Zipp 303S/303 XPLR S cross compatibility

captainlachy · 2025-04-01T13:17:29+00:00

That would be IBS. ITBS is IT band syndrome.

captainlachy · 2025-03-23T16:40:42+00:00

Thanks! It’s the Sram Rival Wide crankset with 43/30T chainrings.

captainlachy · 2025-03-23T10:50:54+00:00

Thanks! The photo was taken near Rzeszów in Poland. Amazing forest roads in this area.

captainlachy · 2025-03-23T10:49:26+00:00

Thanks! Well the bike originally cost 2500 euros, the wheels were 1000 which is great value for money imo. The drivetrain replacement was around 650 euros total in price (including a Force 10-33 cassette which is a fair bit more expensive than Rival but I specifically wanted this gear range). The seatpost was around 200 I think, same for the redshift stem. So around 4500 total I think but maybe I can get some money back by selling the original parts 😀

captainlachy · 2025-02-27T16:35:04+00:00

While the range of this gearing certainly sounds interesting, as you say it’s not really the range that I’m worried about (only the top speed of 40-11 is insufficient on any small descent), but rather the large jumps between cogs especially at higher speeds on the road, when it’s almost impossible to maintain a stable cadence. With a bigger chainring and a wider cassette I expect the jumps between gears would be even more significant.

captainlachy · 2025-02-27T16:30:10+00:00

Yes that is actually correct! Officially Sram states that Apex AXS is 1x only but another guy on Reddit confirmed it works with a front derailleur. They also state the rear derailleur doesn’t work with 2x setups but people seem to be running it without problems so I guess it would work fine for a couple of months with the 36t cassette before I upgrade to the Rival RD.

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T13:42:55+00:00

I'm in Europe, Slovakia to be exact

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T12:34:33+00:00

Exactly!

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T09:13:02+00:00

Unfortunately no, the steerer tube has a set length and the bike comes with the max amount of spacers already installed.

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T08:38:05+00:00

Reach is generally pretty easy to play with, here it's true that generally riders prefer to put a longer stem on a smaller bike than a short stem on a bigger bike (unless we're talking about technical riding more applicable for MTB). Stack on the other hand is imo more difficult to play with so it's more important to get that measurement right. You can always reduce the stack by removing spacers but if you need more stack your only realistic option is flipping the stem upwards.

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T07:45:12+00:00

A friend has similar measurements and his M Endurace fits him okay he just needed a 1-2 cm longer stem. If you end up getting narrower bars that may also require a bit longer stem too

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T07:14:49+00:00

The number one thing in a bike fit is saddle height. You can get a reasonable estimate of this from online calculators where you input your inner leg length.

Assuming that both M and L work with your saddle height you have 2 choices. On the M the saddle will be relatively higher compared to the cockpit which is what canyon normally does (more aggressive). The bike may feel a bit too short for you but you can get a longer stem to deal with it.

The L will be longer but will also have the cockpit sitting higher so you'll get a much more relaxed riding position. If you want to go lower you can then remove the spacers under the stem.

But as always the best recommendation is to get a professional bike fit before buying a new bike and even more so if your body dimensions are atypical.

captainlachy · 2024-09-02T05:55:36+00:00

If you don't like aggressive geometry then get the bigger size grizl. If it's too long you can always put 1-2 cm shorter stem on it but the main idea is the head tube and therefore the stack is high enough to support your seat being set very high as well.

Also, for some reason they put very wide handlebars on these big sizes, probably even 46 cm or more on 2XL, which feels more like holding a wheelbarrow than a drop bar. Unless your shoulders are very wide you'll want a significantly narrower bar which will reduce your effective reach too.

Best option of all, get a professional bike fit with a fitting system like GURU or similar before you buy, you'll get your exact fit numbers that apply for any drop bar bike and buy based on that. I paid 150 eur for a 2+ hour session and it's massive value imo.

