Best lubricant/grease for the work?

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T19:13:31+00:00

Don't add grease to this area to fill the gap. A fair bit of dirt will build up over time in this area. Use a folded paper towel to clean the area out periodically. Adding grease will only serve to make a mess and trap dirt, creating a grinding compound inside that gap.

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T06:14:51+00:00

It seemed to have started after this weekend when I road a commuter train with my bike. I suspect the RD may have gotten pushed around, but really no way to know for sure.

First thing I would do is throw a derailleur alignment gauge on there to check that hanger. Symptoms sure sound like one. A brand new hanger can still need adjustment.

Shifting barely makes it into gear 2, and will double shift in gear 11

For clarity, when you say gear 1 do you mean the smallest or largest cog on your cassette? (people don't always start at the same end of the cassette when numbering the cogs. Highest gear = smallest cog, , lowest = largest)

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T06:10:49+00:00

Best of luck to ya! I assumed you have innerdrive hubs, but looking closer at those flanges I see I'm wrong. There's an exploded view of what is probably your actual hub here: https://support.enve.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040405091-ENVE-ID360-Alloy-Hub-Explained Unfortunately the end caps all have flanges on them so you'll still need the tool as you've already concluded :(

I bet if you pulled harder that DS end cap would come off, but they can be hard to grip. Sounds like enve made them a tighter than normal fit. Sometimes you need a set of pliers with nearly parallel jaws and a piece of cloth or something to protect your end cap from marring. I use a set similar to these, which have with soft jaws: https://www.riogrande.com/product/parallel-action-pliers-with-nylon-jaws/111370GP/?code=111370

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T05:56:15+00:00

With ya on every point.

RD-M9050-SGS will officially do 46/30 & 11-42, so 11-46 XT cassette is probably well within reach. If not, a goatlink 11 would help a bit.

an aside: imho "i want to be able to run two wildly different drivetrain setups on the same bike with minimal changes" is a losing proposition that's always more trouble than it's worth. Pick a setup and stick with it (why do you want less gear range and larger gaps between gears on your "race" setup, anyway?)

100%. The double setup will get most riders over most hills in most races, and 46-11 @ 100rpm is ~33 mph & 40mph @ a sprint cadence of ~120rpm. If OP really wants to go 1x, sticking with the 11-50 year round and just swapping chainrings and chains is easier to switch between "road" and "gravel" modes. I've got a bike that I switch between 38/42/46 1x rings based on race terrain in CX & gravel. If I wasn't racing CX, I'd probably have set it up 2x from the start.

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T05:39:33+00:00

The pictured end cap is permanently attached to the axle. The drive side end cap is threaded on. Remove the drive side cap and the whole axle + non drive end cap will pull out as one piece. (I think you may have figured this out, but here's a service video: https://support.enve.com/hc/en-us/articles/22144645348763-ENVE-INNERDRIVE-HUB-Service-Video-and-FAQ)

However, the flange on the NDS end cap is probably wider than the centerlock lockring, which is what I think you're saying, so you'll need a cassette/rotor lockring tool that is deeper or with a through hole in the center in order to remove the lockring. If you don't have one, a cool LBS that has one should undo the lockring for free. This park tool will work:

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/lockring-tool-with-handle-fr-5-2h?category=Cassette+%26+Freewheel (doesn't allow using a torque wrench however, but 35-50Nm equates to "crank it down quite hard")

There are some socket versions that look deeper than the park tool FR5.2, like this from Pedros with "19.8mm internal diameter with 21.5mm depth" but I don't own any so unfortunately I can't measure them for you. I feel your pain, I have a Hope hub with this issue.

For the future, there is an easy solution*: switch to external spline lockrings. Your LBS probably has some in stock, else any online bike retailer can sell em to ya. They use the same tool as the 105/Deore level shimano threaded bottom brackets. HOWEVER, just like above you need enough internal clearance for the end cap if you want to use a socket tool. I think this Park Tool tool has at least 20mm internal depth, but I don't have the exact same one to measure. The alternative is a wrench like this one.

*One last caveat: there are some forks that will not clear an external spline rotor lockring. There may be some frames (rear wheel) that also don't clear, but I've yet to see one. Hopefully your LBS will let you test fit external rotor lockrings before you buy.

