I'd also look at Fun Works / The Wheelbuilders in Germany. They have a custom wheel configurator where you can choose rim, hubs, spokes and nipples individually.

One setup I've been looking at for a dedicated winter wheelset is the Fun Works Amride 30 alloy rim, DT 370 LN hubs, 32/32 DT Competition stainless spokes and brass nipples, built 3-cross.

For winter use, especially if the bike sees road salt/brine, it is strongly recommended to prefer brass nipples over aluminium. The weight penalty is basically irrelevant here, while brass should be much less prone to corrosion and seized nipples. Stainless spokes are also worth having, and standard J-bend spokes / external nipples make future repairs easier.

The Amride 30 is officially rated to 120 kg system weight, which feels quite conservative for a 30 mm internal alloy MTB rim with 32 spokes, but it's still the manufacturer's published limit so I'd treat it as such.

One caveat: the configuration I'm looking at is 650B / 27.5", so that may not be what you want if you specifically need 700C / 29". On the other hand, 650B often gives you noticeably more tyre clearance in the same frame, which can be useful for a winter setup if you want to run wider tyres.

The configurator is here:
https://www.fun-works.com/dt-swiss-370-ln-ratchet-disc-is-custom-wheelset-mtb-27-5-4107

what was the delivery time like.  looking for a new set of wheels for my 018-D.

I ordered/paid on 13.04. and took around 1 month before they shipped (16.05.). Once shipped, I received them within a week (22.05.).

mine was really good until I actually bought the frame and wheels and is now patchy.

Same. In contrast to other replies here, they first wanted to fully charge me for the upgraded storage lid and seatpost plus shipping to now ignoring my request for a seatpost warranty upgrade consideration. Even with 10Nm torque and carbon paste it slips to the point where it creaks under load. Really hope we can still sort this out together.

Edit: Today I got a reply. "Remove your seapost, take some photos of the anti-slip beads, and the serial number on the bottom of the frame". Not the friendliest but at least a reply (lurking, LC?). After viewing some Youtube videos linked here and following suggestions, I wrapped isolation band around the seatpost. This seems to make it wide enough to not have play anymore. Given the creaking was still there I went for the obvious parts and indeed the bottom bracket was causing it. Given a replacement + the isolated seatpost the bike is now fully functional again and adhering to the desired quality so I will not need the replacement - that is positive! The whole treatment still leaves a bad taste behind...

Anyone knows how to buy the ELEVER aka flatbar shifters they have on their website since a long time? There is a new eR9 offering on AliX with a thumb shifter but that is yet a different one.

on saddles, the good news is aliexpress sells tons of options for cheap. Specialized sold a lot of the... i forgot the name, but it agreed with lots of women, and Ali ofc sells a clone.

How tall is she? surprised to see a woman considering M/L frames. Usually women are weak and short. If she weighs more than some men, the "right" frame can vary a lot. A dude running a Large frame will probably care about aero because he will easily ride fast. Meanwhile a 50kg woman will probably want something closer to an aethos because comfort, snap, weight, and i rarely see women doing bunch rides at 40+kmh.

From there, i find it odd you're looking at road bikes and gravel bikes. A gravel bike is not a road bike, and vice versa. Do you know the riding you'll do?
The Gran Turismo is being discounted because the original price didn't clear, but it could still be an overkill compared to a LT301, for eg. The 301 could be a great option, because it's relatively budget friendly, w recent specs (low weight), wide clearance, and the geometry is on the relaxed side.

Hi Serge

Thanks a lot for hooking into this thread - you seem to have a great understanding of bicycles and geometries so appreciating your input!

> on saddles, the good news is aliexpress sells tons of options for cheap

We already tried around 5 RYET Saddles but none seemed to help. Measured sit bone is 145mm and the widest saddle we tried was 155mm. Maybe time to go even bigger. On the fitting session a 165mm was tried which she found confortable but then again this is a 10min impression.

> How tall is she? surprised to see a woman considering M/L frames.

So am I and I hope I am not doing the same mistake as the vendor of the current (very badly fitting) bike did. It was the reason we went to the bike fitting session but you see I am still struggling to bring logic into the numbers as he wasn't doing a good job.

She is 173cm and weight around 78kg, so slightly chubby. Currently she rides a CUBE Agree 56 and I purchased the 0 setback seatpost, a shorter stem (80mm), a low reach handlebar etc. etc. but while it got better with every adjustment it was clear the bike isn't the right choice for her.

Personally I ride the Agree in 53 and am 174cm/70kg so back then when buying would also have expected her to get this size or another bike (e.g. the CUBE Attain). The seller sold the 56 arguing the stack is higher on larger sizes - not mentioning everything else will be too big as well (our first bikes).

She'd like to ride an endurance/road frame with enough clearance for some light gravel - not a full blown gravel bike. I posted here because the expected geometry (based on how I read the fitting guide) seems to be easier found in this section but a "real" endurance/comfort geometry road bike would indeed be preferred.

During the fitting session her flexibility was evaluated (not the best).

I also own a BXT-135 (52) and LCR-018D (52) and both seem to have a to low stack as well.

> The 301 could be a great option

A lovely bike I have on my list. Not sure it still isn't relaxed enough for her however based on the geometry from the fitting (but then again, hard to read/trust).

Given all of that info - feeling demanding here - how would you approach this?

Thanks a lot in advance!

did she sent free of charge (transportation included)?

Also wondering, as I was "offered" the upgraded version for USD 75 with USD 60 shipping cost - not free at all.