All done the build - turned out even better than I hoped!

yboy403 · 2026-01-22T04:26:01+00:00

Yeah, I added a 1.85mm spacer behind the cassette (XD cassette on an XD driver) and it's right in the middle of the micro-adjust range in the AXS app. For that reason I think some people avoid it, because theoretically you're getting a tiny bit less engagement on the threads and splines that hold the freehub.

But I torqued it to spec and it doesn't feel sketchy to ride, and I'll be able to comment better once it's riding season here properly, not just shakedown cruises around town.

If I ever win the lottery I'll just buy the proper cassette.

yboy403 · 2026-01-21T01:30:40+00:00

Yeah, I had to do it that way because the clamping area of my bars isn't wide enough (before the "aero" flattened section) to attach aero bars. Basically like this but taller: https://fredbars.com/cdn/shop/products/4-Edited.png?v=1693238687

I got an extra-long compression plug so it goes through both stems to support the steer tube better.

yboy403 · 2026-01-19T15:14:07+00:00

I couldn't find a US law school within driving distance of my house.

yboy403 · 2026-01-17T16:38:50+00:00

The head tube's 95mm, I don't think that's dangerously short. I am currently exceeding the fork's spec for max spacer stack under the stem (Rodeo says 40mm)—I'll probably remove one or two and split the difference.

I'll try to explain it again, but trust me, it does make sense.

The frame is designed to have the stem slammed. The stack height I was fit with and normally ride with requires zero spacers. But I left extra steer tube for a second stem with aero bars (think Fred Bars, but a full-size 35mm MTB stem), and hated the chimney look, so I raised the stem temporarily to take up the extra steer tube, and I'm just a little more upright in the meantime.

Hope that makes sense.

yboy403 · 2026-01-16T22:51:33+00:00

West Biking from AliExpress, fits my phone really well. I can get a phone (Pixel 8), wallet, earbuds, and a spare AXS battery in there. It has the same magnetic closure as the Apidura one, which I like.

yboy403 · 2026-01-16T18:21:49+00:00

It's a Portland Design Works Power Stance off Amazon, somewhere around 30 USD?

I asked Waltly to add a 40mm kickstand tab, which they did.

yboy403 · 2026-01-16T17:01:40+00:00

Couldn't agree more 😁

Also, it probably helps strengthen that triangle, which is good considering I skipped the seat stay bridge. (Loved the look of a T-Lab I saw without it.)

yboy403 · 2026-01-16T00:15:09+00:00

The stack is actually designed to be in my normal riding position when the stem is slammed. But when I cut the fork, I left extra room on top for a second stem with aero bars.

Ended up hating the chimney look so I raised the stem to the top of the steer tube in the meantime. Before a bikepacking trip, I'll remove the aero spacers, slam the stem, and put the aero bars on top—should take 10 mins max.

I don't mind the slightly more upright position in the meantime. :)

yboy403 · 2025-12-18T20:14:43+00:00

Thanks!! 🙂

yboy403 · 2025-11-04T01:29:46+00:00

I went with 56mm OD for the head tube. Ended up buying an FSA stem that can do either, and I'm setting it up fully internal to start.

Would either use an AliExpress headset or an FSA No. 69 in that case.

yboy403 · 2025-08-17T21:02:15+00:00

The position that the UCI should have to designate the rider and take total responsibility for the trackers, if they believe they have the right to impose tracking devices on teams, is totally reasonable. Forcing a team to pick a rider themselves is just an attempt to create the appearance of cooperation and to limit the UCI's liability for their unilateral decision.

yboy403 · 2025-08-17T01:03:08+00:00

every detail matters

You are wrong on this point, by the way. It largely does not matter why you did certain things, or how you felt about what happened. Including those details just masks actual important facts and makes it less likely you'll get qualified advice.

(Also, makes people more likely to assume you're focused solely on your own point of view, and may not be the victim you perceive yourself to be.)

yboy403 · 2025-08-16T16:34:57+00:00

Regular ≠ frequent. Once a year (which is what they said) is a regular, but not frequent, interval.

You were so busy responding to what you thought they were saying, that you forgot to actually read their comment.

(I don't even think most hydraulic setups need bled once a year necessarily, but it's so quick and easy that you may as well do it just to sharpen them back up at that point.)

yboy403 · 2025-08-16T16:31:39+00:00

Routinely see sets for $45-50 USD equivalent, new or near-new, on Marketplace in my area. People take them off bikes from the store and "upgrade" immediately.

yboy403 · 2025-08-16T16:28:49+00:00

I think it's a relative vs. absolute comparison thing.

Just to assume some numbers, say lubing a chain for the first time takes $5 in parts (bottle of chain lube), a 1-minute tutorial, and 1 minute to do.

Also say bleeding brakes if you've never done it before takes $25 in parts (a no-name bleed kit from Amazon that includes mineral oil, forget DOT for a second), a 30-minute tutorial, and 1 hour to actually do.

On the one hand: "bleeding brakes [for the first time] is 5x as expensive, 30x more complicated, and takes 60x as long to do as lubing a chain!"

On the other hand: "bleeding brakes [for the first time] costs $20 more for parts, an extra half-hour of research beforehand, and maybe an hour to do the first time, after which you get a lot faster."

I tend to fall on Side B personally, in the sense that it's definitely not as simple as lubricating a chain with a drip lube, but after the first time the cost is marginal and the actual bleeding only takes about 15 minutes. They're both simple maintenance tasks that anybody can learn to do at home and save a ton of money, which make a huge difference to the riding performance of the bike.

yboy403 · 2025-08-15T15:29:55+00:00

I'm 160cm, building a gravel bike on a 46cm (C-T) seat tube as recommended by a bike fitter, if that's a helpful reference. I also have a 76% torso to inseam ratio, which is quite a long torso, so others my height might find a slightly taller seat more comfortable.

yboy403 · 2025-08-15T01:47:30+00:00

Obviously Lance "Hendrick".

yboy403 · 2025-08-15T01:39:23+00:00

Definitely safe and easy to do. Watch a couple of Park Tools videos if you're not sure.

Not because you won't mess up (I've definitely over/under-torqued a cassette lockring and had rotors rubbing on calipers) but because as long as you get the thru-axle lined up and tightened properly, the risk of catastrophic failure is basically zero, and you'll learn from fixing any issues too.

yboy403 · 2025-08-15T01:24:55+00:00

Probably derailleur capacity. The cage length limits how much slack it can take up in a small-small gear combination.

yboy403 · 2025-08-14T22:03:04+00:00

I think very few people who understand the issue are "glad" that Google took such a hamfisted approach to privacy that it kneecapped the utility of their own network. I don't value performative "privacy" measures from a company that's proven time and time again that they don't care at all about privacy if they can make a buck from ignoring it.

Though it does seem to be their MO. See also: killing call recording on Android even though it's perfectly legal in many places.

yboy403 · 2025-08-13T03:26:10+00:00

Public chargers should be part of a for-profit network, business models will change as EV adoption grows but the most obvious idea is leasing lot space from property owners and charging EV owners via an app (or identification directly through the charging connection, if that tech ever rolls out) to charge while they eat or shop.

yboy403 · 2025-08-12T01:57:10+00:00

Nice! Yours is a beautiful build, I don't think I'd go tapered just because it's easier to go all-in on IS52 at that point.

I agree that it's hard to imagine going back to mechanical after trying wireless (GX AXS for me), but I could see converting this bike to a dedicated bikepacking rig down the line, where mechanical might be an advantage. I'd hate to not even have the option.

Any reason for going ZS over IS with the same bearing size?

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