A+ tarcking, would admire dithering again
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Cons of keeping it 50x16:
It’s stout for climbing.
The 16 tooth cog I have is shitty and won’t
last and I don’t want to buy another one if
I don’t even like the gearing.
Pros:
It’s great on flat stuff and would be fine if I
ride mostly paved roads.
Looks real nice.
Cons of EBB and slightly easier gearing:
Might be annoying on flat stuff.
Pros:
Purple EBB is gonna look real nice.
Not stuck with single gear ratio and I can use a not shitty cog.
Probably should put on that EBB. I’m just being lazy.
Cons of HG fork and rack:
Weight.
Carbon fork is spraypainted sparkly blue and looks real nice.
Pros:
Can cary stuff good.
More clearance.
Really like the steering on that frame+fork combo.
I just bought a new bike specifically so I could use the RLT for fun stuff/bikepacking/getting drunk in the woods and keep new bike set up for fast gravely rides and maybe road group rides. Perhaps a third gravely bike, built around the HG fork, is the anwser. RLT for SS mostly paved but some off road, commutering/barhopping… I have a pair of Challenge Strada Biancha 700x36 I want to mount soon. SuperX for fast gravel and maybe some road rides. New bike with HG fork for poopbarning/some of the rougher rim-destroying logging roads around here.
LBS is a kona dealer. Or I could get a HG frame…@endpointbraden says HG fork will fit on wiggle bike, which is a different direction but perhaps a fourth isn’t a bad idea.
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Well, then I think you know what to do:
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Probably better to go to something like a 46x17 to keep it reasonable with a load for agility in the mountains and to maximize your skid patches.
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My fixie is 46x17 works good around town. Also fun but tough on logging roads. Skids great.
Was thinking 40x15 cause I have a 40t chainring and gear inch is similar to 46x17.
if you’re primarily doing gravel I’d do a 40x17, or a dingle 17/20 cog with two front (45 and 42) chainrings. I’m a fan of more teeth in the rear cogs for durability.
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should I paraffin wax my chain?
Do you live in the desert?
no, does it completely eat shit in rain?
I haven’t waxed my chain in a long time (probably not since '92). I thought it worked ok when conditions were dry and dusty but my chain would rust immediately when it got the least bit wet.
Also, the stickers showed up today. Thanks!!!
I just spent $75 on shit to wax my chain so I’ll report back.
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UPDATE: after a week on the rims the Burts don’t really fit under those fenders, anymore. Also just pulled a chunk of metal out of the front time. Awesome.
My buddy has a dingle on which he toured Japan. 42/39 and 18/25. Worked a treat. It took us a while to sort the ratios but it worked and was quick to change on the road. He still uses it for CX but I am not sure of which of those ratio he uses.
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simpler, non-proprietary, far larger rotor selection, don’t need an adapter to operate.
Simpler: Debatable.
Non-proprietary: Not true, there are non-Shimano hubs and rotors available.
Larger rotor selection: True (but are they better rotors?)
Don’t need adapter: I mean, if you have centerlock hubs you don’t need an adapter either. (and if you have centerlock hubs you can use either, but if you have 6-bolt hubs you can’t fit any centerlock rotors.)
My point entirely.
It is still proprietary. Shimano owns it.
I’m not talking about the proprietary piece that fastens it to the hub. I’m saying that you need to use a bb/cassette tool to install and remove the rotors. A friend put CL hubs on a S&S coupled bike he intends to travel widely with. I’m smh pretty hard, like wtf why would you do that to yourself. Have fun bringing that tool and a lever to operate it with every time you fly.
Also couldn’t ride his bike for 2 weeks because he got the wrong proprietary Shimano tightening thing (that you are talking about) for his thru-axle situation. Better believe that made me feel pretty smug after advising him to go the simpler route.
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OK
Hmmm good point, I was thinking it was an open standard but I was wrong, it’s licensed for others to use.
Ah yeah that makes sense. @Andrew_Squirrel was also looking for a travel lockring tool I believe.
Out of curiousity do you know if the lockring/bb spline standard actually proprietary? I don’t know the answer to that one. Torx bolts are also proprietary, just obviously more widespread and a bunch of manufacturers are making unlicensed “star” bits that are compatible. Not sure if the same thing is going on with lockrings or not.
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5 bolt lockrings really need a torque wrench to put on without them getting wibbly. But if you are traveling you probably have that. A cassette to that wrench adapter wouldn’t be a big deal to have. You need a different ring if you have a 15mm thru axle which is annoying but fine. How often are you removing and replacing your discs anyways?
A centerlock is easier to put on with an even pressure all they way around which keeps the disc less potato chip shaped, that said, thats not a big problem. It takes a few more minutes to put a 5 bolt on and they aren’t hard to put on at all. There really isn’t any problem with either and neither is really superior imo. Shimano only has those cool finned rotors on centerlock but thats about the only difference
Yeah has anyone tried using a travel cassette tool (stein e.g.) on centerlock rotors? It looks like it would fit nicely (and this article affirms) but I don’t have a CL rotor to try it myself
Currently planning a wheel situation for an S&S frame that will be babby’s first disc bike
The problem is that some axles us a different lockring (that is not the same spline as a cassette), for which not such tool exists, at least I’m pretty sure.
Edit: million dollar idea: travel bike lockring tool that doubles as a headset spacer. Use an Allen key inserted sideways to make the “handle” for the tool.
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