The "I need to brag about a gear purchase" thread--Cycling version

[firebanex]

Ohh, I like! I really enjoy the fades that Trek has been doing for the last couple years. Much more so than the blocky stuff that came before it.

I also have purchased things recently but am going to wait till I get my wife's new Fuel EX put together before posting it all. I also bought a new bike but it's not here yet.. I'll share it when I get it and swap the parts I want onto it from the parts bin.

 

[firebanex]

I lied. Her bike looks so good that I have to post an unfinished picture of it. Still missing the cranks but I have everything else in. Slowly assembling in the evenings but we are at a point where it looks like a bike now! It loooks so mean and fun in person. The red fork just pops so hard against the black and silver of the rest of the bike.

 

[firebanex]

New Bike Day. I really wanted to build my 2017 Trek Crockett into a flat bar monster cross bike but it wouldn't take bigger than 40mm tires, so that bike is for sale. In it's place I bought a Poseidon Redwood Flat Bar "gravel" bike. For $779 it comes specc'ed out rather nicely with a Microshift AdventX 1x10 drivetrain, dual piston mechanical brakes (with 2mm thick rotors too), english threaded BB, and a crap ton of mounting points. The best part is, it'll take a 27.5 2.6" mtb tire! Talk about fulfilling my monster cross bike dreams. I've got a set of 2.6 Bontrager SE2's on order with my LBS along with a pile of other parts I've been collecting for this build. Once I get it all together, I'll post the finished bike.

For now, you get a fairly crappy non-driveside picture of it hastily assembled in the warehouse basement at my workplace, needed to do that so I could get it on my bike rack and drive it home.

 

[Tom K.]

In it's place I bought a Poseidon Redwood Flat Bar "gravel" bike. For $779 it comes specc'ed out rather nicely with a Microshift AdventX 1x10 drivetrain

Perfect candidate for Shimano's new 11-speed gruppo when it's upgrade or replacement time!

NSMB.com - Gambling On The Retrogrouch - Shimano XT LinkGlide M8130

As the future rides towards wireless drivetrains, and potentially bikes designed exclusively for them, Shimano puts out a fresh cable-actuated XT LinkGlide drivetrain with 11-speeds that feels like a throwback, in a good way.

nsmb.com

2.6 Bontrager SE2's

Sigh. You had me thinking they brought back my favorite large, fast, tough tire of all time. Sadly, only in 27.5. Sigh again.

 

[wooglin]

Perfect candidate for Shimano's new 11-speed gruppo when it's upgrade or replacement time!

NSMB.com - Gambling On The Retrogrouch - Shimano XT LinkGlide M8130

As the future rides towards wireless drivetrains, and potentially bikes designed exclusively for them, Shimano puts out a fresh cable-actuated XT LinkGlide drivetrain with 11-speeds that feels like a throwback, in a good way.

nsmb.com

This reminds me to check my supply of 9sp chains and cassettes. :/

 

[Tom K.]

This reminds me to check my supply of 9sp chains and cassettes. :/

It is astounding to me how much progress has been made in drivetrain tech and metallurgy.

I find it almost impossible to wear out a modern SRAM Eagle XO1 12-speed drivetrain, provided it is kept well-lubed.

 

[firebanex]

@Tom K. For sure, linkglide looks quite nice for how this bike is gonna be used. I was searching for a chonky but fast tread tire and by accident stumbled upon the SE2 and it only comes in27.5 2.6". Kinda a strange size, feels like its a tire without a true purpose as it's Bontragers enduro/dh casing but an xc type tread... and it's a 27.5. It'll be perfect for what I want though!

 

[Tom K.]

the SE2 and it only comes in27.5 2.6"

It used to come in a couple of 29" sizes. Makes me wonder if Bonty is still just exhausting new old stock stuff with the 27.5"

 

[firebanex]

I'm thinking old stock. I found it on the section of the website called "We made too much".

Swapped out the bars and cranks this week, I really just wanted to get rid of the square taper BB it came with. Swapped in a set of Zee cranks and BB, same 104bcd as the Poseidon cranks so I was able to reuse the (heavy) chainring for now but still lost 200grams of weight. Wheels are next cause holy crap the stock wheels are bricks, but I kinda wanted to wait till I had the tires for them. That might take a coupe weeks cause the guy that orders things at my LBS is doing the Iditarod Trail Invitational.. and that starts soon and takes a couple days. He's won it a few times so it shouldn't take long lol.

 

[firebanex]

Almost done. Added a pair of Hunt 650b adventure wheels to it, installed and trimmed the Magura MT4 brakes last night. Just need the SE2 to arrive and then I can ditch the wire bead stock tires and tubes. Should be just intime to try to get a ride in during the freeze/thaw cycles we get at the end of March before the pavement is cleared off.

