At that price range you might also consider Microshift Sword / Sword Black

I received mine in April. It's been great so far, but definitely went through a bit of a learning processes when building up the frame!

There's also a fairly active subreddit fyi.

Likewise--mine (on a gex) actually fell out during a ride--would've been ride stopping were it not the fact tbat they used the same size screw as my garmin mount! Loctite might be a good idea.l, but be careful about not overtorquing--they strip pretty easily.

Any recommendations for adjustable bottle cages?

Like the slotted kind such as the Blackburn Clutch, or the multi hole kind such as the Wolf Tooth Morse

Thanks! Any idea if DT Swiss XDR drivers are compatible as well? Reading through the thread it sounds like yes, but just want to make sure.

the reviews say different things, ... so who knows?

Anyone know what drivers are compatible with Yuan An road disc ratchet hubs? I'm specifically looking for a XDR driver for these hubs.

Mostly made this to share out/preserve some research I did...

Got curious when I noticed that the fork CAD drawings Waltly is sending over to me look exactly like the ones Speeder posts for their forks (like https://www.speedercycling.com/Carbon-Gravel-Adventure-Fork-SC-GXR19-_p417.html).

Their website also shows a Stinner bike, and visually comparing the Refugio Select's (https://www.stinnerframeworks.com/products/refugio-select?variant=44431576531130) fork, it also seems pretty consistent with the SC-GXR19.

Some more googling and searching around seems to indicate that they are the OEM/the same as Winspace, and a couple of other boutique brands, like https://www.brothercycles.com/shop/forks/brother-carbon-gravel-fork-v2/ .

Curious where else people have seen them, and what people think of them? I have seen some mixed reviews for the Waltly forks on Reddit, but a bunch of brands clearly seem to use them. Or is this a case of binning/QC tiering?

Have a couple friends visiting China right now, and I'll probably go on a trip myself in the next year or so. Curious if people have tips on unique stuff you can get/do that's bike related when in China.

For example, are there any components/kits/accessories that are easier to get/cheaper via local shipment there? Any things that are only possible to get in China? Would it make sense to ask them to buy a groupset for me ? Factory tours, interesting rides, etc.

My friends are in Chongqing but I'll be in Shanghai, with the possibility of visiting Xiamen on my trip.

Yes, I contacted light bicycle as well, and they will also do DT Swiss 240s with 28h options. I suspect 28h systems will continue to decrease in popularity since straight pull vs j bend and boost vs non-boost has bifurcated the market.

I ended up going with a 24h/24h carbon wheel that is relatively deep + wide, with the rationale that such a rim in practice is going to be much stiffer and stronger than rims that were popular when higher spoke counts were the norm. Still doesn't help when you need to limp onwards after breaking a spoke, but maybe it's just time to start carrying around fiberfixes. For context, I have a Salsa Cutthroat for truly multi-day unsupported bikepacking, which accepts MTB (boost) wheels, so the intent with this wheelset + bike is to have a more rugged bike for travel/winter/daily gravel, but generally not be out of reach of civilization.

Sweeet! Haha, based on the reviews, those literally come in Garbaruk packaging?

Anyone found anything like the Garbaruk derailleur cages which let you increase you cassette capacity? https://www.garbaruk.com/rear-derailleur-cage-for-sram-11-12-speed.html?category=15

Hey all,

Does anyone have recommendations for wheelsets with higher spoke counts (>=28h), suitable for light bikepacking / touring?

Seems like there are not many hubs which are suitable (>=28h, centerlock, non-boost, XDR/HG-11, ideally ratchet-based), and I haven't yet found anything price-competitive with, say, Hunt 35s (https://us.huntbikewheels.com/products/hunt-35-carbon-gravel-wheelset-1)