Interesting - I'd go for the 105 if you're throwing it out :))

(not serious, freight would be a lot)

I've been cleaning the new bike. Judging from chain stretch (none) and amount of grime on jockey wheels (a little) the previous owner rode it for less than 500 km.

500 km ? Even for me that is a months worth in summer or with the longer rides I had last week.

yeah - sounds like the Best of Intentions, but still a garage princess.

Too bad there is no way to find these “garage princesses” (nice way to put it!), perhaps because they remain for far too long garage trophies.

What recommendations do you get out with, past the question bicycles.stackexchange.com/q/44519/48599 and its answers? One is to inflate more often, every single ride even, without skipping one just because you’re doing shorter rides, say. The second is to ignore Sheldon Brown when he says “it’s your money, but you really need not replace that tire yet” (paraphrasing). Any others?

If a tire goes bare, showing canvas, replace it. If it had a bigger hole and it has a problem in the same spot again, replace it.

If it is a tubeless and you feel its life was too short, use it with a tube.

But do not take the risk of falling hard going fast for saving a few €$£¥....

I do take more risks with the front tires of the VM, which is a trike with two front wheels just as I took more risks with either of the rear tires on the delta trike, but I almost never go fast downhill and will certainly brake before a bend at the bottom.

Keep your pressure in the tires up but if you have to inflate each ride it is past time to replace (or you do not ride that bike enough.)

Given the risks, it’s the certainty factor. I cannot distinguish by just squeezing 90 psi and 60 psi.

@Sam7919 people sold a lot of very nice bikes this autumn. It's probably because of the economic crisis here.

It may also be because they know they will not ride in winter so sell rather than store for winter.

@Sam7919, do you have a pump that shows the pressure in the tire? If not, invest in one.

@Willeke Yes, of course, but the hassle is to connect the pump in the first place.

@Willeke The drop in the price of a second-hand bike would suggest selling and then buying the same bike later is quite uneconomical.

@Sam7919 it is not the same people who sell and later buy. Sport items used in summer are lower priced after the end of the season and get higher prices when the season gets nearer. Same for wintersport items in summer.

@Sam7919 On bicycles, motorbikes or even cars, the main things to spend money on for safety are tires and brakes. They are the first things that protect you from bad accidents. Never skimp on them.

@gschenk depending on 4 or 5 arms or as/symmetric you can go down to 33 or 32t third party chainrings with 110mm BCD

I have 33t on my ancient CX70 crankset

@Willeke Why would using a tube increase the longevity of a tubeless tire? I replace them when the treads are worn, or if there's a cut that could not be repaired (there are patches for tubeless tires), that's independent from the tube.

since we are talking about tyre wear: Looks like my chain is going to last longer than the rear tyre o.O

4800km on the chain and still going strong, unbelievable

meanwhile the TWI on the rear tyre is almost gone

@gschenk They do, in GRX :p Which strengthens the case of the gravel bike being the the bike for the rest of us.

@Michael What chain is it?

@Rеnаud just some random 12 speed Shimano chain

meanwhile the cyclocross with 10 speed has reached 0.75% already again

@Sam7919 I tend to check every second ride, but also because I'm alternating between road and gravel, so I adjust the pressure depending on the kind of rides I'll do (my range is between 2.0bars and 3.5 bars). Otherwise, for road pressures with 40mm tires, it feels sluggish before it becomes dangerous.

@RoryAlsop but even mediocre tyres and brakes are going to work good enough, as long as they are in good conditions

Hmm... evoc says one should select the airline based on their policy towards carrying bikes cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0534/2321/0695/files/…

@Rеnаud GRX has a better q factor too. I wish they'd make long spindle SPD pedals. At the moment the best option to increase stance are power meters

@Rеnаud I'll probably get a front mech and grx crank. 50,34 doesn't make a lot of sense. 50:11 is 55 km/h at 90. I'd rather have people dear to me coast before reaching such speeds.

@gschenk SQLab has pedals with different spindles lengths (4 lengths, from -5mm to +15mm). Not cheap compared to Shimano (RRP: 120€ for SPDs), but not a lot in absolute terms either.

sq-lab.com/en/products/pedals

@renaud Unfortunately, SQLabs is also much much worse quality. Problem with Shimano is they make just such good stuff.

My pedal failed to release once and I had an uncomfortable tumble.

While face planting with a bike attached to my foot my main concern was my phone's screen breaking. I don't want such a scare again.

@gschenk Ah ok, I don't have pedals from them, just a saddle and the inner barends. Finishing for the saddle is bad (painted rails), but I like it a lot for the rest.

@Sam7919 Air France and British Airways are the worst, cause you won't know until two days before if you can actually bring your bike!

@Rеnаud I've never had their pedals but reviews and comments gave me impression they're aren't good.

Probably not Time pedal rubbish-levels but no better than Crank-Bros.

Speaking of which. I should probably clean the mechanism of my M520 pedals.

@Michael I have that for my single speed. Robust, dirt cheap, fairly light, and great selection of after market chain rings.

@Michael let me know if you need spare rings for it. Got them unused in my dad's parts bin.

My annual strava backup is done - 2.5 Gbytes ?!