Barry

@JRIDER you might consider ChiCarbon with DT Swiss hubs. I've had absurdly good luck with EIE wheels riding a shit-ton of singletrack on Chamois Hagar, and so has @CBaron on his Stache. After 4k miles, my 25.5mm IW wheels running 50mm tires haven't so much as broken a spoke, and have stayed as true as the day I took them out of the box--even though they're not helped by suspension. EIE's 35mm IW wheel would be a great match for 2.6" tires. The only problem is the extended shipping times, and the fact that warranties aren't as good as a US company like NOX or SC. But I'm quite convinced that the actual wheels are every bit as good or better than my DannyMac-approved SC wheels on the 5010. And about 60% of the price.

I suspect my Torch hub (purchased literally a week before Hydra came out) looks significantly worse than this, but still functions quite well. I clean them up and put the Dumonde Tech lube on them about every 1000 miles. This recent time after cleaning/lubing, I did hear a concerning extra little noise in he hub. It lasted about 2 rides then returned to normal. But these hubs are pushing 13k miles, so if they explode tonight, I'll be happy. And yeah, I also love I9's service. I'm also really happy with my DT Swiss 240 w/ 54t ratchet on my Chamois Hagar. I also clean it up and lube it with DT's hilariously small tub of "Special Grease" about even 1000 miles. For the price, I might even go this route next time I build a MTB wheel.

There's plenty of signal at the top. You will push quite a few spots. But a seriously large portion of it is easy spin.

And you're going to climb UP Winsor trail one day? Good luck, dude. 🙂

Do it! We'll certainly have to rope you in if we do another drop bar edition...

Also what size and style? I have a few spares of 3 ltr quick disconnect version. Edit... this one...

Accurate! Particularly the least creepy but most apropos:

I was guessing this was the result of a sudden and brief downpour. A very cool shot whatever the case.

No more MTBR? And I suppose Discord don't count?

You'd think so. But I've observed he's a cold turkey kinda fellow. He decided to stop drinking and he was done. He decided to stop riding motorcycles on the road and he was done. Same with here. It's a little bit of shooting your foot off to spite your face (is that how that works?) but he ain't a fickel man.

Great! I've been thinking that northern area could use more trails! *dodges thrown tomatoes*

Good hair day though.

It's pretty sweet! I've also tried the thumb lever thing on drop bars, and it doesn't work nearly as well as the STI-type set-up on the GRX lever.

I've had luck pulling out bearing races with my slide hammer. But then I look for any excuse to use my slide hammer.

Yup! I used it as a go-between from Santa Fe to Austin on Saturday, 7.10. Hot! Particularly after spending the week in Santa Fe. The ride ended at 98°. Not that hot by historical standards, but pretty warm. The trails are still showing damage from recent floods, including washed out bridges, a bit of rutting, and even a couple of flooded areas on a few low lying trails. Overall though the best trails (Comanche, GSR, Capitol and others) were still in fine shape. Back on topic, I saw this fellow in the parking lot...

Cairn Lizard at Palo Duro.

Is that a tag on his right ear? I chased a couple of rams down the trail once at Colorado State Park. It's only time I've seen them.

I've been trying for weeks to find a Shimano Y0E098020, but they're out of stock everywhere.

Yikes! Thanks for the heads-up. So 2016 or next year?

Certainly I want hydraulic on my gravel rig because I ride a ton of singletrack on it. But I really feel the need desire for hydraulic on the road as well, particularly on some of those hills along the TdH, and what I call "fun hills" in the West Lake Hills area. I remember during the TdH last year I was riding with a group for a bit as we all hammered down a hill to be greeted with a kind of blind and near 90° curve at the bottom. Everyone agreed that we were super happy for really strong stoppers.

Too bad you weren't there earlier. My buddy James was handing out his freshly smoked pulled pork. It was a great, if very small "I."

Reminds me a bit of Kaki King without the slap percussion. Her best version of this song was always on Letterman.

Thanks for the reminder about Eagle 12 speed chain. I'll try one next rotation. I've heard before that they run quieter and perhaps shift better, but always forget to try it out. Edit: shit, I better remember to get a spare master link or 2!

I'm using 11 speed largely Shimano drivetrains, but I use SRAM PC-X11 chains. And while I'm not waxing (although technically Smoove is wax in a suspension), I do regularly remove my chains for a number of reasons, so I suppose the question applies to me. If I drive in the rain I'll ofen remove it. I remove it for occasional degreasing with Smoove. And I remove it every damn time I remove Chamois Hagar's rear wheel because it's otherwise an exercise in frustration to remove because of the saddle tube clearance. So the question, do I reuse the master link? Yes. But I occasionally regret it. Over time they wear so much that you can remove them by hand, like the old 9 speed days. And when that happens, you know you had better swap it out for a new one, because it's getting close to failing. Although I've used 11 speed chains for 6 years (20 billion miles) I've only had 3 or maybe 4 occurrences of them failing during a ride--but they do eventually fail. I pack 2 pairs of spares at all times.

Now I'm feeling self-conscience.