There is significant difference in rolling resistance. I use that site to find what rolls reasonably well and then I hunt down something at a price I am willing to pay.
I appreciate more gear range and narrower gaps between them. I like climbing and I am not getting faster with age. There absolutely is a difference in modern groupos compared to old when gaps and range are taken into account. I must admit electronic is a nice to have, not need to, but it shifts better and is easier to live with ime.
Gone 1x of the gravello to get rid of cables. Got it working but despite 12 gears it has bigger gaps being 1x. Will see if I like it.
I am an enthusiast and penny pinching to the extreme for something I enjoy is not my main priority, yes we all have our limits and priorities though. I have no regrets going disc braked either, as I remember you used to strongly advocate, and I used to not see the point of.
Agree. Modern 1x allows you to drop straight into very low gears without having to go into a granny gear and potentially drop the chain in the process. Both my ATBs have modern 1x gearing.
I saw a video on the peoples’ bikes who came to see the Portland Made event (custom builds). What struck me was that although the peoples’ bikes were almost all flat bar commuter bikes, they were almost all 1x, disc, and fat tyred. So disc appears to be very popular now. As we know, disc’s main benefit is instant brakes in all weather. But many are noisy, shudder, and need a lot of maintenance. So I’ve come to appreciate rim braking for its quiet, smooth, and durable qualities - in my fat tyred road application. One just has to be careful in wet conditions.
Thanks for linking the BRR website - an interesting work !
Sort of appeals to my inner nerd
Perhaps because I have done a lot of miles on the road tyre that sits at the very bottom of their rolling resistance chart - the Maxxis Refuse 25 mm.
Which confirms my gut feeling that it is stiff as.
But I think that I came to that conclusion almost 2 years ago and so I haven’t purchased one (in 25 mm) since then.
I am yet to by any tyres online.
That may change, because there is no general-items bicycle shop within 20 minutes of where I live (Murwillumbah).
My “go to” LBS is half hour drive away and mainly stocks Maxxis.
But recently they have had a reasonable selection of “ERE” on the shelves.
Which they are selling for a bit less money than Maxxis HiRoad or Pursuer (which seem to ride nicer than Refuse).
So far, I am impressed with ERE tyre.
I have a Genus 700x30 (tube type) on one bike, and a Tenaci 700x34 (TLR) on another.
I am running a tube in the Tenaci.
Despite being TLR, it seemed to go onto an older Mavic rim without too much trouble !
The only other tyres on the BRR website that I have recently been using are the various tube-requiring types of Conti’s and also been using Pirelli P-Zero Road 26mm.
When I can get them at LBS - they seem to go out of stock fairly quickly.
At least with Shimano, chain drop is not a big concern. 1× on gravel allows larger tyre clearance.
You left out the bit about big gaps;
10-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-32-36-40-45T
Those 2 tooth gaps at the bottom of the cassette don’t look appealing. I think they will be a pest. You are working hard in the bottom of the cassette, a big gearing change between gears like that is counterintuitive. Trying to get the range with less gears to choose from and that is their solution. I think I’d have preferred bigger steps at the other end of the cassette, but I haven’t ridden it yet.
With respect to disc brakes, I love CF wheels, ride quality and speed. Rim brakes, CF wheels, and water are not a good combination.
