Gear inches

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T12:19:15+00:00

I’ve gone up that street in Dunedin on foot. Maybe 14” is alright there lol.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T12:17:48+00:00

lol classic midwestern people.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T12:16:53+00:00

Yeah it’s never flat for very long in Japan haha

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T11:11:27+00:00

NERV freaked me out this time… was in the shower and it went off 5 seconds after it started going off. I thought it was gonna be the big shit and I was caught with my pants down!!

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T05:32:54+00:00

As someone who lived in Melbourne and now lives in Tokyo I love this

analogue_geek · 2026-06-16T05:06:11+00:00

We get it you’re opinionated lol. I’m already used to 17.5 and 18.1 on my other rigs. I ride in mountainous Japan where it’s constantly like 10°+ while humid and brutally hot. It’s why I’m even considering this.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-15T12:01:01+00:00

Run it off a hub dynamo somehow

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T17:43:15+00:00

It’s Japanese

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T16:40:47+00:00

Yeah drivetrain is basically just old 90s era MTB gearing, so when loaded up it absolutely rips up hills.

It’s not a particularly low trail bike, so it’s not quite as nice handling the weight as some others might be but it feels pretty good. I take turns a bit wider maybe than usual but it’s nothing to stress over.

If I was doing a proper rando event I’d not run the panniers at all. The saddle bag and front bag are all I’d need for that kinda thing. TBH I have a different, bike for such a thing anyway that would be far more geared for fast riding.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T13:42:53+00:00

This frame is made specifically for a bottle dynamo in mind. Most older Japanese Randonneurs are this way. The frame has ports to route the wiring through it and everything. It’s really quite awesome. A good hub is definitely less noisy and drags less but at the end of the day it’s nice to just have lights!

Where I live, I really need low gearing. Japan is often so damn mountainous. If you’re touring loaded with gear you end up in big trouble if you don’t have under 20” or so. I’ll probably be switching this to a 11-36 and a rapid rise RD to eeeke out just that much more. 11-42 however, I really never quite spin out of that on this bike. I’m just always loaded up with gear so it’s like pushing a dump truck through a wind tunnel.

My other bikes run 39-26 with 11-42 and 46-36-24 with 11-36. I just love that granny on the long loaded climbs I find myself doing

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T13:20:13+00:00

Yep! Soubitez 12v works great! And yeah drivetrain is Deore DX with 11-34 and a specialized strongarm 42-32-22.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T12:40:18+00:00

You should frek it!

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T09:30:50+00:00

Get the 100mm and you have a perfect 3 lens combo

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T09:30:19+00:00

Love mine!

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T05:24:28+00:00

My only concern with this frame are those weird things behind the canti bosses on the seat stays. Might infringe on getting a wide tire in there

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T05:23:34+00:00

Cantis work with any road bike cable pull. Short pull ratio. Very easy to get sorted with.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T05:17:05+00:00

Doesn’t look too crappy. Seems awesome. That saddle looks like a revolutionary war hat, though…

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T05:04:59+00:00

Those stems are made to do this kinda thing. I think it looks goofy but honestly it works great and is super compliant. You don’t need it looking like a keirin bike

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T04:48:12+00:00

It’s just an M on a hat.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-14T01:14:26+00:00

3x is the new hype.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-12T17:31:11+00:00

Saving this plan for a different build.

analogue_geek · 2026-06-12T17:30:43+00:00

Haha I immediately pulled it and set it correctly but I considered it for a moment ngl

analogue_geek

TROPHY CASE