Quote from: crazyravr on September 29, 2026, 12:34:57 PM
I have used Bont Vaypor for last 3 years. They were beat up and not "pretty" anymore. I wanted to get another pair, but didnt want to spend the money if I didnt have to. These ones I bought, lack nothing and cost me 3rd the price of Bonts. I have put maybe 20K km on the Vaypors, not sure if this will classify as having some experience or not.

Sweet, okay, good comparison then. Thanks.

Quote from: numberzero on September 29, 2026, 04:05:04 AM
I'm looking for cycling jerseys with original and colorful design. I bought somes from racmmer for nearly nothing a long time ago, but it seems the brand not longer exists.

Do you have any options?

Example of what i think about :
https://ae-pic-a1.aliexpress-media.com/kf/U69195eba96794df2b3ff08dc6b033a70m.jpg
https://ae-pic-a1.aliexpress-media.com/kf/U2418c5ddc9904c23a73aae642112b2e6l.jpg

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804775041349.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.61751d25cIyLVA&browser_id=586a7b61ee104f1abe6d8937b886bda9&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=la9cidn9gccaa7s51a0ede3cf9752af4429b43d4a8&gclid=&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%229%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21USD%2167.54%2140.52%21%21%2167.54%2140.52%21%40ac1074c217906975251352717dcd05%2112000031164659793%21sea%21US%210%21ABX%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Af1958716%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&algo_pvid=a31d883c-3e19-4662-93c1-35f4370fd0ac&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005004961356101%7C_p_origin_prod%3A&search_p4p_id=20260929085845673787534915040000131743_1

Bonus points if you look like the model

Quote from: crazyravr on September 29, 2026, 08:21:18 AM
I am really truly blow away by the quality. From the sizing to the fit its all absolutely spot on and as per the charts. Extremely stiff and carbon soled shoes arent for everyone, so make sure this is what you are after. So is the "bath tub" design of the last which is the same as Bont shoes. These are the highest model of the Bonts for fraction of the price. I have around 2000km on these shoes this year. Love them.

Pardon my skepticism, but have you put any significant riding time on high-end Bonts, or any high-end Western-brand carbon-soled road shoes? Twice now I've seen Bont-alikes on Aliexpress that significantly underperformed the real thing for not much less than the Bont sale price, and IIRC in at least one of those cases the reviews were chockablock with buyers swearing up and down that these were just as good. To clarify, neither of those cases was this specific pair of shoes, I'm just generally skeptical after having been burned twice.

Quote from: Dareios on September 17, 2026, 12:50:44 PM
Speaking of midfoot cleat adapers, IMO they are a whole different can of worms compared to the progressive fit.

Sure, they help to open up your hips, but as someone who already has very little ankle movement in his pedal stroke they were not needed. On the flat you spin a lot more and loose your explosive acceleration, but it becomes a problem on the climbs, when you try to ride seated in zone 2 on steeper climbs, with longer sections that are +10% steep. I lacked torque and would have needed an extra, lighter gear in addition. On the flipside climbing out of the saddle has never felt more natural, you're standing on the pedals in a more balanced way and are able to bring the power down more effective.
The funny thing is, if you use a midfoot cleat adapter to have a position that opens your hip angle more, you might actually want longer cranks to have move torque.

This seems like the opposite of what people usually report with midfoot cleats--better seated low-cadence stomping, but fast spinning is a little worse and standing no longer feels like walking up stairs. Not to say you're wrong, just an observation.

Quote from: Sakizashi on September 10, 2026, 11:13:27 AM
No. The same power at the same cadence means higher peak loads at the knee if you shorten the lever arm at the foot end of the linkage and reduce the time component over which your ankle moves. Changing cleat position did almost nothing for my knee range of motion.

I am not quite sure, but I think this analysis glosses over the possibility of different effects at different parts of the ROM. Higher peak load at a more open knee angle may be more sustainable than lower peak load at a more closed knee angle.

Actually, I also don't know that the time component of ankle movement is actually reduced with a midfoot cleat position. Naively, I'd expect the ankle to cover a shorter arc over about the same amount of time.

Quote from: Serge_K on September 04, 2026, 06:27:02 AM
You would want to use large tyres because it's a stiff frame, but Peter's grevil clone ticks your boxes. It's very much a road geometry (i use it exclusively as a road bike this summer), it's got a high stack which is good for someone your height. It's built like a tank and it's very stiff (idk how it compares to a real pinarello, but i wouldnt take that on multi day adventures because of how stiff it is). The grevil was meant to be a race gravel bike so maybe it makes sense in fact.
Tube shapes are pretty aero looking, and i'm constantly in the smallest sprocket so it goes vroom easily.
There aren't many road bike feeling bikes w 50+ clearance that are affordable. It is one.

Hey, I have one of these.