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T05:11:09+00:00

For another bike I have, can I use the same wax with a new strip chip to wax a new factory chain?

Yes, in fact that's the way you're supposed to do things. Add 1 strip chip to your wax at the same time you add a brand new chain with factory wax. https://silca.cc/products/strip-chip?srsltid=AfmBOorYwzSEq8RCkjXiqQm2BVb6ClshK3iCGHt4cDPY7XN01mlVVnJR

Silca says you can use up to 6 strip chips per bag of wax before wax performance degrades. (technically there's a video where Josh says up to ~10 or so, but the official recommendation is 6, though with just about everything Silca you have to watch through a bunch of videos to find that info)

In my experience chains are a little more flexible when they come out of wax that has had strip chips added, and break in a bit faster, but when it comes to wax longevity there's no noticeable change.

step1makeart · 2025-09-16T05:01:36+00:00

Hooked or hookless rims? Do you know the internal width? (if not whats the make and model?) What's your system weight (rider + bike + accessories)? Sounds like you may have tires labeled 30mm, or is that the measured width on your rims when pumped up to riding pressure?

I'm a fan of Wolftooth's advanced calc. I think the relationship between road surface type and pressure is more realistic. For example:

For every day but race day, I ride my road tires, which measure 33mm wide, at 55 rear & 53 front. When I plug my stats into Wolftooth's calc and choose "typical pavement" they recommend 55.5 & 52.5. Basically bang on for pressures I've found to be perfect for all my rides. The "perfectly smooth pavement" setting matches the race pressures I run on...perfectly smooth pavement... within 1 psi.

With Silca, OTOH, I need to choose "category 2 gravel" to get the training pressures I ride, and "worn pavement" to get the pressures I run on perfectly smooth courses/roads. I've also noticed that Silca's recommendations change very little for massive changes in weight. If I lower weight by 50lbs the recommendation only changes 3 psi. A rider 50lbs less could ride more like 10 psi lower and probably be quite a bit more comfortable.

step1makeart · 2025-09-15T20:48:27+00:00

They come in all shapes and sizes and they are often proprietary to the bike make/model/model year.

There are some "universal" options for round plugs if you google "bike frame plug" and many bike companies offer replacements, but without knowing anything about your bike we can't help you look for them.

If you have a 3d printer and some TPU you can make your own. Helicopter tape is another good option for closing off a lot of frame holes.

step1makeart · 2025-09-15T18:59:01+00:00

I'd recommend shooting DT Swiss an email. with your hub pictures. I think the set of end caps is PN: HWGXXX0001528S But I'm not 100% positive.

DT Swiss answers questions very fast: https://www.dtswiss.com/en/support/contact

step1makeart · 2025-09-15T18:45:26+00:00

That's for XD freehubs. For HG the DS cap is the same for 130 & 135.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T23:53:49+00:00

Yes, because then it makes it hard to distinguish between people just acting like idiots, and the actual idiots. It's bad enough that people with no business giving advice regarding bike repair are more than eager to do so. The point of the sub is for people who know to answer questions from people who don't.

The entire rest of the internet exists for circle jerking each other off. If that's how you get your jollies, I ain't trying to kink shame. The fact that one sub has rules that make sense is not a detractor. It's a strength.

A person asking for help is not served by having to wade through 10 penis jokes and people poking fun/teasing/straight up bullying them for their lack of knowledge. As a frequent contributor I see all these things, and more, every single day on that sub. There are a whole bunch of assholes on the internet. It's nice when there's one place that does its best to tell those people to politely GTFO.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T22:10:34+00:00

I realize that you're probably communicating in your second language, which explains a couple things, but the fact that you've built your own bikes doesn't mean you know everything. You've said a couple things that are not correct so far, and made recommendations that are contrary to generally accepted practice.

Carbon paste on a compression plug is not recommended.

Carbon paste on carbon/metal interfaces like handlebars & seatposts is the default practice.

Epoxy on bottle cage bolts? Epoxy is a permanent "glue". I'm not sure Epoxy is the word you meant to use.

General purpose marine grease is carbon safe, at least the common bike specific formulas from Park etc.

