Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - benando

Pages: [1]
1
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Novatec D791/792SB
« on: June 19, 2022, 03:38:22 PM »
Rear freehub has historically had problems with 100 kg mountain bikers mashing their sub 1:1 gear ratios (i.e. very high torque) up steep climbs. This is a challenge for any rear hub, and tales of this sort of failure have been amplified by (1) the fact that novatrc sells a ton of hubs and is the OEM for many wheel brands and (2) inherant bias against non western companies.

I have 6k miles with the front and rear hub on my gravel bike. No issues. Got mine from Bdop Cycling with Japanese EZO bearings. I would, however, hesitate to buy them for a mountain bike wheel build. In twouldhis case I would reach for 18t ratchet DT 350 instead.

2
Component Deals & Selection / Re: 2022 - Rotor recommendations?
« on: April 07, 2022, 02:33:00 AM »
I bought the ztto floating rotors in 160 and 140mm. They do seem thicker, even after alignment with spacers so that they fit centered between my brake pads. The 160 had a minor wobble which I corrected by gentle bending with my hand. I also had low speed brake shudder which went away after 10 miles of road riding.

Overall I wouldn't buy again simply because the solid steel rotors are plenty for me. But if I had to buy floating rotors, I would buy ztto again. Floating rotors do not have any history that I've read of failing. Also the ztto rotors are identical to differently branded rotors I see from Western bike retailers.

My experience with smaller rotors could easily differ from others experiences with the larger ones. More chance for a bad wobble to occur when bigger.

3
https://www.workswellbikes.com/endurance/wcb-r-256-v-brake.html

Endurance bike. Workswell is a pretty well-regarded brand around here. Almost fully integrated and rim brake, 394 reach 611 stack


4
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Glasses
« on: July 19, 2021, 08:14:46 AM »
I agree with the comments about the photochromic RockBros glasses. The tint doesn't turn super dark, but perfect for near night time rides or cloudy days.

I also have some RockBros frameless with the yellow reflective coating, but when I wash the glasses with dish soap and 40-45 C water the reflective coating started to flake off in parts. Washing with cold water doesn't seem to cause that.

So mind your water temperature.

5
Could be lots of things causing it. I have not experienced speed wobs from my open mold frames.

Check your bearings for slop: headset bearings (hold front brake and rock bike forward+backward). Also check the axles for wheel bearing slop.

No noticeable asymmetry in how the tire is mounted? No noticeable frame flex or cracks visible?

I had speed wobble on another bike of mine and I solved it with bike fit. My position had my saddle too high and too far back, causing me to unweight the handlebars and generally be uncomfortable. The constant micro-adjustments between sitting in the middle of the saddle and shifting my butt to the right side of the saddle to "protect my dominant leg" (BikeFitJames insight there) and alleviate pressure would cause the bike to not track straight at low speeds, and then cause speed wobble at high speeds.

Best of luck

6
Component Deals & Selection / Re: ZTTO chains
« on: April 08, 2021, 09:26:02 PM »
Recently ordered ZTTO regular silver chain, 11 speed, brand is SUMC. Performance is OK with shimano crank + cassette, shifting into bigger cogs is occasionally a bit slower than ultegra chain. I stripped the factory grease with paint thinner and used Squirt wax lube, and the chain holds onto the wax fine.

7
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Subcompact cranksets
« on: April 08, 2021, 09:19:10 PM »
In the Prowheel catalog there is this crankset with 46/30 chainring
http://www.pro-wheel.com.tw/main/?product=dma-cr100a-tt

but in Aliexpress now is not available
https://it.aliexpress.com/store/910333149?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.4ea07d12NsEAvh

Thanks for this info, hopefully they bring it to Ali soon.

Note that this crank isn't strictly road, it's similar to Shimano's GRX gravel cranks, see 46mm chainline and 153mm q factor, compared to 43.5 and ~145 for road cranks.

8
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Chinese cycling clothes
« on: March 22, 2021, 11:25:42 PM »
This is a review of all the clothing I've gotten from AliExpress. All prices are USD and I am located in USA.

Racmmer
Overall: Fast shipping, would buy again for fun things to wear on toot-about rides. Well-organized seller page on Ali.

1) I ordered a basic-level matching bibs+jersey set for $30, both in size Large. The screen printing is low quality and the material isn't so great, but for the price it's OK, plus the patterns are the best on AliExpress IMO.
The sizing is a bit off from normal. Jersey runs large, but bibs run small.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32866597694.html

2) Jersey in the "Pro" range for $17, size Large. Jersey does not run large in the Pro range, material is slightly higher quality, screen printing same low quality. Again, fun colors however. Would buy another.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001504835729.html

3) Winter thermal fleece overshoe for $15, size XL. Didn't get to use them last winter, but I got them so I could double layer this fleece overshoe underneath a windbreaking overshoe (Wisconsin winters are no joke).
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32726518090.html
 
4) Why do they use two m's in their name? That's the biggest question.

