One of the best 'what's my set up?' vlogs I've seen (sorry Richard Lake!). What makes it so good for me is the reasoning behind your selections and their weaknesses as well as strengths. Certainly not boring, despite your protestations, although I'm yet to be convinced about tubeless - the mess and fuss involved with a roadside repair is the bridge I won't cross. But I'm sure they'll get better.
Glad you liked it, Rob. Right now I'm making final decisions for my PBP setup and despite a soft tyre all the way back from Cornwall the other day, I think I'm going to take a spin on the tubeless gamble again. Call me daft if you will, but they ARE more comfortable (75psi? Oh yes) and boy oh boy does that matter over this kind of distance.
@@londoncenturies I'm certainly not in a position to 'look sideways' at your choice of tubeless for PBP and I understand the advantages of the system; in fact I have several much more experienced cyclist friends who swear by them. My Luddite resistance is probably partly the roadside repair thing as mentioned, but also that I've got a Ribble CGR and removing the back wheel (the most likely to puncture) is already an absolute pain because of the dropout design and I can't bear the idea of adding to the misery with all of that sealant going everywhere. Very best of luck with PBP - please say hello to Richard Evans for me (Kingston W's/Glaudax) if you see him! I'm looking forward to your report of the experience popping up in my notifications.
aha...the missing tyre talk..lol, actually found it very useful as someone just getting into cycling. Your front light is on my "to get list" now, when pricing up a good quality light,the dynamo AND the USB kit, that light saves a pretty penny thats for sure. was gonna aske some uestions but I can see all answered in the comments below, lol...cheers again..ATB WJ
No, me neither. I mean, i know I said I’m a convert and they WERE very good for Venice-London but I’m trying to decide what tyres to use for PBP at the moment and am a bit unsure. I want to save as much weight as possible so definitely don’t want to be carrying spare tubes in addition to sealant and all that gubbins.
@@londoncenturies Temple Adv Disc Frameset (Bristol based bike brand) Reynolds 725 I bought the set then built it up in the rando style. Shimano 105 10 speed, Dura ace 10 speed bar end shifters, Ritchey bits and bobs, TRP slc mechanical disc brakes, velo orange mudguards, hunt 650b rims with son hub, Rene Herse babyshoe pass 42's, Gilles Berthoud aravis saddle. There's more but, that gives you an idea. I usually ride solo. Did a few audaxes but, really a pain to get to the start then back again when it's finished. Anyways, good luck on your build up to pbp. It will be a pleasure to see what you get up to before the granddaddy of the all kick off. Safe travels!!! ✌🏼
@@robmartin1792 Sounds like a fantastic long distance build, Rob, you've got me pretty jealous there. How do you get on with the bar end shifters? Cheers!
@@londoncenturies i like them quite a bit. Once they are dialed in, it's a set it and forget it type deal. Index in the rear, friction on the front. Definitely keeps me on my toes! you don't want to get caught out in a sticky situation since you are moving your hands around to make a shift. Easy to get use to, so far so good. Before I was using the Gevenalle shifters. I really liked them. Hand placement similar to brifters but, shifting like bar-ends. I would recommend them!!! Best, Rob
I realised I left the wheels out. Mostly because I’ve been on a spare for the last few years and haven’t quite decided what to do about it. So currently an alloy front, carbon rear rim but both 32H and both seem v reliable so no particular data to report (that’s a GOOD thing!). Updates will be forthcoming when stuff goes wrong….
Thanks for finally showing off your weapons of choice! How about a visit to Condor cycles in London? Show us round. My Mechanic used to work there, and tells me its ace!
Hey thanks for watching and leaving the comment. I thought about it but don't really want to do anything that's got an overtly commercial side to it at the moment, but thanks for the thought!
New subscriber here.👍 I only got into Audax and long distance riding last year. I’m going to blame the likes of Adam Watkins, Richard Lake, Paul (Saddlesore) for that. Love the videos. Ps. I volunteered at LEL last year, and have managed to qualify for PBP this year. If I see you in Ramboullet I’ll say hello. All the best.👍
Hey thanks for the sub and we’ll done on getting into long distance. Which control were you at for LEL? See you in Rambouillet or out on the road in France in the wee hours of dead-o’clock more likely…. It’s going to be ace!
