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Yep – FD, 2x brifter and crankset. Most non-powermeter cranksets come with chainrings so you wouldn’t re-use those from your 50/39/30 (which probably use a 130/74 BCD anyway).

Some typical road/gravel/CX chainring combos are 53/39, 52/36, 50/34 and 46/36 (for cyclocross). I’d suggest a 34 as the small ring instead of a 39, for the same reasons as hozn mentioned. Though a 36 would be okay too with the wide range cassettes available these days.

You will probably need a tool to get the preload cap off the crankset. I would probably get one of these if you expect to service Shimano BB/cranksets often. It’s also the same one used with SRAM GXP, and quite a few other BBs. (You can also use it with Centerlock disc rotor lockrings with external notches.)
http://www.parktool.com/product/bottom-bracket-tool-bbt-9

When choosing a crankset just be aware that chainrings are not quite as interchangeable across manufacturers as they used to be so your choice may limit you to certain brands of chainrings in future. Shimano now use 4-bolts instead of 5 on their chainrings. SRAM still uses 5, although newer ones have one of the five recessed behind the driveside crank.

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FWIW I think those fenders on hozn’s bike look great. I’m pretty sure I noticed and commented on them the first time I saw them. And I’ve talked about the Marrakesh before in person as well.

The difficulty of riding one gear is less than many imagine. Before I tried one I obsessed over gear inches and making sure I had 35-100+ on my geared bikes, but unless you are carrying a load and/or going up extended climbs you can make one gear do a lot more than you might think, although admittedly I doubt I’d use one for a commute as long as ian’s! Like drevil, I work from home now so I can pick and choose what/where/when to ride.

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@drevil 153641 wrote:

Great looking bike. I like the colorway.

Even though I’ve heard mixed opinions on the Gates belt drive, I’ve always admired the goal it was trying to achieve (quiet + clean). Have you had to replace any of the belt drive components yet? Do you ever get snapping/popping when layin’ down the torque?

If there was something that I could change about my bike, it might be adding a rear disc mount to the frame, but it ain’t cheap, and flies in the face of how he designed it (using smaller than usual diameter seatstays to promote flexiness/comfort).

Thanks, yeah I also like the colorway better than the 2015 + 2017 model years.

The bike only has ~1650 miles on it, and a chunk of that has been on the chain, but I’ve never had issues with the belt nor had to replace anything. I’ve been careful with not using it in situations where I could grind the belt on a log, or drag it across a CX barrier, for example, and I also try to run it at the correct tension with as good a chainline (beltline?) as possible. I’m guessing if I was heavier and/or put out more power the tension might have to be a little higher to ensure no popping. The stiffness of the chainstay probably has something to do with it as well – I’m hopeful Raleigh did some R&D on the frame for that (I heard the rear triangle was stiffened up between 2015 and 2016, and the addition of the thru-axle probably helps too). The good thing about using an EBB design is that once you’ve got the tension dialed in (which is admittedly a PITA), you can swap out the wheel/tire/etc. easily without touching the tension. I have had some “issues” with the EBB – essentially just keeping it clean enough to adjust without it making noises can be difficult even if you are changing it only 2x-3x/year – I guess that’s because I’m riding in dirt/gravel. I did a full dis-/re-assemble recently though and it’s good again.

While I do love it for general riding esp. winter, I don’t think a belt drive really makes sense for CX because you can’t change your gearing easily (and my SSCX gearing is lower than I’d ride this bike otherwise), and the belt itself is relatively vulnerable to damage. It’s also likely you’ll be washing your bike regardless of the cleanliness of your drivetrain so a clean belt vs a dirty chain isn’t much of an advantage. I’ve also hesitated to use it on long rides where a snapped belt would be a long walk but my confidence has increased now to the point where that’s not really an issue (if I was say, touring, I’d carry a spare belt). I’ve done a couple centuries and at least one event (Monster CX 2016) on the belt drive now.

