I’ve done the 3 Peaks CX twice, both times wearing Giro Terraduro shoes. They fit my feet well and were very good for the bike carrying up Simon Fell and Whernside. They are not a shoe well suited to regular CX racing though – the lack of toe studs is a real problem on muddy slippery banks / run-ups etc.

A few others:

Kinlin XR22T or XR31T (19mm internal width) sleeve joined and one of the best bang for buck.

Boyd Altamont Lite / Altamont (19.8mm internal) welded seam, slightly lighter, matt finish and more expensive than Kinlin equivalents.

DT Swiss RR411 (18mm internal) alternative option to Boyd Altamont Lite and slightly cheaper.

I did it in 2016 and 2017, both times on the same bike – steel frame canti cx with 33c (35mm actual with) Schwalbe X-one tubeless tyres. I ripped a hole in the rear sidewall that was too large to seal on a descent last year, but as the same model tyres handled the 3-Peaks without puncturing, I just put that down to bad luck. That said, I’d run 40mm tubeless Nano’s if I could fit them (I can’t). Your CDF (or Pompetamine) will be fine.

Training Peaks can be used without power. Training Peaks primarily revolves around TSS (Training Stress Score) and, by default, TSS is calculated using pace for running and, if power is not available, HR for cycling. The usefulness of the TSS score is therefore dependent on having accurate threshold pace for running and FTHR for cycling. Even then, TP acknowledge that, when using HR in cycling, the TSS score becomes less accurate / valuable when the activity includes varying efforts, rather than being steady / continuous because of HR lag and drift (whereas as power is instant and a watt is always a watt etc). Similarly,the rTSS score (calculated using running pace) is going to be less accurate when running off-road, trails, fells etc if the threshold pace was based on road / track running.

If it’s for winter use, then Kool Stop Dura Ace (salmon colour) are the best imho. They don’t last as long as Swiss Stop Green, but the performance is better. FWIW I also recommend the Kool Stop thinline for CX cantilevers.

If it helps, the original bearings in my WI T-11 hubs lasted less than a year (ridden in all weathers). I replaced them with SKF 2RS versions and they are still smooth 2 years on.

Re Pacenti SL23 – I’ve had similar problems with the SL23 v2 rims, which I use for CX. FWIW, I’m intending to replace them with Kinlin XR-22T as they wear out / fail etc, rather than the Pacenti Forza, which is the SL23’s replacement.

“As you ride outside on the road, your bike continues to move forward with momentum from the force that you exerted onto the pedals from roughly the 1 o’clock to 5 o’clock position in the pedal stroke. Across the bottom and top of the pedal stroke, the legs have little ability to create any meaningful force against the pedals because of biomechanical inefficiencies in body position due to being seated almost directly above the crank. This lack of resistance to pedal against may even give the legs a micro-rest in each pedal stroke as the momentum of the rear wheel continues moving forward and the legs try to keep up with the rpm’s needed to move the crank.

“On a rear wheel resistance trainer, there is little to no momentum of the rear wheel. If you stop pedaling the rear wheel comes to an almost immediate stop. Because there is resistance around the entire pedal circle, your legs are not used to having to produce power throughout the entire pedal stroke. As a result of this inefficiency, more strain is put on your cardiovascular system. As a result, this reduces your ability to create the same wattages as outdoors.

“To be clear, it isn’t just the momentum (stored kinetic energy) of the rear wheel that keeps us moving out on the road, but rather that of our body plus the bicycle as a whole. An easy way of envisioning this is to imagine trying to stop the rear wheel of your bike wheel when it’s spinning rapidly in the workstand by grabbing the tire with your hand versus trying to stop that wheel while spinning out on the road using the same technique. In general, until you are “trained” to ride on a rear wheel resistance trainer, your watts will be 20 to 30 watts lower on the trainer than outside. As you become trained to this way of pedaling, this gap will narrow and quite likely go away.”

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/adjusting-your-functional-threshold-power-for-indoor-riding/

You already have a bike for 70+ mile rides, the S3. If it were me, the 3rd bike would be for winter duties and if the Synapse wasn’t doing it, I’d change the frame for something more suitable for the job. Fairlight Strael comes immediately to mind.

