Team,
Several of you have received your new team frames and bike build kits. I know a few are still waiting on the Boyd Podium 55 wheels to ship (they are handmade to order) and some Dura-Ace 172.5mm 52/36T cranksets.
I've also fielded a few calls and emails about the assembly and wanted to share a few tips:
If you are using the Bridge 1pc bar/stem it requires a unique compression device, spacer, and top cap that's included with the bar/stem.
The wire lengths for the Di2 battery are for downtube location: The battery is installed in the head tube and passed into the downtube and wires are run to the FD and RD from the battery. A couple of zip tires wrapped around the battery with the tails left unclipped will keep it from rattling. Included bike kit wire lengths are 400m (FD) and 700mm (RD)
Leave a couple of extra cm of brake hose for the rear brake and a cm extra on the front brake so you can remove the bar/stem when the time comes to pack the bike for travel. Unbolt the brake calipers from the frame to gain a couple of extra cm to remove the cockpit without having to disconnect hoses.
Run the hoses from the caliper mount up to the cockpit first, before you install anything else.
Install the BB and crankset AFTER all the internal routing is complete.
The seat clamp has a small "keeper" bolt to keep the two halves of the clamp together. This bolt must be loose or you'll lock the clamp up and prevent it from moving when tightened. Aid the clamping force by greasing the sliding surfaces of the clamp. DO NOT grease any part of the clamp that touches the seatpost itself and do not grease any part of the seatpost or frame. The clamp develops a massive crush load when tightened, do not exceed the clamp's torque recommendation. I keep mine to 6.2Nm.
The frameset comes with a conventional rear offset post with a low profile Ritchey 1 bolt head for 7mm round rails. Additional rail sizes can be accommodated by swapping the clamp caps available from your local bike shop or directly from Ritchey or dozens of other online sources.
Zero offset seatposts are finally available for extreme positions. Like Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Cervelo, Argon, Felt, Factor, and dozens of other brands, this is a separate aftermarket purchase that represents less than 1% of the consumer demand. They are ~$200 MSRP
Replacement derailleur hangers are also available. I have a spare in my gear bag (along with a Di2 charger) that I travel to races with; it's cheap insurance. The nut that holds the hanger on the drive side of the frame is left hand threaded and comes off with an 6mm hex key.
The fastest configuration for the bottles is one bottle on the downtube.
The frames were designed with a bit extra carbon in the seat stays and the top tube where the handlebar might contact it. Those two areas are the highest areas of failure from a crash. The bike was not intended to be some weight weenie noodle; it's a race bike intended for US-style races; short and violent and with no real sustained alpine climbing where weight takes a front seat to other performance metrics. They should still build up to ~16 pounds with the Dura-Ace build kits.
Tire clearance was increased from the 3T Strada and Venge to a massive 35mm. I ran 33c tubeless CX tires for a gravel race in Bentonville, AR last summer and the bike performed very well on the fast gravel roads.
Please share any tips or hints on the assembly of the bikes that have been delivered and share your riding impressions with your teammates as I know there are still a dozen or so folks on the fence.
