michaelbiker

In my case you are 100% correct here. Takes time to get used to drop bars and gravel bike geo when coming from an MTB. So don't count that out.

Don't buy online, don't buy second hand, go to a proper bicycle shop. Try them on. Make sure they aren't too tight anywhere on the foot - tightness leads to numbness and hot toes. Don't buy the most expensive pair – you will likely hate them and need to switch. Good luck!

New Curve GXR4 is slacker, longer and taller. I don’t think slackness is your problem though, it’s likely saddle to bar drop and a larger stack would help with this as mentioned above. You can experiment with more spacers under your stem if the steerer has excess length. Slacker geo will just allow for larger tires and a more stable feeling position on downhills.

https://escapecollective.com/drop-bars-banned-from-the-leadville-trail-100-mtb-race/

Still going strong. Been a few years now.

CBR in Durbanville did an excellent job for me on a Trek a couple of years ago. The lower integrated bearing cup developed a crack. I did claim from insurance for it so not sure what it cost.

Friend of mine has been through three XT derailleurs in the time I’ve had an AXS one. I’ve had zero issues. Food for thought.

Hermanus Trails

I investigated an idea just like this a while back and the shipping killed it off pretty quickly. Also if you don’t like the faff but want 90% of the benefits get a pre-waxed chain (I think KMC now sells them) and just use a good wax drip-on lube. I’ve been testing ceramic speed UFO drip and it lasts about 200kms between applications.

Which rice cooker of these three are you using?

I've experimented with both 90C and 75C and honestly cannot tell the difference in longevity apart from pulling the chain at 75C wastes a lot of wax. I think it's just a conspiracy to sell more wax and also overcomplicate the whole process. MSW and Rex both recommend just pulling the chain once it's warmed up to the temp of the wax. https://rex.fi/en/shop/bundle/bundle-product/black-diamond-hot-wax https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/waxing-your-chain Hot waxing chains has become this complicated religion. It's pretty simple. Heat the wax to 90C, put the chains in for 5-10 minutes, swish them around, pull them out. I do 6 chains at a time. They last between 300km and 600km depending on the conditions I am riding in - mostly dusty MTB and gravel rides.

Just had a look at the price of Garmin XC200s - R14k wow! Assioma XC R19k! Pretty nuts for pedals. I think I paid R4k for my Sigeyi spider. Granted it serves no other purpose than measuring power but still having 9k getting bashed on rocks all of the time is a pretty scary.

Any reason why you want power pedals and not a spider based option? The spiders are cheaper and take less abuse than a pedal.

I just got mine. If you are patient you can get it for about R400 less. Haven’t tried it yet, so can’t say how comfy it is.

Reasonably noisy hubs on the mtb around here are “kind of beneficial”. I don’t need to worry about getting scolded for “not using” or “using” my bell from uppity Constantia walkers on the green belts… It would be nice, however, if it was totally silent. Nothing but the sound of tires and suspension and chain slap on downhills.

Sometimes you need to use their support to request the replacements. Their automated systems ships out of Hong Kong via SAPO which takes about 3 months. They did this twice with me and eventually when I went to support directly, they shipped Fedex from the US. BOA has a lifetime guarantee for their dials - lifetime of the shoes.

Genuine question and not to start a huge debate but are these pressures so high to prevent punctures? I run those pressures on my gravel bike on 45mm tires, on 2.4s I go down to 1.4 back and 1.3 front.

Greyton

Strava heatmap is usually what I use but be wary of races that go through some private land - so check segments on the route and you should see dates, times and rides through those areas.

With AI it’s very difficult to tell the difference since spelling errors and language are pretty much eradicated now but as they say in Singapore:

Is this a gravel or road frame? I’d visit something like this in Chinertown forums for advice on Temu-Aliex stuff. Usually, you get what you pay for but you’ve done it with MTB so likely know the ropes. The Yoeleo stuff is very nice and very well priced.