The Enigma painted C50 isn’t the purist’s choice and it wouldn’t have been mine, but I think it’s a fine job. Hey ho. Maybe I can redeem myself with this C40 Gold edition: Colnago C40 Gold[/url]

Colnago C50 re-painted by Engima Bikes:

Enigma Colnago C50

A few routes from Keswick, including one that goes round the back of Skiddaw:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4585416

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14442631

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4526305

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4586234

* not so much in the way of ‘long steady climbs’

I ran one tubeless on the front at 30 PSI on an 20mm internal width rim in all but the rockiest terrain last year and found that to be fine.

I must have been unlucky with PDWs. I purchased a pair, but the front brake clip separated from the mudguard after less than a year of use. PDW / Charlie The Bike Monger replaced it with a brand new guard, which was good of them. However, after only a couple of months it’s started to rattle and I can see that the brake clip rivets are working themselves loose.

I use Praxis Works chainrings – bought them separately. I’ve had them for more than 3-years now and they’ve been faultless.

I recently fitted the Wheels MFG threaded PF30 BB in my BBright shell for a 30mm Rotor 3D+ crankset. It replaced a Rotor BB and was a lot easier to install. Part # is PF30-THD-AC.
I purchased mine from Freeborn:
http://www.freeborn.co.uk/wheels-manufacturing-bb86-92-bottom-bracket-with-angular-contact-bearings-shimano-compatible-black-19429

I switched from CX70 to a Paul MiniMoto on the front and Touring Canti on the rear. As soon as the pads became slightly worn, I had terrible fork judder under braking with the CX70s, even when using Kool Stop salmon pads. The MiniMotos solved that immediately and are powerful.

The only downside with the MiniMoto is less mud clearance. That’s only really issue though when in extremely muddy conditions.

An alternative to the MiniMoto are the TRP CX8.4 mini-v:
https://cycletechreview.com/2016/components-reviews/trp-cx8-4-brake-review/

There is a possibility that it’s not the saddle that has changed, but your flexibility. For example, if your hamstrings are tighter than normal, then your legs are not going to extend as far / as freely and consequently you will rock more on the saddle. To test, drop the saddle a touch and see if comfort improves.

When you manufacture something in the bike industry, it seems to me that you can get a lot of free marketing, fans, word of mouth, loyalty, etc. But in return you also get people thinking that they have some kind of a stake in your business and the ability to take offence at every decision.
Very odd.

That’s true, but it’s not odd. Brands loyalty is something that most manufacturers strive for – they want customers to identify with their ethos etc. In this case that includes attributes such as: hand crafted, British made, high quality and attention to detail etc. But brand loyalty cuts both ways – if the company does something that customers feel goes against the ethos they’ve identified with, some adverse response should be expected.

Mail sent

If it’s any help, two large Peregrine framesets (incl. headset) sold on eBay last year for £350 and £400. A medium frameset sold in 2014 for £371 (incl. postage).

I have not ridden a Road Logic (unfortunately) but I do own a Ritchey Swiss Cross as well as a double-butted 4130 steel framed bike and the difference between the two is significant. The Ritchey is far more comfortable – it seems to absorb the shocks and vibrations far better – and it just seems far more alive in comparison. It really does have a springy response. Whatever the triple butted tubing actually is, it’s a fantastic frame and it makes me want to give a Road Logic a try.

I purchased a Ribble Stealth in 2012 and after covering approx 9,000km a 6cm long crack appeared on the left edge of the top tube. I decided to uprade to a better frame, but I wrote to Ribble in case it was a manufacturing weakness that needed investigating – the crack just appeared, it wasn’t the result of crash damage. Ribble sent me a bike box and I sent the frame off to them. 6-weeks later they sent me a brand new replacement frame! I hadn’t asked them for that and wasn’t expecting it. Fantastic service.

“….if I spend any length of time low enough to cover the brake levers fully, my neck kills me. “

That suggests to me that your bars are too low.

This article may be of help to you:

BEHIND BARS – bar and brake lever positioning