Today we're putting a twist on our typical Bike of the Week. Rather than simply highlighting the specs of a fresh build, we're sharing insight into the journey that a rider, and their bike stable, transitions through over time. As the miles accumulate, tastes and preferences evolve. We'll span this story our over a couple installments, but to kick things off we'll hone in on a beautiful black and white Pegoretti that perfectly illustrates that progression.
The Starting Point
We originally built this bike at the tail end of 2017. A beautiful Pegoretti Marcelo coated in HD paint. Sram tends to be a less common choice for Pegoretti builds, but that was our rider's preference and we had no issues with that! A Red mechanical group, complete with a Quarq power meter crank, and and a lovely set of hand built Corima 47 to Chris King wheels.
That system had served well, providing excellent performance with no issues. That said, time brought on the urge bring the bike to it's Italian birth right. Especially since the rider had acquired another bike, also set up with Sram, the time had come to diversify the fleet. This Marcelo was ready for a change to Campagnolo.
Going Under the Knife
After a thorough cleaning and detailing, Robert began the process of dismantling the bike. One by one, the Sram bits were neatly removed to make way for the new Campagnolo.
After a fresh coat of wax, the bare frame was ready for its new parts. Not only was the bike getting outfitted with a brand new drive train, it would be receiving some key upgrades along with it. The carbon rear derailleur was given a facelift with Ceramcspeed pulleys. The stock crank bearings were pulled too, also receiving the ceramic bearing treatment and proper lubrication.
As is the case with every bike project, Robert approaches every aspect of the build with a scrutinizing attention to detail. Cables meticulously cut and measured, bolts torqued with precision tools, no more or no less grease than the exact amount needed for each application. No detail, be it functional or aesthetic, gets overlooked.
The Pegoretti Reborn
With the work completed, it was as if a brand new bike was rolling out of the workshop.
The kit of choice was a mechanical Record gruppo, a superb set up for a high performing work-horse machine. Its organic shapes and subtle graphics perfectly suit a bike like this Pegoretti. 170mm cranks spin a standard 53/39t chainset. At the rear, the twelve cogs span 11-29 teeth. You'll notice the fruits of Robert's labor in the perfectly curved loops of cable housing, further heightened by the perfected logo placement and neatly crimped cable ends.
A few things to carry over from its past life were the cockpit pieces, though they clean up so well you could hardly tell. The Fizik R1 bar, stem, and VS Evo saddle, along with the Thomson stem, are resilient and ready for continued use. The bars did however get wrapped with a fresh layer of 2mm Fizik Vento Tacky bar tape.
As wonderful as the Corima 47s are, this bike couldn't fight the calling for the new Bora 45 WTOs. For an aero wheel they ride impressively light and stable in any kind of wind, plus they add the benefit of going tubeless. On that note, the rims were matched with a pair of Vittoria Corsa Control TLR tires in 28c. No inner tubes, just a few ounces of Orange Seal Endurance sealant.
If you know anything about AC, you know we're all about the little details and upgrades that often go overlooked. This bike gets a few of our signature moves. Every bike gets color coordinated brake cable grommets. For this one, the black and white HD paint made that a simple task. The EE headset top cap is one of our favorite touches. An easy way to shave 20-30g and it looks nice and elegant atop any stem (Note the perfectly oriented text on the bolt. Nothing gets overlooked...) In the rebuild process we noted the Ceramicspeed bearings but here's the finished work. The derailleur pulleys and the bottom bracket bearings are both the coated models. Not only are they smoother (which is faster) but also significantly more durable than their standard offerings.
Would you even be able to tell this bike was over two years old? Don't get us wrong, it was absolutely pristine in its first incarnation, but now in its next life, this Pegoretti is simply stunning. Wouldn't you agree?
But what about that Sram group and those Corima wheels? Fear not, they'll make a come back in our next post, so be sure to stay tuned...
Thanks for reading! If you've got any questions at all about a new build or a bike refresh, don't hesitate to send us a note to info@abovecategorycycling.com
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