[hozn]

I don’t typically notice anymore either. Heck, I run 1x on my road bike.

Road Bike:
2x setup, 36t/52t, 11-28. Gear inches = 34-124
1x setup, 50t, 11-40. Gear inches = 33-120
(I’m too slow to need to pedal faster than 36mph, so 50:11 works fine for me.)

Commute/Gravel bike:
Hypothetical 2x setup, 34/50t, 11-32. Gear inches = 28-120
Actual 1x setup, 46t, 10-42. Gear inches = 29-121

I don’t need 1:1 on the gravel bike. But I will likely drop to a 44t ring, since I also don’t need more than a 50:11 on that bike! (Especially with the big tires – that’s pedaling at 37mph w/ 38mm tires)

There are a few cases where I notice the gaps. For example, at Devils Backbone Monster Cross there is a several-mile climb on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s not super steep but it is a steady grade and it is in those circumstances that I sometimes look for a middle gear.

Note enough to wish for multiple rings up front, but enough to appreciate there’s some value in more gears / tighter clusters. (I don’t think Campy is pushing 12sp for 1x, though.)

[hozn]

@n18 177676 wrote:

Look for a pump that would fit inside a water bottle, and 120+ PSI.

That’s a lot of pressure in 2018! Are you running 18mm tubulars!?

@n18 177676 wrote:

Also, don’t buy a multi-tool without a chain tool, since you need the latter sooner or later. Here are some options with decent reviews/quality: $19, $13.

The genuine article (Crank Bros) only costs $5 more. I’d suggest it’s likely worth it in this case, my knockoff pump experience notwithstanding.

https://www.amazon.com/Crank-Brothers-Multi-Bicycle-19-Function/dp/B00067W7CG/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1524230121&sr=1-2&keywords=crank%2Bbrother%2Bm19&th=1

[hozn]

@huskerdont 177663 wrote:

Where does it all end?

https://glorycycles.com/ride-notes/this-one-goes-to-12/

Just to be clear, SRAM has been 12sp for a couple years now.

[hozn]

@ian74 177671 wrote:

I’m waiting for the 13 speed. You know. For luck!

You might not have to wait that long …

https://www.bikerumor.com/2014/09/10/ib14-13-is-the-new-12-phil-wood-shows-off-1×13-drivetrain/

[hozn]

This is always a good read. I like the idea of zip ties from above (I’d consider that on the MTB, anyway).

I am always trying to keep these as small as possible.

Road bike.
In the saddle bag (Lezyne Micro Caddy, Small – http://www.lezyne.com/product-orgnzrs-caddys-mcrocaddysm.php#.WtjBwtPwbUI):
– 1 tube
– 1 Pedros tire lever (https://pedros.com/products/tools/wheel-and-tire/tire-levers/), since one is all you need.
– 1 CO2+inflator
– 1 11sp quick link
– multi-tool with chain tool (https://www.crankbrothers.com/products/m19 – the only decent thing Crank Bros makes, IMO!)
– tubeless repair plugs (https://www.genuineinnovations.com/au/products/tools-accessories/tubeless-repair-kit.php)
– Park adhesive patches, just in case things get crazy.
– Maybe 1 nitrile glove; I can’t remember if I still have that in there.

In jersey pocket: pump. I’m using this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019V1PW5G/ref=twister_B01MQ4R3DT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 — It looks a lot like a Lezyne mini pump, and while I don’t like it when companies just copy the aesthetics of some other brand’s well-known product, my experience has been that these are better-made pumps than the Lezynes. Finish is certainly a lot nicer/higher-quality, functionality works great, and at half the price I’m a lot less sad when I lose one out of my pocket on a ride in the woods.

Commuter/gravel bike.
In the saddle bag (Silca Premio seat roll — fancy! — https://silca.cc/products/57c424fc56d9341100298881)
– 1 tube (bigger, for bigger tires)
– the other Pedros tire lever from the set.
– same Crank Bros tool as above
– same tubeless plug kit as above
– 1 nitrile glove
– Park adhesive patches again

In jersey pocket: my pump.

I just sold my MTB [with the seat roll]; I’m not sure what I’m gonna do for my replacement MTB that arrives Monday, but I think I’m going to see if I can avoid the saddle bag — maybe using one of these: https://www.76projects.com/shop/thepiggy — but they’re a bit pricey w/ current exchange rate (even at the current 20% off discount).

[hozn]

@dplasters 177637 wrote:

Carbon commuter wheels you say?

Yessir. Carbon rim prices keep coming down. These are some real box-checkers: 33mm deep, 21mm wide (internal), asymmetric, hookless, tubeless [of course]. These are by Yishun. They built up quite nicely, though their nipple drilling doesn’t appear to be angled/offset, which makes some of the spokes enter at a bit of an angle. I might have used 12mm nipples if I’d realized that.

I’ve got a set of inexpensive alloy wheels (DT R460db) for spare/winter wheels, but in general now I’ve become a believer in carbon being a stronger rim (especially hookless). (Which I realize is what people — and science — have has been saying for some time.)

[hozn]

Yeah, my Garmin 1000 shows the sender and first bit of text. (Android). It does need to be given peission to read contacts to show sender (name), if I remember right. (It should prompt for that when pairing.)

[hozn]

@Judd 177567 wrote:

Not sure about other computers, but the Garmin Edge 1000 also supports beacon which would allow your wife to track you while you ride.

While it doesn’t support Strava Beacon, Wahoo does have their own Live Tracking feature.

