MudLark

Lovely! How does titanium feel compared to other bikes that you have ridden?

True. And then in the case of this particular manufacturer, the weight is usually based on the medium size frame.

Interesting. The specification weight is 10.46 kg for the 9.8. Which is almost 600 g exactly lighter than my Top fuel 9.8 SL 2018. Leaving aside pricing considerations (major), I think that this bike is a little too niche for me. I'll stick with what I have – it's a good marathon bike that can do a fair bit of trail as well, et cetera. Fairly firm ride with the Reaktiv shock but I really like it – it works well and it climbs well. Still a good race bike while being a better all-rounder as well. Anyway, horses for courses, et cetera.

Yup.

Interesting. Its 8.03kg claimed for the current SL6 Pro with discs. My 2019 SL6 Disc is 8.1kg. Not a huge difference really. But I see the non-disc version of the SL6 is 7.3kg. So discs add about 800g of weight. A fair bit. But I do like the disc brakes, especially in the wet.

Which means that for the rest of us average sods, the "aerodynamic advantage" will be so minuscule it will effectively be immeasurable.

I agree. I also wouldn't use it for these very reasons. As mentioned, it has excellent penetration capabilities. It is often used to release tightly threaded or slightly corroded items. It wouldn't be entirely surprising if you subsequently found some things coming loose which you would rather not have come loose.I would also be concerned about it getting behind seals into lubricants and so forth.

Anyway, probably the single biggest factor is how you take care of your chain – or don't, as the case may be.

Thank you very much Diesel – both for the reassurance and for the suggestion around the barrel adjuster. Much appreciated.

Checked – went over the links one by one with the torch, slow rotation of the crank. Don't pick up anything. Check the cassette, again slow rotation checking the teeth by eye using a torch – again, don't pick up anything. Given that it is intermittent and seems to have gone away now, might be something else. Will keep my ears open…

Thanks will check but not sure if my eye is sufficiently trained… Unless it is fairly obvious. Will pull the wheel and have a look. Normally I lube my chains link by link (more accurately roller by roller) and haven't picked up anything but wasn't really looking at the chain plates. I think I will take a torch and run my eye over them anyway. The last thing I want to do is have a chain snap when I'm standing up on the pedals – just not worth the risk.

Chris, exactly the same thing here. 2018 Trek with SRAM GX… It goes tick, tick, tick when pedalling in a high gear, particularly going uphill. Only some of the time, not always. Has driven me nearly nuts at times. Now I am wondering…

I suspect you mean 0.25%....

Lizaan, if you one of the higher spec Garmin bike computers (eg 1030) look at the Garmin integrated lights. They're not cheap but they're worth it. Otherwise there are lots of cheaper options. Ryder have some quite acceptable stuff at budget prices. Just don't expect spare parts (extra mounts etc). But their warranty is good.

No, that would defeat the whole object. I sometimes ride farm and countryroads where even decent dual sus bikes eventually result in numb hands and no normal gravel bike will be even remotely liveable - you won't survive an hour on a normal gravel bike. The idea here was to create a "gravel bike" that would be usable on such roads. Decent front suspension and a flexy rear to absorb some buzz seems like a good option. I was motivated to do this after: A. Having test ridden a Procaliber and realised it would lend itself well to this type of conversion. Especially with the front shocks and the Isoflex system. B. Having read some posts and pictures by someone in the US who also converted a Procaliber in exactly this way (using precisely what components though I am not sure) and who found it very successful and raved about it. C. Doing more homework and concluding that the slack. MTB geometry would be far safer and more manageable - especially on long, fast, rough downhills - than standard gravel bike geometry. D. Finding a new Procaliber for a unbelievably low price, which enabled me to build this, all components included, for far less than Trek's cheapest new gravel bike (aluminium Checkpoint). E. When Shimano brought out their ten speed Tiagra hydraulic road shifters, which would enable me to mate these to the existing SLX drivetrain (didn't want to spend too much). It's all fully reversible to the original condition. An hour or so of labour. All that said, I really want a Niner MCR too and may yet land one here.

Stock factory MTB calipers. Yes, you can mix them.

Because I am more comfortable on drop bars than flat bars. And it's all very easily reversible.

Hi guys, some long overdue pics as promised. As mentioned, haven't used it yet. But picking it up now, it feels quite light so think I must start using it. Feeling a mild sense of motivation again... Will need to go for a bike fit first though. Haven't got round to finding a solution for mounting the lockout lever for the front suspension (stock lever is for smaller diameter MTB bars) but not sure if it really matters. Will probably figure that out when I get round to using it. PS: Salter luggage mechanical spring balance says 11kg. That's pretty much the factory weight for the bike in stock factory form, so nothing really gained or lost on that aspect. Stock gravel bikes tend to be lighter. So, con is it's heavier than a normal gravel bike. Pros... Suspension and slack geometry. And was for me a lot cheaper to build than Trek's cheapest aluminium gravel bike. Weight could be got down a bit by using better components here and there. But the biggest weight factor is under my shirt!

Not a bad idea. On the other hand though, your bearing will though then likely outlast the nylon of the jockey wheel?

Checked. Bottom jockey wheel was dragging. Bearing opened, cleaned and greased. All good again.

Hi Johan, hi Chris, I'm sitting in the E Cape until mid-Jan and the bike is in JHB. Will try to remember to take a few piccies and post when I'm back. It might surprise you but I seem to have lost a bit of interest in the bike. I originally conceived it for events like Race to the Sun but have now become so comfortable with my normal dual sus marathon bike that I'm not sure if it (the hybrid) still makes sense. The result is that while the project is "complete" for a few months already now, I haven't yet put any pedals on it, much less done a bike fit. A bit of a shame though as everything is still brand new and never used. [emoji85] Will take another look at it all when I'm back.

Thanks Chris. Will check mine too.

All strange to me. Bought a new bike mid 2018 with GX Eagle factory fitted. Has done more than 5000km, including through mud so bad the RD was totally jammed up and bike was effectively a single speed. But I've not had a moment's trouble with it. Not once. No unusual maintenance other for chain replacements. And I find the shifting incredibly smooth and accurate - I find my road bike's Ultegra setup to be no better. Maybe Ive just been lucky so far.

Hmm. I've got 20Kwh of lifpo batteries, cooking and heating is on gas and water is heated with a heat pump... and I can't run 24 hours on the battery pack. You've either got a very small house or you're only running lights and electronics or you've got one heck of a UPS.

Good point.