New Bicicletta (trying to make it sound Italian, when it's not!) w/Addendum

yes, that's still snow hanging out on our front yard.
ite kids. what's a family guy to do when it's understood that his three kids get a free undergraduate degree on mom and dad (and said dad rides about 4 hours/week to become pack fodder)? budget, baby (i.e. no name brands like the pinarello prince-although when i first started racing i had the pinarello slx columbus tubing with the chromed fork and chainstay in firecracker red!). so, when his faithful steed of 5 years (of racing) starts heading south (i.e. shifting on its own, 105 nine-speed, not quite as crispy...) it's time for a budget-minded new racer! the best deal i found was the closeout '07 fuji pro team. it (noteworthy) has:
* c4 (not c7 boo-hoo!) 12k weave, high modulus, monocoque carbon (so the tensile strength's on the low-side) wishbone seatstayed, conventional 54 cm. frame/fork.


* dura-ace r. derailleur.

* fsa carbon mega-exo, outrigger ball bearings standard 53/39, 172.5mm chainring/crankset (slightly scratched, the bike shop took off $50 for the blemish).

* ultegra: shifters, f. derailleur, and dual pivot brakes.
* shimano r-550 straight-spoked wheelset (16 front, 20 rear), this is okay.
the price, including tax was still sub-$2k. on the websites i perused it was as high as $2.5k and as low as $2.1k. i figured it was a good deal. if y'all see it cheaper, tell me the url and my bike shop will refund me the difference. cool huh?
i cannibalized my speedplay zero pedals, thomson elite seatpost, and the fi:zik pave saddle (5 years of my arse breaking it in and chamois cream diffusion has elevated it to barcalounger status) from my old, faithful ride onto the new ride. haven't ridden it yet. seems like today might not be good either as a precipitating cold front's starting to hunker down. boo-hoo! well as long as it's show-and-tell, here's some pics of my 4th and 5th kids. adela...

...and ruby.
vicious aren't they?
ADDENDUM (added march 28th)
ite den kids. went for a ride on the new beasty and here's the dealio:
* it's designed more for road races than crits.
it's all due mostly to the frame and slack angles. the fork has generous rake and the wheelbase is longer than the giant. furthermore, the frame is conventional rather than compact (like the giant). the giant's fork is a straight bladed fork and the seat tube has a dimple to accommodate the rear tire's clearance (and shorter wheelbase).
* i was expecting something extra-special but nothing significant happened.
i remember back when the oclv's came out, i had my badass pinarello steel bike. steel has a fantastic ride that's different from ti (squishy to ultra stiff), alu (ultra stiff, unforgiving), or carbon (stiff but compliant). when i hopped on my bud's oclv it was stiff in a compliant way and it seemed that turning the pedals instantaneously transferred watts to the rear wheel-or so i perceived. that's what i was expecting from the fuji. it was close. remember when you first rode a pair or sew-ups after riding clinchers for so long? your perception was: boy, the road feeling is a million times more lively. the fuji was close again. instead of lively, it was mellow in a road absorbing, confidence in the descents sort-of-way. or to use a car analogy, instead of the fly-by-wire perception your butt gets on a bmw m-3, you get a very neutral and quasi-plush audi quattro ride. both are quality but i was expecting a more rear-wheel drive, front-wheel steer sort of sensory input. the carbon cranks were stiff enough in combination with the straight pull spokes that the bike did want to go forward with slight force to the pedals. hoo-wee though, the rear cluster's tight! i better be fit enough to make their revolutions!
bottom line: it's fine enough and quality enough but have yet to see its manners in a group ride where everybody's hair's on fire (and my actions are all on autopilot mode)...