tFUnK

Superteam 45mm deep wheels, Force cranks, 12-36t cassette, 48/32 direct mount chainrings. Pleasantly surprised that the 105 RD clears the 36t and has enough wrap capacity for the gearing 👌 Eventually I will swap the shifters and derailleurs to SRAM 10 speed but I will ride it like this for now.

SoSmellyAir

XT pedals for $90: Shimano XT PD-M8100 SPD Pedals from BikeBling.com

tempocyclist

What tyres are those?

tFUnK

Soma Supple Vitesse EX 700x33 (true width 31mm on 25mm external rims). Open tubular construction. Pretty supple. Non-tubeless; I'm running TPU tubes.

jonathanf2

I've been eyeballing that chainring on AliEx for awhile. I think it'd actually make a good climbing 2x gear setup on a road bike.

Eric F 

I use finned Shimano pads like these on my MTB. Zero issues. I'm not aware if the return spring is different for MTB and road brakes.

jonathanf2

Descending down the trails by JPL on my gravel bike, I found it kept my rotors noticeably cooler. It's probably not as obvious on the road, but I think for trail riding it makes more of a difference.

tFUnK

I'll let you know how it goes once I've done some proper riding on them. They look and feel robust, and shift ok. I haven't been able to put them through serious wattage conditions yet due to my NDS Force crank arm splines being worn (such is the luck when buying used; currently waiting to procure a replacement arm). I think the 48/32 ratio should be nice with the 12-36 cassette and be comparable to the 46/34 x 12-40 I used to run for climbing.

I see there's also a 46/30 combo chainrings set, might be worth looking into for a real easy climbing gear.

Eric F 

I replaced my rattling Shimano thru-axles with a pair of DT Swiss RWS thru-axles (thanks for the suggestion Koyote). No more rattling!! 😀

tyrion

Got some old XT parts (9 speed) in pretty good shape.

mattcalifornia

I decided that my stem was a little too long. In the process of shopping for a replacement, I thought I'd try a shock stem since I've seen a lot of good reviews. I bought the Cane Creek eeSilk. Just installed it this past weekend, but I won't be able to test it out for a while due to a combination of sore back and other mechanical issues. I'll try to remember to report back at some point.

anduin z

I am going to buy a ti frame

rosefarts

I removed the TRP Hylex brakes and Archer Trail D1x wireless shifting system (all for sale) and went to Campy Ekar

SoSmellyAir

Selle Repente Artax GLM saddle. Weight weenie approved 164 g. Actually purchased two months ago, but trialed on my road bike before moving it over to my gravel bike this morning.

janthenat

Some little colored bits for matchy-matchy goodness…

Polaris OBark

I just took one of these out of my wife's bike and replaced it with a Kurt Kinetic trainer adapter TA. For some reason, with the DT Swiss axle, her rear brake would squeal when she leaned into a turn. For some crazy reason that doesn't happen with the trainer TA. Any clue what could be going on?

Eric F 

My guess…Something is flexing that shouldn’t be flexing, and it’s causing rub.

Eric F 

That’s hawt!

baj32161

I just GOT my gravel bike

tyrion

Cockpit weekend.







TRP RRL levers, Dura Ace shifters, new cables and housing, Wolf Tooth Supple bar tape. Absolutely love that bar tape so far - really thick and wide and easy to work with, just the right amount of tackiness.

mstateglfr 

I have had the Wolf Tooth Supple tape sitting on my bench for a month now and really need to take time to just wrap the bars. My current tape is what I really love- Ritchey Pave(Cannondale Synapse) that is thick and has a really cool feel to it, but that stuff has seen a lot of sweat and dirt and is long past time to remove.
Congrats- you motivated me to change my tape before this weekend!


Side note- your VO is really similar in style to what is now my commute bike- steel Black Mountain frame with those same 9sp bar end shifters and wald basket. Admittedly I dont have 55mm tires on my bike- those are huge! The 38s I currently have are Vittoria Hypers that have been discontinued and fly, but one they are finally ready to be swapped, I will be looking at something wider because why not.

tyrion

FD-M900 - XTR, living the high life.

mattcalifornia

I've only had a chance to go on 2 gravel rides with the eeSilk stem, but so far, so good. With the lever turned to the "stiff" position, it feels pretty much like a normal stem. There was no annoying bobbing or flexing or feeling of any vagueness in the handling. And this is replacing an Enve carbon stem. For rougher terrain, I turned the lever to "soft." You're not going to mistake it for a 130mm suspension fork, but it definitely saves your wrists and hands from those harsh jolts. Much more comfortable. I would recommend.

Unfortunately, the slightly shorter stem has not solved my positioning issues. I'm still having neck and upper back pain. I may have to make some additional tweaks.

rosefarts

On the Swiss Cross mentioned a few posts prior, I had a 42 tooth Oval that actually worked great after some creative filing.

I realized that for my (puny) legs, I just wasn’t using a lot of the gears on the bike and the ones I was using are where bigger jumps exist. Not the reason I moved to Ekar in the first place.

So I got a round 38t from Ratio. It’s a 110bcd NW ring that is 13 speed compatible. As far as I know, it’s the only company that makes something like this.

Losing those 4 teeth was awesome for me. I get to use more of the straight block part of the cassette, still have excellent tailwind cruising cadence at about 27-28 mph, and holy crap, 38x44 on a gravel bike will climb nearly the same stuff my Lunar Eagle mountain bike will.

mattcalifornia

You're making me feel bad! My gravel bike has 32T in front and a 9-46T in back on the 650b wheelset. And believe me - I use every single one of those gears! (for some rides I swap to a set of 700c wheels with 36T front and 9-39 in back). Guess it also depends where you live. Most of my rides involve long climbs (and weak legs)