TomR

I got mine from Grant at Sprocket and Jack. He will have a solution for you.

What crankset are you using?

I hope it’s a great trip Brian! I’ve taken my bike with me to Europe a few times. It’s pretty straight forward if you know and follow the airline baggage rules. The biggest issues I’ve had are my CO2 canisters.. Don’t travel with them in your bike bag, but I’ve found traveling with them in my toiletries bag with my checked luggage hasn’t raised a concern. On a trip last year, I had to deflate my tyres at the airport. That was a mission. Carrying a roll of tape with you is also good advice. Bags and boxes are known to tear. I’ve seen a traveler at ORT being forced to open his bike box, and not being able to close it because no one had tape for him. That looked stressful. Have a great trip!

I did a 1x conversion on Ultegra 8000 a little while ago. I thought it worked really well. The bike shifts and rides well. I’ve used a Wolftooth chainring, and run a 11-40 XTR cassette with a GRX rear derailleur. Those Csixx 1x chainrings also look great. It they were an option I would have chosen that instead.

I’ve had three surgeries; laminectomy, microdiscectomy, and finally a prosthetic disc replacement surgery. I didn’t have the option for a passive treatment as my disc had ruptured and not just herniated. If the passive route is an option, I would suggest that you exhaust it.. My first surgery was at 23. My last surgery was at 27. I have been living with the prosthetic disc for 10 years now. I have been able to live a very active and normal life. I’d consider myself a strong cyclist, and a pretty good golfer. I run occasionally, but this depends on how the back feels, and running only started again a couple of years ago. In my opinion the most important aspect of these kinds of surgeries is the rehab and discipline. It’s a tough road, but not too scary if you do all the right things. Last thought… I was advised to seek multiple opinions and be very wary of a surgeon that wants to fuse the spine. I feel that I got lucky finding the surgeon that was offering the prosthetic disc replacement surgery. It gave me my physical life back.

That definitely looks like a short cage. I was an early adopter of the Force1 groupset and had a similar issue with the rear derailleur working with the cassette that I wanted. It’s quite easy just to change the cage. I used an XX1 derailleur cage to extend the range on my Force derailleur. I believe any Sram 11 speed MTB derailleur cage should work. These cages aren’t too hard to come by and you’d be able to convert from a short cage to long cage.

It was delivered to my door. No SAPO. Just to clarify, I used the Standard Shipping option, and it cost 5 pounds.

I have used Chain Reaction quite a bit in the past. Their delivery service has ranged from being awesome to totally *** over the years. I have just recently completed an order/delivery process. The order was for a few small parts, and I selected the 'free delivery' option. It was shipped using Skynet, and took about 14 days to get to me. It was by far my best experience with Skynet. The communication from Chain Reaction and Skynet was good, and the package was fully traceable. I believe the more expensive shipping options are being delivered using DHL.

It’s possible that the cable tension is the issue. You’re locking out on the remote, but the cable pull isn’t enough to fully lockout the fork? I’ve had a remote SC performance fork, and then over time had to to tighten the cable. It is possible to use an allen key to full tighten and lockout on the top of the fork. If there is still movement in the fork, then there is clearly an issue with the internals of the fork. It’s a good test to see if it’s a fork or cable issue, and could save you the hassle/cost of sending it away.

One difference that I have noticed with the 12 speed SLX and XT derailleurs is that there is an access port to adjust the tension of the clutch on the XT derailleur, but there is no access port on the SLX derailleur. They are the exact same clutch mechanism, but to tighten the clutch on the SLX derailleur you have to unscrew and remove the plastic housing.

The Shimano 12 speed stuff is really great. I’ve been impressed. I’ve had 12 speed XT installed on a bike since March, but I’ve had to service the derailleur/clutch twice since then. I can imagine that if anyone was getting a bike shop to do this, it would be a costly exercise. It’s only about a 15 minute job, but I can’t recall any derailleur I’ve had in the past needing this much attention.

I also have a pair of Castelli Inferno bibshorts. They’re great. The fit and quality is pretty good. I do prefer my Giordanas though. The sizing of Castelli kit can also be tricky. I’m a large in Giordana and Assos, but am an XL in Castelli.