If it were a chainstay disc mount it probably wouldn’t affect the seatstay flex as much I guess? The Warbird has very deliberately designed seatstays (“Class 5 VRS”) but the disc mount is on the chainstay. Oh, I’ve always wanted to try Ergon style grips for flatbars. My hands tend to hurt on actual MTB rides. And always wanted to try balloon tires as well… guess I need a different bike for that though.

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@drevil 153618 wrote:

What’s the whip you’re logging in the most miles for this year’s Freezing Saddles? Show it off and tell us some of the details of your bike.

Very nice! You need a Ti stem to match, though you gotta get that ball bearing out first I guess.

@drevil 153618 wrote:

So, what’re you riding?

I checked my lowly stats this year and so far it’s the same bike that came in #1 last year (approximating Jan-Mar 2016 – didn’t do an exact end date.)

It’s a Raleigh RXS 2016 (bought in Fall 2015). The bike came with thru-axles, hydraulic brakes and a Gates Centertrack belt drive, which hit all the right notes for me. (2015 model year didn’t have thru-axles, 2017 doesn’t have a belt drive although it has the cut out in the seatstay so it can still be fitted.)

Currently the front wheel is a 2013 Stan’s Iron Cross rebuilt with a 2016 Iron Cross rim after I crashed out the original rim at Winchester CX last year. The tire is a Ritchey Pro SpeedMax Cross 32mm that measures closer to 34-35mm on Iron Cross rims – probably my favourite cheap-ish do-it-all tire (don’t corner too fast on pavement though!) It’s a super comfortable combo and I think I’ve only had one flat ever in thousands of miles with lots of gravel, running tubes. I have at least four other wheels that can/do get swapped in here though. You might notice the “moto”-style brakes – I’ve never actually ridden a motorbike but grew up riding where the front brake is on the right.

The Ritchey 90mm stem is stock from my old road bike that I threw on for no particular reason – the stock Raleigh 90mm stem actually matches better. The FSA spacers are my own addition, and I’ve been lazy since CX season as I usually have the stem close-to-slammed outside of CX season, and a bottle cage mounted on the downtube with Elite VIP clamps. The current set up is a touch too high/short reach for comfortable “road” riding.

The frame is 6061 Al, nothing special, and the welds are ordinary too. I did change the rear brake cable routing a touch (it used to run above the left BB shell). The cranks I’m using are just an older generation SRAM Rival, with the stock 50-22 belt drive components. For CX season I swap in a 3/32″ 7/8 speed chain with a cheap/light 41T BMX chainring, and a choice of two wheels both with a 19T cog + spacers. Keeping the GXP BB in place is a Bushnell EBB (the stock EBB and cranks are laying around in my bike room somewhere.) Pedals are “Light Action” SPD-SLs, but for CX season I use Crank Bros Candys or Eggbeaters.

The rear wheel is swapped out a lot less often than the front outside of CX season as I only have one belt drive rear cog. The matching 2013 Iron Cross wheel I use during CX season is probably still laying around with a tubeless MXP tire on it. On there now is a reasonably light/aero stock wheel (Weinmann Impulse rim – apparently tubeless ready as well). I have a cheap/heavy/not-supple Forte 35mm wire bead hybrid/urban tire on it because I’d rather not have to change any flats during winter and I like to be able to ride the C&O or whatever as well as pavement. (Also: winter road grit and salt.) Unfortunately the rear triangle won’t clear anything bigger. The disc rotor is an older gen Shimano I bought as a spare ages ago but it never fit my bikes with BB7 calipers. I was happy to be able to finally use it here!

Not pictured is the saddle/seatpost combo taken from my parts bin, made by Nashbar/Performance. The stock saddle was actually really nice but a little too smooth/slippery for the low quality of my CX riding/remounts.

If I was going to change something on this bike it would probably be the stock handlebar. It’s very shallow and short – great for CX as I rarely use the drops anyway, but not ideal for most other uses and longer rides – where you need more room for different hand positions to take more weight. I’d probably try something with a flare, as I’ve enjoyed the Cowbells on my Salsa Warbird.

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@BobCochran 153219 wrote:

I don’t get how a Firefly or Moots product can cost over $8000. I figure that that amount must be 75% profit to the manufacturer. Just like cars prices: inflated because people are willing to pay what is being asked.

