Is that the long 18″ switchback? The geo would end up nearly the same as my current frame so I don’t see any major problems, other than perhaps the low BB?

My problems with barndoors are 1) looks bad IMO, very retro mismatching the other components 2) less playful, higher center of gravity and it’s harder to bail.

Ideally I’d buy a used frame, I saw a slackline 631 in grey non-long for sale recently. Summarized what I’m looking for: a long and low steel frame

Seat tube <= 18″ / 450 mm
Reach > 440 mm
Chainstay 415 – 425 mm incl a chainstay bridge for attaching fenders
Chainring clearance 36T officially (so you can squeeze on a 40T ring)
Works with 100 mm rigid forks (453mm axle to crown) without HA going over 68 deg, ST over 75 deg and BB drop lower than 55mm.

Bonus points: >2kg, eyelets for rear fenders, straight headtube, seatstay bridge, dark paint.

First gen BFE was a bit too short again in medium, and with a too high ST in large.

Maybe repaint a cotic soul in medium hmm.. argh, doesn’t have a chainstay bridge, hard to attach fenders then in the winter..

Good point twrch, but jump bike frames aren’t long enough generally. Or are they Kayla? Thanks for the pics, why do you reckon it’d be so bad? I posted the adjusted geo further up, similar to what people use for DJ bikes! Apart from the low BB. Problem with pure DJ frames is that the seat tube is too low.

The slackline is again a bit too small in 18″ and too barndoorsy in 19.5″, looked at the Cotic Soul in medium which is also “long”, similar geo, but don’t fancy any of the colors or the tapered HT, otherwise I think it could be spot on.

Aaand, I meant Switchback 631 18″ long.

Like this but a bit longer and no red.

Also a bit about playfulness and comfort, Idk, don’t think the beefy head tube looks bad, better than my current tapered one!

Highly relevant wind tunnel testing https://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/aerodynamics-of-real-world-bicycles/

Tested the TT bars on my commuter/mtb and was reminded how much the TT position sucks the joy out of cycling, i’ll just stick to holding my riser bars close to the stem.

Maybe some 28 mm slicks and matching narrow fenders would help considerably? Or maybe not? Time for an unlocked ebike? :p

Would need narrower tires then, current ones are 48 mm wide

BTW, here’s one commuter dedicated to speed

Full on TT position might be too extreme yes, am not super flexible – so a road bike with fast tires and TT clip-ons might get me most of the way there. Also it might even be better to be a bit more upright if the backpack is huge? Hypothesis:

Anyhoo, mounting the TT bars to the MTB now, tried to get the 52mm wide (jikes) fenders closer to the tires, and ordering a tighter fitting jacket (the one I have is way too big, XXL).

Got dropped by a gravel biker the other day..

Thanks for the suggestions, if I can find something under £50 that would be ideal.

Regarding sizing, I’m 6ft3 90kg, 33″ waist and broad shoulders (athletic build), would a medium be too small, perhaps large is generally the right size?

6ft4!

Flat, straight roads for most part. Not too many stop lights. Cars moving at around 30-50 kmh so you could share the road without getting overtaken on a fast bike.

My concern with an aggressive TT position is that I use backpack (sometimes loaded w groceries).

I can hold 35 kmh on my MTB, I reckon a TT bike would be around 25-30% faster based on what people have reported, so we’re up at 45 kmh.

GCN made a..canyon advertorial on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r4japmQbPY

But with flat bars? Heeh

Just get the XT kit with 3 meters of SP41 housing and sealed endcaps? I paid 10 £ for it! Plus £2 for a 1.1 mm jagwire slick cable at my LBS.

never had better shifting

Full length is so far definitely the dream!

I forgot to use the search function, it was the indeed seal not being seated correctly (hard to do with the cassette on!). I cleaned it and the hub body up, greased it and got it to seal by using a crewdriver, there was an audible pop when it did.

This might also explain why the drive side bearing wore out and the non drive side is totally fine.

Cassette looks ok, most replace chains more often than cassette, with the XT 771 i can replace the 4 smallest sprockets which are all I use basically.

