Martin PJ

The adverts for the hoods say they are the same for all the 10 speeds.

Send me a Pic. I'll compare to mine.

I reckon Lezyne Flow are great, They are not light, saw some pros use them in Paris Roubaix once, so that sold me. When I want to spoil my bike, I get two of these.

Massive fan is a must. I bought a R300 big fan from one of the China malls, works great in Durban heat. I also had problems with the PC setup, Zwift needs decent CPU to run and obviously good internet connection. A decent cell phone can run Zwift, but I had problems with the cellphone bluetooth to the big screen, seems to develop interference and not work properly, I think this was also CPU related (laptop was cheap). Now I use a big beast computer, no issues. The bigger the screen, the better.

Kickr core or tacx flux s. Something this price range. I agree second hand is risky.

Wasn't impressed with the courier company. Threw the Temu package over the fence, then left. Saw it a bit later on the lawn.

I take 2 weeks off twice a year. Have been cycling for a long time. First started in 1985. To keep going in this sport you need to try new things, new ways of training, racing. Anything different. If you haven't tried something and somebody suggests it, then try it.

Yep, that was my line of thinking. Reason I asked was that I was in a similar situation once and I could push in the carbon with my fingers. Hence the seller took back the frame as this should definitely not be possible.

If you push in with your fingers can you notice any movement inwards?

I had some, which I used for years, they were fine. Not the same brand. A mate had another Aliexpress one which had a massive flex in it, the bar broke while he was riding. I would prefer to check out the bar first, see how strong it is, what is the weight. Must not be too light, obviously.

I guess formula make mineral oil and brake fluid brakes.

I see Rapide website sells hose for the Formula and Avid brands, so they are compatible.

Formula is brake fluid, so probably Shimano won't work (mineral oil). Try Avid which is also brake fluid, if the size is the same.

The pinch bolts is only two bolts, they are not touching the chain ring at all. Once the pinch bolts are tightened the allan bolt has served it's purpose. 1.5nm of torque is very low. On the Shimano design you tighten a plastic piece (like your allan bolt) by hand, not supposed to be tight, it doesn't come out. The pinch bolts being tight does contribute to holding the allan bolt tight.

Thanks as BAgearA said, the pinch bolts hold the crank on, the centre bolt is to ensure everything is flush before you tighten pinch bolts. This is the Shimano design, take a look at some videos with Shimano crank problems. There may be some damage now to the crank splines, I have never had good luck fixing the problem once the Shimano crank falls off a few times.