i live in the bay area and honestly see a good amount of unbranded open mould, defo a handful everytime I go for a quick 20-50 mile ride. Then again the cycling community here is huge. I see lots and lots of high end bikeporn worthy s-works and boutique brands, I have also seen yoeleo, velobuild, etc etc

I noticed that the tech bro crowd lend themselves to buying top spec S-works/Trek stuff, but also building up their own bikes from DTC western brands and chiner builds. I think their jobs select for people that like tinkering, but they also have enough money to blow on a dentist bike

That sounds interesting.
Please take a photo of all the parts of the headset and then I can label them for you in order.

The fork steerer should be short enough so that the top cap does not (!) touch the compression plug.
It's just like the road bike, except that the stem is at a slight angle. You still have to cut the steerer straight.

Thanks!
The part I'm thinking about is the one drew a red line around, is this part really needed when I attach/tighten the top cover (green) towards the compression plug.
As you can see there is a standard bolt included, not a bolt that fits "good" in to the top cover (green).

Thanks!

No problem with sram axs FD with 48/32?

I use the Praxis rings and have been running them since Feb 2022. I've had one chain drop ever--and it was last week, and it dropped from the big to the little ring when I hit a washed-out section of road at like 20mph. I do use an OSPW for more chain wrap since I'm technically above the capacity of the RD on the gravel bike. On the gravel, I am using the old D1 force wide FD and max RD.

For road use, the 10-33 setup is stock with Rival derailleurs other than those same Praxis rings.

Both of my bikes are running chaincatchers and are band on FD, so they are pretty stiff, which makes a difference with AXS FDs.

I’m 80-85kg and I’ve built plenty of wheels for myself and others over the past 15 years. I agree with Serge: CX-Rays are the gold standard. I’d be confident that they will withstand pretty much anything you throw at them. If you feel you need to go lighter, I reckon carbon spokes will be your only option. I got no experience with Alpina spokes, though. Solely due to a lack of availability. What I can say: Superlight 1.5mm cross section spokes like DT Revolutions and Sapim Lasers lack the stiffness that is needed for heavier riders IME. Especially on the rear wheel.

Screw it, ordered another Elitewheels ENT-MTB wheelset. $338 shipped after 60 off coupon (thanks dude who posted above)

It says all import fees are included.