I was at Boston. It was whilst I was there that the rules for registration and qualifying for PBP were explained to me. I had no idea what a Super Randoneur was up until that point. Yep…might see you in France. 👍
Ha! Cool way to start. LEL was my first audax and PBP will be number 7, so I hardly have loads of experience. I really loved that about LEL, that anyone could just have a go.
@@londoncenturies I've done it in the garage when fiddling with my mountain bike since I barely ride it twice a year at times. I've never had to do it on the side of the road but it'd be better than taking a tire off.
@@veriest1 Yes exactly. The bit I dread is having to do a roadside repair on tubeless when all i've got is a little hand pump and the bead comes off the rim.
@@londoncenturies I worry about that a lot these days. I'm on some old Sun Ringle 29er wheels that seem to have slightly higher sides and Gravel King slicks are a PAIN to mount on them. Most people say GK slicks are easy to mount but I had to use two tire levers for the first time ever on a bicycle tire to get these on. If I wasn't used to changing motorcycle tires I don't think I'd have ever got them on. I had to use all the little tricks. I've seen videos of people (Syd and Macky on YT have one) where they seat the bead with a floor pump by working the bead out of the center channel most of the way around on both sides with a tire lever. I don't think a little hand pump would do it even with their technique but a CO2 cartridge might? At least I'm hoping it will. Of course, CO2 also reacts poorly with some sealants so according to the Silca podcast. So that's a different concern.
Thanks James. I didn’t mention them because I’ve been riding on a ‘spare’ wheel now for about 3 years (so it’s no longer really my spare, is it?). They’re both 32H rims, laced to, on the back, a Pacenti carbon rim and a Hope hub. It’s got a wide internal width to spread the tyre as wide as i can but is hookless, which I’m not mad about - I’ve had one experience when I blew the tyre off the rim, which was terrifying. The Front rim is just a big standard Mavic Open Pro - not fancy but no problems at all, which is exactly what I want!! I can see that one going on for years, and tbh I’d probably get another one for the back if I could be bothered. Thanks for watching and happy riding!
Great thanks. I appreciate the tubeless chat. Id like to know more of your thoughts about running tubeless on 200km length rides. Bring 2 tubes in case? 2 valve cores? Sealant? Tyre plugs? If you have issues on a future ride, would appreciate you chatting about what happened and if it changes your approach. Thanks
Absolutely 100% with you there. Yes. I know I said I’m converted to tubeless now but it took ages (= years) of well-founded scepticism and to be honest I’m now swinging back again because the darn things just require so much maintenance. I hate that. Initially I carried 2 spare tubes (the extra weight!!) plus plugs plus sealant. I mean, come on. That’s mad. But what if you get stuck?
@@londoncenturies I'm trialling TPU tubes - there's a Chinese brand doing the rounds with the usual suspects on YT and getting good reports. Mapdec have literally just (end of July '23) got some in so I'm keen to see what they think. They're lots cheaper than Tubolito, although my filter on high priced items these days is "would I pay that half way around a 200km in the pouring rain?" because, as with your dynamo light, it is what suits you and how well it does the job you want it to do.
@@Robutube1 I'll be interested to hear what you think of them, I've seen reviews but no experience myself so far on TPU. I used to put latex tubes on the carbon bike for summer until one time coming down a mountain in France I had a blow-out, I think it was from the rim getting so hot (rim brakes). Not a problem we often get in the UK but I haven't bought any since. And you're right with the value thing, halfway round a wet 200km I'd pay a lot for security and reliability.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this video. I have been enjoying dipping into your back catalogue of videos :). They all feature some amazing scenery. Obviously you don't dwell on the grotty parts of your rides, but I was wondering whether you could do a video on route planning. I only have a garmin watch that I use and not a bike computer. This is because I don't stray too far away from home. But I am thinking about going slightly further afield and think that a bike computer might be handy. Anyway, I am wittering now... Take home message - how do you do your route planning? Thanks in advance. M
Thanks for the idea Mark. You’re not the only one who’s asked and it’s something I’ve been mulling over so I’ll probably do this at some point but I have a very practical difficulty - which is that much of the time my route planning isn’t completely crap! 😝 I seem to manage to get some bits right but it’s usually somewhat hit and miss. I suppose I could do a vid about exactly that but have been hoping I’ll hone what skills I have and then be able to demonstrate. You’re right that I tend not to film the grotty bits (unless they’re really eye-wateringly grotty) and cut out the endless outer suburbs of London (does anyone want to see the true glory of Bromley?) but a quick answer to your question is that a bike computer really changed the game for me. It opens up so much. Happy riding!
My bike computer (I went for a Wahoo Bolt V2 because of the ease of use*) has been a game changer confidence wise for me and really widened my horizons - recommended. *Garmins are excellent but not intuitive to use. Their mapping is supposed to be marginally better and you can recharge them on the go (Wahoos don't do this yet) but I don't ride heroic distances much so it's the Bolt for me. Re: route planning - learn to use Ride with GPS, it does most of the hard work for you... and it's free!
@@eclig Thanks for this. I'm assuming that you mean you can charge it whilst you are using it to record a ride and, if so, I'll have to give it another go with a different cable.
Hi, thanks for watching. No, I try to mix it up a bit - yes, roof over my head for the ride back from Venice (late March/early April I knew the weather could be really dodgy) but used a hammock in Scotland this year and Suffolk too (if you want to see some biblical rain check that one out) and last year on London-Newcastle just made do with a bus stop (and some stairs behind a school, I seem to remember). But the weather was warmer then!! Might do a bit of both on my next ride, we’ll see. But thanks for the question , is there anything you’d particularly like to see in the vids? Happy riding!
I can’t believe I forgot the classic overnight accommodation - an audax down in SW Wales this spring (Feb??) where I ‘slept’ (i.e. didn’t) in a public toilet block in Tenby…
No, I didn’t actually. Partly because I thought I was droning on too much and partly because I’ve been on a ‘spare’ wheel since the pandemic and haven’t decided whether to replace it or not. I’m on 32-hole rims, double butted spokes and they haven’t needed a tweak in at least two years, over some atrocious surfaces so I suppose that says a lot.
@@marklepine1 Cheers Mark! :) Rims = alloy front, carbon rear, but only because I had a prang a couple of years ago now (pandemic, when the supply chains were really knackered, and I couldn't get a like-for-like replacement). So I've been on my 'spare' for all that time and now can't really be bothered to change it. Both 32H, both very reliable. If anything goes wrong with either of them I'll do a special focus on rims, I guess but at the moment I have not much to say about them. (And want it to stay that way for as long as possible!).
Im with you about everything except disc brakes I’ve had two bad experiences with the back wheel locking up under heavy braking. Im sure the increase of crashes in races is down to disc brakes. There’s rumours going around that shimano are working on ABS for bikes omg whatever next
I hadn’t heard that one but that’s just so mad. I’ve got rum brakes on my summer bike that outperform nearly all the disc setups I’ve tried and there’s no way I’d swap them. I like these Paul Klampers I’ve got on the distance bike but frankly the main reason is for increased tyre width and therefore comfort rather than actual braking ability. Fact is that a bike’s ability to stop depends mostly on friction with the road and therefore size of the contact patch , much less to do with the actual method of applying braking force which imo has more to do with industry needs to come up with a new product and make all our frames obsolete!!
You don't need to drag along the weight of disc brakes for a long ride. Weight matters. It's less effort to ride a lighter bike. 11 speed isn't esp. durable and reliable. 2x8 or 2x9 is better.
Interesting point. I’m with you on the weight of the disc brakes - I like them for the ability to run much wider tyres for a long ride, plus I’ve got calliper brakes on my summer bike that still outperform lots of the disc systems I’ve tried. But if I’m going to have discs, I want ones that work really well, especially if I’m in the mountains. For most long UK audax-type distances I agree, a steel frame with callipers, 2x8 and 28mm tyres (and down tube shifters?) is probably hard to beat.
