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Re: LTWOO ER9 & ERX - Electronic groepsets
What's the general feeling towards ltwoo erx in spring 2024? I've been tempted to pull the trigger on a number of occasions but too many of the YT influencers saying it's not a finished product, has inherent problems etc ( maybe ltwoo aren't paying them enough to endorse). Aliexpress have a sale this week, never been a better time to buy however I value reliability over anything.If you value reliability over ANYTHING, then buy Shimano. YouTubers often receive early units and they serve as beta testers. Bad strategy? These YouTubers had the battery with tabs and not springs, which caused most of the concerns. Your concern over shilling is also warranted. Anybody who has a discount code on anything has an interest in you spending more, mathematically. And so if you don't see a discount code on l-twoo, they don't stand to benefit, which is worse. If they don't make money from it but then users report problems, then they just shit themselves in the foot twice. I'm very happy with my 5 er9, but I kind of want them to fail to see what happens. I enjoy the tinkering and the grind of making my own bike infinitely more than buying off the shelf pre packaged branded stuff. Shimano for me is a patent troll and SRAM is the worst assemble of engineers in recent bike history, so I will get out of my way to try alternatives. I still use a Shimano group on an old bike. That stuff will never die. You probably should buy Shimano if your key concern is reliability. L-twoo electric groups didn't exist a year ago. Nobody can tell you how they age long term. They may age like fine wine, they may age like Lindsay Lohan. Do you want modern day Lindsay Lohan on your bike? March 17, 2024, 01:57:42 PM |
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Re: More Aero frame in direction of Merida Reacto?
Your saddle height is 80cm? Mine is 80-81 and there's plenty of seatpost left. I measure the distance between the center of the BB to the saddle. Virtually any bike in medium can accommodate that distance, because I've never had an issue (vb168, vb gf002, the grevil copycat I'm testing...). I suspect I misunderstood though because I have long legs but I'm "only" 184, so I don't see how you could be 199. Oh the bright side, long legs means smaller frames, so even if you're a giant, you'll find a frame that fits. Pick a relaxed one though "So compared to my saddle high of 80cm I'm running 56+20 = 76cm a 4cm too short. They can't sell me any that are longer". That reads like you're linking top tube length with saddle height, which makes no sense to me. Please explain 
March 17, 2024, 02:05:55 PM |
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Re: CarbonSpeedCycle CSC wheels - avoid them
I love that sellers just block customers, behaving like western snowflakes. It's kind of funny. Always lean hard on AliExpress when you have a problem with a seller, if you can prove you're right, in my experience, they help you. AliExpress today is not AliExpress 5 years ago. Same with Chinese sellers in general. It's become much easier to communicate for example. It used to be that the language barrier made it impossible to have any nuanced conversation. Now I feel I can ask fairly complex questions and get an answer that passes the smell test. Also, they innovate now, they're past the pure copying phase. You can't innovate and be a brain dead donkey, the two don't go together. March 17, 2024, 02:15:48 PM |
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Re: Cut the fork
Thank you Serge (are you French?). Guilty I stand on the shoulders of giants, nurtured by a culture of patisseries, adultery and weapons manufacturing. And I complain. A lot. For example I thought my er9 was a piece of shit when it stopped working yesterday. Turns out I just didn't charge it. I blame al Qaeda. March 17, 2024, 02:21:09 PM |
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Re: More Aero frame in direction of Merida Reacto?
Sorry guys for the mess. I wrote longer response and some how it only posted my first sentence... :-| Hahaha fair enough, I've never measured that tube. I'd have to check my own bikes, but in medium, 84cm from center of BB to top of the saddle probably works, I don't think any of my seatposts are nearing their limits. You'd surely at least get a size larger, so you're not a Frankenstein at all. Simply email the sellers, when I bought the VB frames I asked them to confirm I could run 81, and they said yes. They will not lie to you if you ask such a specific question, and that way you're not gambling on the outcome. You can measure your ape index, I have long legs and a positive ape index, so I'm most comfortable on a smaller frame, but I can fit on a frame someone my size would typically run. It took me something like 5 bikes to realize that... March 19, 2024, 06:00:14 AM |
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Re: Interesting Aliexpress finds! - good deals, interesting stuff, new products etc!