It's pretty nice, but it was a bit of an ordeal getting the cockpit installed. The stem they sent me was 1 1/4", the steerer tube is 1 1/8", and the Giant OD2 shims that are fairly easy to find don't actually work--the tolerances are off by just a little bit, so the shim fits on the steerer and inside the stem, but not both on the steerer and inside the stem at the same time. Nobody I talked to at XMCS knew what the hell I was talking about. I eventually found https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256810304456262.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.45.5e341802ilWXaR&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa (Kocevlo 1 1/4" to 1 1/8" fork shim on Aliexpress) which worked just fine.

Quote from: Dark17 on September 03, 2026, 09:53:13 AM
With the topic of seat setback/fore-aft, don't just put your saddle as forward as you can as it can be very dangerous. Here's a very nice read regarding setting your saddle fore-aft position.

I actually copped a knee injury from saddle too far forward (plus maybe too low) and I still say "very dangerous" is kinesophobic Hoggwash. It's not felling timber or BASE jumping, you know?

He used to bang on about taint pressure with forward fits, which I think was probably a legitimate concern in the original Selle Italia Flite days but significantly mitigated by ISMs and so forth.

Quote from: Bobinski on August 28, 2026, 02:29:54 AM
How important is a logo to you? While i would like to advertise the XCMS brand I have chosen to have no logo. My current frameset is almost logo free I am used to it.Those colours you have there are very close to mine. Once mine is done i will post a picture here.

Yeah, I'll second this. I really like the utilitarian no-bs vibe of no logo and plain finish, second choice would be a legible logo that says what it is and doesn't apologize for it--"Xiamen Carbon Speed Sports Goods Co Ltd." hell yeah, "A E R Y S" in fancy font meh.

Thinking about portable setups for Zwift (potentially MyWhoosh and/or Trainingpeaks Virtual too, but one thing at a time.). Are there any Chiner tablets worth a shot compared to bargain-basement used Ipads? Or e.g. thin-and-light laptops (comparing to used Macbook Airs I suppose)? Thanks.

Quote from: Williamprvz on August 05, 2026, 09:43:53 AM
What are the differences?

I had a first gen Tacx Neo (electromagnetic motor) and now have a Kickr V6 (non-core).  I didn't like the Tacx--the resistance would slip at high torques (relative, not absolute--like a 900w dig would elicit noticeable slipping) and at high cadences with modest power (spin-ups at 120-135rpm and 200-300w). It would also get worryingly hot with use. It's possible that the basic Cycplus is better than the top-of-the-line-circa-2016 Tacx, but I think it still lists a relatively low max torque. The resistance on the Kickr feels more natural under high load, though it does have a heavier flywheel than the Core, so I can't speak to whether the Core shares this trait.

I'd probably go with the Kickr for better customer support but ymmv depending on country.

Quote from: Mariuszuzd on July 28, 2026, 07:54:41 AM
Hmm, 6.1 kg for a bike in size 58, so large on a 40 mm wheels, tubeless setup, 30 mm Conti archetype tires, varia and garmin mount, two bottle cages, pedalsa, bike ready to go. I would say it's light. I could have some savings, probably the integrated handlebar, pedals, seatpost, saddle. However, I hit more than 1400 w, I want to feel safe, as the weight is rather important only on paper.

Noice. What kinda tire clearance you got?

Quote from: toxin on June 26, 2026, 02:11:13 PM
I immediately noticed it was easier to "get over the top of the pedalstroke" and much less constricting in the aero position,

My impression of the Internet fit consensus (not 100% endorsed, merely mentioning it for discussion) is that this is a sign of cranks too long. Of course, it's easier to adjust cleat fore/aft than it is to adjust crank length, but then again if cleat fore/aft causes foot pain and you have to start screwing around with custom insoles, etc., it may be a wash.

Quote from: Dark17 on June 23, 2026, 05:21:27 AM
Colby Pearce

If his podcast is any guide, he probably wouldn't put you in a "modern/progressive fit", although of course that may be the right decision for your overall riding comfort and performance anyway.

Quote from: srf0638 on May 11, 2026, 06:22:53 PM
I will say, shorter cranks plus seat forward plus "don't worry about seat too low" seems to have done a number on my left knee, which had previously been immune to anything I could throw at it on a bike. I already run my cleats as far back as they'll go, but I think a true midfoot cleat fit might be ncessary to make the rest of it work for me.

Quote from: toxin on May 11, 2026, 06:42:58 PM
Definitely should worry about "seat too low" at least a little bit. Not as much as "seat too high", but it's still bot something to write off. Yeah lower seat is better for aero, but biomechanics should still be the main concern. Shorter cranks and forward saddle both reduce your terminal leg extension if you don't change seat post extension.

On this, I will also note that the Wove Bike guy, who is otherwise pretty into "progressive" road/tt fits, seems to put most people on 170-175mm cranks for approximately this reason, see e.g. https://wovebike.com/blog/bikefit and https://forum.slowtwitch.com/t/tri-bikes-need-greater-pad-reach-x-and-the-role-of-crank-length-in-bike-fits/826776/2 (I believe he's the OP there.).

I bought their lace-ups in 2024. Nice wide last, seemed reasonably stiff and light, but it was probably only ~500mi before the upper wore through in a couple of the spots where it was glued to the bathtub walls. I'd say not worth it if you can get Bont closeouts.