Kona AA - something different...

[andym999]

I'm using Nukeproof Neutron Evo pedals on my Shogun, plastic body, metal pins, plenty of grip.

Ha - I have yellow ones on my single speed! Agreed on the grip.

Just been catching up on your Shogun and AA - you've been busy! What tyres are they on the AA? I'm looking for options...

 

[jimo746]

What tyres are they on the AA? I'm looking for options...

Chao Yang, yes you read that right
Seem ok so far.

￡21.49 25%OFF | 2pc ChaoYang bicycle tire mtb mountain bikes 29 29x2.1 27.5er 2.2 26x1.95 anti puncture 60TPI gravel cycling tires
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJsvXkT

 

[andym999]

Think I can call this complete for now...
Shiftmate works well with the 10spDuraAce shifter and Microshift XLE derailleur - couldn't quite tune the indexing fully though so it's in friction mode but still easy to get every gear. Those Kenda tyres felt terribly heavy so I've switched out for some standby off-road jobs which are much improved.
Brakes are good enough but adjustability is very tricky - at a minimum I need inline barrel adjusters, or I might just switch out the Curve cantis altogether for something a bit more straightforward - they do look nice though...
Rides really nicely, bars are in just the right spot where on the tops feels nice and relaxed and the hoods/drops allow faster efforts up hills or on fast flats.
Will be on the lookout for better fast rolling gravel-type tyres and purple platforms but no rush on either of those.

 

[andym999]

Few more tweaks - Curve brakes moved on and replaced by STX cantis - much better braking performance - faster rolling tyres which also help it look better.

A friend has promised me some wider gravel bars - switching those in may tempt me to go with white cable outers to match the pedals for a bit of contrast (purple pedals too much i think...). And maybe a black seatpost...?

 

[Bike Hoarder]

What tyres are those?

 

[mk one]

Looks fast

 

[andym999]

What tyres are those?

https://baldwinscycles.com/products...ke-tan-wall-tyres-tubes-off-road-knobby-tread

 

[andym999]

Upgrade 'o'clock... Today my friendly local Evri chap dropped off the below, which will be coupled with some wide and comfy-looking Ritchey gravel bars which were gifted to me by a friend.

I was keen on getting proper drop bar STI units as I find the barend shifter a bit cumbersome (especially compared to my roadbike), so with an essentially brand new gravel handlebar for free, the obvious thing to do was spend extra money....

So i bought Sensah GRA 1x10 brifters and a rer der from the Sensah store on AliExpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....order_list.order_list_main.44.29241802U4iD0E) for £72 all in (tax and sometimes post get added on top of the listed price). Arrived in little over a week, despite being ordered over a Chinese holiday. Listed as a 'road' groupset and also available with cheapo 10-sp casettes/chains. So I'm hoping should pay nicely with my existing 10sp shimano cassette.

Sensah seems to get good reviews - including reports on here - and the kit looks decent enough on first glance, especially the feel of the lever hoods which is excellent. Hoping to make progress this week and will report back with pics and thoughts...

 

[andym999]

Brifters and derailleur are on, along with a larger chainring (38 vs old 34) for a bit more speed. Set up very easy and indexing working fine until I get to the lowest gear (42t) so a little more fettling is required.
Sensah kit all seems decent enough still - prob around Sora-Tiagra level, hex key adjustments on everything is good. Rubber hoods are nice and popped back into place well after installation.
Getting brakes hooked back up should be straightforward enough, although I need to root out some inserts to get the cross top levers in place. White bottle cage and cable outers on standby to complement the pedals...

 

[andym999]

All cabled up and ready to go...

Have to say, the extra width and flare of the bar makes it super comfy, both on the hoods and tops. In the pictures it seems to look a little more ungainly but for riding it's a big improvement.
For flat riding at least the bigger chainring seems to make the gearing more usable and you spend more time in the middle of the cassette rather than down the bottom. Sensah stuff has impressed me. We'll see how it lasts and responds to use, but I think as long as you buy the right thing and know what you're doing with installation and adjustment it can perform well.