Really depends on where you plan to race them. Flat vs hilly, etc
if you’re over 75kg there may be some other concerns at a place like Floyd.

Joshua Wilson said:

Consider upgrading my stock wheelset to SLR-1 55mm aero carbon road wheels. Any thoughts? Primary consideration is cost.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/slr-1-55mm-aero-carbon-road-wheels

See if you can get more info on the specs than is supplied on the Giant website. 21-hole front makes no sense at all.  I bet it's an 18-hole front.  I can't tell if it's a 21 or 24-hole rear.  

Maybe someone in Kissena has them and can opine on specifics like how the stopping is in the wet and dry, how easy/hard it is to install and remove tires, what the best brake pads for the rims are.  

I'd want to know what the external width of the rims are, whether the spoke side of the rim is blunt or narrow, how they handle in crosswinds, what is the most aero tire size for the rim.

For you, I'd want to know what the max tire width that can fit in your frame.  Jules brought up FBF, as it's a popular and well-used race course, you should consider racing there.  You should probably go no narrower than 25mm tires there (smaller riders can go smaller, but I wouldn't recommend it), and you might want to consider sizing up for Floyd.  

I’ve got a set which I used for racing this year. I’m under 70kg (when fit), used them at PP and FBF. Originally had them set up tubeless but swapped the back out for a more robust tyre as I kept doing dumb things, like riding over glass and stranding myself. The other set I have to compare them to would be Zipp 303 which I have never raced. On different bikes so hard to compare, and there is a price difference but broadly I think the giant wheels stack up well. I heard they had dt swiss (unbranded/rebadged) hubs, which seem fine to me (very noisy rear wheel when freewheeling - depends if this is something you are into/not into). They roll pretty well, don’t feel heavy and quick to spin up. Dry breaking is reliable however in the wet...

Overall I’d recommend for racing, if like me you dont want to spend too much on a wheel you might write off...

@Jules unfortunately, I am well over 75kgs. I am working to get down, however I am 83kgs. Did 2 FBF races this season and got dropped in both races. Could not handle the surges! Honestly, my goal is to be more competitive at FBF and PP. The cross winds at FBF can be intense, will have to consider more.

@mugwump will have to get back to you specs. Love it the group chat. I know nothing about the mechanics of cycling. This is really guiding and challenging me to learn and consider things more closely.

@RichFreeman seems like my weight maybe a disqualifying factor. I do have some questions about the tubeless options. Will save for another day. Definitely not ready for a 303 investment. You say write off...I say divorce court. Lol

I really appreciate you guys. Will do some investigating and get back to you. Have one broken spoke and over 2000 miles on my stock wheels. Definitely, will have to switch out soon. 

@Josh that's probably what Sagan weighs in the off season so it may just mean #moarwatts

My 2 cents would be to invest in a power meter (if you haven't already) as it'll hbe 1/2 the price of the wheels and as the real training season is about to start. Summer races are won in January!

#train
#trainsomemore
#sleep

- almost forgot - the only reason I ask is that bigger riders may have different wheel requirements. Anybody else remember Chris R sprinting on 808's?

The only thing bigger than that guy's motor is his brain. Orthopedic Surgeon last I heard.

Jules said:

- almost forgot - the only reason I ask is that bigger riders may have different wheel requirements. Anybody else remember Chris R sprinting on 808's?

The only thing bigger than that guy's motor is his brain. Orthopedic Surgeon last I heard.

Jules,
     Since that time, deep dish wheel technology has moved forward.  Also, even then, the deeper the dish, the more potential there was for flex at the brake track.  And the wheels in question are much shallower, 55mm, and I thought Chris was a good bit heavier.  

But, yes, agree that a powermeter is a far more valuable training tool.  And if people visit some of our other threads, like "watts in the bank (AKA the school of marginal gains)" they'll figure out cheaper ways to find some of the same speed increasing benefits that deep dish carbon wheels provide.  Supple tires, latex tubes, the right chain lube, tight jersey or skinsuit, and more.    

