Your latest bike project?

[hozn]

New frame rides great. Basically fits just like the frame it replaces, which is a testament to the power of spreadsheets and calculators The frame feels more substantial than the carbon, and plenty stiff. It also feels heavier (which it is), muting the road feel a bit. Definitely not a springy ti frame, but I definitely did not want that. I suspect I could have gone with a smaller down tube, but then I have broken my 32mm down tube on my other ti frame, so I am satisfied with the 40mm tubing.

Shifting performance is better (easier); maybe there was some cable rub in the frame on the carbon bike.

So I think this turned out perfectly.

[BobCochran]

I read the entire thread with the greatest interest. Do you have a video of the bike construction that is not time lapse so I can study it? Not a big deal if you can’t, really, and I know there are other things to do. Now you have me interested in building bikes with my grandchildren. I have a lot to learn about the art, though, and would have to start from zero. I am so impressed with the bike you and your son built. And doing such a project with your child is so great and so fun.

Bob

[hozn]

Hi Bob, I don’t, no. It was a couple of hours, so the camera just took a photo every 2 seconds.

Yeah, my son’s bike project was a ton of fun. Unfortunately, this will fit him for awhile, so it’ll be a few years before i have an opportunity to do that again. On the other hand, next bike will be easier since it will be a standard 26″ frame.

[hozn]

Well, I did it: 1x on the road bike. We shall see how the gearing works out. I am a little nervous that my road bike is becoming like my commuter!

I am very excited about the hydro brakes (and larger hoods, honestly).

For the record the 1x weighs 170g less than the 2x; I was actually expecting it to weigh the same or a little more. I suspect the weight savings is mostly due to lighter fork/axle and getting rid of the flat mount to post mount adapter.

[BobCochran]

Hey, that looks great! I think you discussed the 1x and brake details in a separate thread, I’ll look for it. Let us know how it rides.

Bob

[TwoWheelsDC]

Your low gear is bigger than your brake disc!

[vvill]

@hozn 147754 wrote:

[IMG]I am very excited about the hydro brakes (and larger hoods, honestly).

For the record the 1x weighs 170g less than the 2x; I was actually expecting it to weigh the same or a little more. I suspect the weight savings is mostly due to lighter fork/axle and getting rid of the flat mount to post mount adapter.

Nice! Will be curious to hear feedback once you’ve ridden it for a while.

Is that a Quarq pm on there? I’m thinking of getting one for my Warbird, so I don’t have to swap my Stages back and forth (first world problems…). (Also, the newer SRAM carbon cranks look great.)[/img]

[hozn]

@vvill 147872 wrote:

Nice! Will be curious to hear feedback once you’ve ridden it for a while.

Is that a Quarq pm on there? I’m thinking of getting one for my Warbird, so I don’t have to swap my Stages back and forth (first world problems…). (Also, the newer SRAM carbon cranks look great.)

Yes, I got the quarq crankset second-hand. I will definitely get another Quarq when this dies. Not the cheapest option, but it just works, isn’t left-only, battery lasts much longer and has features like temperature compensation etc. (unlike the 4iiii which seems to vary a lot with temps and is slow and finicky to zero out).

[vvill]

@hozn 147879 wrote:

Yes, I got the quarq crankset second-hand. I will definitely get another Quarq when this dies. Not the cheapest option, but it just works, isn’t left-only, battery lasts much longer and has features like temperature compensation etc. (unlike the 4iiii which seems to vary a lot with temps and is slow and finicky to zero out).

Yeah – I want something that isn’t left-only for road/gravel rides, and I feel like I’m constantly replacing batteries on the Stages (in reality, every 3-6 months – but still too often!). And yeah, carbon cranks!

FWIW I looked also at Power2Max (ANT+ only…), Pioneer (limited crankset options), and PowerTap C1 (kinda ugly, limited/expensive chainring compatibility/replacements) but Quarq seems to make the most sense for a nice SRAM crankset.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@vvill 147881 wrote:

I feel like I’m constantly replacing batteries on the Stages (in reality, every 3-6 months – but still too often!).

I’ve also been annoyed by the battery life in my Stages, but my main source of Stages batteries was CR2032s scavenged from free blinkies….I’ve since switched to legit batteries (Duracell or Energizer) to see if there’s a difference in battery life (particularly in the cold).

[vvill]

@TwoWheelsDC 147883 wrote:

I’ve also been annoyed by the battery life in my Stages, but my main source of Stages batteries was CR2032s scavenged from free blinkies….I’ve since switched to legit batteries (Duracell or Energizer) to see if there’s a difference in battery life (particularly in the cold).

I did the same (switching to legit batteries), but I think with the first-gen Stages the battery cover just doesn’t stay on tight enough. Even with the battery cover replacements that I’ve had sent to me, I end up putting a dot of paper between the door and battery cover to keep it tighter.

I still like my (used) PowerTap – rarely need to change batteries, and it just works. Shame it’s tied to a (10-speed, rim brake, heavy ass) wheel .

