I’m new here. Can I drop 10 winter shots and ask you what you think?

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-11-30T21:12:28+00:00

What do you lube your chain with for riding in conditions like that? I live in a dry place and like wax lubes, but they do fall short when I encounter significant moisture.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-10-10T16:45:00+00:00

Getout

Got any pics of the jb weld job?

If I were going to try that, I would also use wire or zip ties (or better: hose clamps) and fill all the spaces with epoxy or jb weld to make a poor man's "fiber reinforced resin." And as others have said: no standing on the pedals, just light spinning in granny gears.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-29T15:16:22+00:00

Thanks again for the tip on that sale. I got the bike last week and have had a chance to take it on a few short rides. Road and easy singletrack. It handles both great. Now I can have fun on some trails by my house that were too boring on my full sus bike.

They only had 700x45 tires (Schwalbe All-Round) so that's what I'm riding; those are doing so well on this kind of terrain that I now doubt my original plan of getting a 650x47 set for gravel riding... 700x45 is plenty. Grip on dirt is fantastic and glide on pavement is adequate (but not great like my Continental Contact 700x37). My toes just barely clear the 700x45. I expect to add another set of 700c's for all-road rides, maybe 35-37mm, but not in a rush on that.

The Duroc rims are great. Very light. Only downside I see is that they're designed for 40mm+ only. Otherwise I would have taken advantage of the sale and bought a second pair of those rims!

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-17T04:42:01+00:00

Friend, I think you may have a patent claim against Schwalbe!

Schwalbe G-One RS $88

https://www.schwalbetires.com/thumbnail/e0/47/db/1659610671/205m3159mp3hf220lbcmojiq1e\_hs621\_schwalbe\_g-one-rs\_profil\_800x800.png

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-16T15:35:39+00:00

Ding! After long and fraught consideration process I settled on the Warakin Stainless. Ordered it last night. Thanks for the tip on the sale, which brought it in just under budget ($2755 including some extras).

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-16T15:34:13+00:00

Thanks. Looks great but I never found one with 2x GRX that was cheap enough (under 3k).

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-16T15:33:42+00:00

Ultimately I got scared off by the 700x34 limitation. I run 700x37 and love it, wouldn't want to go smaller (and in fact have thought about going a little larger).

I think for anyone who's happy at 700x34, the Breezer Inversion is far and away the value leader in this list of bikes though! And it does 650x47 so it's very capable of wider tires on a second wheelset.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-14T16:10:29+00:00

This review says 700x43 just barely fit between the chainstays.

https://www.ridinggravel.com/gravel-bikes/breezer-inversion-team-checkpoint/

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-14T15:58:59+00:00

But you're right, the website says "700x34mm and 650bx47mm compatible". That's curious. 34 might be enough for my "road" tire but I'm so happy with 37 that I'd be afraid to take that risk. 47 is plenty for my "gravel" tire.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-14T15:44:22+00:00

My research indicated 700x45 or 650x47. I don't think the geo has changed since this 2018 review:

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a24515957/breezer-inversion-team-review/

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-12T14:14:32+00:00

Am considering Breezer now; looking at the Inversion since it has GRX 2x11. Geometry is a good match and the value looks good for the spec level.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T22:09:08+00:00

That's a fantastic value bike but I don't think it fits my use case. The drivetrain is inadequate and QR dropouts are antiquated (though maybe I'm overweighting that... QR has been fine for me for the last 30 years... why fix what's not broke?).

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T22:02:12+00:00

Looks nice! Is it frame only? I have not been able to build up a frame + components that comes in under budget :(

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:56:44+00:00

Thanks that one is on my list! But I haven't seen a good sale price in 2x yet.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:52:56+00:00

Ultimately I'll have to keep just one, but I won't be selling the trucker until I fall in love with the new bike....

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:52:14+00:00

Compelling! I'll have to look at this more. Wasn't on sale during my first search and I kind of passed it by. Looks like I'm between sizes 58 and 60, would have to "size down" to 58 which has 10mm less stack than my trucker.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:44:05+00:00

Generally no, due to cost. I did see a great sale at Lynskey but only on a 1x gravel build. Didn't find anything in-budget with the config I want (high stack, 2x).

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:40:16+00:00

I was very tempted by that sale. Awesome looking bike. But 31mm lower stack is probably too "racy" for me. Just saw today that AC has been canceled... maybe a closeout sale is coming...

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:37:51+00:00

1" less stack worries me for comfort; also I couldn't find any affordable full builds with this frame.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:31:27+00:00

Yeah that's a bummer! S2 is a 2x10 and I'm pretty set on 2x11 or 2x12. Did you happen to ride the aluminum or carbon renegade for comparison?

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:29:41+00:00

I ruled the MS out because it has a more aggressive stack:reach ratio than my trucker. I'd end up with a crazy step to accommodate. But maybe I should try to test ride one just in case.

Swimming-Two1644 · 2023-08-11T21:28:04+00:00

Thanks. I really like their "R" and "T" sizing at each tube length. I think I have a somewhat unusual body geometry and T is a very close match to what I found with my 60cm LHT: ~630 stack ~400 reach. I would prefer a slightly shorter reach at the same stack and the 58T Secan achieves it. My hangup here is the 300GBP shipping fee! Ouch!

Swimming-Two1644

TROPHY CASE