Agreed! Christian was 200+ and he still finished Tour of the Catskills. I hadn't known about flex at the brakepad, but it just reinforces my belief that #wheelsaremagic

KAISER !!!

Kaiser indeed.

This has been in my radar for a little bit, and wanted to put here, for discussion but also as a placeholder.

Archer Components D1x -- it is a little gadget to wirelessly shift ANY rear derailleur

It is 100% marketed and designed for Mountain Bikes, but would totally properly actuate a road/cx derailleur. It is not lighter than a cable, but reducing the cable to just a few millimeters, would improve shifting quality and longevity of any system.

I can imagine the advantages for cx/gravel, if only we could place the shifter near the hoods. 

https://www.archercomponents.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-E3yrOt4o4

Seth's interesting mtb build using it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4z4SnHDCpo

eloy said:

This has been in my radar for a little bit, and wanted to put here, for discussion but also as a placeholder.

Makes sense that such a shifter would be created.  The box seems a bit big, but if it takes off, I can imagine it getting smaller. 

I'm almost surprised that someone hasn't tried to hack the existing electronic shifting systems to do the same.  I'd think all the existing electronic systems could be adapted for different spacing, different number of cogs, and so on.  

makes total sense, JP, doesn't? using a mobile app to configure and fine tune the pull of each individual shift. It is revolutionary in an totally obvious kinda way.

Wanna use an ultegra der. with a 12 cog cassete? No problem. A red der. w/ a 9 speed cassete? campy with a shimano cassete? No worries. etc.. etc...

I wonder if costumer service is a concern as it would mean, for example, that any Di2 could be fully configured (and miss configured) by the end user.

But probably it is product marketing and bottom line that has stopped Sram, Shimano, Campy from implementing something like it. It would literally end wheel/cassette/derailleur compatibility issues. Use any wheel/cassette with your electronic shifter.  

eloy said:

But probably it is product marketing and bottom line that has stopped Sram, Shimano, Campy from implementing something like it. It would literally end wheel/cassette/derailleur compatibility issues. Use any wheel/cassette with your electronic shifter.  

I think they all want to keep consumers within their various worlds.  

As Shimano has the greatest market penetration, I'm thinking some programmer with an interest in making this happen would figure out a way to reprogram Di2 shifters.  It would void the warranty, but the cheaper the stuff gets, the less of a deal that is.

I finally finished my article on how to use Stack and Reach to determine your next bike.

https://tinyurl.com/JRAStackAndReach

SRAM, Shimano, and Campy won't do it for the same reasons that Apple and Google refuse to. They increase their revenue by locking customers into an ecosystem that isn't interoperable with others. This all but guarantees that customers stay in the ecosystem since migrating becomes expensive and time consuming. These companies then fabricate bullshit marketing stories around "seamless user experience" and "better quality control." They all operate on the notion that endless growth of your customer base matters above all other considerations.

The upside is that this creates opportunities for companies like Archer Components to come in and try to close those gaps. It would be nice if they didn't need to, though.

This'd be cool to cover Supercross. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/10/skydios-r1-apple-watch-control.html

The skydios is one impressive piece of tech. Reports are that it is kinda iffy on woods, but I would so love one! Wonder how it works to track one of us on a group ride when we would be wearing the same kit.

Uh... I see that and the I see this 

For the Cross guys, avoiding the saddle slip

https://youtu.be/KQ0aEx4Uub8

looks pretty cool, they also redid steams, which is pretty mellow, but I like that includes computer mounts.

https://www.cxmagazine.com/easton-cycling-new-seatpost-ec70-ea90-ea-series-stem

For those on Speedplay pedals...

If your pedal bodies feel a bit sloppy, you can rebuild the pedals with new bodies.  If you've been on them forever, you can also replace the bearings.

