I just got a TM-01/Ultegra Mechanical as well. Here are my initial impressions:
Building this was incredibly difficult. - First off, how the heck did you get that cover that goes over the front fork/head tube area around those cables? It seems to me that the only way to get the cables flexy enough is to upgrade to Nokon or Alligator or the new Jagwire.
- Secondly, I totally agree on the brakes. The front noodle was so dang tight. With the rear brakes, you have to remove the crankset to adjust the pads; let me say that again-you have to remove the GD crank to adjust the brakes! Thank goodness for Hollowtech cranks & how easy they are to remove. Regarding cable adjusters, they are a must or use a brake lever like the the Bontrager Race XXX Lite which has a built-in cable adjuster and a return spring.
- Thirdly, dialing in the dropouts is a PIA. On the first ride the wheel shifted to one side and was rubbing the whole time. I couldn't figure out why it took so much effort when out of the saddle. The fix was putting the dropouts in the minimum position, flush with the frame. Of course, this required re-aligning the brake pads, which meant removing the crank...(see #2)
- Finally, figuring out the friggin stem configurations was like doing origami. In the end, I appreciate the flexibility but, wow!
I spent 4 long nights putting this rig together.
11-speed/10-speed This is a 2014 that came with 11-speed. My "stable" of bikes and bike crap, er, components, are a mix of 9- and 10-speed and I have a lot of $ invested in 10-speed cassettes and wheels. I like being able to swap components among the bikes so I wanted to convert this bike to 10 speed. To this end-I swapped the shifters for SRAM 10-speed and put on wheels with 10-speed cassettes. Meanwhile, kept the 11-speed front&rear derailleurs and the chain. I had to reduce the width adjustment on the rear D but, remarkably, it all works pretty flawlessly and is very silent. There is only a slight skipping on the 19 tooth cog. Yeah, yeah, I'll replace the chain with a 10-speed but I am amazed that it works at all in the first place. I also think the "big 3"-Shimano, Campy, SRAM, create artificial reasons to upgrade and make a big deal out of non-backwards-compatibility.
But it looks Cool! This all said, at the risk of getting flamed, how f'ing cool does this bike look? Even though the design is in it's 3rd year it is still stunning.
It also feels very fast; it gives an effortless sensation of speed and is plenty stiff in the rear end for climbing.
I was riding with a friend this past weekend; he was on a Cervelo P2. He weighs 15 lbs more. We were going down a hill; I was coasting while he was continuing to pedal. We were at the same rate of speed. Wow.
The one irritant though-around 25 mph, it creates a whistling noise; have any of you experienced that?
Weight 8460 grams/18lb 10oz with Hed Jet 50 wheels (and the rear water bottle holder w/o the gear bag)
8700 grams/19lb 3oz with Hed Jet 60/90 wheels (")
Have a look: