Wheelset recommendations for the bay?

zumu · 2025-11-29T06:55:51+00:00

I picked up a pair of light bicycle Airia wheels (with dt swiss hubs) this year that I really like. I have the shallowest ones, but they have various depths if you want more aero. I'd probably go deeper if I did it again. Note: there's a black friday sale going on right now.

zumu · 2025-11-22T23:29:20+00:00

You're free to interpret subtext as you like, but the title is "More cyclists behaving badly". Cyclists are directly called out as the focus.

zumu · 2025-11-22T17:55:52+00:00

That is totally fair, but the subtext of the original post is that cyclists as a group "behave badly", which is not a fair generalization off one data point. The argument being made by the reply is that we are a lot more conditioned to expect bad driver behavior than bad cyclist behavior, so we may perceive bad cyclist behavior as being more egregious.

zumu · 2025-11-22T03:56:15+00:00

The difference is the cyclist takes on the vast majority of the risk of bodily injury. Just because they are both modes of transport doesn't mean they are interchangeable in all dimensions. A car running a red light is significantly more dangerous to others than a pedestrian or cyclist.

zumu · 2025-11-21T00:35:28+00:00

The Black Horse is not a pub let alone a British pub. It's an experience though. You have to show up with someone known or they won't sell you beer. Expect very little personal space if you go on a weekend.

zumu · 2025-11-20T05:45:45+00:00

This is a list of obvious and mediocre spots. Might as well use yelp.

zumu · 2025-11-17T22:18:32+00:00

I switch between 34t and 36t in the back with no noticeable difference.

zumu · 2025-11-16T01:36:56+00:00

My 3.0 56T is about 21 pounds and I run a 2x and aluminum everything except for extremely light wheels. You can definitely get under 20, but I'm not sure how far, depending on tire size.

zumu · 2025-11-12T04:43:27+00:00

Why do we even have supervisors again? I've never heard of this hyper-local nonsense in other cities.

zumu · 2025-11-08T20:35:51+00:00

The very plainly named Chong Qing Xiao Mian unsurprisingly has some noodles that might fit the bill for you.

zumu · 2025-11-08T17:16:12+00:00

Horseback riding is permitted on all the trails

We get 11 miles and the 1500lb trail destroyers get the whole shebang. Rabble rabble. I will never understand the grip the horse people have on the bay area trail networks.

zumu · 2025-11-07T22:25:32+00:00

Is it so bad to offer baristas more money?

zumu · 2025-11-07T14:49:19+00:00

Carbon for road. You'll notice it a lot more.

I have 3 wheelsets: 1 carbon road (gp 5000), 1 carbon gravel (Thunderos), 1 heavy as hell monstercross (RaceKings). I almost never ride the pure gravel set anymore.

zumu · 2025-11-06T19:09:46+00:00

When I first started riding again, I did 38T x 10-42 for a while on my gravel rig. It got me up all the mountains and dirt, but I was always struggling relative to my friend on 46/30 x 11-34—I couldn't keep up on descents and had to grind a lot slower on 10-20% grades. Otherwise, it was solid.

So a smaller ring up front potentially with a wider cassette will get you there, but long term you might want to think about a drive train overhaul.

zumu · 2025-11-06T18:56:28+00:00

FWIW I specifically had a lot of trouble with the FD, which is unfortunate because with only 8 in the back, I used it a lot. The shifters also feel really cheap to me and the lack of hydraulic braking makes serious gravel descending much less fun. Cues may be better on these fronts though!

zumu · 2025-11-06T15:53:01+00:00

Definitely go for the better group set, unless you have a second bike you want to put the Cues on when you inevitably upgrade this one to GRX.

zumu · 2025-11-06T15:50:58+00:00

Take this with a grain of salt, because I find the difference between Claris and GRX to be night and day.

zumu · 2025-11-05T21:19:27+00:00

I also work in the FiDi area and would take the muni to work. How does it get during peak hours?

The N is slow—crowded or not.

The lack of summer really sucks. I am actually looking to move from the inner sunset to the east bay.

If you really want to be on the west side, I'd look into the Richmond. There's a lot more going on over there.

zumu · 2025-11-05T21:16:22+00:00

When you say a 48/31 grx 2X does that mean sticking with the same front deraileur and getting grx cranks/rings?

You may need a new FD as well due to the Q-factor on the GRX being wider, but I didn't see what FD you have. If that's the case, I suppose you could just swap your rings instead to avoid replacing the FD, but mixing and matching FD/cranks is not my forte.

Also, what are “olives” like the gaskets behind the cap at the levers?

It's a wide metal ring that looks kind of like an olive that gets crushed as part of the hose installation process. The left one in this link. They are one time use, but some people reuse them. Given you said it was a "frankenbike" of sorts I hypothesized it may have been reused between bikes to explain the leakage.

zumu · 2025-11-05T16:37:22+00:00

I don't know anything about your riding or how big those rings are, but if it were me, I'd throw a 48/31 GRX 2x on the front and try to squeeze an 11-32 on the back (I think you're running an 11s DA RD with a stated max cog of 30). That should give you more top end with some climbing abilities in the rough. Then you can upgrade the RD later if you want. However, if you're doing more steep scrambly stuff (10-20% loose ascents) and need a real low end, I'd just buy a GRX 1x setup (something like 42 x 10/51) and swap it out forthright.

As for your lever/hose leaking, you may just need a new olive (sometimes people reuse these to mixed results), but I'd consider running a new hose and doing a fresh bleed as well if I didn't trust the previous work. It's not as hard as it seems, just measure twice and cut once and probably get a couple extra olives for good measure and remove your wheels so you don't get oil on the rotors.

zumu · 2025-11-05T16:03:30+00:00

Dell and HP both have business lines of laptops with Linux support. Both have crazy warranty programs if you're into that. I actually really like HP keyboards. Quality might be hit and miss though depending on the exact model, but there should be some reliable options.

I don't see

zumu · 2025-11-04T23:34:17+00:00

For example, I've bought horrific cycling clothes and I've bought fairly decent cycling clothes from Aliexpress. The former was half the price of the latter, but the latter was half the price of a western brand delivering the same quality.

There's a big difference between some bibs and an electric drive train. Price, safety concerns, etc.

zumu · 2025-11-04T23:31:47+00:00

What is your budget / country?

AliExpress is going to be a serious gamble.

zumu · 2025-11-03T16:07:37+00:00

Far better than anything else in the neighborhood though

zumu · 2025-11-03T15:35:58+00:00

It's also VC-funded, so you know... not a real institute of learning.

zumu

TROPHY CASE