Titanium is really hard to work with in terms of doing welds, etc. correctly. Also, they’re not large companies and they probably don’t get that much in bulk discounts, and nice off-the-shelf bike components are expensive. Probably mostly made in US too, although I’m not sure.

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@BobCochran 153095 wrote:

Were you the one who noticed the photo of that bicycle on Jan Heine’s blog and made a comment about it? I think Heine must have leaked it as a teaser.

nope http://www.instagram.com/p/BPXvBZ7B9zu/

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I would still just buy a complete bike. If you don’t know much about parts and compatibility nor what you prefer it will be easier to start with a nice riding, coherent build and then swap out parts as necessary or as you feel like experimenting. Manufacturers generally put together a sensible combination of parts, especially on something like a gravel/touring bike where there is more emphasis on comfort/handling over longer rides, and durability, and less on aggressive geometries and lightweight parts, compared to a racing road bike. And other than pedals, the only thing you might mess with to begin with is a different saddle (even then, I’ve only had one stock saddle ever that I’ve really hated). The two major adjustments for fit (assuming you have the right frame size) – stem/handlebar and saddle position, can be adjusted to an extent with just a multi-tool.

Most bikes in the touring/gravel/adventure segment should suit your needs, although if you are open to buying a new bike specifically marketed for 700c + 650b compatibility, there’s these
Diamondback Haanjo https://www.bikerumor.com/2016/07/13/monstrous-new-diamondback-haanjo-carbon-adventure-bike-will-tackle-epic-ride/
Open U.P. https://opencycle.com/up/ (a review is pending on Bicycle Quarterly, I believe)
3T Exploro https://www.bikerumor.com/2016/06/11/3t-hits-the-gravel-with-all-new-multi-surface-exploro-carbon-frame-and-650b-wheels-first-look/

The DB Haanjo comes in a bunch of pre-configured variations, including 650b, drop bar, flat bar, etc. and would easily be relatively inexpensive (the other two are carbon only).

I recently got a Salsa Warbird which fills this niche for me although I haven’t tried 650b wheels yet. The Raleigh Roker/Tamland was a close second. I also considered the Diamondback Haanjo, GT Grade, Jamis Renegade, Kona Rove, etc. (Open U.P. as well, but it was well out of budget.) Many models are available in more than one of the main materials (steel/aluminum/carbon/titanium). The Surly Disc Trucker is an option too if you want steel and. The Warbird will definitely take 700×42, and the Roker too from what I recall, but some of the others may max out around 40mm. Even the “big 4” road brands have options nowadays (Specialized AWOL, Giant AnyRoad, Trek 520/720, Cannondale Slate).

Websites like http://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/ http://ridinggravel.forumchitchat.com/ http://gravelcyclist.com and theradavist.com may also give you some ideas as to where riders and companies are going with their builds these days. I read quite a bit about riders’ impressions of bikes like the Raleigh and Salsa online before I pulled the trigger.

Even if you’re not looking to specifically ride on gravel, gravel/adventure riders do look for a mix of speed and comfort over long distances and use 35-40mm tires (or more), so it suits your interests. Most organized competitive gravel rides are also not subject to UCI regulations so the bike designs and component choices have arguably been more purpose driven, varied, and adapted faster than road racing bikes (which seem to constantly beat the drum of “x% more lightweight y% more aero and z% stiffer than last year’s model”). Before the bike industry spawned the “gravel/adventure” bike category, there were of course already touring bikes but they tended to really emphasize classic designs, and heavier durable parts – whereas gravel racers went closer towards to a road bike in terms of lighter weight, and modern components.

It’s certainly possible to change the Jamis to drop bars, but you might find the reach to the hoods a little long, depending on how it’s set up. The biggest problem with drop bar conversions is you’ll need at a minimum new shifters/brake levers which are expensive, and likely brake calipers too.

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@KLizotte 152722 wrote:

Speaking only for myself, this whole thread and the anti-trainer vibe on the forum in general has effectively killed any enthusiasm I had for the contest. I was only looking to have some fun making jokes about chickens and sharing anecdotes about weird events that occur in the virtual world while waiting for spring to arrive. I didn’t anticipate having to continually defend my choices to others. I’m just gonna train in privacy from now on.