Garmin is not worth the hassle. On a long ride you will have to have means to charge the devices on the go anyway. In this case a phone is far superior.
It really isn’t at all. Use the right tool for the job. A phone is not the right tool for tracking and navigating a long ride. But you obviously won’t believe me and reply that it is…..
As you can probably tell, I’m certainly not in love with Garmin but on the charging thing, I think they do ok these days (which is a major change). I ran the unit constantly all the way to Edinburgh and back, navigating, recording power from two pedals, HRM and all that, with no worries at all about the charge level. That’s good enough in my book.
And they’re not cheap, either. It amazes me the prices charged for this stuff. That all said, I’m currently (mid June) trying to decide which saddle to use for PBP and may go back to my French leather one mostly because I worry about the Brooks Cambium one breaking (the bag loops). Can’t help thinking a product with a price tag like they charge shouldn’t have to be worried about.
One of the best 'what's my set up?' vlogs I've seen (sorry Richard Lake!). What makes it so good for me is the reasoning behind your selections and their weaknesses as well as strengths. Certainly not boring, despite your protestations, although I'm yet to be convinced about tubeless - the mess and fuss involved with a roadside repair is the bridge I won't cross. But I'm sure they'll get better.
Glad you liked it, Rob. Right now I'm making final decisions for my PBP setup and despite a soft tyre all the way back from Cornwall the other day, I think I'm going to take a spin on the tubeless gamble again. Call me daft if you will, but they ARE more comfortable (75psi? Oh yes) and boy oh boy does that matter over this kind of distance.
@@londoncenturies I'm certainly not in a position to 'look sideways' at your choice of tubeless for PBP and I understand the advantages of the system; in fact I have several much more experienced cyclist friends who swear by them. My Luddite resistance is probably partly the roadside repair thing as mentioned, but also that I've got a Ribble CGR and removing the back wheel (the most likely to puncture) is already an absolute pain because of the dropout design and I can't bear the idea of adding to the misery with all of that sealant going everywhere.
Very best of luck with PBP - please say hello to Richard Evans for me (Kingston W's/Glaudax) if you see him! I'm looking forward to your report of the experience popping up in my notifications.
Excellent vlog and explanation of what you use and why, thank you.
Glad you liked it, thanks for watching and leaving the comment, too. Happy riding!
A paperclip clear the blocked valve stem. Great video as ever.
OMG. That is a REALLY good tip. Cheers!!!
Thank you for taking the time to detail your bike! I have always been curious about what you were riding. 🙂
THanks for watching, there'll be some more content coming up shortly. In the meantime, happy riding!
aha...the missing tyre talk..lol, actually found it very useful as someone just getting into cycling. Your front light is on my "to get list" now, when pricing up a good quality light,the dynamo AND the USB kit, that light saves a pretty penny thats for sure. was gonna aske some uestions but I can see all answered in the comments below, lol...cheers again..ATB WJ
The missing tyre talk…. Lol! Glad it’s helpful, let me know if any other detail needed. Good luck!!
Great bike show n tell. Just what I wanted. Still not sure about tubeless tyres.
No, me neither. I mean, i know I said I’m a convert and they WERE very good for Venice-London but I’m trying to decide what tyres to use for PBP at the moment and am a bit unsure. I want to save as much weight as possible so definitely don’t want to be carrying spare tubes in addition to sealant and all that gubbins.
Really love your style man, keep up the good work!
Hey thanks, I’ve got another one in the pipeline right now. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the bike check 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼 i appreciate you taking the time to give us some insight into your machine!!!
Cheers Rob, hope it's interesting. What are you riding?
@@londoncenturies Temple Adv Disc Frameset (Bristol based bike brand) Reynolds 725 I bought the set then built it up in the rando style. Shimano 105 10 speed, Dura ace 10 speed bar end shifters, Ritchey bits and bobs, TRP slc mechanical disc brakes, velo orange mudguards, hunt 650b rims with son hub, Rene Herse babyshoe pass 42's, Gilles Berthoud aravis saddle. There's more but, that gives you an idea. I usually ride solo. Did a few audaxes but, really a pain to get to the start then back again when it's finished. Anyways, good luck on your build up to pbp. It will be a pleasure to see what you get up to before the granddaddy of the all kick off. Safe travels!!! ✌🏼
@@robmartin1792 Sounds like a fantastic long distance build, Rob, you've got me pretty jealous there. How do you get on with the bar end shifters? Cheers!
