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I only know one guy whose
I only know one guy whose brakes don’t squeel in the wet, he weighs 67kg, runs 140mm rotors on a CX bike, and runs a very small frame size. To my mind that equates to smaller, more compact frame, stiffer rotors and less stopping power required in the first place, perhaps prevents the resonance and squealing that I experienced in the past (85kg, large frame, 160mm rotors) and my riding buddies also experience (at least one is significantly lighter than me, but still runs a larger frame and 160mm rotors.
I understand the stopping power vs. squeal point of view, but I’ve never worried about stopping power of my rim brakes, good aluminium rims and decent pads seem to do the trick.
Anyway, this debate exists ad nauseam elsewhere, I just object to the idea that rim brakes are ‘obsolete’. I think they very much still have a place.
What about the spurious
What about the spurious excuse that he’ll be able to build a lighter bike for less money and not be lumbered with horrendous screeching every time he tries to brake in the wet?
I’ve built up a cantilever brake gravel bike and every time I ride with buddies in anything but the driest conditions I’m reminded that I made the right choice, I’m almost embarassed for them the noise their discs make! Honk honk howl etc.
I would suggest my rim brake frame (Kinesis CX1) to the OP but it’s a dedicated CX frame so horizontal top tube, very little seatpost showing, low stack…
Quote:
Also you should have a high psi on rollers or you bounce about.. ergo, it shouldn’t affect the ‘flex’ of the tyre casing, you’d flex more than on the road at lower psi.Hmm…. not sure I agree actually, I run 80psi on the road, 100psi on my rollers. Even at 100psi the tyre looks noticeably more deformed, I guess as Miller points out, the diameter of the roller maybe causes this?
It is an interesting subject, I was told I was wasting my time fitting a turbo trainer tyre for rollers use as rollers weren’t as harsh on tyres as a turbo, but I also know that I’ve punctured twice on rollers and never been able to figure out why!
Yeah, they’ve marketted it
Yeah, they’ve marketted it more as a commuter rather than winter bike per se, but obviously the ability to take mudguards, the threaded BB, the (claimed) tyre clearance, all added up to it making a great ‘fast’ winter road bike.
The rim brake thing is a bit short sighted in my opinion, it’s a real shame manufacturers are abandoning them with such haste (makes you wonder what’s in it for the bike manufacturers, better profit margins perhaps?) because a rim brake bike can be cheaper, lighter and simpler than a disc brake equivalent. I don’t even believe rim brakes are that much inferior to discs but perhaps that’s a setup thing, the Tektro brakes on the Allez (with good pads) have been absolutely fine for my purposes on grotty wet Scottish Central Belt farm roads. Negligible rim wear after 4000km also. My bike with disc brakes has been left in the garage ever since as I could never stop them squealing when they got cold and wet (e.g….. winter conditions!).
Welcome to the bike industry
Welcome to the bike industry sadly, marketing trumps accurate product descriptions and nobody will take any responsibility for products wearing out quickly. All the reviews and marketting of the Allez make it seem like the perfect winter bike but notice nowhere does it actually state ‘mudguards will fit with 28mm tyres’ etc. it’s just implied…
I bought an Allez as well, changed the cranks to Shimano (due to wanting shorter length) so perhaps dodged a bullet if Praxis stuff wears out quickly, shame as they seemed nice cranks. The mudguard and tyre issue frustrated me also, although this isn’t 100% Specialized’s fault, they say clearance for 28mm tyres which is technically correct, but it seems that most 25mm tyres actually measure up closer to 28mm on modern rims! I tried some 28mm Continental tyres and they were far too tight for comfort.
Similarly the mudguard clearance was disappointing but it can be made to work, just requires lots of fiddling. I got some SKS guards to work with the stock tyres (e.g. the ones which measure up 27mm wide) by chopping the rear guard either side of the brake calliper and glueing a section of old innertube between the two halves to protect the underside of the brake. It required a PDW ‘Z’ bracket to hold the rear half of the guard but it works fine. I also chopped the front guard so that it stops at the back of the fork crown, no clearance issues!
I’m still running old school
I’m still running old school Challenge Limus Tyres on my CX bike, famously hard to fit.
Two tips I learned:
1) Use alchohol hand gel (all the rage right now…) as a lubricant, it evoporates to nothing once the tyre is fitted rather than leaving a soapy mess behind. Handy and compact to carry out on the road too if you’re worried about refitting tyres al fresco.
2) Finish at the valve. If you start at the valve, the shape and size of the valve plug can use up precious ‘slack’ in the bead, not a problem if you finish at the valve instead.
No experience with those
No experience with those mudguards, but the only way I could realistically fit guards to my Allez was to cut the front guard off so it attached at the back of the fork crown without passing under the crown. It leaves the front brake exposed to spray and muck but ultimately doesn’t seem to be much of a problem.
You can attached the guard using a Problem Solvers ‘Sheldon’s Fender Nut’ which replaces the nut holding your brake calliper on. The fender nut has a second set of threads which you can thread the mudguard bolt into.
I got lucky in that I
I got lucky in that I inherited two sets of bib tights from my dad. I un-stitched the nasty cheap pads from them and wear them over a good set of ‘normal’ shorts.