I agree with spending money on good bibshorts. I’m 180cm and move between a 32-34 waist. I have large in both Assos and Giordana. They’re both a good fit. I hope That helps.

Those are some good choices. I currently have both the Giordanas and Assos bibshorts that you’re comparing. You can’t go wrong with either. I find that the Giordanas have a longer leg fit, and go a little higher up my midriff. I enjoy the Assos bibshorts too, but tend to lean towards the Giordanas when I’m going on a longer ride. There really isn’t much in it, but I do feel that the Assos bibshorts might have a longer life. I have no experience with the Ciovita bibshorts

I went the surgery route. My issue was also at the L5 - S1 level. My disc had ruptured, causing serious nerve issues, some unpleasant complications, and the sciatica turned me into an "old", seriously unhappy man. I tried multiple options, but ultimately, and necessarily went the surgery route. There were three surgeries in total. I was 23 when I had my first surgery, and 27 when I had my last. I am 36 now, and have been pretty much pain free since. I did not go the fusion route though. the fusion scared me. I instead went for a disc replacement surgery. It's a prosthetic disc that has the functionality of a disc, but offers limited cushioning. Rehab is probably more important than the surgery itself, and maintaining the flexibility and core strength is crucial to keeping more back issues at bay. I am very active now, and while I don't do too much running, or high impact activities, I cycle a lot, and I do a lot of mountain biking. If you are interested in speaking to the neurosurgeon that performed the disc replacement surgery pop me a DM.

Yes, I have done this. On two road bikes. I actually have an oval Wolftooth 1 x chainring that's specific for the Ultegra 8000 crank. I also have an Ultegra RX derailleur. Send me an PM if you're interested. I have quite a bit of experience with these kinds of conversions.

Frame clearance is an issue. Typically 36, 38 is the biggest you might be able to go. But.. if clearance is an issue for a front chainring, look at getting an e-thirteen cassette (you’ll need an XD freehub body). They offer a 9 tooth cog, which paired with a 36 front chainring is the same as pushing a 44 front chainring with an 11 tooth cog.

Canyon Roadlite. I have one. It’s an amazing bike. I’ve been really impressed with it.

I’m in the process of N - 1. I have a Highball 1 carbon. If you’re interested, drop me a message.

Are you looking for a Highball Frame?

You’d have to pay UK VAT if you used this option, but at least the shipping process would be a little more transparent. CRC and Skynet suck, but I’ve found if you use the free shipping option the experience is equally as bad, but at least the expectation of ‘Express’ shipping isn’t there. Free Shipping from CRC also comes with Skynet. I also think it’s useless complaining to Skynet. I’ve had success complaining directly to CRC and asking for a full refund. On the two occasions that I’ve done this, my package has moved pretty quickly through Skynet. Final thought.. Just use Merlin and avoid CRC

The mechanical braking isn’t awful, but an upgrade in braking would be to hydraulic braking, which actually isn’t that easy with this setup. You would need new hydraulic STI levers as well as new hydraulic calipers. A Shimano 105 set can cost at least R5k-R6k and upwards. Just FYI. That bike looks like good value as is though

I don’t fully understand the ‘stuck in customs’ excuse. I placed an order at Merlin Cycles last week Monday(7/01), it was delivered by UPS last week Friday (11/01). I placed another order from Merlin this Monday and the current status is that it’s out for delivery, and I should have it by the end of today. What is the clearing customs process? Is it in house? The service from UPS is on par with what DHL use to offer for CRC. This SkyNet BS is so frustrating. I’ve had two very different experiences with them. The first experience was a total nightmare. The second was ok as a result of lowering my expectations. I’ll be avoiding CRC in future.

https://www.canyon.com/en-za/factory-outlet/category.html#category=road-bikes&id=25793 Same bike, different colour (maybe different frame size) retailing at $ 1400. Some serious deals on the canyon website..

Thanks John. Your videos look awesome. Looking forward to getting down to that part of the country.