Kom

I had a KS on my Commencal - not the best dropper ive had, and frequently needed topping up. Side thought but the cartridge based droppers i.e like the Lyne are just more pleasant to live with on the maintenance front, but frustratingly develop play over time.

solid point! i see the OP has his ad up now - this is a good spec to hunt for! https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/547571/wanted-specialized-epic-evo-comp-2021-l

I started picking up crazy surface rust on my XX1 chains, so stopped doing it. I wouldn't easily go back, the methods ive picked up i.e organic degrease, proper dry/clean with a fibre cloth, 24hr lubbing just works for me now.

Gravel events are popping everywhere for winter, might be worth a consideration until summer returns.

The epic Evo replaced the camber with 120mm travel for an already excellent chassis on the 100mm travel epic. if you plan on doing stage races, you won’t go wrong with either, but the trend is to go 120mm travel.

Check out Sick Bikers channel on Youtube - a number of really good hacks he gives that i live by, and I also do >5000 km on my chains before reaching a 0.5mm gap for replacement. A couple of my own mistakes: 1 - not Lubbing when the chain is dry 2 - ignoring the cassette (even brushing on a micro layer of Q20 works magic) 3 - over degreasing (at one point i was soaking my chain in paraffin, not recommended)

There were a number of attempts to open spinning studios with Kickrs and Wattbikes before covid, all closed within a year, investors out of pocket. I would feel very sorry for an investor trying to do the same in the current climate of post Covid gym culture where most have converted their garages/dining rooms into personal gyms.

In transit from TZN for a year? Id go ahead and buy yourself some new tools ...

I was keeping an eye on the various makes of computer at the prologue today, the most popular choice was hands down Wahoo Elemnt, the Bolt standing out the most. Includes mapping, great refresh rate, integrated with my kickr for syncing training peaks workouts (Garmin does this too, but it’s such a klunky interface and you can’t control the Kickr or restart a segment etc)

No doubt that squirt lasts, but past a couple of rides with no in between chain cleaning and it will produce a "snot" in your cassette and all the hard to reach spots that needs a strong degreaser and a brush to get out, and then it doesnt really get 100% clean. I was given a sample Q20 Qbike Dry Lubbe and have been riding with that for the last couple of months, no issues getting it off, and it lasts as long as needed between cleans and certainly did the trick in the rain for CTCT yesterday.

Display Fenix 7: 1.3in, 260 x 260 pixels, touchscreen Fenix 6: 1.3in, 260 x 260 pixels The sizes and display tech remain the same across the Fenix 6 and Fenix 7 models. For those looking for an AMOLED version, that's what the Garmin Epix offers - the Fenix sticks to a transflective MIP display. The addition for the Fenix 7 is touchscreen. This can be turned on or off on demand and allows some alternative options for interaction with the display, mainly scrolling through options rather than having to use button presses all the time. Otherwise, the display is basically the same as it was before, obviously with the S having a smaller 1.2-inch display and the X having a 1.4-inch display.

I enjoy climb pro which shows hill grade automatically on any climb on a pre loaded route. MTB dynamics is a lot more fun than it’s given credit for, don’t hurt yourself trying to increase jump length on your regular track though.

Depending on how comfortable you are with setting up tubeless etc Id advise that you just get a proper set of 28mm road tires you keep on the bike, then swapping back to your gravel choice when needed. Ive in the past had a spare set of wheels to "easily" switch between road and gravel, but this didn't work for me personally, brake disc alignment, even cassette alignment just never seems to match, so you end up aligning brakes and indexing gears when you swap which can be a pain. Then of course wear and tear on two cassettes running one chain was another minor factor.

The only motivation is the 51mm 7x screen over the 47mm screen on the 7. The 7 comes in solar and non-solar options, im sure in non-solar the real-estate on the 7 might be as big as the 7x. Beyond the torch, its the exact same product.

The real answer? I doubt anyone. The basis of your comparison could also be linked to another thought “how many fenix 7 owners could’ve just bought the top of the range fenix 6 on one of the many crazy sales being run” at 60% of the price it’s quite a compelling price for 90% of the features owning a 7 is not about rationalising your feature requirements backwards, but specific to the touchscreen and the software specific features unique to the version for this watch. In terms of remorse or doubt, i think going with the fenix 7 instead of the epix is quite real though. I think many will stick with the fenix for one other consideration, it’s proven past success and the ability to resale easily for a decent return for the next one 😆

Dedicated LEDs on the front of the watch. Number of modes like strobe, or white light forward red light backward based on arm swing when running. It has SoS mode, different brightness settings. It can even strobe in sync with your running cadence.

As long as you have a race license, you can technically jump up if you’re seeded for % to $. this counts for the @ seeds for CTCT too.

A bit brighter than my iPhones torch, it has three levels of brightness, and a red strobe too for running

The touchscreen really opens the menu system up. I’m using the torch way more than I thought I would.

Updating back here that I just couldn’t resist upgrading to the 7X Pro - I’ve had the watch for a week now and these are a few observations since moving on from the 6X Pro:- 1-the new heart rate monitor is not as bright, I used to wake up at night with the green light streaming from between my wrist and watch on the 6x pro, you don’t see the light anymore, especially the pulse ox monitor. The redesign is a slam dunk 2-the end of workout summary screen is much much better, now displaying zones and elevation graphs which I used to always end up having to wait to do only once the 6x was synced back to training peaks for analysis (or Strava). 3-I feel a bit hyped about the touch screen, but I honestly underestimated how good navigating the fenix would be with touch. I have been highly automated with pressing buttons in the 6x and all my prior fenix models, but the touch screen makes me want to explore the watch way more. What I’m enjoying is the long press direct access from the watch screen straight into weathe, training status screens 4-I’m a sucker for metrics, and although my 6x had silly duration on the battery, now having solar is actually useful in knowing how much I’ve been outdoors and just how much sun exposure I’ve had, let alone the top up charge you receive which doesn’t bother me for benefit 5-the torch is useful, we had old shedding the other night, and found it novel to double tape the watch and to have my torch available Between the sale of my 6x, the contribution from Vitality, my pay in for the upgrade amounted to R7k, that’s a chunk of change, but I’m honestly of the view that it’s been worth it.

I’ve used the Specialized power saddles for a number of years and never had any creeks. I’d only say you shouldn’t buy used saddles (or tyres for that matter), you never know when someone’s had a knock which could damage the frame rails. I use carbon grease on my seat post and seat rails at least once a year when I’m checking seat heights or doing a deep clean, Carbon grease serves as a gripper and ensure you don’t end up with seized contacts.

the 945 has a very old style feel to the menu's and screen layups when compared to the interface on the fenix 6 too.

There are a few deals going on the Fenix 6 Pro for ~R8-9k The garmin eco-system is more than just the hardware, its the free training programs (static programs or adaptive), the connectivity to indoor trainers and power meters. Then in terms of hardware, it doesnt need charging every day like an apple watch, its inherently more rugged and robustly built, and in my opinion, after having owned every version of the fenix, has the best resale come upgrade time. There is honestly no other product worth considering.

Given the bike is an epic Evo, I’d want to stay “brand aligned” Roval would be my default recommendation, with DT Swiss probably the only alternative brand I’d consider. if money was no object I’d definitely want to experiment with a set of Bike Ahead Composite 6-spoke trail wheels, they look indestructible.

Adaptive training programme’s are available among a number of Garmins latest range. I prefer a wearable like the Fenix 6 as it’s combining data points the device is tracking 24/7 to give you a daily recommended workout. and it’s Free …