product, all shiny and ready for the consumer. Along with the actual bicycle you will receive all the manuals that come with the components as well as our build checklist ensuring we have completed each step. Your warranty information will be completed and filed by us promptly after pick-up.

We have 2009 products coming in each week now and I don’t think we have been more excited about anything we have received than the new additions from Mavic. They have expanded their offerings this year with new wheel models, shoes, a very technical clothing line, updated computers, and pedals (available after the new year).

The wheel sets from Mavic have long been the benchmark in terms of reliability and performance. They have made improvements to one of their most popular wheel sets that debuted last year with the addition of the R-SYS Premium. The R-SYS has quickly become one of the lightest and most torsionally rigid climbing wheels on the market. This year with the addition of the Premium version they have added carbon dust caps and a titanium axle and skewers. This only saves about 10 grams of weight, but the new black rims and hubs are sure to be a hit. If you have not given these wheels a ride, stop in and take our demo set for a spin and you can judge for yourself how well they soak up our wonderful Vermont roads.

The newest wheel from Mavic takes the best features of the wheels in the Cosmic line and combines them together for a wheel that is the perfect blend of aerodynamics, light weight, stiffness and the practicality of a clincher. What more could you ask for? When Mavic introduced the Ultimate last year, they developed the R2R spoke technology that used a single carbon spoke that stretched from one side of the rim to the other, while wrapping over the hub in the center. This design minimizes weight while increasing the torsional stiffness significantly. Now you can enjoy the torsional stiffness of an all carbon wheel but in a clincher version. This wheel has lots of features not found in its competitors and is sure to put smiles on the faces of all those clincher fans.

New to the Mavic lineup is the addition of Mavic branded shoes. These shoes were designed from the ground up with the priority of proper fit. Mavic started the design process by scanning a 3D image of thousands of feet. From this they found the optimum ratio of length to width which just happens to work very well for my feet. I have always found the Italian shoes a bit narrow and when I found the most comfortable width, there was always extra length. The new Mavic shoes fit very snug all over without any extra pressure to ruin the comfort. The parent company that owns Mavic also owns Salomon and Arc’teryx and the shared relationship with these performance apparel companies shows in the new shoe line. Mavic has been making shoes for years now and marketing them under the Adidas brand name. The new line bearing the Mavic name shows a dramatic improvement with new technologies that improve performance and fit. The Pro Road model could cause some waves for the Italian shoe manufacturers. Featuring a carbon sole that is only 5.5mm thick, your foot will be set closer to the spindle for optimal power transfer. You can greatly reduce the rotating weight with this shoe coming in at 295grams for a size 10.5. That is competitive with the lightest shoes in its category and Mavic will be debuting a shoe that is more than 60grams lighter in the near future. So, what’s all this mean to you? You can now get a shoe that fits better, is lighter, has a full carbon sole, and saves you a few bucks. The new shoes from Mavic are sure to shake things up.

It’s simple right?  Put the wheel in, tighten the quick release and you’re off.  Not so fast!  If the wheel is not seated correctly you may encounter shifting, braking, and wheel alignment issues.  In addition, your safety could be in question.

The following procedure will guarantee that your wheel is installed exactly the same way every time and ensure that your wheel sits properly in the frame or fork. This is something that our service manager with over 15 years of mechanical experience does every time a wheel is installed because it is the only way to ensure the wheel is properly and consistently installed.

1. Place the wheel into the frame or fork dropouts like normal.

2. With the bike in an upright position on the most flat and level surface available, ensure the quick release lever is fully open.

3. VERTICAL DROPOUTS: lightly hit the top of the wheel with your fist a few times – this will ensure the wheel correctly sits within the dropout and force out any dirt or other contaminants. a solid “clunk” indicates the axle has fully seated within the dropouts.

HORIZONTAL DROPOUTS: keep constant pressure on the wheel from the rear of the bike to ensure the wheel is fully pushed forward in the dropouts and continue to do so for step 4 of the process. It is easy to use your leg for this purpose.

ALL BIKES WITH QUICK RELEASE LEVERS: if the brake pads are hitting the wheel during installation, the wheel will tilt or twist to one side. Manually adjust the brakes if necessary to prevent this.

4. While holding the bike in an upright position, tighten the quick release lever according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

5.  As a reminder, always check that your wheel is aligned within the frame or fork and the brake pads do not hit the tire or dive below the rim. If you have any questions give us a call.

We began receiving our first Campagnolo 11 speed groups this week after a long fall spent reading about the improvements in the group. Now that the wait is over, we have already sent the first Super Record equipped bikes home with very excited clients. I am sure everyone has an idea of all the changes in the new group by now, but I wanted to touch on the ones that stood out the most for us, from the point of view of an experienced mechanic.

So the new group has 11 speeds, but do we really need them all? The simple answer is yes. With 11 gears back there now, the spacing is a bit tighter between gears and offers quick shifting in both directions. This was not something I noticed right away, but after a short ride and some shifting under pressure, the transitions were quickand seamless. The new shifter internals have the same Campy mechanical feel when shifting to higher gears, but have a new Shimano-like smoothness when going to the lower gears. The lever throw seems a bit shorter as well, making the transition to the big chainring easier than in the past. In general, the 11 speed shifting is an improvement on the already stellar Campagnolo quality.

Ergonomics seems to be found in every aspect of our lives now. When STI shifting came on the market, we were all amazed by how easy it was to shift while riding on the hoods. The new Campy shifters are no exception, and they have brought a new level of comfort to riding on the hoods. The new lever shape, while odd looking, really gets the job done. The brake lever is easy to reach from any position, the new blade shape gives the fingers a nice place to rest, either on the hoods or in the drops, and the new hoods are softer than ever before. With the new tri-density rubber, Campy shows Shimano and SRAM the extent that they have taken comfort. I believe these levers are going to work well for a wide range of hand sizes, since they seem to fit my large mits very well, but are narrow enough to allow even small hands to reach the brake lever.

With any high end component group you expect flawless execution of shifting and braking, but come on, we expect it to look good too, right? Super Record does not disappoint in this category either. The subtle changes from the Record 10 groups of past is with the brakes and cranks being mostly unchanged except for the stealthy dark grey chain rings. The rear derailleur adds a new beefy carbon plate for extra strength and a more aggressive aesthetic. Overall, this group lives up to the hype of months of waiting and short supplies. If you are interested in any of the new 11 groups, let us know, as we have great pricing on full kits. If you’re thinking about the SRAM or Dura Ace options, we can get you in line for the new 7900 or Red groups too.