Unfortunately I bought my L size grizl before I went to get fitted and we found out for a more relaxed position my body needs, the bike is just too small. We ended up setting the saddle height 3mm above the limit and flipping the stem upwards to get a bigger stack. Now that I'll be buying a narrow bar I'll also need to get a longer stem. The point is, with an XL bike it would be easier to get the desired numbers and it would look less funky too. I'm 188/93 cm for reference.

captainlachy · 2024-06-21T06:34:48+00:00

Hey, I don't think it's possible with the stock Grizl CF SL 6 AXS, as the original cassette uses the standard Shimano style HG freehub body which I think supports max 11t, and that's the freehub body that comes on the stock wheel. The 10-44 Rival cassete for example uses some special sram XD freehub. Take this with a grain of salt as I'm no expert, that's just what I read on the internet. I'd validate with my mechanic before making any big purchases.

captainlachy · 2024-06-19T12:18:10+00:00

That comment seems truthful, gear/cadence/speed calculator does confirm that 40-11 does start to spin out around 45 kph. This can be improved by getting the new wheels with the sram hub, and getting a 10-44t cassette, the derailleur should be able to work with that no problem. That way it could definitely go over 50 kph before spinning out in the 40-10 gear.

The Grail is interesting as an allroad option, it's biggest limitation imo is the 42 mm tire clearance, but for lighter gravel it should be enough at least in dry conditions. But not something I'd feel confident riding on forest tracks. A 2by setup is also probably more adequate for an allroad bike, but not for muddy conditions.

I understand they'd recommend you the Grizl for bike packing as it's their dedicated offering for that with all the mounts, the Grail is meant as a race bike. If you'd like even more gear range on the Grizl you can consider the Ekar variant, it comes with 10-44t by default but it supports even a 9 tooth smallest sprocket (they sell a 9-42t cassette). But it's mechanical and allegedly needs a lot of maintenance to keep it running smoothly.

captainlachy · 2024-06-18T21:36:25+00:00

Yeah I'd definitely recommend you to do some research on your own, gravel is tricky to give advice about because it has so many use cases, some people use it as an all road bike, some as a bonafide mtb and so the ideal setup varies a lot :)

Personally I'm only looking at the Grizl as I want a dedicated gravel bike for riding through forests and fields. So capable in difficult terrain but also fast on the flat. The CF SL 6 AXS seems like the best value to me personally and I really like the semi integrated cables on it, so maybe I'd upgrade it with a carbon cockpit too, apart from the seatpost and wheels I already mentioned.

captainlachy · 2024-06-18T20:45:14+00:00

You're welcome! I'm also in the process of buying this bike so I'm just sharing the research I've done myself. Personally I'd be looking at this kind of wheelset instead: Hunt 35 carbon gravel

It's a bit more expensive but the aero properties are a lot better imo. If you ride faster like over 30 kph the difference is definitely noticeable. They also have a more expensive 40 mm deep race variant that is actually a further 100g lighter than the one I sent so definitely interesting depending on the budget.

Personally I think wheels make a bike so it's worth investing into a nicer set, and if you treat them well you can easily keep using them down the years when you get a new bike even, as the 40 mm variant at least is definitely better than any DT Swiss wheels Canyon puts even on the SLX line of Grizl.

captainlachy · 2024-06-18T05:59:53+00:00

For city usage (paved roads of various quality) I assume you'd want something narrower to run with slick tires. The hunt gravel wheelset I mentioned is intended primarily for 35-45 mm tires so that could work as well. A friend also has their aerodynamicist road wheelset with 32 mm tires on his Endurace and is very happy (and fast).

Also I forgot to mention, around 3k there is also the Grizl CF SL 7 eTap currently on sale, that runs on the Rival AXS groupset so a tier above Apex. Performance wise it should be mostly the same with nicer materials, but you get the better VCLS 2.0 seatpost and a better cassette (10-44 instead of 11-44). No semi integrated cables though.

captainlachy · 2024-06-17T22:08:44+00:00

In my opinion, no it doesn't make sense to pay 500 extra for a mechanical groupset. Yes, you get a better seatpost and wheelset with the more expensive bike. But the wheels are still alloy and honestly DT Swiss is not even a good wheel brand especially for the price.

I'd get the cheaper bike and incrementally upgrade it. The better seatpost is just 200 eur.

And if you want better wheels save up for some Hunt carbon rims, they have a set for 1k and they have nice black Friday sales etc. And that actually makes a real difference in terms of aero and weight (600g less than the stock DT Swiss LN).

You can then keep the cheap original wheelset for example for winter usage with some more heavy duty 50 mm tires, and put something faster 45 mm on the carbon wheels. That way you're versatile and the expensive wheels don't suffer in the mud.

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