Butterbean

Nah man, he means the loooooong little ear of cable left over thats free-floating.... I agree, i hate long bits being left over. Only thing it could possibly dois make life a little easier with something to hold on to when adjusting or taking out stretch slack. But otherwise, no.

So Ive been a long time fan of steel bikes. Ive been looking for a wide tyre capable gravle bike for a while, so when this came up, i couldnt miss it... Yes, its heavy. Yes its a spez. But god its a great ride... So it joins the Ritchey in my steel fleet!

Yeah i get you. I got my Giordanas throigh cyclesharp, who were excellent at assiting me with sizing and their pricing is hard to beat. Would recommend you give them a shot, but if not, youre not going wrong with the assos anyway... Enjoy man!

Im 182 with a 38 waist. I use an XL assos, and XXL giordana. Hope that helps!

I have both too. The giordanas are superior in every area except the leg grippers. They're not at all bad, they just seem a little less durable than the assos' thick lycra. However the Giordana straps feel better, the lycra feels much better, and the chamois is an absolute dream. I hate the detached chamois of the assos and would prefer the seam and security. The waist coming uo higher than the assos is a nice touch. Cant go wrong with either, but i would buy the Giordanas first.

Dont get me wrong - im glad theyre making bikes like this, particularly its not jist another bike aimed at winning le tour and the rest of us buying because of that. All im saying is, for me, personally, it lacks a lot of the excitement that similar priced/tiered bikes give me... But for sure im not complaining about its creation, and they will sell plenty of these for sure!

I get that this is awesome and all.... Buuuuuuuut... If youre a really passionate cyclist, surely, for that kinda money, youd be building something like, absolutely phenomenal. I mean, this is cool and all, being a off the bike shop floor bike, but there are so many more passionate, awe inspiring, and just downright secy bikes to build and ride than this... Maybe im missing the point. I suppose its moot anyway cause i doubt i could ever see myself buying something like this, ever. But even with that said, it just doesnt make me want it. I dont want to put it on a poster of my 15 year old self's wall. Somehow, spez manages to make bikes that you know will look outdated in 4 years.... I dunno. This just doesn't make me say "its awfully expensive, but i would spend it if i had it"...

Yeah i have no quarrel with you... And youre likely right that this will be the response from the shop. Absolutely shouody not be accepted tho

Thats BS. If it was that noticeable, why did they let the bike leave through the door? All that work done and no test ride to confirm performance, and if yes, mech didnt pick it up? Most come from a somewhat attentive and mechanically minded background, but i am always surprised at how little friends know about their bikes, and what noises and loose bits aren't good... The dude paid the shop to repair and maintain the bike. Its on them to take responsibility for the shoddy work done, no matter the consequence. Im not fighting you here, obviously. But no one shoild stand for the shop having any leg to stand on in this, unless bikes are checked into the workshop with an assessment, and checked out with the same. Frankly im still shocked that this isnt industry norm with the value bikes have nowadays. It still freaks me out to pop into a shop, drop off a bike worth upwards of 40k, and leave, often without even a slip of paper to confirm.... Nuts!

Norrafok. They should take responsibility. Part of the price of having aoneone work on your bike is the liability that comes along with that. Especially on a bike like that, mistakes can be made, sure, but they should also then be rectified.

Looks like that canned fix a flat stuff CWC sold for a while, a while back.

So the comments so far are stoll throwing up seriously varied responses. Admittedly i am no hardcore cyclists, and in my mind a bike that has road bars and geo with space to fit 2.0 mtb tyres seems so perfect. I dont rrally care too much for the tarmac ability. In gonna give some 38s a shot, and see how they go, seems they ahould he adequate, so herento hoping! Shot fellas

Giggity

Mainly western Cape dirt roads, so fsulry good dirt with the odd larger pebble mixed in. I have a MTB to do proper trails and rides with... So I don't need to push it on the Gravel bike.... That's good feedback tho, thanks man!

So ive been tempted to try out gravel riding, and fortunate enough to pick up a GT Grade at sportsman's on clearance. Some some minor upgrade like wheels, and Tiagra 10 speed while keeping the same ratios. The GT can only fit 35c, maybe 38c dependong on the brand, so wanted to see what most people are riding for the rocky SA dirt roads before I go all in? A new bike with clearance for wider tyres is an option later on, but avoiding that would be nice... At the moment I use the GT as a nice all weather road training bike but I'm tempted by the offroad flavour! What you running, and why?

I'm not gonna lie. Coming from a BMX childhood, then on to road riding as a young adult, and now a mix of most things, I didn't get on with flats. BMX was obviously flats. No question. But MTB? I really didn't enjoy a hardtail, and getting bucked off the pedals over bumps, having to constantly reposition my feet, and spending th earth to get a solid shoe/pedal combo. Cleats are great. I have MUCH more confidence on cleats. In a panic they pull out any way you like and if you just train your brain a bit the ankle out action becomes second nature, even in an oopsie. I don't get bounced off, don't have to worry about my foot sliding off on pedal strikes, and my feet stay exactly where they need to be on the pedals. No flats for me, thanks, at least on a bike I plan to ride more than a couple 100m with..