I’m in Germany though so not sure it’d be worth it with shipping, keen to try the XT one.

According to this independent test Wipperman is basically the same as Shimano re longevity, but worse value and perhaps shifting

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/chaintesting/

Why not?

Got the Shimano xt cable kit for 10 gbp incl shipping on amazon.de! Then a jagwire 1.1 mm ss cable for 2 pounds extra. Full length here I come!

XT shifter and mech, but whipperman connex chain (stainless or nickel plated), you’ll never go back to any other, infinitely reusable and hand removable quick link!!

Non-full length has worked fine for me too, but now it’s time to get more cable, so why not go full-length which is easier to replace (just one outer to cut once the frame is ready for it) and will likely maintain perfect shifting longer / be more maintenance free than non-full length?

Non-full length has worked fine for me as long as I change housing yearly, but why not go for full length and change it bi-yearly instead with less faff?

bob_summers

Pumpkin seed protein is great, generally seed proteins are fine, rice protein is ok (but taste is an issue), i think /isolates/ of soy and pea can work fine in moderation – might FODMAPS in non-isolates I react poorly to.

In any case I’m gradually cutting down on animal products and experimenting with vegan replacements.

Was vegan one year for animal welfare and CO2 reasons. Pescetarian now trying to get back to veganism without any health compromises, had some issues with veganism as I’m not great at digesting soy or legumes.

I will say that the fake meats you can already buy in the store (largely soy based), taste as good to me as chicken or pork. Impossible burger is also great, just a bit less soy use and I’ll go back to it.

https://veganhealth.org/ is a great, and not-too biased, reference for figuring out how to do veganism right. You don’t need to go full stop on meats right away, just eating less also helps.

Di2 is not the DrEaM for me until it’s cheap as chips and battery life is 2+ years w my use.

Some good suggestions here! Taking orders

Unscrewed the b screw and turns out the chain was simply too loose (short cage mechs sensitive to this), coupled with the b screw moving the top jockey wheel too far from the cassette – increasing risk of chain skip.

Shortened the chain two links and screwed the b screw most of the way out which moved the top jockey wheel much closer to the chain, improving shifting and eliminating skipping (although chain and cassette will need replacing in not too long most likely).

Rookie mistake!

Thanks! Could try the old jockey wheels, but it’s a bit hard to trigger the skipping.

Seems like I’ve screwed the b-screw too far in moving the upper jockey wheel too far from the cassette, will also try to check if the mech is bent.

One more thing to note, chain is a bit dry, waiting for new lube..

+1 for Raceface Aeffect!

I have XT, but would get Saint if I had to choose again as it uses the more common 44 mm tool compared to the weird 41 mm XT uses (no, the plastic adapters break easily). It’s gold though.

Thanks btw!

Actually I’m running 11-32, any benefit then? Maybe not?

Youtuber is saying his bike is “nearly 2kg” lighter..so around 7.9kg, Vitus is listed at 9.7kg and measured to 9.62kg. https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-zenium-carbon-disc-road-bike-tiagra-2019/

Shimano wheelset 2100g VS Vision Team 30 1929g = 171g
Trp spyre 160 mm rotors 600g VS Tiagra 350g = 250g
Zaffiro 28c 370g VS 25c probably 220g = 340g
Alloy seatpost 300g? VS Carbon seatpost 200g = 100g

861 grams difference, something doesn’t add up.

LOL. Yes, it’s literally screaming! OK I take everything back, just keep in mind this is what I’m coming from (pending a BTR update once funding allows).

Anyone over the age of 12 though probably associates Vitus with sone seriously cool bonded aluminium road bikes.

If you add 20 years perhaps, in any case, just generally think huge logos on bikes are garish – not got anything against Vitus, they seem great value.

Well, at least his comes without the Vitus logo lol, that has to be worth something.

Whoa, yeah the Vitus seems like a clearly better option.

Lol..

Brand _X_..seems like low pressure from the factory is a common problem with these.

Also note that some floor pumps might be too bulky to fit onto the schrader valve in the dropper, the Lezyne is perf in that regard.