Since last posting I've done quite a drivetrain refresh. Components on gravel bikes can wear a lot faster than on bikes for clean roads... I let my chain get much too long, and a chain replacement led to a replacement of both the cassette and the middle chainring.
The new middle chainring claims to be "9/10 speed." I haven't told it how many cogs it's being paired with in back, hopefully it doesn't find out.
Recently I've been dealing with what appears to be a creak with the stem. I figured I'd no nuclear on it and picked up a Nitto Pearl.
I decided to use a stem a bit longer than the old one, to fix the problem of my knees bumping into the bar tops. A shorter-reach bar can theoretically resolve this discrepancy. I might be flying a bit close to the sun on handlebar options with this, though, as handlebars with 25.4mm clamp areas aren't numerous: in addition to the long reach, the stem has a fairly short quill, placing the clamp area both farther forward and lower than with the old stem. And I wasn't intending to lower the bar ramps!
The solution? Uhh...
Um.
Well, I had a bar laying around that says "RANDNNER" on it. It's not to be confused with a Nitto Grand Raundoneur or, worse yet, a randonneuring handlebar; no, the opposite side of the clamp area clearly states that it is a ROAD CHAMPION!
I guess I'll see what happens. It has a bit of rise that raises the ramps to about where I want them, and the drop ends are at the same width as the previous bar. It's got a ton of flare, though, meaning that the hoods position is extremely narrow.
Felt fine on the road today. Have yet to take it on gravel.
The new middle chainring claims to be "9/10 speed." I haven't told it how many cogs it's being paired with in back, hopefully it doesn't find out.
Recently I've been dealing with what appears to be a creak with the stem. I figured I'd no nuclear on it and picked up a Nitto Pearl.
I decided to use a stem a bit longer than the old one, to fix the problem of my knees bumping into the bar tops. A shorter-reach bar can theoretically resolve this discrepancy. I might be flying a bit close to the sun on handlebar options with this, though, as handlebars with 25.4mm clamp areas aren't numerous: in addition to the long reach, the stem has a fairly short quill, placing the clamp area both farther forward and lower than with the old stem. And I wasn't intending to lower the bar ramps!
The solution? Uhh...
Um.
Well, I had a bar laying around that says "RANDNNER" on it. It's not to be confused with a Nitto Grand Raundoneur or, worse yet, a randonneuring handlebar; no, the opposite side of the clamp area clearly states that it is a ROAD CHAMPION!
I guess I'll see what happens. It has a bit of rise that raises the ramps to about where I want them, and the drop ends are at the same width as the previous bar. It's got a ton of flare, though, meaning that the hoods position is extremely narrow.
Felt fine on the road today. Have yet to take it on gravel.