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/headset-standards Should explain it. Easiest thing if you're unsure is to just pop in to your local bike shop and they'll be sure to assist you.

I think the problem revolves around the bias we have... Growing up, and years ago, bikes were simple. Like, really simple. And that simplicity meant cheap to maintain and you could follow along from a generic book for most bits. Bike mechs were budding pros or a humble owner down the road, so work was cheaper and spares were cheaper. But we wanted crisp shifting, stop on a dime brakes, and comfortable riding. We wanted more gears, bigger gears, and smoother operation. We wanted hydraulic brakes and sealed bearings. Bikes have moved way beyond super simple, yet we feel attacked by mechanics, who now need investment in tools, training and a lot more time to still charge next to nothing. Almost incensed that they should charge us and not just do the work for free for loyalties sake. Now, brakes are ultra high end, suspension super complicated, and the industry of course has been smart enough to make most thing proprietary. Bikes aren't the cheap easy simple thing anymore. They're Hella expensive. The people working on them are too. Deservedly, in most cases. Yes, a *** tech can ruin a bike. Like many k do most of my own things with generally good success, but leave the real complicated stuff to a qualified tech. Most of the time I even know these limits, but I've gone cap in hand with a broken part that needs rescuing due to my ineptitude. And when I have, I don't complain over the price. You pay it and ride grateful that the bike is sound. If your time, personally, is worth less than the 425 an hour, then learn to do your own stuff so a major service bill is reduced. But it still takes the same amount of time to get it done. Some of us do our own work for the sense of pride, or the "I don't want to rely on anyone else", or I want to know how it works so I can be better at trailside fixes... Whatever. But when someone has trained, has quality tools and facilities, then don't complain. Pay the money and ride safely.

Not a ****. Many seriously dangerous products break down after use, which is the classification they require. Bio degradable does not mean safe and harmless. Most products, once diluted, then used, given their half life to have the raws break down in function are safe to flush and then will break down in nature into safe compounds. Like I said, neutral detergents will generally be safest, but they will still strip grease. Most products marketed as bio degradable are enzyme based and they will also break down greases on the bike fast. You can't be sure you've rinsed every area perfectly, and even post rinse enzymes will continue to work.

Yeah clean green is horrible. It's NOT the same as SIMPLE Green which US forums will recommend. Simple green is great, clean green is a serious degreaser. It shouldn't be on bike unless you're aiming to strip grease off a surface, definitely not for a maintenance clean. Again, I've gotta ask... Do you NEED that bike wash product? 9/10 times your bike is just dusty or muddy, and that'll come off with water without any hassle, and then rest will come off with a little cloth action. The drivetrain should be stripped off the bike for a chemical treatment but again, ask yourself if you really need that soap or if a wipe and go will do just as good?

Yeah did the whole paraffin thing. Then my Mrs bought a small ultrasonic cleaner for her jewelry and it does the best job possible. God it really is good. And no, it was sram brakes. The lubrication around the pot was stripped of its grease, and would get stuck out and wouldn't retract. Regreasing them with dot grease helped, but I now just avoid degreasers and soaps entirely as they don't do anything more than the cloth can do without the harmful stuff.

So, just a little tip here for those interested in the cleaning agents they use. You want to find a neutral cleaner. This doesn't mean it has a pH of 7, it means that the product won't damage anything that wouldn't be damaged by water. These aren't that common on the shelf, so be careful. Also avoid enzyme based cleaners as they are designed to digest grease and fats. They're lovely and green and sustainable and all, but they break down grease over a short time and a bicycle has little opportunity to deactivate them. So they'll just keep breaking the grease down.

Caustic. If there's any caustic in the mix it'll damage it like crazy... Its unlikely that there is, however. But keep in mind very few of the end use brands manufacture their own product and instead have a Toller making the product from a set range. They could have had an issue in packaging the wrong product, or even been out of stock of the normal product and swapped out a replacement. Very common and it's easy for someone to forget that an ingredient is harmful for the application.

You know that nice thick viscosity it has? They use salt to get it to thicken up. It's a lively liquid detergent, but it's full of salt and will strip clear coat and damage paint the same way salt water does... You've seen those cars with patches of clear coat coming off? 100% they used sunlight to wash it for the life of the vehicle...

I've stopped using any chemistry on the bike. Honestly, it comes clean with a wet cloth and to be fair, no chemistry helps the wax and grease on drivetrain bits. After having brake pistons get stuck, issues with bearings, etc, nothing with any kind of degreasing action goes near it, even car wash products. Water on the frame and bits, dry cloth to clean the drivetrain parts, and Ultrasonic for the chain. Any particularly grubby spots get a harder wipe with the cloth and it removes greases and messes. Have had so much less trauma and cleaning is also quicker than when I used to use soap on the bike!