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Using the "new" button to go to unread posts within a thread. Just thought I would point out a useful feature that some users may not realize exists. If you click on the orange "new" button next to the thread titles it will take you to the first unread post in that thread. A bookmark of sorts. Better than clicking through dozens of pages trying to figure out what post you last read.
September 15, 2020, 02:05:14 PM
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Re: Are AliEx/open mold carbon bikes common in your area?
HA!  My main riding buddy has the top of the line $7k Look 765RS gravel bike.   He's an automotive mechanic by trade but can't figure out how to properly take care of his chain, despite my offers to do it/show him how.  We will be on a ride and I'll say something to the affect of "Do you wear your ear bud in the right ear because because your chain sounds like a couple of Transformers trying to screw or is it just a coincidence?"

The other day I was riding with my buddy who's an engineer by trade and was rolling on a Giant TCR Advanced. We noticed his cassette was rattling. It's not the most expensive bike, but it's still north of $4K USD and I was rolling on my "spare parts" 1x carbon endurance frame with $50 Sensah shifters and a $50 Goldix crankset. I asked him if he had tightened it properly, and he's like yeah I tightened it (he had a new wheelset). When we got back to my house to check on his cassette, he must have hand screwed the lock ring because that sucker just slid off the freehub!

On my occasional group rides there's always a few bikes that need serious tuning, chains that need to be wiped down and the easily preventable mechanical issues. I think this is why I like AliEx and open mold frames, it truly forces you to learn your bike, which I think makes you a better cyclist in the long run.

March 14, 2023, 11:19:24 AM
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Re: Cassette wobble after local bike shop installed 9Velo GV35 wheelset LBS like these need to die. Show me a carbon wheel that isn't made in China. Show me a hub that's not made in China.
Anyway.
Trace velo has a recent video where he thought he got a bad cassette, when it was a MTB type cassette that just needed a spacer to fit on a road hub.

My 5 cents: switch to waxing your drive train (plenty of videos on YT on how to do that), and now that your drivetrain is always clean, do your own basic maintenance like changing cassettes and what not. You really dont need many tools, will grow hair on your chest, and will make you 12% more attractive.

August 03, 2023, 08:09:27 AM
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Re: Cassette wobble after local bike shop installed 9Velo GV35 wheelset
LBS like these need to die. Show me a carbon wheel that isn't made in China. Show me a hub that's not made in China.
Anyway.
Trace velo has a recent video where he thought he got a bad cassette, when it was a MTB type cassette that just needed a spacer to fit on a road hub.

On the oft chance I need work done, I only go to a mom-n-pop LBS that's family owned and has been around since the 80s. The wife is the cashier and husband is the mechanic. They never question the components or the bikes, they just offer reasonable prices for repairs. The issues are some of these newer bike shops that are more into the trends or social media following. I find them the most biased when it comes to equipment.

I recently picked up a Shimano Deore XT 11 speed cassette, even that cassette needed a spacer.

August 03, 2023, 10:04:23 AM
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Re: Which Disc-Wheels??? 65 mm height / Tubeless / min. 21 mm innerwidth / TA Just for the overview and the continuation of the topic:
Here I list my experiences with the Elite Wheels Edge wheelset :-)

http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,4444.0.html

September 25, 2023, 06:56:26 AM
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Re: Elitewheels Edge wheelset Elitewheels has now taken my suggestion of the $85.

However, the process was strange: I was called twice by a number from England (I didn't answer) and then a manager contacted me via whatsapp to ask me to please close the dispute and he would then send me the requested money via paypal to resolve the matter.
I replied that he should transfer the money to me first so that I am sure not to be ghosted.

He agreed and explained that resolving disputes via aliexpress reflects badly on the company and that's why they try to resolve it outside.
Apparently there's then trouble from aliexpress...

The communication was very nice and courteous.

I am satisfied - he transferred the money directly and I can ultimately recommend elitewheels.
you just have to be persistent ;-) but that's not only the case with providers on aliexpress - but also in other life situations.
Of course, they first try to keep the damage as small as possible, which is not reprehensible.

September 28, 2023, 05:07:39 AM
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Re: Elitewheels Edge wheelset My experience with the 45mm Elite Wheels Edge set after roughly 2000km:
- Great stability
- Very light
- Combined with 28mm GP5000 and Ridenow TPU tubes
- No issues with the 36T ratchet Freehub

I can really recommend the wheel set.

