JohnPowell said:

Need a new pair of shoes. My trusty Giro Factors are just about done in. From what I see, another pair of Giros is the best bang for my buck. In other brands, I’d have to spend $100 more to even get a full carbon sole.

I’m considering the Empire but have never used a lace up cycling shoe. Anyone here used them? How does it compare to shoes with Boa or the standard ratchet?

Talk to redbeard. Consider Shimano and Specialized too. 

Yes, talk to Redbeard. I got these last month. Didn't break the bank. And carbon sole. And I love them.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/torch-2-0-road-shoes/p/157242?color=237080-157242

@JohnPowell I have a pair of the Empires in Orange. They are super comfortable. They are lightweight and are the cycling shoe that most closely feels like a pair of slippers. The laces hold well, but I can be inherently lazy and sometimes wish I didn't have to tie them.

I agree that it would be a good idea to go to RedBeard. Not just because we should support our sponsor, but because shoes are such a personal item that you really want to try them on. I recently tried on a pair of specialized shoes that others have been raving about and discovered they don't fit my feet very well. Having said that, Shimano, Specialized and Giro make excellent shoes

+1 for the empire slx. Super light and stiff, I love them so much I have two pairs. People complain about not being able to adjust them while on the bike but that has never been an issue for me. Maybe I’ll have that problem when I push more than 200 watts. FWIW, there are 3 different insole inserts for arch support. Trying them on seems like the smart thing to do

These new laPassione gloves in KCC colors are the extreme hotness



https://www.lapassione.cc/collections/mens-collection/products/livery-gloves-blue-orange

New Super Six Evo is following the general trend of staying light while incorporating aerodynamics. It's a fire looking bike:




https://cyclingtips.com/2019/06/2020-cannondale-supersix-evo-details-models-prices-weights-tech-first-ride-review/

The way they managed ALL the cables is impressive

PatrickGrehan said:

The way they managed ALL the cables is impressive

Not on all the models , and i think the scott and the willier that have been showcased this week did a better job.

Need some advice on 1x for a gravel bike. I've been riding my FTB (2x10) for so many years I definitely like the idea of more simplicity and greater range, but haven't been able to take a 1x out for a multi hour ride to see if the bigger jumps between gears are really an issue.

Has anyone been able to ride a 1x for some longer rides?

Farmer daughter was 5 hours for me  the 1x was never an issue

same, 38 x 12-30 cassette, some pitches at Farmer’s Daugther where >20% — you gotta really want it! 

Not a lot of steep climbing, but several multi hour rides in Michigan as well, no issue w/ 1x

most 1x today would allow a 34 or 36 front with 32, 34, or larger in the back — frankly if gravel is the goal, having some 2x gives you more options, but either 1x or 2x would be fine

Yeah I’m looking at 12-40 and a 40 up front but wondering if on longer rides -i’d regret it. 

Old and busted on the left, new hotness on the right.

Picked up a pair of Fizik Uomo R1B’s yesterday. Team discount was amazing... wouldn’t have been able to afford a top end shoe on my new parent budget without it.

Thanks, Redbeard and thanks @Kasia Nikhamina for all of your help picking them out.

Jules said:

Yeah I’m looking at 12-40 and a 40 up front but wondering if on longer rides -i’d regret it. 

My guess is that you probably won't.

A few random thoughts on this...

• Unless hardcore racing, or super long asphalt sections, you wont use the 40 front 12 back too much
• My CX bicycle has gone from 42 x 11-28, to 40 x 12-30, to now 38 x 12-30
• The 38 x 12-30 is what I used at Farmer's Daughter and Saturday's Roam. Will likely get a 11-34 or 12-34 for my next long ride
• This has not slowed me down, quite the opposite
• In other words, consider a 38 front.
• All that said, sounds like you are about to buy a new bicycle, or invest in a new group. Either way, buy the thing you want. If you think you'll want a double, buy the double.
• A double will definitely allow for a wider range with less jumps.

Let us know what you end with.

Thanks Eloy. I’ve got a frame and am building it up (I’ll save the reveal for the new bike thread) but am waffling on groupos.

Sram isn’t making it easy to go mechanical 1x11 with hydro brakes. Even their support team couldn’t give me the part number for a front brake lever (without shifter) for example.

I love electronic shifting but want minimal maintenance.

Would love to see this build in pictures here.  Always a good learning experience to see how people put things together.

Great idea Bruce I’ll document it and share. Gotta pull the trigger on some more parts first

If the terrain you ride is pretty consistent, 1x on a gravel bike is probably great! I only run into trouble on my road bike set up when the speed is variable (IE very flat with one big climb and long decent or a stage race like Killington). For the most part, its simpler than 2x but it can be a little more complicated when you start futzing around with the ideal gear ratios for a given course.