I just replaced both and the pedals feel like new.  Love it.

Redbeard can order them.

There is little in life as satisfying as a grease port on your bike...Speedplays have them...purging the stank grease till the new clean grease comes out makes life worth living

twoyacks said:

There is little in life as satisfying as a grease port on your bike...Speedplays have them...purging the stank grease till the new clean grease comes out makes life worth living

agreed.  There is joy in the activity.

that written, the roller bearings wear out eventually. 

This is a great time of year to do maintenance on road equipment.

JP I am all kinds of curious about your opinions on this.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/10/trust-performance-message-fork-review/

Jules said:

JP I am all kinds of curious about your opinions on this.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/10/trust-performance-message-fork-review/

I wish I could see a video of the linkage in action.

Huang covers the basic good and bad.  I don't like the added complexity, I don't like that there are more things to wear out and more stuff to break.  As a consumer, the cost is ridiculous.  That written, the drawbacks of traditional telescoping suspension forks, even with all the improvements over the years, still persist.  Trust refers to the linkage as having a caster effect, which seems about right, that as the wheel trails the fork legs (trail!), the suspension can most likely more easily move without stiction and more easily remain in the line your taking it on.

Ever seen a track bike in a derny race?  The fork has a reverse rake so that the rider can bump into the roller on the moto in front of him and not get thrown off.  Similar idea.  

Dave Weagle is rightly a big deal in suspension circles, though his comments about rear suspension always being better than front seem a bit overblown--to me there have always been drawbacks, and for the first many years, no shortage of bad designs.  He certainly has the credibility to take a leap into the different like this. (Disclosure: I used to work with his partner, Hap Seliga.  I assume Hap is the business and marketing side, Weagle design, Shiers fabrication.)  

I think there's a sliver of the market that is probably salivating for a new thing and has the funds to buy these.  Leading edge silicon valley types perhaps.  I expect that will help them in the short run.  don't know about the long.  They could be trying to just keep to that sliver enticed, kind of like the way Silca is able to sell their goods, but to an even more exclusive clientele.  Maybe there's a way to build a cheaper version for the masses, though I'd think weight might be an issue.

What do you think?

I think that the cost for new tech is always redonk but it'll come in line with other offerings soon enough. The main argument for me is the shortening of the axle-to-axle dimensions under hard braking/steering. MTN bikes often feel (to me) like they steer harder as the fork compresses which is sort of a vortex of oversteer.

That alone makes it very interesting. I emailed Mike G who coaches a couple of Olympic MTN bike teams to get his take. I'll share it when he replies.

The idea of lower stiction and weight are also appealing but it's the solution to auto-oversteer that intrigues me.

What's old is new again....also been there done that with this technology
http://www.vintagesteelrider.com/index.php/tag/lawwill/
If you peruse this list you'll see the Lawwill Leader fork at #3
These open linkage designs are swell for steering precision...and I'm stoked about the claimed maintenance intervals but in many ways this looks like 1992 all over again...manufacture something, charge a shit ton and have a parade of well heeled Fred's hit the trails on it only to discover 1. it makes a shit ton of weird noises 2. the tolerances on all those linkages gets sloppy fast 3. mud....yeah mud...no wipers means mud gets into all those nooks and crannies and that becomes a nightmare
Tangentially...and there is always a tangentially, I have owned or STILL own and ride #'s 1,2,4,5,6 & 8  My old Proflex currently in my brother in law's garage (elevated chain stays)

The sling with suspension stem & seatpost
The headshock on my Cannondale cross bike was ahead of it's time...that's all I got's to say


  

I'm getting a repetitive squeaking sound that comes from the vicinity of the rear derailleur. It's very soft and high pitched, so I assumed it might be the pulleys. I hit both of those with some lubricant, but I can still hear it a bit. It seems like it starts off very soft and gets a bit louder as a ride progresses, but I'm not sure on that. Any thoughts?