[hozn]

@vvill 147881 wrote:

FWIW I looked also at Power2Max (ANT+ only…), Pioneer (limited crankset options), and PowerTap C1 (kinda ugly, limited/expensive chainring compatibility/replacements) but Quarq seems to make the most sense for a nice SRAM crankset.

I was chatting with a guy that I ride with sometimes about the PowerTap C1 and he has had a lot of problems with it. Not accuracy issues per se, but very short battery life and just general reliability issues. It seemed like a good idea, so too bad they seem to have faltered a bit in implementation. Or maybe he got unlucky, though he said his complaints were shared by others.

Power2Max looks great too; I haven’t yet had need for BT, but having the flexibility seems wise.

I like the idea of the power meters that go inside the spindle (there are a couple now, I think) but apparently that implementation is left-only. I have the sense that my left-only PM is not giving an accurate power representation. Sadly it is over estimating, I think. At least compared to the Quarq. Or maybe that was a day when I forgot to zero it, but I had some too-high PM numbers on a recent commute. The Garmin proudly announced an increased FTP number (which really shouldn’t happen on a commute).

[Vicegrip]

@TwoWheelsDC 147883 wrote:

I’ve also been annoyed by the battery life in my Stages, but my main source of Stages batteries was CR2032s scavenged from free blinkies….I’ve since switched to legit batteries (Duracell or Energizer) to see if there’s a difference in battery life (particularly in the cold).

I found that good ones last a good while for me. I have a battery tester that tests more parameters than just voltage. It measures charge in a couple of ways and I found plenty of button batteries that had the proper “new” voltage but limited total charge. No name were the worst but some name brand had variations even within a 5 pack. 3 to 6 months for a power meter seems reasonable to me considering the miles and frequency we ride.

[hozn]

@vvill 147872 wrote:

Nice! Will be curious to hear feedback once you’ve ridden it for a while.

While this is very preliminary, I did take it down to HP for the noon ride (or the first half, as I can’t quite take a 2 hour lunch break); riding there I forgot I was on 1x (reached for the left lever a couple times). During the actual ride I did notice the missing small even cogs, probably 12t (this cassette is 11,13,15…), but it did not make any practical difference (I just spun a little faster or slower). I figured that was a good environment (matching speeds with a quick group) to reveal any issues with the setup for racing.

The only problem with my build is that the right hood looks like it’s a couple mm higher than the left one (I thought I lined up the band with the ruler printed on the back of the bar, but apparently that wasn’t quite sufficient).

The new brakes are so, so nice. I love the ergonomics of these tall SRAM hoods. It looks like I can put a 160mm rotor on the back in this bike, so I might do that eventually too. Sure, I’ll always take more braking!

[vvill]

@hozn 148067 wrote:

… Sure, I’ll always take more braking!

Thanks for the feedback on the 1x so far!

I also liked the idea of the C1 but sounds like it’s not quite there. Between that, and other things (like smallest ring being a 36T) it’s off the table. I liked the idea of the PowerTap pedals too except that they’re heavy, different cleats, and not fully transferable across all my bikes, but more importantly – there seem to be reports of quality/reliability issues there too. Perhaps PowerTap were rushing to market with these lines, as their hub has been super reliable.

I like to have BT as sometimes I won’t bother with a Garmin and I’ll just use my ‘phone (also – if the Garmin dies or something it’s nice to have a backup always ready in my pocket). It seems like it’s not hard to implement BT and I got used to having it on my Stages (and Scosche HRM). Earlier this year when I was looking at the PM market I settled on P2Max but with Quarq’s new offerings, and the GXP BB on the Warbird (and my own inflated sense of “now I want a carbon crankset”) I think they may have the edge. I have the Stages as a backup and it’s fine but agree left-sided isn’t ideal, and if I’m going for accuracy I might as well go with Quarq’s newly improved higher accuracy model (according to them). Other than power spikes and low battery life I also seem to get stranger data at more extreme cadences with the Stages.

Funny about the hoods. My 1×9 folding bike has different hoods (one Shimano, one Tektro) and it used to drive me nuts even though it really has no significant effect on my riding.

Yeah I ditched 140 rotors when I sold my CX bike (which was 160/140 F/R, stock was 140/140). My beater and 29er both have 160 rotors and I don’t really see enough advantages of 140 to bother having a second rotor size.

@Vicegrip 148059 wrote:

3 to 6 months for a power meter seems reasonable to me considering the miles and frequency we ride.

That’s the thing for me – I don’t ride that many miles or that often anymore, and I’m using brand new brand name batteries now. I know with Stages there are known issues with the battery not being in there tight enough (esp. on gravel rides etc.) resulting in power spikes and perhaps also bad battery life. I’ve wondered if the power meter is also on when the bike is say, on a vehicle bike rack, or even when I reshuffle my bikes between my basement rooms (which happens more often than I’d like). There’s probably enough movement and vibration to trigger it.

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