@@londoncenturies i like them quite a bit. Once they are dialed in, it's a set it and forget it type deal. Index in the rear, friction on the front. Definitely keeps me on my toes! you don't want to get caught out in a sticky situation since you are moving your hands around to make a shift. Easy to get use to, so far so good. Before I was using the Gevenalle shifters. I really liked them. Hand placement similar to brifters but, shifting like bar-ends. I would recommend them!!! Best, Rob
Thank you, just so very helpful, any more details about your wheels and dynamo….love these vlogs
I realised I left the wheels out. Mostly because I’ve been on a spare for the last few years and haven’t quite decided what to do about it. So currently an alloy front, carbon rear rim but both 32H and both seem v reliable so no particular data to report (that’s a GOOD thing!). Updates will be forthcoming when stuff goes wrong….
Thanks for finally showing off your weapons of choice!
How about a visit to Condor cycles in London? Show us round. My Mechanic used to work there, and tells me its ace!
Hey thanks for watching and leaving the comment. I thought about it but don't really want to do anything that's got an overtly commercial side to it at the moment, but thanks for the thought!
New subscriber here.👍 I only got into Audax and long distance riding last year. I’m going to blame the likes of Adam Watkins, Richard Lake, Paul (Saddlesore) for that. Love the videos. Ps. I volunteered at LEL last year, and have managed to qualify for PBP this year. If I see you in Ramboullet I’ll say hello. All the best.👍
Hey thanks for the sub and we’ll done on getting into long distance. Which control were you at for LEL? See you in Rambouillet or out on the road in France in the wee hours of dead-o’clock more likely…. It’s going to be ace!
I was at Boston. It was whilst I was there that the rules for registration and qualifying for PBP were explained to me. I had no idea what a Super Randoneur was up until that point. Yep…might see you in France. 👍
Ha! Cool way to start. LEL was my first audax and PBP will be number 7, so I hardly have loads of experience. I really loved that about LEL, that anyone could just have a go.
Very cool.
I think a bit of stiff wire in the tool kit might be handy for poking a valve clean with the core out.
That Is a VERY good idea cheers for the tip I’m going to do that!
@@londoncenturies I've done it in the garage when fiddling with my mountain bike since I barely ride it twice a year at times. I've never had to do it on the side of the road but it'd be better than taking a tire off.
@@veriest1 Yes exactly. The bit I dread is having to do a roadside repair on tubeless when all i've got is a little hand pump and the bead comes off the rim.
@@londoncenturies I worry about that a lot these days. I'm on some old Sun Ringle 29er wheels that seem to have slightly higher sides and Gravel King slicks are a PAIN to mount on them. Most people say GK slicks are easy to mount but I had to use two tire levers for the first time ever on a bicycle tire to get these on. If I wasn't used to changing motorcycle tires I don't think I'd have ever got them on. I had to use all the little tricks.
I've seen videos of people (Syd and Macky on YT have one) where they seat the bead with a floor pump by working the bead out of the center channel most of the way around on both sides with a tire lever. I don't think a little hand pump would do it even with their technique but a CO2 cartridge might? At least I'm hoping it will.
Of course, CO2 also reacts poorly with some sealants so according to the Silca podcast. So that's a different concern.
Really interesting!
😃
That was interesting .....👍
Good! Feel free to let me know what you’d like to see more of/less of. Thanks for watching!
Love the bike walkthrough and watching your century videos. What are the wheels you use on your bike?