But since theres probably less variance in speed on gravel, it's better suited to 1x than road racing. 

JohnMalcolmson said:

^ Lest we forget the Aqua Blue team hated their 3T 1x bikes, blamed them for their misfortunes.

1x can be a bit more limiting for road racing, the same race that has you going uphill at 8km/h will then have you going downhill at 80km/h, you can get away with 1x but why bother?

-- it is not the same off-road or cx racing, where the rough hill might have you going up at 8km/h but then descending crazy fast is still under 40km/h.

Another major issue is the dependency on racing 1x sponsor stock, specifically not using a chain catcher. That's just silly, and has come at the cost of oh so many results.

JohnMalcolmson said:

Bump. Heart monitors. Bump.

Personally, I would look into watches only if needed for some specific application, for example: running, multisports, switching bikes on a cross race, etc... I would imagine that ANT+ would be a requirement for me 

If interested in a simple HR monitor, the simple Wahoo Tickr is a great value.

If you are interested in a more sophisticated HR monitor, the Wahoo Tickrx is awesome, it creates a downloadable file, so you don't need to run a head unit or strava to track a workout, and using an accelerometer it can predict your pace and distance on a treadmill, which I've found useful when in hotels.

If interested in recovery tracking, consider the leader in the space: Whoop. Patrick wrote a pretty comprehensive review:
https://forum-archive.kissenacycling.com/discussion/34-p61.html#Comment_104580

YMWV, all that said, similar to my advice to Jules, if you think you'll enjoy the watch, by all means go for it!

I have a very nice Garmin Fenix and it's fantastic if you tend to forget to charge your bike computer every now and then. Having a backup ant+ device is swell. It's also super when I xc ski (that's a thing around here) so I can be greedy about data.

One thing I've noticed is that it's a little big (for me) to wear on a bike.

I've been hunting around for a HRV device that doesn't charge a subscription. It seems like the Edge 520 may support it, but I haven't figured out how to get my hands on the raw file or visualize it in Training Peaks. Apparently Golden Cheetah supports it; been a bit short on time.

As for gears; I know people who switched to a 58 front ring for the stage 1 sprint at KSR - but per Eloy nobody goes that fast downhill on gravel.

My experience has been that gravel roads are often steeper than paved - in part because we end up reusing mtn bike track from time to time.

Thanks all. I ordered the Polar watch as I want to monitor sleep, will report back. Comes in at $250 with tax, but there’s no subscription and pitches many Whoop-like features. We’ll see.

This is what I have for sleep tracking:

https://ouraring.com/

My Garmin watch tracks sleep but I found it uncomfortable to wear a watch in bed. I don't notice the Oura at all.

I think the Whoop is great technology but again, I don't think a wrist wearable works for me in bed. I also couldn't get over the fact that it doesn't have a watch face. I enjoy wearing a watch (I can look at the time without getting sucked into phone land). Wearing two wrist items seemed bizarre.

Anyway, happy to discuss more about the Oura if anyone is interested. As with most sleep trackers, the data is mainly useful relative to your own data. It helps spot trends and definitely helps identify what has deleterious or beneficial impacts on sleep.

Jim does Oura have any ongoing fees and does it integrate with Training Peaks?

Nope and sort of/not sure/maybe....

There are no fees.

It integrates with the Apple Health App with some known issues:

https://help.ouraring.com/en/articles/448775-connecting-with-the-health-app

I haven't yet tried it because I've never actually paid any attention to the Health App. I also don't know if the Health App integrates with Training Peaks.

I'm thinking that Oura is relatively savvy but I don't know if this means they will stick only with Apple or expand to some of the more niche tracking apps. I'd love a Training Peaks integration (though calling the riding I'm dong at the moment "training" is a bit of a stretch).

Jules said:

Thanks Eloy. I’ve got a frame and am building it up (I’ll save the reveal for the new bike thread) but am waffling on groupos.

Sram isn’t making it easy to go mechanical 1x11 with hydro brakes. Even their support team couldn’t give me the part number for a front brake lever (without shifter) for example.

I love electronic shifting but want minimal maintenance.

Buy the regular 2x11 hydro Brifters.  Pull out the shift mechanism on the left side.  That way, you'll have it if you ever want to switch back.

SRAM Brake bleed kits.

Preferences?

How soon do we see these in the world tour?

https://gizmodo.com/sony-s-wearable-air-conditioner-should-be-ready-for-nex-1836691714

I decided to switch my Giant SLR 1 wheels to using a tube. Holy shit it’s hard to get a tire on these things. I’ve never had so much trouble... I struggled for a while and just had to give up. Any suggestions?

I’m at the point of my patience where I might sell them and get something simpler. This is madness.