wrenching

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Michelin Pro 4 Race Service Course Final Thoughts

Michelin Pro 4 Race Service Course[dc]T[/dc]ires are a very personal thing, and changing them can represent a significant investment in the unknown.  That being said, last year I published my first impressions on the Michelin Pro Race 4 SC tires that I picked up at Velofest.  I was hesitant at the time: I was replacing an extremely durable, nice riding set of Vittoria Rubino Pro IIIs and had poor luck with Michelins in the past.  Specifically, the Pro Race 3s that I used had an extremely short lifespan and were somewhat puncture prone.  I was hoping that the Pro4s had rectified this problem.  Much to my surprise, the Pro 4s gave a very favorable first impression, and were extremely solid during the first 250 miles that comprised my first impression. 

Having spent the rest of the season on them it's time for my final thoughts on their performance, their value and make my recommendation.

 

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KMC X10SL DLC Chain Review

Being somewhat anal retentive about my maintenance schedules, I tend to rotate several chains every 2500 miles or so in order to extend the life of my cogs and chainrings as much as possible.  So when it came time to rotate my chain this spring, I realized that I didn't have another fresh chain to replace the current one.  I typically run a Dura Ace 7900 chain on an Ultegra or Dura Ace cassette, which I have found to be among the best shifting combinations available on the market today.  After hearing so many good things about KMC chains (including their phenomenal wear resistance) I pondered the idea of going with a KMC this time.  What I ended up with at the end of the day was the KMC equivalent of Dura Ace: the KMC X10SL DLC.

After putting about 2500 miles on it, here are my impressions (after the jump):

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SRAM Red Hydro Discs at CXLA

It looks like a spring release for the long awaited Red hydraulic system (which means they'll really see action in next year's cross season and possibly the few road disc frames out there.)

Now's your chance, disc brake fans.

Honestly, I see no value in discs on the road, and hardly any in ‘cross (except the obvious mud clearing ability) since traction will be far more of an issue in either case than stopping power, and modulation with today's calipers is already superb.  The argument of lighter rims and less rotating mass falls on deaf ears as well: there still has to be sufficient material for a bead hook on the rim and with the carbon clincher craze, you're not going to lose much material from that bead hook.

In my opinion: a solution looking for a problem.  But it's always nice to see nifty new things.

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Quarq Cinqo Installation

Quarq Cinqo unpacked

With the release of the 2012 Sram Red Quarq, prices for the previous Quarq Cinqo Saturn have been dropping precipitously.  That being the case, now is the perfect time to grab them before they disappear from the market and used becomes your only option.

Since mid-season rest weeks are always prime tinkering time for me, what better time to change things up and swap out my Powertap in favor of one of the aforementioned Cinqo Saturns?  After scoring a brandy new 130mm bcd Cinqo and having it arrive safely at my door (thank you UPS for not throwing it from 15 feet away) it was time to get my hands dirty and swap cranksets.

 

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Lubing with Chain-L

Dirty chain[dc]A[/dc]fter my Chain-L review some time ago, I've had a number of discussions with various people about the best way to lube a chain.  While the traditional “dab it on, let it sink in, wipe off the excess” does work, there is a better way to do it, resulting in better penetration of lube and longer duration between applications. With that said, keep in mind that I lube a chain (using this method) on average of every 6 weeks or so, which typically means about 900-1100 miles of use.

Let's cook a chain after the jump…

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