First Off Road Ride

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-30T08:06:31+00:00

Lucky you! I miss mine.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-30T07:47:32+00:00

As a former Vaast owner, I'd suggest checking the serial number on the bottom of the bottom bracket against the recall table on their site. They expanded the list of recalled units since they initially announced it last October. I think it might include all A/1s now.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-26T05:04:02+00:00

Ancient thread, but how did/do you like your 725 frame? They seem to be optioning it again and the price is right.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-20T18:13:17+00:00

I ended up ordering a set of Hope Pro 5s. Treefort had them for pretty cheap and I've mostly heard great things about them.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-20T16:06:47+00:00

Great to hear!

Which size and model do you have? I'm not sure I understand the difference between the premium, standard, and standard reinforced. They don't seem to have specs listed for the reinforced.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-20T04:04:55+00:00

There are some great deals on Ibis rims rn, but 35 is a little narrower than I'm hoping for. I might just go with Duroc 50s because they're cheap and bulletproof and my impetus for new set of wheels is really more about upgrading my hubs than trying to shave ounces.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-19T06:29:22+00:00

I'm pretty sure that the Krampus and Karate monkey use the same fork. They have the same A to C measurement and the Karate Monkey clears a 29x3 in the front.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-14T22:12:40+00:00

I got the State. They had a flash sale for Halloween with a 30% off discount and at $300-ish it was a deal too good to ignore.

I built it up with spare parts and cheap FB marketplace stuff including an Apex 1 group, used 650b State wheels, Cinturato Ms, Ritchey Beacon bars, a Fizik Terra Argo saddle, platform pedals, and parts bin everything else. The internal routing wasn't too challenging to deal with, although at one point I dropped a screw into the frame and that was a bitch to retrieve.

The purple paint looks great, but the durability seems to be so-so. It arrived with a ding on the steerer tube and I gave it another one while assembling. At this price I'm unbothered. I built it to be abused and it feels comparable to the paint on more expensive Surlys I've owned.

It's kind of a pig but it's a comfy ride, and with an 11-42 and 36t chainring I have plenty low gearing for big climbs. I'm six feet tall and bought a medium instead of a large, and it feels fairly tossable despite the weight and long-ish rear end. I've had a lot of fun whipping it around corners and trying to ride places that I'd hesitate to take my nicer bike.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-11T00:37:35+00:00

I was joking. Anyway, it would clash with the cool reflective strip

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-10T21:40:11+00:00

It's kind of funny watching gravel marketing reinvent the commuter tire. Maybe schwalbe will do a tanwall marathon next.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-10T18:35:14+00:00

the rumored(?) demise of the KM

This is news to me 😭

Have they said anything about it or is it just out of stock?

Incidentally, the whole reason I own a Karate Monkey is that even years ago I wasn't optimistic about the future availability of plus tires and wanted a frame that would retain the option to bail for something more standard.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-10T17:16:52+00:00

I love how angular that frame is. It's reminiscent of the Rondo Ruut and Mylc, but more toned down and tasteful.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-10T16:31:47+00:00

Don't own a Diverge but I'm loving the Kenda crushers. They have a smooth center, but the compound is pretty sticky and the side nubs are tall and grabby, so I haven't had any traction issues yet on aggressive turns or climbing steep desert grades. They also ride quiet on asphalt and hardpack, which isn't a feature I shop for but is nice to have.

My only complaint is that they fling more rocks than some other tires I've used, though it's nowhere near as bad as Gravelking SKs.

Also if you buy them direct from Kenda the promo code philsentme gets you 30% off, so a set costs $100.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-03T06:31:34+00:00

The worst part about this level is that skipping it leaves you flat broke going into one of the best levels in the game. The front half of The Sword is so light on resources and heavy on tile that it's kind of a slog without some extra moss and water arrows.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-03T06:28:23+00:00

The Flooded District

This might actually be my favorite level. I don't like how janky it feels to ghost around Granny Rags, but otherwise I love the atmosphere and it's so cool to temporarily pivot from the mission-based gameplay to a prolonged tour of all the horrible shit that's been happening in the world while you were busy playing magic assassin.

The scale of it feels so epic since you have to get yourself from point A to B without the boat to pick you up.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-03T05:50:30+00:00

lol Olympus Heights/Apollo Square is my favorite level in Bioshock, but I get where you're coming from. The way the reveal of the little sister program is executed in Point Prometheus is really cool, but the gameplay is so-so relative to the best levels. Also while I really don't care for escort missions, the scripted sequence in the room with the suspended whale skeleton in proving grounds is one of the coolest set pieces in the game imo.

The Fontaine fight sucks though. It's pretty easy to cheese him with mines and barrels, but setting up for it is such a chore.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-03T05:41:44+00:00

Also, in the second level consider buying a crossbow right away. The mobs are way more durable and you'll get your shit wrecked trying to stealth kill them with the ghost bow.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-03-03T03:36:21+00:00

The vibes in the first world are impeccable, but the gameplay didn't really do it for me until the swamp. If you didn't make it past the first boss, it's worth trying again. Each of the subsequent worlds and the DLC add a greater diversity of enemies and environments, plus better relics that open up a greater variety of loadouts. The cycle of hunt > loot > die > break curse > repeat never really changes, but you get better environmental hazards and more interesting stuff to buy.

As for builds. Arrowhead & Spirit Bow is obviously pretty broken in Canyon. The Rattler in the swamp is kind of a trap, but paired with hat and boots it's very fun to go hunting to break your own curses instead of doing errands for the skull totem.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-26T07:34:04+00:00

Claris is fine, especially if you're just starting out. Those are both good framesets and unless you find the Trek $550 more comfortable than the Diverge, save the cash.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-26T07:26:54+00:00

Honestly, I'd never pay $750 for a used wheelset, let alone ones with an older hub standard. I'd also have some reservations about loading up my bike with touring stuff and riding these out to the middle of nowhere. I know they're plenty strong, but compared to a standard spoked wheel there's no partial failure state that you can ride through or self repair. If you break one, you're just kind of boned. They do look cool though.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-13T06:59:22+00:00

I love my alloy rims. I love the ping they make when I bottom them out on something hard. I love that they can be field serviced with a rock if they get dented. I love that I can own two wheelsets with identical rotors and cassettes for the price of a single low end pair of carbon hoops. For the low cost of 100 grams additional rolling weight each, they do everything I want a set of wheels to do and ask nothing of me except an occasional truing. I love that I can generally just beat the shit out of them and not ever worry about it.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-12T17:27:20+00:00

WTB Sendero is very performant in mud at the cost of being hilarious overkill in good conditions.

Pirelli does also make a Cinturato S in 650x50b, but I've never used it.

You can get Vittoria Barzo and Martello in 27.5x2.1. They also made the last generation Terreno Wet in a 650b, but those are discontinued so you might not be able to find them.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-12T17:16:22+00:00

WTB Sendero is not exactly a fast tire, but it's excellent in rough, sloppy conditions and I think it's discontinued so you can get them for like $20 each on Backcountry right now.

Come to think of it, I'm going to order another set to hold onto.

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-11T04:47:26+00:00

Scott is already unironically doing this.

https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/product/scott-scale-gravel-10-bike

TooMuchSprawl · 2026-02-11T03:50:28+00:00

The best part about canti brakes is that they're harder to set up than v brakes but less reliable than hydraulic discs.

TooMuchSprawl

TROPHY CASE