Recent Posts

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 10
11
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: VeloBuild VB-TT-023
« Last post by Hmpf on Today at 02:34:24 PM »
Ah, I know what you mean. I didn't have a screw with a narrower head either. It's just a question of appearance.

And I didn't even have an additional top cap. And you don't need one. I've been riding it for 5,000 km now and have been able to adjust the headset well.

I also swapped the compression plug for a shorter one, which fitted better.

Don't forget to install the fork cone and the centering ring at the top.
12
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Chinese cycling clothes
« Last post by jhearrtot on Today at 02:17:29 PM »
Something like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001080825421.html
Or are these not the pads you're all talking about

the bib is nice but that red pad seems rough-ish to me. i have a similar pad from thinkrider but it was grey and i didn't like that, was prone to chafing even when using chamois creme.
13
The inside looks both great and absolutely terrible. Very confusing.
There are clear signs of bladder use [...]
Yep, top tube, head tube and even chainstays look surprisingly clean compared to the horror of the BB area, and the downtube where for some weird reason they used a bladder... and apparently nowhere else ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Very confusing indeed.
Tried to find some models with EPS molding but found nothing that matched my requirements.
I considered sending it back and took contact with the seller. But the shipping cost and hassle to get back the import duties put me off and I decided to give it a try anyways (I've ridden frames that looked probably as bad inside a few years ago, including trail/enduro ones, this one might crack, we'll see).
That said I will for sure investigate more for the next build (if ever there is one).

You also bought a gravel bike to commute on the road.
Well, I guess should have been more accurate in the OP.
There's "road" and there's "norwegian road" :P There are some clean segments of asphalt, but it also includes gravel segments, a good bunch of sidewalks in bad shape littered with manholes, cracks and potholes, and all other kind of not so nice surfaces (including when they scrape and redo the top layer that's been damaged by the snow trucks during the winter...). Clearly not an XC track but it's nice with a slightly overbuilt and more forgiving frame (I would not even dare to think of putting my road bike through the same itinerary).
Also: winter, when everything is covered in a hazardous snow and ice and I put on Suomi Routa TLR 50-622 spikes so I needed clearance up to 50mm.
And there's rainy fall too when I mount huge mud guards (not even sure there's something nearly equivalent to mount on road bikes).
Gravel for commuting on the road can make sense depending on your local conditions.

Why not get a Long teng 301, for eg?
The long teng 301 and bikes with the same geo still have a good 3cm lower stack, which for some reason don't bother me when doing a proper road ride (I have a Merida Reacto for that), but really kill my upper body and wrists with my ~10kg backpack (laptop, lock, change, rain clothes, repair stuff...).
It might not show too much on the picture but I'm already running 5cm of spacers under the stem (which is already a respectable tower :P). Achieving the same high front end on a 3cm "lower frame", would be... nope.

I do like the colour though. Although solid white is probably the worst colour for a commuter bike.
It's "pearl white", a kind of glossy, glittery white. You sure see quickly when it needs a quick wash ;D

Bonus: some more pictures
14
Component Deals & Selection / Re: Flat pedal reccomendations
« Last post by AzureEssence on Today at 01:39:02 PM »
I've tried quite a few

Shanmashi (burgtec mk4 ripoffs I think) - seem good quality but super small, i put them on my wife's bike

MZYRH 326 (vault ripoff) - exactly like a vault, pins slightly different

MZYRH 327 - original design, I run these on my Surly Krampus, no issues at all.

MZYRH 327 are probably my top recommendation.
15
Who broke the page
16
You're a tank. Sapim CX ray is the gold standard. I wouldnt buy something that says hyperlite for a 88kg rider, just like you dont put a tutu on a chihuahua.

Such a dumb and empty blabla...

Alpina is not a beginner in spokes.
Specifically they use exactly the same steel alloy as Sapim  by checking the data sheets and material properties.
Their manufacturing looks more smooth and clean than Sapim spokes.


However,  the hyperlites are the pendant to CX Ray super spokes and I wouldn't recommend them for 88kg.
The Ultralites can be an alternative choice, they are corresponding to the CX Ray

Depending on the hub geometry it can also make sense to think about CX sprint on the rear drive.

Alpina spokes are legit in any case. I already built wheels with them and they are absolutely fine. No difference to Sapim. Neither during the build nor afterwards in the riding.
17
Those photos are from BigRock crankset
You're right. I didn't realize that.
18
May I ask what bikes you have and what the built cost you?

My main gravel bike is a Ceccotti RF25 gravel frameset (also know an SPCycle G056). I picked that up for about $400 USD during the 11.11 sale. I'm running LTwoo eGR which I picked up for $300 USD during the Black Friday sale. In terms of parts, I'm probably in the $1500-$1600 USD range including all the carbon bits and other components (lightweight cassette, carbon crankset, etc.). Depending on which wheelset+tire combo I use, my bike fluctuates in weight between 7.5kg and less than 8kg.

My other gravel bike is an older CX carbon frame that I use spare/leftover parts on. Even that bike in a 1x configuration is 7.9kg with a mix-n-match of Shimano & LTwoo groupset and whatever spare parts I have laying around.

If I actually took my gravel bike weight reduction seriously with higher end lightweight components, I'm sure I could build out a frame in the sub 7kg mark.  ;)
19
A small issue with m Tagoola all-road wheels. The surface coating of the rims suck. I find them hard to clean. What might require a damp cloth to wipe down for my other wheelsets, I have to use an alcohol spray and several passes to wipe the Tagoola wheels from tubeless sealant or stray grease.
20
Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components / Re: LEXON Road Carbon Crankset
« Last post by verttl on Today at 12:42:06 PM »
You need to remove the coin, silly!
Sorry. I wanted to resist, but you tempted me ...
(Aka: Look what you made me do)


Just and armchair engineer diagnosis here: A few posts above, there is a picture of what seem to be spacers with the same pattern as the spider's interface. Maybe those have to be used? Really just guessing, I don't have the cranks.
Those photos are from BigRock crankset. I just recieved mine today and they came with spacers for spider.

From what I can tell these seem to be good quality and spindle isn't out of spec like some have reported to be the  case with other brands 24mm cranksets. I measured the q-factor to be ~146mm wich is ~1mm wider than advertised but it's still narrower than most cranksets offer.
Unfortunately I can't install them since bb I ordered is stuck in the mail sorting center. Hopefully I'm able to figure how to install them and chainline hits the spot.
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 10