good to hear. i went ahead and ordered one. fingers crossed.

Opinions on S-Works chainrings vs. others? I work in a Specialized LBS, so I can get them relatively cheaply. I want to try 52/36 rings on my Ultegra compact crankset.

newer style is nice but overpriced...even at dealer cost. they don't shift as good as shimano rings. highly recommend 7900 on an otherwise specialized crank, though i'm not sure 52/36 is an option.

I was going to suggest Praxis, but it doesn't look like they're compatible with the Shimano 4 arm cranks.

Fellow Welshman!

:)

Sizing question for all the experts here. I'm looking at some new frames and I want to make sure I get the correct stack for my fit. My current bike is a 58cm Jamis with a 58cm stack height and a 180mm HT length. I have 3cm of spacers from the top of the head tube to the bottom of the stem. Do I just add this 3cm to to the stack height to get my actual number or is there more involved? Doesn't seem like there should be more than that but I'm not 100%.

This is the bike and you can see the spacers. I really don't want more drop than this, I'm just not flexible enough.

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/z...psd0474c3c.jpg

This is a 6650 crankset, so five arms.

TR - I guess this is the older style, they're the less expensive version.

It looks like I may be upgrading my wheel set soon. I have been torn over wider rim clinchers versus tubeless. I am thinking a new PowerTap will go on the rear too. I am wondering what you guys might recommend although I know that there are not a lot of adopters yet. These will be my do everything wheels and as such I am willing to sacrifice tire life for a bit extra grip. Plan to spend ~$2000. Or best to just have a talk with the chaps at Fairwheel?

Ex knows a bit about tubeless as do the cross heads. I recently went 11 speed and wide for both race tubulars and training clinchers. I got both sets for well under your budget. Once you go wide, you should stay wide, as, at least on my frame, requires a lo tof brake readjustment. Once it is set up though it's easy to swap. One thing with wide (both of mine are 27mm) is that 10psi makes a huge difference in ride quality without an almost imperceptible difference in speed.

Hmmm....Thanks. I definitely am going wide no matter what. @shovelhd are you saying that you are riding tires with a width of 27mm?

The ride quality intrigues me when it comes to tubeless but I am leaning more that way because of the reduced likelihood of catastrophic failure (at least in theory). After reading about clinchers failing mid turn in a crit, I want to lessen my chances. I train several days a week on the local mtn where it is no problem hitting 45mph+ on the descent. So I want that extra assurance on my training wheels.

avoid.....ESPECIALLY in 52/36. they made them light, but a larger ring with smaller BCD exacerbates the problem. if you're going to go 52/36, you want stiff rings.

missed this. thanks for looking out. unfortunately, that's for a direct mount, which is a MTB thing (i've only ever seen it on MTBs, but maybe it's on other bikes).

the bolts mount perpendicular to the bike axis; with other derailleurs/moutns, the bolts are parallel to the bike axis.

work in progress. it's not so fast at this point....no cranks.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=402723

worked pretty quickly but methodically. ~13.5# so far, but lots to add...rotors, cassette, chain, crankset, pedals, tape....and fluid in the brake lines.

No. The rims are 27mm at the outer edge. I am currently using 23mm sewups and clinchers but the clinchers are really 24mm (GP4000s). One thing you will discover as you shop is that everyone's definition of wide is different. I did a ton of research to end up with what I have.

TR - Thanks, this is the info I was looking for. This is a "sometime this winter" project, so I'm in no hurry. Looks like either Praxis or maybe a 5800 or 6800 crankset at this point.

Okay, thanks for the info.

Anybody know if a 5700 105 crank arm is the same weight as 6800 Ultegra (just the crank arm)?

Without looking it up the Ultegra should be quite a bit lighter. 105 cranks are tanks.

I think that I found the answer but want to confirm:

1. One can run a dura ace 7800 or 7900 crank and chainring with 9000 everywhere else, correct?
2. Can the 9000 chainrings be installed on the 7800/7900 crank?

From my understanding, the chainring spacing on the 9000 is slightly closer, on the order of a few tenths of a mm.

Thanks.

Yes and no. 9000 cranks have four arms and are not compatible with older cranks.

Thank you sir.

Got a used pair of Conti Comps on a pair of tubulars.

Previous owner used Tufo tape, I'm using Mastik One.

Tufo Tape came off clean, basetape looks good, but has a bit of tack (just like if you peeled tape off of anything).

1. Is it worth trying to clean off or can I put a layer of glue overtop?
2. If the answer to #1 is clean, how to clean?

Oh you meant the tire. Don't do anything.

I was gonna say acetone and a rag, but that's for the rim.