I just installed a new fork mounted cable stop on my CX bike. 2015 is going to be a game-changer year, its going to be the first time I can use my front brake on my CX bike without shuddering like my bike has the DTs.  

Pray for my collarbones. This may be the year I pitch over the handlebars in some ill-advised over-application of my newfound power. 

I tried to hop a curb. Is this rim dent repairable or is this giant ps1 a gonner? The bike shop mechanic said he could bang it out but it will always cause awkward friction against the brake pad.  Thanks for advice.

Never realized how vulerable rims are to potholes etc bc of the low pressure in my cx wheels

Ouch!!!

I'de ride it....bend it back and enjoy the brake pulse

If the cost isn't much, maybe give the repair a fair chance before replacing the rim?

twoyacks said:

I'de ride it....bend it back and enjoy the brake pulse

Avi, just make sure Chris isn't getting a kickback from your dentist. There may be extenstive dental surgery in your future if you keep riding that thing until it fails. 

Brendan Rigby said: I had this happen to me: the aluminum shift lever on the front shifter simply snapped off at the base.  I warrantied it through a bike shop.  SRAM warranty is 2 years and I was within it, but I think they would've warrantied it anyway.  They'll want the serial number on the inside of the brake lever to check if it's in warranty.  They gave me two brand new shifters even though only one shifter broke.

As a follow up, I brought my bike to my LBS and SRAM is replacing both brifters for free even though I've had them 2.5 years. Nice to see STAM stand behind its products. 

Good to hear SRAM continues to stand behind their products, even beyond the warranty period. 

I am thinking of doing an upgrade from my 2008 SRAM force set and I am waffling between Ultegra and Force, and each time I hear this stuff about SRAM I lean further in that direction even though I like the look of the Ultegra more. 

Not sure if what I am saying is anecdotal BS or not, but I think although it is true that on multiple occasions, in this club's history at least, SRAM has done good by their warranty, I would also say that that is largely in part because no-one in the club has had issue with Shimano or Campag levers.  I recall a couple of years back Perlberg's Dura Ace shifter shitting the bed and he got that replaced on warranty too.  There may have been other instances I cannot recall, but it seems that Shimano, when asked, have done their warranty thing too.  

Pick either group.  I have Shimano on my race bike and SRAM on my training bike.  Truth is, they both work really good.  Would probably err towards Shimano if judging on performance alone (although, that is a bit unfair as I compare Dura Ace to Rival, doubt there's much in it comparing Dura Ace to Red).  Or, pick based on looks or weight.  Seems to me that using 'cases of known warranty replacement on defective products' is a poor metric, at least it is if you don't normalise to 'number of events'.  If you do base your decision on warranty, might I suggest that your metric look something like as follows, to be fairer at least:

Average Manufacturer Warranty Score (AMWS)
Success Score (SS) = was item replaced free? If yes, value =1, if no, value =0
Time Since Purchase (TSP) = years (an integer) since item was purchased. Minimum value = 1.
Failure Event (FE) = incident requiring warranty request
Failure Event Warranty Score (FEWS) = warranty score for an individual FE. Is equivalent to SS x TSP.

AMWS = (∑n(FEWS))/nFE)

The FEWS is calculated using a TSP metric, providing a higher score for warranty replacements longer after purchase.  For example, an item replaced 4 years after purchase achieves a higher FEWS as it demonstrates a greater commitment to warranty of product than replacement after a single year of use, thereby incorporating a metric of long-term customer care.  The equation states that the sum of all FEWS for a manufacturer should be divided by the number of actual FEs to acquire an AMWS.  This generalises a company's commitment to customer warranty and evens out numerical quirks that might be acquired by individual warranty cases whereby the bike shop owner may perhaps have misled the manufacture on the TSP value or whereby warranty protocols at the manufacturer vary from product to product (for example: Dura Ace wheels automatically have a 2 year warranty period, other Shimano wheels merely a single year).

The AMWS function is not without controversy, however.  Some scholars argue that the function should penalise manufacturers based on higher FE scores.  It is argued that a company that simply makes better products, thereby relieving the customer of having to undergo the warranty procedure at all, should have this reflected in the AMWS.  This debate has gives rise to the C-cAMWS (Customer-centric Average Manufacturer Warranty Score), the function of which is represented as follows:

C-cAMWS = (∑n(FEWS))/(nFE x 1.1))

The C-cAMWS provides a multiplier which penalises companies providing products with a higher failure rate, by overall lowering AMWS in correlation with the number of FEs observed.  Although the C-cAMWS is gaining traction in the field, debate still exists on the appropriate multiplier for the C-cAMWS calculation.

