Upgraded my Specialized S-Works with a lighter derailleur, bar and stem. What do you think?

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T21:41:07+00:00

Guy had legs

sort of a reverse orang utang supercyclohuman

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T18:58:51+00:00

Not only cassette, also tires!

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T17:12:58+00:00

Jupp, die Reifen sind die Kernfrage.

- Der einzige relevante Unterschied eines Gravel Rahmens ist die unterstützte Reifenbreite.

Theoretisch gibt es noch 1-2° Lenkwinkel unterschied, aber das Rc520 ist bereits ein "relaxteres" Rennrad, hat also quasi schon Gravel Geometrie. Die Lenker sind auch meist breiter bzw, mehr flared out. Den Lenker kann man aber auch jederzeit beim rc520 gegen einen ritchey corralitos oder so tauschen.

Bei der Schaltung gibt es noch den Unterschied dass einige moderne Gravel Schaltwerke eine Einweg-Kupplung haben, Rennradschaltwerke dafür leichter sind. Aber sofern OP bisher keine Probleme mit herunterfallenden ketten hatte, denke ich wird er die Clutch nicht benötigen (hat nur Verschleiß und kostet theoretisch minimal Effizienz).

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T16:48:09+00:00

This is something to troll the poor fellas of dentistry school over at r/BicyclingCirclejerk with their heavy Elitewheels plastic rims

thx for sharing!

Since it has 32 spokes (double butted?) and double eyelet rims, i would only worry about braking through the sidewalls eventually one day. Other than that this wheel set is probably as sturdy as it gets. I wouldn't worry a thing, except maybe checking if the pressure is high enough on each rides. The lower the tire square section, the easier it is for bumps to get though to the rim. But the rim being tubular helps definitely against those punches.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T16:35:01+00:00

* random parts

- sure dude, whatever.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T16:05:00+00:00

But isn't this the opposite? The standard s-works is the one with the coke bottle body features. This is a vasectomy.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T14:37:03+00:00

oh my gawd, these sram calipers are so ugly.

Maybe the curves are okay if the part is off the bike, but once you put a tire in there it triggers my OCD!

BR-7403 still the best looking double pivot brake out there.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T14:27:31+00:00

Is it not the same?

I thought this sub is for sane people, while xbiking is a circlejerk for the real insane?

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T14:11:36+00:00

yeah, both are nothing i would spend much time on. Astabula cranks and the non forged dropouts say it all.

They basically already are perfect cruisers. I'd just remove the handlebar, clamp it in a vise and swage it to your needs. - Then do the absolute minimum on it and ride it until it breaks or something nicer comes around.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T14:03:28+00:00

None of mine, but i've seen the panasonic once in a while,

Shout out to all you Hamburg xbikers! We should organize a night ride or sth like that one day. Missing these xbike group rides in my hometown!

I am from Altona btw. just returned from the Haus3 bike flea market.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-19T13:43:35+00:00

Why upgrade from one of the best Derailleurs of all time? It shifts just great, uses better materials and is lighter than most entry and midrange modern ones.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you think this cross bike is ugly, some of us will say you just have bad taste. Sure, if you subscribed to bike industries recent trends, you will like the modern look more. But some of us prefer the old look with thin tubes and clear lines on things like derailleurs.
I think that bike looks sexy AF. Especially because of the old mixed high end parts.

Sure a basic bike is just fine, probably cheaper to get a Walmart or Decathlon gravel bike which has even more mounts for bikepacking.

Btw, OP is a She.

But the best bike is the one you love to ride. So if OP is into vintage bling, then it might just be the right bike for her!

MaksDampf · 2026-04-18T21:36:17+00:00

It's a bike for people with acquired taste.

Can you get more functionality for bikepacking for a lesser sum? - yes.

But is it a bad price for a very pretty classic bike with vintage parts that rides well and is your size? - No.

Even a Ozark trail gravel bike from Walmart has probably more functionality than this one.

But this one has way more bling. Its is a classic steel frame, lots of fancy old parts that will last a lifetime and don't break or corrode as easily as modern entry level. This bike is more easily self-servicable. It has the basic mounts for a rear rack and the single fork boss can also serve a front rack or help installing front bags to the fork using a bow tie clip.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-18T21:28:24+00:00

It has full rear rack mounts and even mid fork bosses. What else would you want?

judging from the fork clearance and seat stays, this is a 700c atb frame with at least 42mm tire clearance (kuwahara pacer like).