BR Chris

September 29, 2023, 03:13:36 AM
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Re: Handlebar tape recomendation? I wanted more cush on my gravel bike, bikepacker, and 29er hardtail.  (22.2 carbon "H" bars) I purchased foam insulation that fits perfectly on these bars, then covered them with ZTTO brand tape.    This makes the OD of the bars about the same OD as my MTB grips.  For my size hands, I like the larger OD much better than regular tape wrapped road or gravel bars.   On rough gravel roads and singletrack I love this combination of foam and then wrap.

https://www.harfington.com/products/p-1369365


December 17, 2023, 01:02:21 PM
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Re: Do you really need to do annual suspension maintenance on every suspension brand What if you just only did the maintenance once every 3 years? Would coil (or even the super cheapo elastomer suspension found in the $700 bikes) suspension still work and won't get destroyed? IMO, when most people buy a new bike, they just want something that is reliable and low maintenance. Taking it to the LBS and paying $250 every year doesn't sound low maintenance for me
December 31, 2023, 10:00:57 PM
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How to run Di2 and a dropper post on a Flyxii FE-02 (and possibly other bikes) I like electronic shifting, but I don't like DOT fluid, which means I have to use Di2. On my road bike, it took all of 10 minutes to install 105 Di2, but on my gravel bike I very much like also having a dropper post, which makes installation of the battery a problem. My goal with this post is to describe how I solved this problem on my Flyxii FE-02 frame, but the process should work for many other frames.

You will need:
  • Internal cable routing tool and an old cable (or just 2x cable routing kits)
  • A frame with a headtube large enough that you can a fit Di2 battery in while tilting it into the downtube
  • Bubble wrap and tape
  • Zip ties, with a length approximately 2.5-3x the diameter of the downtube of whatever bike you're working on

The process
  • Drop out the fork and remove headset bearings. Remove all hoses/cables from the downtube to prevent the Di2 wires from getting snagged or tangled. Remove any cable routing guide near the bottom bracket; the holes this leaves will be valuable for cable routing.
  • Route the cable routing tool through the top or bottom of the headset, whichever direction is easiest to insert the battery from. If you have 2 cable routing tools, use one for the front and one for the rear; otherwise use the tool to route an old brake or shift cable from the headset through to the rear derailleur. If possible, route these under the bottom bracket.
  • Wrap the Di2 battery in 3-4 layers of bubble wrap and tape to keep it in place. I used silicon self-fusing tape but any durable tape should work. Wrap several zipties around the battery in different directions. I used 8 zipties, spaced a quarter turn apart (i.e. 2 pointing in each direction).
  • Attach the Di2 wires to the cable routing wires (I used a little strip of packing tape which worked fine) and the battery. Pull the wires down into the downtube - make sure to do this evenly, i.e. pull the front and rear wires the same amount. It should be pretty easy to do this up until the battery has to go in the downtube. Lever the battery into the downtube, putting a little spin on it to get the zipties in a sort of spiral pattern.
  • Pull the battery down the downtube - this should be pretty easy until the bottle cage rivnuts are encountered. Your rear (and maybe front) Di2 wire should be long enough to be pulled out the bottom bracket cable routing holes and a bit more force can be used to pull on those to get the battery down past the rivnuts. Eventually the battery should make its way down almost all the way to the bottom bracket.
  • Finish routing the Di2 wires and tape them to the frame. Shake the frame to make sure the battery is secure and doesn't make any noise. If it does, you can push out the battery back through the headtube with a long, thin dowel or some other tool. Take a light that fits in the headtube, shine it down the downtube, and look through the bottom bracket holes to make sure there's enough space to run a brake hose and dropper cable.
  • Route brake hose and dropper cable as normal. I found this easiest to do by using the aforementioned light in the headtube, and carefully pulling the magnetized end of the cable routing tool past the battery. Doing this blind wouldn't be fun. After they get past the battery, I recommend routing the brake hose below the bottom bracket and the dropper cable above it, but this is more frame-dependent than anything.


Things that don't work:
  • Fitting the battery down the seattube below the dropper. This is what I tried first, but the battery has to sit down far enough that it blocks the port for the front derailleur wire, so the battery has to be shifted to the side to make room. Unfortunately, this blocks the needed space for the dropper cable, and also fouls on the rivnuts for the seattube bottle cage and derailleur mount. I got my battery stuck in the seattube and had to route 4 brake cables through the bottom bracket, up through the seattube past the battery, and use the heads of the cables to pry it loose. 0/10, would not recommend.
  • Putting the battery in the downtube without zipties: there needs to be a lot of bubble wrap to prevent the battery from moving, but little enough bubble wrap to allow it to be inserted into the headtube and get past the bottle cage rivnuts. I don't think this is possible, and if it is, it's far more practical to use zipties. Just for fun, I tried it, and the battery got snagged on the rivnuts and I had to fashion a tool to yank out the battery. Again, not recommended.

January 06, 2024, 12:50:13 AM
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