Thanks James. I didn’t mention them because I’ve been riding on a ‘spare’ wheel now for about 3 years (so it’s no longer really my spare, is it?). They’re both 32H rims, laced to, on the back, a Pacenti carbon rim and a Hope hub. It’s got a wide internal width to spread the tyre as wide as i can but is hookless, which I’m not mad about - I’ve had one experience when I blew the tyre off the rim, which was terrifying. The Front rim is just a big standard Mavic Open Pro - not fancy but no problems at all, which is exactly what I want!! I can see that one going on for years, and tbh I’d probably get another one for the back if I could be bothered. Thanks for watching and happy riding!
Bog standard
Great thanks. I appreciate the tubeless chat. Id like to know more of your thoughts about running tubeless on 200km length rides. Bring 2 tubes in case? 2 valve cores? Sealant? Tyre plugs? If you have issues on a future ride, would appreciate you chatting about what happened and if it changes your approach. Thanks
Absolutely 100% with you there. Yes. I know I said I’m converted to tubeless now but it took ages (= years) of well-founded scepticism and to be honest I’m now swinging back again because the darn things just require so much maintenance. I hate that. Initially I carried 2 spare tubes (the extra weight!!) plus plugs plus sealant. I mean, come on. That’s mad. But what if you get stuck?
@@londoncenturies I'm trialling TPU tubes - there's a Chinese brand doing the rounds with the usual suspects on YT and getting good reports. Mapdec have literally just (end of July '23) got some in so I'm keen to see what they think. They're lots cheaper than Tubolito, although my filter on high priced items these days is "would I pay that half way around a 200km in the pouring rain?" because, as with your dynamo light, it is what suits you and how well it does the job you want it to do.
@@Robutube1 I'll be interested to hear what you think of them, I've seen reviews but no experience myself so far on TPU. I used to put latex tubes on the carbon bike for summer until one time coming down a mountain in France I had a blow-out, I think it was from the rim getting so hot (rim brakes). Not a problem we often get in the UK but I haven't bought any since. And you're right with the value thing, halfway round a wet 200km I'd pay a lot for security and reliability.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this video. I have been enjoying dipping into your back catalogue of videos :). They all feature some amazing scenery. Obviously you don't dwell on the grotty parts of your rides, but I was wondering whether you could do a video on route planning. I only have a garmin watch that I use and not a bike computer. This is because I don't stray too far away from home. But I am thinking about going slightly further afield and think that a bike computer might be handy. Anyway, I am wittering now... Take home message - how do you do your route planning? Thanks in advance.
M
Thanks for the idea Mark. You’re not the only one who’s asked and it’s something I’ve been mulling over so I’ll probably do this at some point but I have a very practical difficulty - which is that much of the time my route planning isn’t completely crap! 😝 I seem to manage to get some bits right but it’s usually somewhat hit and miss. I suppose I could do a vid about exactly that but have been hoping I’ll hone what skills I have and then be able to demonstrate. You’re right that I tend not to film the grotty bits (unless they’re really eye-wateringly grotty) and cut out the endless outer suburbs of London (does anyone want to see the true glory of Bromley?) but a quick answer to your question is that a bike computer really changed the game for me. It opens up so much. Happy riding!
IS completely crap
My bike computer (I went for a Wahoo Bolt V2 because of the ease of use*) has been a game changer confidence wise for me and really widened my horizons - recommended.
*Garmins are excellent but not intuitive to use. Their mapping is supposed to be marginally better and you can recharge them on the go (Wahoos don't do this yet) but I don't ride heroic distances much so it's the Bolt for me.
Re: route planning - learn to use Ride with GPS, it does most of the hard work for you... and it's free!
@@Robutube1my wahoo bolt v1 can be charged just fine on the go. So other wahoos from people I know. Maybe a rogue USB cable?
@@eclig Thanks for this. I'm assuming that you mean you can charge it whilst you are using it to record a ride and, if so, I'll have to give it another go with a different cable.
Relatively new to the channel, from the videos I have seen understand that you always stay in hotels/hostels, hence no camping gear, correct?
Hi, thanks for watching. No, I try to mix it up a bit - yes, roof over my head for the ride back from Venice (late March/early April I knew the weather could be really dodgy) but used a hammock in Scotland this year and Suffolk too (if you want to see some biblical rain check that one out) and last year on London-Newcastle just made do with a bus stop (and some stairs behind a school, I seem to remember). But the weather was warmer then!! Might do a bit of both on my next ride, we’ll see. But thanks for the question , is there anything you’d particularly like to see in the vids? Happy riding!
