I use bar ends on my mtn bike commuter except its buses and not trees that they protect against

and they give me more leverage to beat those other suckers off the line....

Jeff Condon said:

As I'm replacing my Zipp 404s Firecrest clinchers from my crash with their decent crash replacement policy I may have the possibility of getting tubulars instead. I train and race these all season long except in the winter and sometimes at Floyd when I switch out for my low end Fulcrums. Knowing this is there any major advantage to going with tubulars instead of clinchers? I like the ease of changing flats when I train.

As a CAT3, you'll get a nice discount on Reynolds wheels which are worth looking into.

Thierry Bonnaire said:

Jeff Condon said:

As I'm replacing my Zipp 404s Firecrest clinchers from my crash with their decent crash replacement policy I may have the possibility of getting tubulars instead. I train and race these all season long except in the winter and sometimes at Floyd when I switch out for my low end Fulcrums. Knowing this is there any major advantage to going with tubulars instead of clinchers? I like the ease of changing flats when I train.

As a CAT3, you'll get a nice discount on Reynolds wheels which are worth looking into.

you could even just buy the reynolds rims and have someone lace them to your (perfectly functional?) zipp hubs!  what a steal!  and it would please vlad!

Or sell your hubs to @Rigby

Thanks all. I've already had Zipp rebuild the damaged 404 carbon clinchers through their replacement policy. They actually sent back the rear as a clincher and mistakenly sent the front as a tubular. I'm having one of the wheels shipped back so they can correct their error and it gave me pause to think about which I should get replaced. I do already have a cheap pair of training wheels that are kinda lame and I am used to switching out the pads so that's not an issue. I do like training on the Zipps and psychologically feel like I get more value to my sizable investment by using them every day.  I also may just be too lazy to deal with tubulars. That's why I was asking about the advantages to them. 

Jules said:

http://dirt.mpora.com/featured/the-15-worst-mountain-bike-products-ever.html

I can't believe there was a product named ZZYZX.  Like someone in marketing mashed their fists onto a keyboard and that is what they decided to name their new fangled fork.

Also, dear god, someone please put this on their road bike for a park race.  I will pay you in coffee and muffins post race and a framed Victor Chan photo of you on it.
http://dirt.mpora.com/featured/the-15-worst-mountain-bike-products-ever.html/9

I'm completely ignorant on modern framesets having wrenched on old ones exclusively.  Curious where the cable tension barrel adjuster should go for the front derailleur - at the cable stop on the frame or  in line?

Depends on your frame's fittings.  Could you specify what frameset this is for?

david, your caad10 doesn't have threaded housing stops unless they started building their CAAD10's differently since 2012.  here's a picture of my (dirty) 2012 caad10 frame at the FD housing stop:

@JP - Thanks, it's the caad10 frameset that will soon be delivered.

@Rigby - Gracias for the photo, very helpful.  I guess I should go looking for those inline adjusters.  I'm assuming they should work okay with Yokozunas.

Real Men don't use cable adjusters for their front derailleur

Inline adjusters.  Ah, the misery.  I've not found a pair that works as I want it to.  Unless they're fixed into the housing, when you try to turn the part that adds or subtracts length from the housing, the in-line adjuster itself just rotates.  Fail.  

Hey, where can I get some of those stick on clear frame-paint protectors that are so beautifully showcased in Brendan's photos?

if you're nice to some mechanics they will just give them to you if you ask.  i think that's where i acquired them.  i don't find them in my amazon order history.

I asked at ride and they sold me some incredibly sh*ty "cling on" style ones with logos - they attach with static electricity and truly suck.

Like this stuff?

http://www.amazon.com/ISC-Racerstape-com-Paint-surface-guard/dp/B000TPC7HU


Also you can probably buy sheets of the automotive paint protection stuff and cut to size.

Next dumb question.  How often should I change my quicklinks?  As often as I change the chain they'er on, I presume?

@Jules. I use SRAM chains and each chain comes with a new set of quicklinks. No need to reuse them, though I have done in the past and carry a spare set in my saddle bag.

Next dumb question. I have been lurking on the power2max web site, where they sell crank based power meters that are compatible with a range of different cranksets (Cannondale, SRAM, Rotor, Specialized, FSA). They sell a spider that is supposed to replace the spider that comes with those cranks. This involves a special tool, which they also sell.

My question is whether anyone has any experience removing the spider from their cranks. It looks like some cranks may have an integrated crank-spider and therefore not be compatible with this system. Any comments are welcome.

@Stokes.  Go with a stages.  The ease of compatibility thrashes everything out there.

Jules, re: quicklinks: I only change the SRAM Powerlinks when I buy a new chain and it provides one.  I also  reuse them against SRAM's recommendation. 

@Condon: One set of Firecrest 404 clinchers for racing and training is a killer option. No muss no fuss. If it were me, I'd absolutely do it. The ONLY reason I have tubulars is because I use them for CX as well. (Yes, they do feel a bit nicer, but you stop noticing.)

Stokes I have had a dalliance with Power2Max as well...but I keep coming back to Stages...I know if something goes wrong I'm one turn of a screw away from removing the meter and putting a standard crank arm on = no time without a bike.  Stages offers a 2 year warranty for $100...I like this piece of mind as well.

Well, I like going against the grain. And my actual question was this:

dstokes said:

My question is whether anyone has any experience removing the spider from their cranks. It looks like some cranks may have an integrated crank-spider and therefore not be compatible with this system. Any comments are welcome.

Stokes, I took a look at the power 2 max site.  All the cranks they show with the meter have removable spiders.  I'd suggest checking out eBay for Cannondale Hollowgram arms.  Designed for BB30, very light, very durable, and cheaper than most of what they show.  Specialized and Rotor are BB30 and will probably cost much more. SRAM's can be either BB30 or GXP--not sure how easy it is to find SRAM BB30 arms that have a removable spider.

SRAM 975 have the bb30 and removable spider.

BTW, I do have the hollowgram arms.  the spider is kept on by something that looks very much like an old bottom bracket lockring.  My SRM arms held the spider with three bolts.  My quarq elsa held the spider to the arms with three bolts as well.

I have some 175 SRAM BB30 cranks that came off my Quarq when I had the spider moved to GXP cranks last year. Used for 1 season, they're lightly worn. Stokes, you want?

Rims arrived!  They put my $100 rims in an ENVE box.  Had me dreaming that perhaps they accidentally shipped me $1500 ENVE carbon rims.  What a tease.  They did throw in some extra spokes, however.