If you want to join the funny-looking-saddle club, the clamp-able area on SMP saddles are ~8.5cm long.
From my (limited) experience thus far I can use zero-offset or setback post and get the saddle in a decent position.
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Bontrager Verse is another option with nice long rails - similar range to SMP but pretty normal and agreeable otherwise. I like it on my mtb where the dropper limits me to zero-offset
I pulled off the TRP Hylex brakes. They never worked great and now half of the pistons are completely fused into place. Fun experiment I guess but a waste of money ATMO.
Switching over to a set of Hayes CX experts. Could not get them to clamp well enough. Super sloppy at the lever, bottoming out, no stopping.
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what is the ideal lever for these brakes? I had some OG-style shimano jawns but I am going to try some of the basic tektro jobbers but wondering if the linear pull model would work better?
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anything else I should do to get better performance? I have some compressionless housing on the way
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any tips for caliper alignment? I’m using two business cards as the install manual suggests but not sure if I am getting the pads close enough to the rotor.
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I would go with Sram levers if you can get them. Cable pull with those has always played super nice. The 10s ones come in a pair with alloy lever blades for not too much. Q is out right now but the upc is 710845656576 if you want to hunt online.
I think @JUGE_FREDD once said that the older Shimano levers have a pull very different from modern levers and road discs. But maybe I remember that wrong. He says a lot of things and I can’t remember half of them.
But also, compressionless housing is a must shartmo.
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I think Fred was talking about non-aero levers. I have always had good luck with SRAM levers. Compressionless housing makes a big difference.
How many speeds is the bike? I have a mismatched set of SRAM levers that are good for 1 x 10 that are collecting dust
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@iwillbe and @rancid_burple 's tipped up and shoes back advice gave me a lovely 22 miles this morning, thanks.
but new nonsense
the post in clamped via an expanding wedge, which rests on a shelf inside the ST
when installed properly there is a lip of ~5mm of aluminum, as seen in this gorgeous photo:
now this is where the real magic happens! when riding, as the chairpole flexes to pedal stroke, the CF rubs on that lip of aluminum and makes a wonderful sound. unfortunately, i’m not worthy of this sound and i need it excised from my life immediately.
today i tried riding with the wedge flush with the top of the ST, squeaking went away completely, but even at proper torque i had some noticeable slippage (with seatpost slipping at a greater rate than wedge but both slipping).
ive been wrapping my brain around what to do. the squeaking has to stop. one idea was packing something in on the “shelf” to raise it and add some aluminum can shims?
then i realized i should just cut off that fucking lip.
which leads us to my shartq, should i cut off the lip? is aluminum, so how would i do that?
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Try to put some carbon paste on there to prevent slipping and maybe quiet the noise?
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i used Fiber Grip, is there maybe something better?
I think there are some graphite based carbon lubes that are good at quieting those kinds of creaks and howls
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Shops closed today, sorry bud.
Has it always been like this with the lip and the noise and slipping? Is there any warranty or service advisory through a Giant shop?
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Man that’s a weird design choice. I don’t think the inside of a formed or extruded aluminum tube is going to have great surface contact on the seatpost with just a wedge holding it in. Less contact means more movement and more opportunities to squeak.
If you want to try shimming it, I’d go with shim on the forward side of the wedge and use a little spray adhesive or something to keep stuck to the wedge.
Probably someone at a giant dealer with more experience with these frames/posts would have better advice.
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If nothing else works, try this.
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dim recollections:
“SLR” levers (æro, brake cables under the tape) pull the same amount of brake cable as old non-æro levers.
“Super SLR” levers (shift-cable-out-the-side shakes, and their very last standalone brake levers) pulled more cable than the older levers.
“New Super SLR” and “SLR-EV” levers (all-cables-under-the-tape shakes) pull even more cable yet.
Shimano’s cable disc brakes are from the NSSLR era. I was completely unable to get CX77 calipers to work with TRP RRL levers - no matter how tight I placed the pads, I’d pull the levers to the bars before generating decent stopping force. With SSLR levers (Dura Ace 7700), I’d still end up pulling the levers further than you’d normally expect - but once the brakes started to bite, they’d stop very well with little effort.
Anecdotally, SRAM levers are close to SSLR levers in cable pull and the Tektro/TRP/Dia Compe plain brake levers are closer to the SLR levers in cable pull. I don’t know where other brand’s mechanical calipers fall in terms of what cable pull they will tolerate/expect for ideal operation.
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That should be in a spreadsheet somewhere. Good stuff. I think once @JUGE_FREDD said non aero works well with some discs. No idea what discs.
Bb7s
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Because that’s what Merckx used.
Damn the comments in that cable brake PLP thing were hilarious.
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someone more well versed on the deep lore than me should really confirm this
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Does anyone ever grind off the little useless tabby doo that you have to thread a chain through on shimano derailleurs cages? This question is blahg related, grant mentioned they do nothing and i am thinking he’s probably right and i should start cutting them off, but maybe he isn’t and i shouldn’t?
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did he mention that in his %20farticle?