I can’t believe I forgot the classic overnight accommodation - an audax down in SW Wales this spring (Feb??) where I ‘slept’ (i.e. didn’t) in a public toilet block in Tenby…
Did you mention the wheels or stem/handlebars?
No, I didn’t actually. Partly because I thought I was droning on too much and partly because I’ve been on a ‘spare’ wheel since the pandemic and haven’t decided whether to replace it or not. I’m on 32-hole rims, double butted spokes and they haven’t needed a tweak in at least two years, over some atrocious surfaces so I suppose that says a lot.
@@londoncenturies Your droning is a feature, not a bug. Thanks for the vids. Carbon rims?
@@marklepine1 Cheers Mark! :) Rims = alloy front, carbon rear, but only because I had a prang a couple of years ago now (pandemic, when the supply chains were really knackered, and I couldn't get a like-for-like replacement). So I've been on my 'spare' for all that time and now can't really be bothered to change it. Both 32H, both very reliable. If anything goes wrong with either of them I'll do a special focus on rims, I guess but at the moment I have not much to say about them. (And want it to stay that way for as long as possible!).
Im with you about everything except disc brakes I’ve had two bad experiences with the back wheel locking up under heavy braking. Im sure the increase of crashes in races is down to disc brakes. There’s rumours going around that shimano are working on ABS for bikes omg whatever next
Bosche already have ABS fitted on top end e bikes
I hadn’t heard that one but that’s just so mad. I’ve got rum brakes on my summer bike that outperform nearly all the disc setups I’ve tried and there’s no way I’d swap them. I like these Paul Klampers I’ve got on the distance bike but frankly the main reason is for increased tyre width and therefore comfort rather than actual braking ability. Fact is that a bike’s ability to stop depends mostly on friction with the road and therefore size of the contact patch , much less to do with the actual method of applying braking force which imo has more to do with industry needs to come up with a new product and make all our frames obsolete!!
You don't need to drag along the weight of disc brakes for a long ride. Weight matters. It's less effort to ride a lighter bike. 11 speed isn't esp. durable and reliable. 2x8 or 2x9 is better.
Interesting point. I’m with you on the weight of the disc brakes - I like them for the ability to run much wider tyres for a long ride, plus I’ve got calliper brakes on my summer bike that still outperform lots of the disc systems I’ve tried. But if I’m going to have discs, I want ones that work really well, especially if I’m in the mountains. For most long UK audax-type distances I agree, a steel frame with callipers, 2x8 and 28mm tyres (and down tube shifters?) is probably hard to beat.
I cannot watch as long you´re wearing that cap…
It’s brought me good luck so many times it’s really hard to get rid of it!
Garmin is not worth the hassle. On a long ride you will have to have means to charge the devices on the go anyway. In this case a phone is far superior.
It really isn’t at all. Use the right tool for the job. A phone is not the right tool for tracking and navigating a long ride. But you obviously won’t believe me and reply that it is…..
As you can probably tell, I’m certainly not in love with Garmin but on the charging thing, I think they do ok these days (which is a major change). I ran the unit constantly all the way to Edinburgh and back, navigating, recording power from two pedals, HRM and all that, with no worries at all about the charge level. That’s good enough in my book.
You just destroyed my belief in the Schwalbe's from my homeland :-)
Oops! 😆
Brooks saddles! Always felt they were over rated. This is 2023. I don't want to ride four billion miles on a saddle to break it in.
You mean Brooks leather saddles, the Cambiums don’t need breaking in.
@@KeatB Yes! In fairness, I've heard the Cambiums are very good. I'm sure the leather ones are too - eventually.
And they’re not cheap, either. It amazes me the prices charged for this stuff. That all said, I’m currently (mid June) trying to decide which saddle to use for PBP and may go back to my French leather one mostly because I worry about the Brooks Cambium one breaking (the bag loops). Can’t help thinking a product with a price tag like they charge shouldn’t have to be worried about.
l