I’ll second what Karen and hozn said. Trainer rides are tough, pretty sure I would be a better rider if I’d ever actually stuck to doing them instead of random 2 mile rolls around the block.

Besides, pretty sure Master Cannon is providing a DELUXE rubber chicken from the picture he posted. Can’t let that slide.

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@MattAune 152336 wrote:

What if we ride the turbo

turbo? What are you, British?

*sips tea*

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@secstate 151682 wrote:

Yes, I expect this bicycle will eventually make its way to my folks’ house in Minnesota for use during my winter and summer visits. Drivetrains with fewer cogs tend to be more reliable in snowy & icy conditions, so that’s my excuse for not diving into a 10 or, heaven forbid, 11-speed conversion. Plus, 7-speed components are much less expensive!

Agreed. But my 7/8 spd shifters were rusted and I also wanted to have to only stock 10 speed chains and cassettes. For a time last year I had all my geared bikes on 10 speed! (Then I went and bought a new gravel bike…)

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@peterw_diy 151657 wrote:

But he’s starting with a 7 speed setup. Most Hollowtech II are 9+ speed, which means the chainrings are closer together, which means he might need a narrower chain to avoid rub, and that’s how you call down the upgrade rabbit hole…

Ah, true. I switched out all my square tapered but went to 10 speed from 7/8 speed.

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If I was going to replace a square tapered crankset + BB I’d just spring for a Hollowtech MTB crankset (you’ll want spacers for the 73mm MTB cranks in a 68mm BB) or the SRAM GXP equivalent. Otherwise yeah as others said just see if the bearings can be serviced – if it can’t and you want to stay with square tapered then just get the same size BB that’s in there.

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I don’t think the video is overblown, it’s meant to be a test for the SlipNot chains. I don’t think I’d want to test a product on a surface where if it fails I’d actually crash hard.

Also: photos of riding on snow/ice/whatever are one thing. Riding on a road shared with car traffic and suddenly sliding out on black ice is another. YMMV. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

@cvcalhoun 151443 wrote:

I’m reluctant to do that, because it’s not like Ohio, in which there is a season in which snow is always on the ground. Most times, the extra traction is required only for a week or less at a time, and I don’t want my ride slowed down for months in order to cover isolated weeks.

I think the Slipnots will be my best option. Just keeping my fingers crossed that they will work well with my rim brakes and fenders. (The site says I need only a quarter inch of clearance, and I should have that.)

Understood, given your commute distance, and agreed. Hope that they work for you!

@hozn 151461 wrote:

FWIW, there are a few models of folding studded tires. After splashing out for some 45NRTH Xerxes (folding) tires last winter, my opinion on studded tires (i.e. “horrible slog”) has changed dramatically.

Aww, man now I’m tempted to get one… or two.

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@cvcalhoun 151416 wrote:

I’ve never used studs. But I’ve been thinking about them, and I’m wondering about the practicality of the rear studs, if you don’t have a spare bike hanging around to put them on. It seems like you’d either have to change the tire (in the snow, which is not terribly practical for those of us who don’t have a rack to get the bike out of the snow for the changing process), or have a spare wheel and cassette (which would be a lot more expensive than just a front wheel). Is there some third alternative I’m missing? I mean, other than buying a house which has room for N+1 bikes, a rack, and a lot of tools?

You could maybe have a shop install them at some point in the winter, and then un-install them after the icy winter days are done. Studded tire storage is a little annoying though since you can’t fold them and they’re sharp. (I’m lucky enough to have spare wheelsets for most of my bikes, and basement space for them.)

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@ChampionTier 151248 wrote:

– Can’t race Dirty Kanza…any suggestions???

Hilly Billy Roubaix
Gravel Race Up Spruce Knob
Devil’s Backbone Mountain Cross
Monster Cross

I’ve done those ones, but there’s some others too
Stokesville Strade
Virginia’s Rough Roubaix

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