Brighter-Lights

Been hammering these wheels for a few 1000km on my gravel bike. 1200g with tape a valves. Was a little concerned about the carbon spokes and rock hits, but no issues so far. Machined a spacer to take a microspline freehub from a mtb Kore set - pictured with Shimano 10-51 cassette here and Continental Race King 2.2s. Fantastic wheels.

Check for toe-overlap with the Titan. I couldn't ride a size m with 2.1s without the front wheel clipping my shoe all the time... That said, I would opt for a newer Cube or Revolt, as the Titan has no resale value.

There are some fake XX1 chains doing the rounds unfortunately. I bought one on the HUB recently for using on a wheelset I have with XD driver. (usual Shimano user) Engagement of the quick link was the first indicator - almost no resistance instead of the usual snap sound when engaging, and the rollers were very loose for a new high end chain. Matt was very helpful in trying to resolve the issue, local importers confirmed that it was not from their stock. Seller didn't want to refund me and his seller account was suspended. This may or may not be your problem, depending on where you sourced the XX1 chain from. Also check the B gap adjustment to make sure there's proper chain wrap around the small cogs. This is exactly what I got: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGlyKUfzV7l/?igsh=NnBnb3JnZXVoeHdz

I switched to a gravel bike 3 years ago, and only very occasionally ride my mtb now. The gravel bike is slower on rocky/technical terrain, but faster everywhere else, with no suspension to maintain. After putting 20 000km on my Merida Silex, I tried a few others, and settled on a Giant Revolt Advanced, because it can take big tyres. 8000km on it since February. I ride with 40/45mm tyres on tar and smoother gravel, and 50mm/2.1/2.25 on rough roads. It's set up with a 46t chainring and a 10/51 cassette. This is a near perfect bike for how and where I like to ride. (little bit of tar, and mostly good to poorly maintained gravel roads)

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/bottle-cages/735304/bottle-cage-mount-adapter This is what you need.

My 2c. Edge 830 user here. Before that had two Edge 530s which were replaced under warranty as the altitude/barometer sensors packed up. Recently got my hands on a Magene C606, which has a nice touch screen and seems to function well, but does not integrate so well with ie. my Garmin Varia. User interface frustrating in that you can't change any settings on the device itself. IGS800 seems like a proper device with similar feel/function to Garmin - that's what I would look into if I had to buy again, without spending the premium of the Karoo 3.

Replaced my Garmin strap with one of these... 100% https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/sensors-mounts-and-accessories/731775/heart-rate-monitor-chest-strap

Cinturato Gravel H in 40mm if the gravel you ride is in good condition, else 45mm...

Solo unsupported gravel bike ride from Uitenhage to Steytlerville and back... 20230603_072500.mp4

+10 for Continental Race King Protection 2.2. From a gravel bike perspective - When I got my gravel bike, I was disappointed at first as it wasn't much faster than my MTB. I've experimented with tyres on my gravel bike and here's what I found. 1) Gearing will make you overall faster than using different tyres - gives you a real advantage on rolling courses where you reach higher speeds on anything downhill. 2) On a gravel bike, most of my fastest rides were on 650b x 2.2 Conti Race Kings, as in my area the gravel roads are rough and with 650b x 2.2 I don't have to hold back on downhills. With 700x40-45, I have to be alert constantly, or aim and pray - they are a bit faster on smooth sections, but slower on rough sections. I'm saying the difference isn't huge, unless you have perfectly smooth gravel where you can run 35mm slicks. 3) Your MTB will be fine with fast rolling 2.2s and if not already - make a 10-52 cassette a future upgrade with a 38t chainring, or keep those as your 'gravel' setup, fast enough to change. 4) A good leg day on my MTB is still faster than an average leg day on my gravel bike...

I recently took a photo of my Merida gravel bike on a bikepacking trip, and as I turned around to adjust the tripod, the wind blew the bike over and the derailleur hanger bent. I managed to straighten it enough to ride and contacted the Merida agents right away when arriving home. They gave me the retail price for the hanger and the local dealer to contact. I phoned the shop in PE, told them what I needed and what price the agents gave me. A little argument ensued about the price and I was told that they would come back to me, but never heard from them again. I realized that the effort outweighed the profit for them, but was frustrated that they showed little interest to help me. I contacted Bike-Addict a week or so later and had a price within the hour, and the same week 2 new hangers arrived. Tops! I bought a Garmin from Bike-Addict and wanted to return it for an issue after about a month of use. It was just before 36ONE and I was worried that the replacement would not arrive in time. I communicated the urgency to Bike-Addict and they arranged for the replacement to be sent directly from Garmin, and I received it in time for my race. Stressful situation to peace of mind.

I started riding from scratch this year after several years of inactivity and gaining weight. All on my old 26er mtb...

Sent you a DM...

I've used the Compact and Compact pro which are basically the predecessors of the Compacto. They are light weight but are not as deep as other helmets (weight saving?) and that becomes an issue if you're riding with a bigger light on the helmet because you have to really clamp it down so it doesn't move with the weight of the light. Good value for money if you want a lightweight helmet.

Beautiful! Congrats!