Very good insights of your build Pinholecam!

Might have a better chance with going toe to toe with Crosstown than 10kg. Realised that reading foldingtale, the 650b frame is already heavier than 700c by 0.2kg, then rim brakes over disk brakes, top of the line road components plus adding on to the heavier wheels and tyres would easily be another 1 - 1.5kg

I am not competitive cyclist and i riding is more about the freedom to explore more like foldingtales but your Titanium breakaway bike sounds sexy and would love to see it in flesh. I would have loved to get my hands on the Helix folding bike to see if its possible to tour with but hearing how slow the delivery is, makes me unsure if I want to wait that long.

Makes sense and fully understood now - sorry for the ignorance. I will see test it first if i can get this work without the shim. I reckon local rides are ok for me with 44T - i am certain i will drop to 38T or 34T like you i calculated the gear inches are too high even with the wide cassette. BTW I saw the Campagnolo Ekar 1X13 cassette which goes down to 9 - 42T! Looks exciting!

Most grateful for the feedback - maybe i go with 42mm first and figure if i want a second wheelset. Last question - I saw the flatbike with their Thinstem and popoff pedals. Your views on them? Thinstem seems interesting so i might be able to make the bike more compact.

Thanks so much!