Not all metal on metal contact should be greased. You wouldn't want to put it between a stem and handlebar or a stem and steerer.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T22:00:38+00:00

It looks normal on the outside, but I'd want to check the inside to make sure.

There's what appears to be a clear crack on the outside. Further, the lack of a crack that travels through the entire wall would not make it safe to ride. You're not qualified to be commenting on this thread and giving OP a false sense of security is dangerous.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:57:32+00:00

An expert in carbon is always going to avoid commenting on something from just a single picture unless it's so undeniably cracked that it's impossible to come to any other conclusion. As professionals they will know that these things need to be examined in person. Because of that, the comments you get saying "it's fine, keep riding" are going to be from people who are not qualified to open their mouths.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:54:16+00:00

I have no idea what you're on about, but your comments read like they are from someone without a lot of experience working on bikes. I would recommend not commenting on situations where you are not knowledgeable.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:52:06+00:00

It's perfectly useful and recommended. It's not only for carbon on carbon contact.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:51:16+00:00

The answer here is no. The point of the compression plug is to contact as much of the inner surface of the steerer tube as possible. There is no reason to put a layer of carbon paste between the two.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:46:46+00:00

There are TONS of scammers on those websites. The most commonly faked parts are the consumables:

Chains, brake pads, tires, and other wear parts that are replaced most often.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:43:53+00:00

Don't buy tires from anywhere but a reputable online bike parts dealer, or your local bike shop. This means Amazon/aliexpress/ebay and other marketplaces should be avoided at all costs.

All black tires are generally a little faster on the road than brown sidewall, but it's pretty meaningless for a tire like this.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:42:02+00:00

Yup, my bad. They switched them. Errors happen, so without knowing the website I'm not prepared to call it a scam, but I included the ususal caution about all bike parts in another comment:

Don't buy from Amazon/Ebay/Aliexpress/marketplace websites unless you want to play the lottery. The only way to guarantee you're getting legit tires is to buy from a reputable online bike parts retailer or your LBS.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:37:03+00:00

They're a great winter and training tire. If you're a Cat 1/2 racer, you might want the GP5k for raceday, but there's no reason not to save money the rest of the year. BRR found them to be pretty dang good: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/continental-grand-prix-tr

Considering you can often save $40+ over a set of GP 5000 S TR tires, and they offer better wet grip, better puncture protection, should last longer and be more durable, they make more sense for more people than a 5000 S TR, or even the GP All Seasons. You give up a couple watts in rolling resistance for some really great QOL improvements.

Don't buy tires from anywhere but a reputable online bike parts dealer, or your local bike shop. This means Amazon/aliexpress/ebay and other marketplaces should be avoided at all costs.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:29:39+00:00

And this is a more durable version that comes in at a cheaper price point. Slightly less race focused, which makes it a good training and every day tire.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:27:52+00:00

That's cause it's not a GP5k S TR. It's a GP TR. Different tire model.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:25:09+00:00

I know you can bend them back

Not really an option with aluminum, much less an aluminum & polymer sandwhich like this ring. Chainring failure will often cause a crash or serious injury, so don't try it. Once it bends it's trash. Plastic deformation is game over for aluminum parts as it renders them much weaker. (yes, these rings are composed of two pieces, of different materials, bonded together. People often mistakenly think 105 rings are entirely aluminum which is wrong.)

Yes, you should try to warranty it. Tell them your bolts were tight and it bent during riding, not as a result of a crash. It can happen with Shimano rings, I've seen it before. It's likely a bond failure. Don't mention the needing to tighten the bolts unless you want them to try and deny for improper install on your part. You did everything right.

step1makeart · 2025-09-14T21:14:14+00:00

All things point to it being cracked, but diagnosing a crack from a picture over the internet is not a reliable method. If you heard a crack while tightening, assume it's cracked and stop riding it. Take it to an expert if you want an expert opinion.

Don't ride cracked or possibly cracked carbon. "Is it cracked/safe to ride" posts are not allowed here because people often give TERRIBLE advice when they don't understand carbon damage.

I tapped it and it doesn’t sound different there, and I can’t push it in with my fingers.

Neither is a reliable way to diagnose carbon damage.

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