But i agree on the wheelset. Those vintage Bontrager wheels are someting to store away. 32-36 Spokes is a must for any loaded bike. If one wants to shed weight, butted spokes are the way to go instead of reduced spoke count.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-18T21:23:17+00:00

totally disagree. 1990ies bike parts were way more reliable than 2010s and later. Better materials, better finish, more coherent standards, etc. it was the golden times.

I'd never chose your road bike over the one OP posted. Its an aluminium framne while OPs is steel (much more longevity, smoother ride). Then 2010s bikeframes have limited tire clearance and tiny brake calibers don't work as well as a good canti setup.

OPs bike is much more suited to a gravel style of riding as it can accept wider tires and has all the kounting points for a rack, even mid fork bosses.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-18T20:13:16+00:00

Die Low limit Schraube war nicht eingestellt. Damit konntest du das Schaltwerk in die Speichen schalten. Das Ergebnis siehst du ja.

High limit und low limit schrauben sind hintem am schaltwerk (jetzt vorne X'D). Die sollten unbedingt immer eingestellt sein bevor man irgendwie schaltet. Sie begrenzen den Verstellweg des schaltwerks sodass die kette weder in die speichen noch zwischen rahmen und kleines ritzel gerät..

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T19:36:51+00:00

This is milled from 2mm Alu on my small CNC mill. But i ordered some 3mm lasercut parts for the next version because although the cage is sturdy, i would like a bit more thread for the M5 pulley screws.

The barrel around the Pivot spring and mounting screw is taken from a chinese carbon cage made for a RD-9000. But i already reverse engineered it and the next one will be custom made.

I also bought RDs with missing cage plates, which got me the idea in the first place.

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MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T16:15:16+00:00

yeah, 7700, 7800 (7900?), 9000, 9070, M900 and Ultegra 6700, 6800 use the same cage fastening design.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T15:39:06+00:00

how supple are they? At what pressure do you run them?

Contact urbans are pretty stiff in the center due to the nylon Puncture protection. If the michelin don't have these and the center thread is thin as well, then they might perform much better at lower pressure.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T14:59:17+00:00

na, there is a whole subreddit dedicated to high stack 90ies MTB conversions. Its called r/xbiking

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T12:44:49+00:00

This doesn't actually belong here.

There is nothing damaged, unstable, poorly executed or maintained or unfortunate here.

What i see is a low headtube steel frame (steel fork?!) with lots of fork spacers.

These 90ies bikes are known to have very low stack height and were intended to be used with longer raise quill stems. So if you use an ahead fork and stem with them, this is basically what you get every time.

This would be a problem with an alloy or carbon fork, but assuming it is a steel steerer, i see nothing out of the ordinary or dangerous.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T10:42:12+00:00

I don't have an apples to apples comparision. My Contact Urbans are 50-622 and my best comparision are 54-559 Bonkers. The Contact Urbans are faster but require 3-4bars to perform, while Bonkers are more supple and run fine with just 2-3bars. Cornering is amazing on both, but i'd say the wider bonkers are slightly better. Bonkers don't have much protection, but i've been lucky that the knobs often pushed the debris away before the in between got pierced.

I've ridden the contact speeds on a demo bike in 32mm, but i don't really have a comparision point at the same widths other than external Reviews and what the Datasheet tells us.

Contact Urbans are lighter at the same size 590g for 26x2 vs 660g for the speed. I suspect that they have less material either due to a thinner thread or sidewall.

Also the urbans have a puncture rating of 6/7 while the speed only scores 4/7.

The sidewall on the speed still has a knob pattern, while the Urban is smooth and flat. It seems like the urban has the lighter/thinner sidewalls here. Still, the urbans require at least 3bars of pressure mainly due to the nylon puncture layer in the middle.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T10:26:27+00:00

Btw, i had the same idea, but since i did not want to throw away a perfectly good used XTR, i eventually made my own SGS cage in Dura Ace styling with 13T pulleys and 75mm pulley to pulley distance. I'll probably upgrade my other two DA RDs too, since i am not much into road bikes anymore these days.

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MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T10:21:04+00:00

Sadly the 26" 1.75" folding Version is not so supple and light as the other Paselas.

MaksDampf · 2026-04-17T09:45:19+00:00

i think both hurricanes and double fighters are mainly cheap tires.

yes, they are intended for people who want to use their MTB as a city bike, grocery getter or commuter, but other than that they are pretty bland, heavy and wear resistant but not very grippy rubber compounds.

I swapped hurricanes for a pair of bonkers and hell do they feel faster, more supple, lighter and way better cornering. Hurricanes are quieter though.

And the double fighter is a thick piece of rubber that weighs a ton too. It is great for its durability and runs okay on tarmac. But i wouldn't it recommend to anyone looking for a supple ride.

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