Zhuiyan & Socks Store
Overall: Holy jeebus I LOVE their socks. And for the price too  8) 8)! I will be ordering more socks to give as gifts to cycling friends. Downside: slooooow shipping, but this is expected by the Cainiao shipping method.

1) These "Team Aero" Socks. They have silicon grippers at the top. One-size-fits-all suggests size from 39 to 45. At size 42, I do well with these, but they stretch enough I bet 47 would fit too. Silicon gripper is very nice and works well. Fun patterns. I bought 3x and all are great.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001046132853.html

2) These regular cloth socks are the best cycling socks I've ever worn. Nice stretch and don't stick to my feet when trying to slip them on. Normal drying rate during rides. Super cozy and comfy, I wear them around the house. Damnit now I want to order more pairs.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001127032897.html

X-Tiger
Overall: fast shipping, well-organized seller page on Ali (always a plus in my book!) would buy again.
1) These bib shorts, which were only available for a short time it seems. Nice material, good bib, but a bit expensive at $39. Size Large runs a bit large. Wouldn't buy them if I saw them in a store at this price, but I'm happy with this purchase.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001221450936.html

2) This cap doesn't breathe very well. Cheap little item. Would be good if I ever had a short haircut in the winter and wanted some protection through my breathable helmet.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000179327438.html

3) These gloves in the thick grey for $12. They're OK, size M is a bit tight, not really good below 3 degrees. Not super breathable. To be fair, gloves are very hard to get right, especially for me.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32947162199.html

4) These Shoe covers, size XL (44-47). These run true to size. I sized up so they could act as overshoes to my other Raccmer fleece overshoe. Good material, waterproof, nice velcro and zippers, strong construction. I really like these. I would buy them again in the right size for when I don't want to double layer overshoes. A real bargain.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000269961357.html

ROCKBROS
Overall: they make some good shit. They're like the ZTTO of apparel and accessories and bags. Good for the price, not quite the best however.

1) These autumn/spring gloves, which are actually perfect for anything over 12 degrees C. Really good fit for me, comfy padding that isn't so thick and large that you can't reach your brakes in the drops anymore (looking at you, literally every western bike brand I've tried gloves from...) Would definitely order again and I would buy these for friends.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000830490651.html

2) Photochromic tint-shifting glasses. The fit and finish is very good. As good as any Oakley BS that's for sure. Will order pairs for friends as gifts. As some reviewers noted about the Photochromic version, the tint doesn't get super dark. At first I agreed, however with use I find these are perfect for cloudy day riding, because they don't get too dark. Also good for late afternoon rides when the sun goes down but you still want eye protection.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000955468830.html

Spexcel
Overall: Would NOT order from them again.

First Order
Ordered 2 short sleeve jerseys, 1 long sleeve jersey, 2 bibshorts. Only 2 items were sent with the first order, had to wrestle with them over seller chat and pay a $5 something or other so they could generate another purchase order in the AliExpress system... Gah I don't even know, that left a sour taste. Kit is good, runs true to size, plenty of other reviewers have talked about them already so I'll pass on the details

Second Order
Ordered 4 more items, got a fake tracking number. Went to chat with the seller on Ali, they played games with me. Said fuckit and asked for a refund through AliExpress which was granted.
I think Spexcel is super slammed with orders because of their popularity and they can't keep up, so they do the fake tracking numbers at times. Oh well.


Looking forward to trying Santic and Rion after the positive things from this thread!

EDIT: Are you having problems with your clothing zippers? Some sellers use good YKK zippers (or at least they are branded as such...). Some use no-name zips. Really sucks when a zipper comes apart on your jersey mid-ride.
A tip from me is to pinch one side of the zipper slider slightly (very very slightly) closed with some pliers. See "Tightening a Zipper Slider" on this REI page https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/how-to-fix-a-jacket-zipper.html

9
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Recommendations for cockpit parts
« on: November 10, 2020, 08:03:03 PM »
Here is a side picture:

Cheers mate. It curves up in the rear half much more than I thought. You just saved me $24.

10
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Recommendations for cockpit parts
« on: November 08, 2020, 03:20:16 AM »

And last year I switched to something more radical, I love it.
Very comfortable even on ultra-long rides.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32921891894.html

I've been looking at this saddle. It seems like it might fit well, but the pictures are unclear about fore-aft curve. Could you please take a side profile picture of that saddle, Carbonazza, and post it here? None of the seller photos or buyer photos show the side profile. It looks like it curves up at the rear but is flat at the front.

11
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: Carbonda Cfr 1056
« on: August 05, 2020, 09:56:02 PM »
I am also interested in this frame.

Seems like a very good design that ticks lots of the right boxes. 32c tire clearance, stable wheelbase, good bb drop, acceptable trail numbers for all but the smallest size. DI2 slot on the downtube, internal routing (but not fully internal) and BB86.

Let us know if you have any more info on it. Seems like a good frame if you must have 32mm tires.

Pages: [1]