I don't understand what's so hard. It's an under 5 minute job.

The Specialized (and maybe the SRAM Red) BB30 bearings are less far apart than the Shimano setup. Wider is better - at least in our minds. Yes, the bearing holders (alloy) certainly would also introduce some flex, but I think it is less than the BB30 narrower set-up. Junior says he feels it. If he really does, or does not, that mental difference is reason enough to go one way over the other.

i'm not 100% sure what i've got on my bike, but I think it's a WM PF30>BB86 converter and it has been the most solid bb i've ever had in terms of reliability. i put a ton of miles on it this year and it has never made any noise whatsoever and is still perfectly smooth.

GXP is where its at.

Keep in mind that Mikey is like 95 lbs.

I'm like 2 mikey's and never had issues with any properly installed BB. many miles, but rare moisture.

with a tendency to break any bike **** i even look at

Word to your mother.

I mostly opted for the converter (PF30 to GXP) so I could use my quarq. Didn't want to buy a BB30 crankset and swap the spider over. The converter also eliminates all the wonky spacers and preloads that come along with BB30.

Was randomly browsing ebay and there's this carbon frame ending today. Seems like a darn good deal if the price isn't driven up too much. 2013 Raleigh Revenio Full Carbon Frameset Frame Fork Headset 56cm Brand New | eBay

"wonky spacers and preloads" has more to do with sram's implementation -- they're using a longer axle on their bb30 cranks, so you need more spacers. not saying it is good or bad, it just is.

the specialized bb30/pf30 cranks are much narrower -- no 10mm spacer.

ALL cranks (that i'm aware of) require preload -- shimano, specialized, cannondale, sram, whether 24 or 30mm axle. they just accomplish it in different ways.

narrower cranks can allow for smaller Q-factor and potentially more clearance at the heel for some individuals. OTOH, narrower cranks -- depending on the curvature of the arms -- may not work on all bikes/sizes as there can be interference with the chain stays.

There's an interesting article in the current VeloNews on clincher road tires and rolling resistance. They took 34 tires and rated them based on how many watts they required using their testing protocol. Some tidbits:

- The top five tires (in order, Specialized S-Works Turbo Road Tubeless [700x26], Specialized Turbo Cotton, Specialized S-Works Turbo [700x26], Continental GP4000S II, and Specialized S-Works Road Tubeless [700x24]) were designed by the same two guys, Wolf Vorm Walde and Wolfgang Arenz.

- When the same tires were tested in two different sizes, the larger had less rolling resistance.

- Construction and thread count were not reliable indicators of relative rolling resistance. Of the top 17, eight were open tubulars, six were vulcanized clinchers, and three were tubeless. Thread counts varied from 60 (Specialized Turbo Pro) to 320 (Vittoria Corsa Evo CX, Veloflex Corsa, and Specialized Turbo Cotton).

The article isn't (yet?) available online, just in the print version.

Someone should invent a BB with cups that thread into the frame, to prevent all these problems with squeaks etc....


:innocent:

The bearings in my Caad 10 are already dead. They lasted about two months, and maybe 30 hours of riding. I've been running Cannondales with BB30 BBs for 10 years now, and this is the first time I am actually having to replace the BB bearings in one of my frames. I ran the same set of BB bearings on my System Six for eight years. (I'd still be running them had the frame not been broken when I was hit by a car.)

I think the bearings in the Caad 10 are ceramic. I think I am going to try Wheels Manufacturing's Angular Contact Bearings. They cost about the same as regular Abec 5 steel bearings.

Also, I cracked another Sram RD derailleur pulley. I'm not sure how I tear through those things so quickly. I think I might try one of the Aluminum options offered by Fairwheel Bikes.

I need to replace the hoods on a set of Ultegra 6600 shifters. I want to stay with black. Any advantage with going aftermarket, or should I just stay with the Shimano version?

Like one of the plastic wheels?!

I'd suspect the bearings in your caad10 were not installed properly if they're dead after so little use.

got a new bike, first impressions:

good:
- Ultegra Di2 is pretty cool. previously rode SRAM Rival, so maybe it just being a higher end groupset makes more of a difference than electronic, but im impressed either way. I especially like that I have it talking to my Garmin and telling me what gear I'm in - for some illogical reason I always want to know where I am and I used to compulsively glance back at my cassette and count.
- was worried about the handling on deeper section carbon rims given I'm pretty light, but after taking them down to the coast and places where I had trouble handling before I find they handle just about the same in the wind as my previous Mavic Ksyrium's. I think the fact that I'm in a more aggressive position on my new bike means more of my weight is on my front wheel which probably helps. I'm not totally used to the braking on the carbon rims - I think they probably have the same stopping power but the 'shh'-ing sound takes a while to get used to/trust
- i got super narrow handlebars which i like a lot better, especially when climbing which is kind of the opposite of the Chris Horner philosophy. it seems way easier to throw the bike around.
- i really like switching down a frame size, feels like it fits me a lot better and i'm more confident/comfortable with handling

bad:
- ironically, garmin vectors are probably the worst power meter for switching between bikes. it always takes a least a week to get them returning sane numbers, even after following every instruction perfectly. i've had them since they were first released now, but since I just switched them onto the new bike I get to be reminded of how stupid they are to get calibrated correctly. luckily, the LR-balance features is usually my indicator for when something is wrong (when properly installed theres usually <2% difference, last ride was a 38/62 split...)
- after going over a super bumpy stretch something started creaking when accelerating from a stop (though not when sprinting when I'm already up to speed). seems to also happen at very low speeds + high torque on climbs. not too worried about it because its probably just something that needs to be adjusted. 'nothing survives first contact with the enemy' and what not.
- white saddles become grey saddles really quickly. i was busy worrying about white bar tape and totally underestimated the saddle. oh well.
- my seatpost slipped like crazy at the recommended torque even with a ton of carbon adhesive so I had to adjust it mid ride with a tiny multi tool. chances of me torquing it correctly by feel are pretty low, and I don't have the guts to check to see if I ruined anything. :(

also switched to new shoes at the same time, just to fully throw my fit out of wack. :). combined I save about 2.5lbs on my previous setup though, so if i can still produce the same power i'll be pretty happy.

that looks like the same system as my p3, which has been weirdly super-reliable at my hand tightening.

as in you reliably hand tighten it and it doesn't break the post and doesnt slip? im hoping thats the case for me too, but since its currently not slipping i dont want to loosen it to check if i broke the seatpost in case it then starts slipping again

i had zero problems with my S2, no need for carbon adhesive either. it had the 'collar' type of clamp though as opposed to whatever silly thing the S5 has.

yeah. I was worried about that setup, but on my p3 it's been rock solid. I think I torqued it once with the wrench, but everytime I move anything I just carry a wrench with me for a few rides and do it on the road all the time.

Yes, the plastic wheels. I've cracked two of them in two different derailleurs.

And I'm not sure what the deal is with the bearings. The shop that installed them is pretty solid.

Just installed. Cleanest PM I've seen. We'll see how it works. Going to put PT in rear and these up front and compare.
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Can anyone suggest a decent cycling vest that works down to ~50 degrees? I'm hoping for something with a race fit so it doesn't flap in the wind.

I wouldn't put one on above 50 degrees. West Coasters...

I have three. The PI is not a race cut so avoid it. The other two are team gear (Voler and Verge) and fit well. Try their outlet stores. Other than that, the high end stuff like Assos and Rapha usually fit well.

Whatever you get, IMO the critical feature for a wind vest is a 2-way zipper (down from the top and up from the bottom).