There you go, Dan.  Hope this helps.

Adam, I think that's a good start, but not nearly detailed enough for us here at Kissena Cycling Forums.  I leave others to expand on what you've begun.  I can't be bothered, as I am currently conducting a comparative quantitative analysis of how many angels can fit on the head of a J-bend spoke vs. a straight-pull spoke.

Adam aren't you supposed to be curing cancer and getting a pro racing license at the same time? How do you have time for this sh*t?!?

Jules, JP, any real world updates/reports on WKO4? #Up'nmyPowerMeterGame

Marc Bertucco said:

Jules, JP, any real world updates/reports on WKO4? #Up'nmyPowerMeterGame

This is not the handup up you are looking for Marc. It's aimed at a pretty sophisticated user and I don't think you'd have a good experience.

#hugs

Marc Bertucco said:

Jules, JP, any real world updates/reports on WKO4? #Up'nmyPowerMeterGame

I'm sure I'll run into Hunter (and hopefully meet Tim) at InterBike.  I'm waiting til at least then.  

At the same time, if you're itching to learn more, I'd check out hte wattage group.  Haven't been over there in a while myself.

Marc Bertucco said:

Jules, JP, any real world updates/reports on WKO4? #Up'nmyPowerMeterGame

Marc

i bought it and find it to be a great way to drill down into data. I am geeky like that. Be aware that the learning curve is sorta steep. It's more intuitive than Golden Cheetah, but when i started wanting to go beyond basics I had to watch the support videos and I was reminded of first learning photoshop many years ago. I haven't run into any serious bugs or glitches. Overall it seems pretty solid and is continuously getting updates so it will probably continue to see improvement. 

I find that you can get a lot of good data analysis tools that are much more intuitive with the Training Peaks pro subscription, but that too comes at a cost. I suspect that they will continue to build up the TP analysis tools as they seem to be tailoring TP for racers and  WKO4 for coaches (and data geeks). 

Why most people don't need a new cx bike anytime soon.

18.3lbs for a $5200 carbon cross rig with carbon wheels.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/09/bikes-and-tech/reviews/reviewed-specialized-crux-pro-race_383668

The VN review cites the build as the issue.  There's only so much weight to save if you're wheels are already carbon.

That Crux is heavy. I've weighed my caadx with full 105 components, and nothing carbon at 19lbs. Wheels are EA70 clinchers.

Neugent included some surprise goodies in my last order, including this tool, but I have no idea what it can help with... anyone know?

It helps you putting a clincher tire with stiff side walls inside the rim. I own a similar model.

Yeah wish we had that last year when Bertuc's caught a flat during our Epic Climbing Showdown on a group ride.  His Mavic tires were near impossible to stretch back on.

Dude it's a "bike hand" like it says on the side, it is the cycling equivalent of asparagus tongs from the gilded age. 

Haha, Dan I'm usually against frivolous stuff, but in my book there are no bad or too specialized or specific tools. All Tools Go To Heaven.

Well except this tool.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/11/article-1025610-018A159500000578-189_468x625.jpg

Garmin 520s in stock this week if anyone's interested. Bundles only for now.

Spoke too soon. The non-bundles are in as well. Kissena pricing is $325.45 for the bundle. $243.80 for the head unit. 

Phillip Maronilla said:

That Crux is heavy. I've weighed my caadx with full 105 components, and nothing carbon at 19lbs. Wheels are EA70 clinchers.

My 2005 Jake the Snake with steel fork wins. 20lbs. #tanks #nobank

Marc Bertucco said:

Phillip Maronilla said:

That Crux is heavy. I've weighed my caadx with full 105 components, and nothing carbon at 19lbs. Wheels are EA70 clinchers.

My 2005 Jake the Snake with steel fork wins. 20lbs. #tanks #nobank

Dan Timmerman got 5th place at Nationals last year with a steel fork, just like you.  And steel frame.  (and stages powermeter and Challenge tires,  just like you).  

JP keep poking the bear!