I do see that the Strava app dropped direct support for the RFLKT, so that may push one toward a full cycling computer — though recording on the Wahoo app and syncing to Strava sounds easy enough. (But you wouldn’t get Strava Beacon in that case either. Not sure if Wahoo’s phone app has live tracking.)

[hozn]

These tires feel huge!

After settling in for a couple days, they are holding air fine.

They feel really nice. Probably those paper-thin sidewalls Do they feel faster than the 38mm Barlow Pass? Not really, no. Do they feel faster than my Specialized Turbo S-Works 28mm tubeless tires? Definitely not.

I would say that my impressions, contrary to the current trend-bucking trend, bigger is not faster — at least beyond a point (with the tires I have tried that point is somewhere around 30mm). But big tires really do make rides fun and the speed penalty feels small in comparison to the added the versatility.

I am gonna brave some gravel on these — maybe this weekend.

[hozn]

I like getting text messages on my Garmin 1000. That said, I wouldn’t recommend a Garmin 1000 over a Wahoo computer. Perhaps one of the most economical solutions would be something like the Wahoo RFLKT (https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-RFLKT-Computer-iPhone-Android/dp/B00BAPM39A/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1524060238&sr=1-4&keywords=wahoo+rflkt), which actually uses your phone for doing the ride tracking (it’s not a full GPS computer, just a heads-up display for your phone). I found reference to a firmware update that also supports displaying text messages on the RFLKT.

I might be tempted to spend the extra $100 and get the Wahoo ELMNT Bolt, though, which is a full cycling computer (doesn’t require phone) — you’d want to confirm that it supports displaying incoming SMS messages, but I’m 99% sure it does.

[hozn]

@dplasters 177494 wrote:

I dunno, are they ‘ands’ or ‘ors’? What’s the definition of at the crosswalk? is that waiting on the sidewalk? do you have to be in the crosswalk already? I find piles of the code confusing. What does it mean to not disregard traffic? pffffffffffffttttttttttt

Surely the lawyers will chime in, but it seems pretty clear to me that the crosswalk is the key differentiator between #1 and #3 — i.e. not whether the person is crossing at an intersection, since they call out that the crosswalk may be at an intersection: “At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;”

[hozn]

To circle back to this thread, I have been really happy with the Compass Barlow Pass tires for on and off pavement. They definitely do not have as much traction in loose gravel, compared to a G-One Allround (which is not a super grippy tire either), but for the gravel rides I have done around here that is pretty irrelevant for 97% of the time. And they are really fast on pavement. No flats on these in ~2000 miles.

I picked up a set of lightly used Snoqualmie Pass (44mm) tires on eBay for $80, which seemed perfect to try out. These are actually the extralite casing too. Combined with my new carbon commuter wheels, the setup is both very plush and very light. So I’ve switched over to these for the summer — or until I get frustrated by flats etc.

The extralite casing is definitely harder to setup tubeless (needs more sealant – air just leaks out of the sidewalls until they get coated). But I was glad I had set them up tubeless, as my kids like to leave thumbtacks lying around the basement …

[hozn]

@drevil 177386 wrote:

Just an FYI, putting on a rim strip with a sticky side (like Velox or Gorilla tape) on a single wall rim might make it harder to turn the nipples/true the wheel.

I hadn’t thought of that side effect — good point! Probably best is just get a rubber/plastic rim strip.

[hozn]

Yeah, the screws at the bottom of the spokes is normal (I assume these are the spoke nipples, anyway). Probably not a double wall rim which is why you are noticing them. I assume any rim strip or velox tape will work. I once tried taping my son’s similar 20″ wheels with stans tape to see if I could run them tubeless; that did *not* work

I would think a new chain and cassette would be cheaper than your time to try to clean off the rust. (I am assuming this is not a 10 or 11sp cassette, so you should be able to get a basic one cheap.)

[hozn]

@dkel 177108 wrote:

So maybe this is a good time to follow up on this…I have found things that work for my bike needs and wants, and very slowly I have adopted new standards to give me a better experience, but when I read about what other people are buying or trying out, I sometimes wonder if I would have even more fun and better riding experiences overall if I got out of my well-worn groove every so often. Just how much am I missing be riding the same tires all the time? Just how much am I missing by not upgrading my bargain stem or seat post? Certainly I get bitten by the bike bug every so often, and have to build up something new and different, but I’m pretty sure I don’t get nearly as creative as many, particularly when I read this thread. What motivates all you gurus to try out something different? Dissatisfaction with something current? Mere curiosity? Proverbial greener pastures? Boredom?

Good question.

For me it’s basically just curiosity / enjoying trying new things. I enjoy doing the research, sourcing components, building the wheels, etc. I spend a lot of time on my bike so I notice changes and enjoy that; the simplicity and tangible nature of the bicycle is a nice counterpoint to my work. And while I probably could have bought a Buick with the amount I’ve spent on bikes, in general it’s a cheap enough hobby that I can afford the upgrades from my “fun money” account. I tend to accrue stuff for awhile before I then put it together into a new bike.

For builds I’m doing for my kids, that’s more about retrospecting on my childhood riding bikes, building the bikes I think it’d be fun to have had back then — of course, when I was a kid I was perfectly happy with my single-speed BMX bike, ecstatic when I got a Schwinn Woodlands for my 11th birthday, and felt like a grown-up “commuting” on my Murray 10sp to middle school. For kids bikes there’s a whole new set of challenges with adapting weird (small) sizes, adapting adult components, etc. that makes it fun.

Yeah, I enjoy it a lot. … But if I could trade it for just being immensely satisfied to ride the same configuration every day, I might!

[Author]

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