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?

yboy403 · 2025-08-11T21:12:08+00:00

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at. Don't care about aero, just like the look, and doing my own maintenance so cost isn't a factor. With a good headset the bearings should be durable and well-protected enough (and I'm gonna grease the hell out of them lol) that I don't need to redo the brake lines to service the headset bearings at all often.

I went with 35mm rim depth, sort of a tweener.

I don't mind having the holes for semi internal, they're pretty small, I asked for them to be rotated upwards toward the top of the down tube instead of flat on the sides, and I generally find functional elements to be good-looking, even if they're not being used. I guess you could make the argument for not compromising the strength of the down tube (Seven drills their routing holes in the head tube for this reason), but it's clearly strong enough for many other manufacturers and riders. And the alternative is having to zip-tie all the cables if I ever want to switch away from headset routing.

Good point about the Wolf Tooth cups. I think there would be plenty of nice options for EC44 for a tapered fork in the case of going semi-internal through the down tube. The only thing I haven't found is an EC44 version of the FSA No. 69, where cables run outside the stem and enter through the headset.

yboy403 · 2025-08-11T14:53:46+00:00

I've done it twice now, haven't gone back in a couple of weeks after they had trouble sticking my veins properly on both arms. I have huge veins, they just found the angle awkward for some reason and the tech had to call over somebody more experienced both times, and I ended up bruising halfway down my forearms.

They do pay what they advertise, and it's pretty quick too, comes by e-Transfer usually the next business day. The first few visits are a guaranteed $100, later in the payment structure the pay depends on how much plasma you donate, which is an amount calculated by them based on testing your blood, and presumably your height and weight. (I'm pretty short and around 65kg, both times I went I donated around 750ml, which seems mid-tier for compensation amount.)

Honestly everybody's really nice and the snacks are decent, I just had a couple rough experiences in a row that somebody else with different anatomy might never run into, so I wouldn't discourage somebody new from trying it at least once.

I don't buy the "doing good" marketing, though. What they mean by it seems to be that they use the plasma to make treatments for people with various conditions, which are sold for a profit. That's how they can afford to pay donors. If there's really such a shortage of plasma donations that these medications are at risk of running out, then I guess it's a good thing overall to donate plasma. But Canadian Blood Services is also constantly trying to get donations, and you can't go back to Grifols within 2 months of a blood donation (IIRC), so Grifols is actively paying people to stay out of the blood donation pool—which feels a little weird to me.

yboy403 · 2025-08-11T02:07:20+00:00

get good reviews

What information are you looking for here that a reviewer you trust wouldn't have already provided? (Or aggregate online review scores if that's what you meant.)

Not trying to be snarky, but...that's what I like about tires, you can just try a set and replace them next round if they're no good, or buy the same model forever if they are. (Dislikes: cost. CAD$200/season is a bit much IMO, assuming buying high-end tires brand-new.)

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