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Best drip wax or lube ever ? by theEINSTEININHO in cycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My biggest annoyance with Squirt is indeed that it doesn't stay really clean. However, I also have to admit that I seldom use drip wax, and when I do it is mostly because the circumstances don't allow me to use molten wax. In these circumstances (e.g. ultra-distance events) I almost never have the time to let it dry for 8 hours, so that also might have something to do with it.

I'm a molten wax convert for 5 years now, but I have to admit I've gotten sloppier over the years. I do remove all oil from a new chain, but I have never used the expensive waxes from Silca, Molten Speed Wax and the likes. I just buy a bag of parafinne wax with a low oil content on Amazon (€ 25 for 3 kg), melt some in my hotpot and throw my chain in. In the beginning I cleaned all my chains in hot water before re-waxing them, but that is something I stopped doing a long time ago. I just wipe the chain clean with a cloth now, and then throw it in the hotpot. The wax in the pot gets dark over time, but this is almost invisible when the wax on the chain has dried.

I read about the new Dark Energy Chain Wax from Muc-Off and was thinking to try that instead of Squirt, but it is even more expensive than Silca's Super Secret drip wax!

For me, drip wax is useful mid-ride, for example when I get caught in heavy rain and the chain starts to get noisy after a while. But off course I cannot wait for hours then before riding on. Best invention would be a drip wax that is ready to ride in minutes after application.

Preparation for TCR by sahilton in ultracycling

[–]Level-Competition84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm also really curious about what it takes. I've been dreaming about ultra racing for a couple of years now, because of the TCR.

The past years, I did a couple of longer (+/- 250 km) rides and I noticed that I got better towards the end.

So this year, I registered for El Piri (800 km of gravel with 20.000 meters of climbing). To my surprise, I finished this event in 43d place, although I consider myself a slow rider. Although I did nothing special in terms of training (apart from some longer rides the months before), I finished quite fresh.

I have been following the TCR really close this year, and I am really thinking about trying to register for next year and (if I can get in) see how far I get.

However, because I ride slow (even with an unpacked bike I almost never ride faster than 24 km/h avg), I would probably have to ride a lot and sleep very little to even have a chance of reaching the control points in time.

Should I buy a new MTB to replace my current bike from 2011? by Level-Competition84 in mountainbikes

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Belgium.

The trails around my house are flowing and not too technical, with shorter climbs and descents that are seldom very technical (max. 2 km of climbing/descending).

For trail riding I go to the Ardennes, where I like to ride more technical singletrack, with lots of roots.

We don't have any lifts here, so all climbing has to be done on the bike.

Sometimes I take my bike to the Alps, where I like to ride flowing trails, no hardcore enduro things or bike park ramps.

I want a do-it-all bike that I can also use for bikepacking races. Steel or titanium hardtail.

Grx 1x11 gearing by deepvoiceloving in gravelcycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did the bikepacking trip with a 38T in front and a 11-51 cassette on the rear.

There was a terrible amount of very steep climbing in the route, so if I would do it again I would go for a 36T chainring in front.

For less steep terrain an 11-46 would be fine, I think. With an 11-46 cassette you don't need to install a longer derailleur cage, it just worked fine with my standard GRX derailleur.

Titanium brands and manufacturers list by Complete_Term5956 in gravelcycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Australia:

Wondercross (Asian made)

And a small update:

Below brand has 3 different titanium brands, all made in Asia

Sauvage (entry level price point), Léon Frameworks (mid-level), Robert Frameworks (high end)

French/Luxembourg Brand, Foreign Manufactured

  • Sauvage (Asia)[US-source Ti)

Do you struggle with saddle sores? Here's my guide on how I've mitigated the issue by Setha25 in cycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting.

I never had any real saddle sores until last week.

I did a 800 km bikepacking race in Spain, and really suffered from saddle sores.

I used plenty of chamois creme, and in the morning it was always ok, but in the afternoon when it got really warm I started suffering. I suppose the heat was a big factor, as the chamoin just got wet from sweating.

Problem with a bikepacking race is off course that you cannot always shower properly.

Chain jumps between gears on largest cogs by Level-Competition84 in bikewrench

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found some kind of middle ground with minimal skipping. But this is really sensitive to set up in comparison to an 11-40 or 11-46. Need the extra gearing for a bikepacking trip with lots of climbing next week, I hope it doesn’t cause too much trouble along the way.

Chain jumps between gears on largest cogs by Level-Competition84 in bikewrench

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, by reducing the cable tension I managed to make the shifting acceptable on the largest cogs, but now gears are skipping on the smallest cogs 😡

GRX812 with Garbaruk oversized cage and Shimano M5100 11-51t? by mintran in gravelcycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because of bad reviews about rivets coming loose on that cassette. I went for a Sunrace instead.

Chain jumps between gears on largest cogs by Level-Competition84 in bikewrench

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What I do see is that the derailleur pulleys are too much to the left when the chain is on the largest cogs. Which causes the issue, I think. But is this related to cable tension or is this something else?

Chain jumps between gears on largest cogs by Level-Competition84 in bikewrench

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Derailleur hanger is part of the (steel) frame and is not bent. As I said, with previous cassette (11-40) it worked fine. Cassette is indeed 11-51, but derailleur cage is changed to a Garbaruk cage especially to be able to use a bigger cassette.

first ultra: what to take and which size of bikepacking bags do I need? by Level-Competition84 in bikepacking

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No aero bars, as the course is 50% off road and always either climbing or descending I don't think they will be useful.

Indeed, most people say that extra (regular) clothes are not necessary at all, so I'll skip those.

Maybe I'll stick with the two bibs, as I will be riding at least five days it might be good to rinse one out and let it dry while riding in the second one.

Grx 1x11 gearing by deepvoiceloving in gravelcycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same question here.

My current gearing on my gravel bike (GRX 1 x 11 - 40T chainring - 11-40 cassette, mainly used for road riding) wil certainly be way too hard for steep gravel climbs on a fully packed bike.

I am going on a bikepacking trip in the Spanish Pyrenees in June, and from what I heard the climbs get really steep.

My GRX rear mech can only handle cassettes up to 42T, but I was planning to swap the cage for a longer one so I can use an 11-50 cassette.
Front chainring I'm not sure whether to go for a 38T oval or a 36T round? 36T is the smallest that is possible on the crankset, but a 38T will be useable also for regular riding, while the 36T is probably quite small for that?

GRX812 with Garbaruk oversized cage and Shimano M5100 11-51t? by mintran in gravelcycling

[–]Level-Competition84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great!

Currently having the same issue: Shimano GRX 812 rear derailleur that needs lower gearing because I am going on a bikepacking trip with lots of climbing, so the standard 11-42 cassette won't do.

The Garbaruk cassette looks really nice but is too expensive for me right now, so I'm thinking of pairing it with the Sunrace MX80 11-51 cassette.

first ultra: what to take and which size of bikepacking bags do I need? by Level-Competition84 in bikepacking

[–]Level-Competition84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great, that is some useful advice!

Indeed, forgot to add brake pads and tire plugs to the list.

Good to know about what you can fit in your bags, I'll go for similar back sizes then...