I prefer them to knee or leg warmers as they don’t slip down (or up, they have stirrups) so you don’t get that ‘saggy tights’ look that I always eventually seem to get with knee or leg warmers.
Of course, the correct answer is both, as I’ll still use knee warmers for frosty dry mornings such as those we’re just about to start experiencing. Tights only come out for wet days as they have a spray-proof shin.
Actually sorry, I was being a
Actually sorry, I was being a bit dishonest. My actual issue was a pain behind the scrotum which I now believe was caused by a tight hip flexor impinging upon the genito-femoral nerve. This has nothing to do with saddle choice as it actually comes around the side and front of the hip and not underneath.
HOWEVER I did immediately notice the reduction in pressure where the nose of the saddle would have been when using the Aeolus, and this actually has relieved a lot of stress in my back as I am no longer ‘arching’ my back to take pressure off my perineum. So in general I am more comfortable on the bike.
So, the Aeolus wasn’t actually the solution to my personal problem, but it definitely DID take pressure away from the perineum and is more comfortable because of it.
I can’t compare padding softness unfortunately, I use good bibshorts (Rapha, Morvelo, Endura, Castelli) and typically quite hard saddles. I can’t say I’ve noticed if the Aeolus is softer or harder than any other.
A Bontrager Aeolus might be
A Bontrager Aeolus might be the cheapest place to start, a great wee saddle at £45 and virtually ‘noseless’ with a large central cut-out.
Functionally I’m not even sure if the ISM saddles are really much different.
You can demo ISM from Upgrade bikes, you pay for the saddle but then have 30 days to test it. I was reassured when I received my demo saddle as it was a bit mucky, they obviously expect the demo saddles to get used properly!
As it is, the Aeolus solved my issue at 1/4 of the price of an ISM (and for less weight…) so I sent the ISM back un-tried.
A Specialized Allez would be
A Specialized Allez would be an excellent choice. 105 groupset, nice Praxis cranks, good wheels (I broke 1 spoke from new, fixed by shop under warranty, all good since).The stock brakes are fine, but if you want to use it confidently in all conditions you could upgrade to Swissstop BXP pads. I’ve ridden through some atrocious conditions on my Allez and the braking is consistently good.
Just be wary if you want to fit full length mudguards, I had to do a bit of dremelling as clearance was a bit tight.
Expensive answer? Gore
Expensive answer? Gore Shakedry Stretch. Best fitting jacket I have ever worn, I didn’t realise how important fit was until I spent 4 hours in the rain wearing this jacket, it was (almost) a pleasure.
However, the cat got mine, so while it’s away getting repaired I bought a Galibier Tourmalet for almost exactly a quarter of the price of the Shakedry Stretch (£63). The fit of the Tourmalet is almost just as good, the material feels cheaper but it gets good reviews, so I’m looking forward to testing it out.
Actually I think the biggest
Actually I think the biggest ‘high’ I’ve ever had on a bike was a slow, grinding road climb out of Inverness in the misty drizzle, but with the Black Keys (Magic Potion I think) in my headphones*.
It was some combination of the euphoria from a big riff or wailing vocal combined with the endorphins of maintaining just the right pace and just generally feeling good on the bike. I actually wanted to just shout out loud for the sheer joy of it.
I still get about 1/10th of the same rush on the turbo trainer, especially when the right bit of the right tune (usually ‘Sunshine Underground’ by the Chemical Brothers) co-incides with the right bit of the workout (e.g. starting to flag with 5 minutes still to go). Instant fresh legs!
*I don’t ride with headphones any more, so spare me the lectures!
I think MTB can be as
I think MTB can be as complicated as you want to make it.
I’m still using a Trek Superfly from 2017. Fast, light 29er with 100mm travel forks and (now) a 1x drivetrain.
Have raced XC on it, done long gravel rides on it and messed about at local trail centres (Beecraigs, Comrie Croft).
I’ve used it for two seasons CX racing as well with narrower chopped down bars and some dedicated CX tyres.
I think a lot of the new trends and fads (tubeless, droppers, massive bars) all offer something to the experience (fun, no harm in that) but none are strictly necessary and are ‘addicitive’ e.g. once you go there you won’t go back! I’d rather not know what I was missing and keep my bike simple, cheap and light… Same as my road bike actually!
I record everything just on
I record everything just on general principles, am chasing a completely arbitrary yearly total (have set my eyes on 10000km) but also like to keep track of my hours, I’m prone to silly injuries but also over-enthusiasm so need to be careful not to suddenly start doing 15 hour weeks if I’ve only been doing 8 hours weeks etc.
What I like about Strava in general as it gives some rides a bit of silly purpose, good if you might otherwise just have been ambling. Try for that local KOM? why not. Do another loop of a local road to try and sneak a local legend? why not. It’s all miles and (hopefully) fun.
Same with training, I like trying to do lots of easy base miles at the moment because it’s as good as reason as any for that drizzly, early morning circuit of a familiar 1hr loop. Better to get out than stay at home and if ‘training’ says I need to get out then I’m more likely to do it, and, inevitably, enjoy it.