Hello, someone has tested ztto t47 bb for gravel? Does it work fine? thanks I've installed several ztto bb86 ones (the normal ones basically, for 24mm axles). They're great. Assuming the t47 format is the same press fit tech of one aluminum sleeve that screws into the other and crates something rigid in one piece, I wouldn't worry and I'd order it. March 19, 2024, 06:22:36 AM |
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Re: Alternative for blipbox
" They retail for $99/pair and come with mounting brackets for drop bars. The Wireless Blips are not rechargeable and need to be recycled with other electronics when they stop working. SRAM estimates their battery life at up to two years, with more frequent riders likely getting a little over a year out of them. " I'm unfamiliar with these things, but that sounds crazy to me. Imagine you go on a trip and they just die. Are you supposed to just carry spares with you at all times? Maybe that's why they originally weren't supposed to be used standalone? A bike that can't shift is no fun to ride. What if you have a race coming up? You've used them for 6 months. Can you monitor the state of the battery in a reliable manner? Imagine the thing dies on you on your A race day. One year of prep down the drain because SRAM engineers are donkeys. That's also de facto a subscription, btw... March 19, 2024, 06:33:01 AM |
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Re: Converting rim brakes wheels to disc brakes
Why would this be more dangerous than any other wheel? The difference for disc rim and rim brake rim is literally just the brake track... No it isnt. the braking forces are completely different so they're built differently. i suspect the spoke holes area is thicker on disc wheels because of where the braking force is applied. it would also look ugly it would take forever to relace, it's a cheap wheelset to start with, can't make sense financially when you can simply sell the rim wheels & buy disc wheels. it's a botch that can end with death. March 20, 2024, 01:08:50 PM |
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Re: More Aero frame in direction of Merida Reacto?
It came with all the usual stuff, so Alisa charged me for the headset, thru axles, a spare RD derailleur hanger. I bought bars separately, ultimately i dont remember what came with what, but i was able to build the bike. BB is ZTTO machined alumiunium type where 1 side screws into the other, it's been working great on various bikes. It's kind of like a hambini BB in spririt (you end up with a solid metal sleeve across the BB instead of standalones PF cups), but it costs <20 eur. ceramic bearings make no sense in cycling, so i have steel bearings. I avoid riding in the rain, i dont commute, so my bike lives a bit like a princess. I absolutely loathe aligning rotors, but eventually i managed (took me several hundred km of breaking stuff in, i find that you need to ride the bike a fair amount including sprints and downhills for stuff to fall into place). I feel like mentioning again how much i hate aligning rotors. For me that's by far the worst bit of the build. The rest, now using electronic groupsets, is so easy. I have a set of fine files and picks on hand because i've built tricky bikes, but here i dont think i needed them. but i consider it normal to file an exit hole for example, especially on the bars, because it takes 10 seconds and can make your life easier. Housings get scratched very easily by sharp edges of carbon, doesn't help w routing. Route 1 housing on each side of the steerer, for symmetry. be mindful of how the housing enters into the bars as well. It's the kind of thing that if you mess it up, the bike may tend to not track straight which is not feng shui. You probably need 5min routing through the chainstays instead of 10 seconds because it's 2 triangles glued together (like 90+% of bikes), so i have an aliexpress routing kit that probably cost me 4 eur and i typically use it. I think you could just as well use a gear cable. I use duct tape either way to attach the routing wire w the electric cable. I routinely 3d print tools & shims but from memory wasnt needed on that one. For T47 BBs for example i have 3d printed tightening tools, but for this one i think it's the standard format that you have in any set of bike tools. I used packing materials to stick the battery in the seatpost, was appropriately ghetto, but i guess it's working. I dont think i ll build mechanical bikes again. hydraulic brakes are just better, and electronic groups are so much easier to install. the er9 is cheap (at least compared to what can be found in europe). A lot of words to basically say i had no issues. Take your time, make sure the room you work in is well lit, and try to enjoy the process
March 21, 2024, 04:09:22 AM |
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Supersix / Soloist / Addict lookalikes in 32C in 2024?
Men of culture, My next road bike is probably going to look like that (I want something for the mountains), with c.50mm wheels. Pictured, Cannondale supersix, Rose Xlite & Rose Reveal (endurance), latest Giant propel (so skinny now...), Cervelo soloist (nothing burger), Scott addict (nothing burger). Ironically (?), i think my favourite here is between the supersix & the Rose Xlite. Question: what are the Chinese options for similar frames? I want something that takes 32C. Thanks! PS: really feels like we've reached peak bike, one really needs a trained eye to tell bikes apart... March 21, 2024, 04:43:37 AM |
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