Gravel bikes - what do you have and where did you buy it?

[NicoR]

I have full Force 1 without any issues. Haven't skipped a beat!

[NicoR]

Cassette is 11/42

[Bernard Brand]

Okay, awesome. Thanks Nico. Guess I’m taking the plunge then.

Do you have this with a goat link or any other sort of modification going? Chain length mods? Anything?

Cassette is 11/42

[NicoR]

Okay, awesome. Thanks Nico. Guess I’m taking the plunge then.

Do you have this with a goat link or any other sort of modification going? Chain length mods? Anything?

Stock standard. Came standard with a Merida Silex+ 6000.

 

Cassette is SRAM PG1130 if I am correct

Edited October 1, 2020 by NicoR

[Monark]

Force X1 allows a 42 rear cassette. A normal 11 speed sram road shifter will not work with a mountain bike derailleur. Ive tried.

[Bernard Brand]

Hmm ???? Really? Am I then misunderstanding the backwards compatibility that SRAM 10 and 11 speed road and MTB is supposed to have with one another?

 

Force X1 allows a 42 rear cassette. A normal 11 speed sram road shifter will not work with a mountain bike derailleur. Ive tried.

[NicoR]

Both Apex 1 and Force 1 derailleurs compatible with 42 cassette.

 

Apex 1 only available in a long cage. Force 1 available in short(28 tooth), medium (36 tooth) and long (42 tooth), thus you need to long cage to fit 42 cassette.

[Bernard Brand]

Both Apex 1 and Force 1 derailleurs compatible with 42 cassette.

 

Apex 1 only available in a long cage. Force 1 available in short(28 tooth), medium (36 tooth) and long (42 tooth), thus you need to long cage to fit 42 cassette.

Hi Nico,

 

Thanks. That's also why I am curious if the Goat/Road link extender will work with it? Or is that not the case with Sram derailleurs?

 

Or would I be able to buy the cage separately if the Goat link doesn't work and swop it out?

Edited October 2, 2020 by Bernard Brand

[NicoR]

Hi Nico,

 

Thanks. That's also why I am curious if the Goat/Road link extender will work with it? Or is that not the case with Sram derailleurs?

 

Or would I be able to buy the cage separately if the Goat link doesn't work and swop it out?

 

Sorry, not able to answer your question.

 

My bike was purchased new with the 11/42 cassette and Sram Force 1 fitted as standard.

[Monark]

Hmm ???? Really? Am I then misunderstanding the backwards compatibility that SRAM 10 and 11 speed road and MTB is supposed to have with one another?

 

 

11 speed shifter won't work with 11 speed mtb derailleur.

[Bernard Brand]

11 speed shifter won't work with 11 speed mtb derailleur.

I see... I found the article again and it's only 10 speed Sram that will work in this way

[Bernard Brand]

Sorry, not able to answer your question.

 

My bike was purchased new with the 11/42 cassette and Sram Force 1 fitted as standard.

Okay, thanks Nico. Appreciate it.

[Eddy Gordo]

No chain drops on a pretty bumpy ride this morning with some of everything, sorted!

 

Am still not a fan of the look of gravel specific bars but I will admit they're comfortable and easier over the more technical sections such as they were, keeping in mind I don't use it as an MTB.

 

Lastly legend has it that this chainring has been used to win the Crater Cruise on a single speed bike some years ago by the one and only Jules [emoji41]

 

How are you finding the JAVA fork? does it take abuse?

[BogusOne]

So after I was forced to sell my steel gravel bike earlier in the year I was gutted being without a bike once again so i set about building myself a gravelbike with scraps and bits of what i had laying around that I accumalated over the years....

 

It started off with Campy 1x 10 using shifters i bought here on the Hub a long time ago  and a long cage Record RD running 11- 40 flawlessly. Left shifter at this stage was stripped out to just be a brake lever. Then i got a bee in the bonnet to convert the frame even further to full internal routing and ended up with my shift cable housing being too short to run the Record Rd so being a self confessed cheapskate and not really having the means to even buy that i thought what the heck just try it and I fitted my XO 11speed Type 2 RD with and what do you know.... Campy 10speed shifter and XO 11 speed RD now works flawlessly together on my Frankenbike... I call it that as this frame started its life as a 26er Giant XTC frame....

 

So a couple of days ago the shifter that was actually giving problems from the beginning with sometimes not shifting down now desided it had enough so i desided one more mod probably wont be that bad and I went about it again, Stripped out the shifter to now just be a brake lever and fitted the matching XO 11speed thumb shifter to the drop bar with very little mods. Actually just needed to bend the clamp open a bit and use a longer bolt to clamp it down and voila no bucks spent and my bike is still fully operational. So all in all a moerse build from stuff I already had in my parts bin.

 

Its still not my steel bike but it gets me around so still pretty chuffed. So just some inspiration to anyone that is thinking of building a gravel bike, having a thumb shifter on the drop bar is also a option and still leaves you ample hand positions on the bar...

 

 

 

 

[Danger Dassie]

So after I was forced to sell my steel gravel bike earlier in the year I was gutted being without a bike once again so i set about building myself a gravelbike with scraps and bits of what i had laying around that I accumalated over the years....

 

It started off with Campy 1x 10 using shifters i bought here on the Hub a long time ago  and a long cage Record RD running 11- 40 flawlessly. Left shifter at this stage was stripped out to just be a brake lever. Then i got a bee in the bonnet to convert the frame even further to full internal routing and ended up with my shift cable housing being too short to run the Record Rd so being a self confessed cheapskate and not really having the means to even buy that i thought what the heck just try it and I fitted my XO 11speed Type 2 RD with and what do you know.... Campy 10speed shifter and XO 11 speed RD now works flawlessly together on my Frankenbike... I call it that as this frame started its life as a 26er Giant XTC frame....

 

So a couple of days ago the shifter that was actually giving problems from the beginning with sometimes not shifting down now desided it had enough so i desided one more mod probably wont be that bad and I went about it again, Stripped out the shifter to now just be a brake lever and fitted the matching XO 11speed thumb shifter to the drop bar with very little mods. Actually just needed to bend the clamp open a bit and use a longer bolt to clamp it down and voila no bucks spent and my bike is still fully operational. So all in all a moerse build from stuff I already had in my parts bin.

 

Its still not my steel bike but it gets me around so still pretty chuffed. So just some inspiration to anyone that is thinking of building a gravel bike, having a thumb shifter on the drop bar is also a option and still leaves you ample hand positions on the bar...

Bud, that is a beast of beauty!

[NotSoBigBen]

How are you finding the JAVA fork? does it take abuse?

Despite my not inconsiderable heft it is holding up well, keeping in mind that unlike some I ride it as a gravel bike not a 'jack of all trades' type bike. Gravel roads that do have some pretty rough corrugations, jeep tracks with some rough sections and occasional reasonable singletrack.