General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[otc]

I may or may not have dropped by my LBS, made a large purchase and installed them before getting in a quick ride.

View attachment 1604070

Unfortubnately, my skills end at removing & reinstalling cassette and rotors. I'm getting a bit of rub on my brakes now and have no idea how to fix it.

Did you loosen the 2 bolts, squeeze lever firmly, get both bolts slightly tight, squeeze lever a little harder and tighten the bolts the rest of the way... And then ride a mile or two?

If that doesn't fix it, you might have a rotor out of true

 

[patrick_b]

The only thing that requires a special tool is headset installation (possibly bottom bracket, depending on which type you have). Everything else is fixable if you’re patient. Of course, brakes can be a oain in the butt to adjust...

I had a chain whip and the lock ring tool is the same for both the cassette and center lock rotors but when it comes to fine adjustment on hydraulic brakes and electronic shifting, I'm clueless. It was a bit naive to think I could throw on the cassette and rotors and not need some fine adjustment. On my old bikes, it's easy. Tighten cable and adjust the ferrule until it shifts right.

I'm going to watch some Park Tools videos, they've always been helpful. Worst case scenario I can show up at my LBS with beer and beg for help. It's always worked for me for simple things when I didn't have the right tool.

 

[patrick_b]

Did you loosen the 2 bolts, squeeze lever firmly, get both bolts slightly tight, squeeze lever a little harder and tighten the bolts the rest of the way... And then ride a mile or two?

If that doesn't fix it, you might have a rotor out of true

No I did not. I just tightened them onto the hub with the lock ring and hoped for the best. They are just off by a hair. Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a shot in the morning.

 

[patrick_b]

@otc saves the day. Just found GCN's clip about doing exactly as you described. Just went outside to the shed and have the front and rear rotors spinning with no rub at all. Disc brakes aren't that scary after all. I still want no part of messing with brake fluid and bleeding the system but I'd bet it's not all that .



I'll tackle the shifting tomorrow. It's louder than before so I figure it needs a bit fine tuning. You can actually adjust the shifting with your phone via BT.

 

[Piobaire]

I may or may not have dropped by my LBS, made a large purchase and installed them before getting in a quick ride.

View attachment 1604070

Unfortubnately, my skills end at removing & reinstalling cassette and rotors. I'm getting a bit of rub on my brakes now and have no idea how to fix it.

What rubber did you put on those? I think I read my GPs are not recommended due to the "hookless" thing.

 

[sugarbutch]

What rubber did you put on those? I think I read my GPs are not recommended due to the "hookless" thing.

Are you sure that rim is hookless? The site just says tubeless.

 

[venessian]

Are you sure that rim is hookless? The site just says tubeless.

Some Zipp 303 models (Firecrest 650B Disc; NSW Rim; Firecrest Rim) are hooked, but the 303 Firecrest Disc and 303 S Disc are hookless.

Hookless is currently still a PITA, imo, and I do not trust all the p/r claims, nor like the real pressure limitations.

 

[patrick_b]

What rubber did you put on those? I think I read my GPs are not recommended due to the "hookless" thing.

I didn’t have any Stans so I just used tubes and the same Specialized rubber from my current wheelset. I’ll start looking at tubeless options.

 

[Piobaire]

Are you sure that rim is hookless? The site just says tubeless.

Bruv, it's like you don't even know me. Before I lay out my Benjies I research frivolous purchases pretty thoroughly. Part of the tech of the new Firecrest is the hookless nature that helps improve the performance of the wheel in "real world" conditions. It is also 25mm wide internally, which was certainly not road bike territory until very recently, and they work together to reduce rolling resistance and the "light bulb" effect. This does come with a cost, namely rider weight of 115kg, but it also comes with the promise of tool-free installation of the rubber (I've watched videos and it goes on very easily) and no need for an air compressor to seat the bead. Lower tire pressures are there too but these also help dissipate the light bulb effect and provide a better ride and improved contact patch. The patch will be shorter but wider vs. higher pressure, more narrow tires that will be longer but narrower. Here's a quick write up from Zipp:

Total System Efficiency - SRAM

The Zipp 303 and 404 Firecrest and 454 NSW are designed to achieve Total System Efficiency, our solution to speed in a world of imperfect roads. “Efficiency = Speed”

www.sram.com

 

[patrick_b]

Bruv, it's like you don't even know me. Before I lay out my Benjies I research frivolous purchases pretty thoroughly. Part of the tech of the new Firecrest is the hookless nature that helps improve the performance of the wheel in "real world" conditions. It is also 25mm wide internally, which was certainly not road bike territory until very recently, and they work together to reduce rolling resistance and the "light bulb" effect. This does come with a cost, namely rider weight of 115kg, but it also comes with the promise of tool-free installation of the rubber (I've watched videos and it goes on very easily) and no need for an air compressor to seat the bead. Lower tire pressures are there too but these also help dissipate the light bulb effect and provide a better ride and improved contact patch. The patch will be shorter but wider vs. higher pressure, more narrow tires that will be longer but narrower. Here's a quick write up from Zipp:

Total System Efficiency - SRAM

The Zipp 303 and 404 Firecrest and 454 NSW are designed to achieve Total System Efficiency, our solution to speed in a world of imperfect roads. “Efficiency = Speed”

www.sram.com

Any recommendation on tires? I see GP5000 makes a tubeless version now. Looking for 28's.

 

[Piobaire]

Any recommendation on tires? I see GP5000 makes a tubeless version now. Looking for 28's.

Conti, to my knowledge, has specifically said not to use their rubber at this time with hookless. That bums me out as I've always ran with Conti and currently have a set of the GP5000 on my hoops. I think Vic might be the best choice at the moment. 28 is the best choice probably as the rims are optimized for that width. Given I weigh 94kg or so I'm probably going to run with 30s. My current rubber is 32.

 

[Fueco]

I finally got around to installing the new saddle (Antares R5) on my cyclocross rig. I also discovered that I had installed the top piece on the Thomson Masterpiece stem backwards. Adjusting the seat angle is now much easier... Now I just need to install those new pedals when they get here.

 

[patrick_b]

@Fueco That's a stunner.

Are the pedals the same as egg beaters but with a platform? Always liked the Crank Bros. design.

 

[patrick_b]

Conti, to my knowledge, has specifically said not to use their rubber at this time with hookless. That bums me out as I've always ran with Conti and currently have a set of the GP5000 on my hoops. I think Vic might be the best choice at the moment. 28 is the best choice probably as the rims are optimized for that width. Given I weigh 94kg or so I'm probably going to run with 30s. My current rubber is 32.

Zipp recommends against running tubes for any length of time. Of course when I bought the wheels, the LBS had no decent tires in stock so I'm stuck ordering. Stock being an issue everywhere, I settled on Schwalbe - Pro One TLE HS 493 Tubeless in 30mm. I'd have stuck with 28's but the 30's were in stock so I'll give them a shot.

I'm no lightweight so counting grams is rather pointless but for reference, the new wheels saved me 1.6 lbs and that's with the same tires & tubes.

 

[Piobaire]

And that's all unsprung weight so way more impactful than say, lighter seat and handlebars.