 

[firebanex]

The SE2 tires arrived and are SUPER CHONKY, love the look. Also... Talked myself into buying a yellow 2023 Gen 6 Fuel EX GX AXS cause it was on sale for $1700 off. It'll be here in a month, just in time for everything to finally melt. It's still -5*f and snowed about a foot over the last week. Got three bikes going up for sale this spring, a flat bar CX bike, my road/CX bike, and now the 2021 Fuel EX 9.8 that I've been using for the last two years. All in all, the bike fleet is being reduced by 1 bike total. I'll be down to a Fuel EX MTB, the chonky Poseidon Redwood monster gravel mtb thing, Trek Checkpoint ALR w/ two wheel sets, and the 907 Fat bike. Wife will have her Checkpoint, new Fuel Ex, and a fat bike. We are back to having more skis than bikes again! So much better for storage space in our 1300sqft house with no garage or shed.

 

[Tom K.]

Got three bikes going up for sale this spring

If you aren't aware, let's just say that used bike prices are a bit lower than they were a year ago.

I'm trying to unload an Emonda and the market's reception has been very cool -- hoping for some interest now that winter is over, and you can actually ride a road bike here.

 

[cantunamunch]

If you aren't aware, let's just say that used bike prices are a bit lower than they were a year ago.

LOL, we have quite a few local fixer/tuners/upcyclers who didn't get the memo - REI has new 29ers for what they're asking for a 15 year old V-brake hybrid.

 

[firebanex]

The two CX bikes will be priced to be gone from my house. Under $1k for the 2016 Crockett flat bar one with 11s GX and maybe $1200 for the 2020 Crockett with 800 series GRX. I kept the good wheels off the 2020 and other parts for my Checkpoint. Those two will be perfect for someone to commute or riding our roads, just like I used them as. The Fuel EX 9.8.. that one is gonna be somewhere between 3k-4k and prolly posted to our local/state groups rather than taking it to a bike swap. Our local market is very heavily to commuting, fat bikes, and cheap bikes. There is not a very big "serious" mtb scene for a good carbon full sus, most of our terrain can be ridden with a fat bike and the fatty can be used for 12 months instead of 5. However, the buy/sell groups are all centered around the Anchorage area and they have a much bigger organized scene that I should be able to sell the Fuel EX in.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Ladies and gentlemen...I give you...the pinnacle of the Chinese frame building :

Yoeleo G21. Cant wait to build it with some fat-ish tyres and use it as my inexpensive, take everywhere, go everywhere bike.

The ski in the picture is self explanatory and in the cardboard tube next to them is a YUGE poster of this masterpiece which I am yet to frame and hang:

Hey, am I even allowed to post this here? Well if not some kind admin will take care of it anyway. Apologies in advance.

 

[cantunamunch]

Ladies and gentlemen...I give you...the pinnacle of the Chinese frame building :

What size? The website gives TT numbers but doesn't give wheelbase - who does that? If you can get the fork in and run a quick measuring tape?

 

[Tony Storaro]

What size? The website gives TT numbers but doesn't give wheelbase - who does that? If you can get the fork in and run a quick measuring tape?

L (56) Wheelbase: 1024.6 As per our friends from geometrygeeks

Compared to my daily driver-the TCR this should feel like a Cadillac compared to 911. We'll see.

Geometry Geeks

The world's biggest open geometry database. Find bikes by name or numbers. Easily compare bike geometry side-by-side.

geometrygeeks.bike

A link to comparison of some bikes that I currently own and some I'd very much like to own. This list is updated on a constant basis.

 

[cantunamunch]

L (56) Wheelbase: 1024.6 As per our friends from geometrygeeks

Compared to my daily driver-the TCR this should feel like a Cadillac compared to 911. We'll see.

You're so roadie Anyway, save some simile choices before you run out of room.

Witness: if the G21 with 604mm FC and 72deg HT is a Caddy, then things like the Diverge STR, Niner MCR, Van Dessel WTF, Marin DSX1, Turner Nitrous, Chamois Hagar will have to be ... Aussie road trains.

 

[Tony Storaro]

You're so roadie

Yeah. I own a perfectly nice Scott Spark WC too which however gets less mileage than my hiking boots per year. I am just drawn to the road. Hundreds of kms per week, constant close shaves by trailer trucks, heat, dust, diesel fumes...what's not to like?

Diverge? Let's not talk about Specialized, the topic is painful.

 

[cantunamunch]

Diverge? Let's not talk about Specialized, the topic is painful.

That's fine. Now how about popping over to Clermont-Ferrand and demoing a Distance 45 on some of those volcano-gravel cow roads for us. https://distance.bike/distance-45/