The Tester Approves thread (see first post)

there's no reason I can't use the disk rim is there?

The DB version will be fine on a track bike.

edit they are out of stock of the 32 hole :-(

Surely 28h will be enough on 30-something mm Alu rim?

Surely 28h will be enough on 30-something mm Alu rim?

More than enough. I'm building mine 24H both ends, and I'm fat. The 20-spoke Mavic Ellipse served me well on both road and track, and that was at Calshot where the g-loading is quite a bit higher than HH :-)

huh, I thought rule of thumb with track was just got high, I hadn't considered actually challenging my preconception and asking that question out loud. I'm 6.1 80kg so is 24 still a good bet?

80kg

That's 20kg lighter than me, with a 30mm deep ~500g rim 24H is not going to be a problem. Hell, my RS30s only have 16F/20R and I have no complaints about them for road use, maybe they'd be a bit questionable for hammering indoor tracks.

Tstr approved single chainring bolts? I recently rounded off some cheap ones that had become stiff. I know you like Torx nuts but I don't think I have a Torx wrench in that size.

I have some used Mavic GP4 tub rims I'm not using...

Tstr approved single chainring bolts?

Stronglight stainless steel. Not always easy to tell whether vendors are trying to sell you the stainless ones or the plated ones, so don't take it on trust if they don't specifically state that they are stainless.

In theory, the double-hex Truvativ ones are even better, but they are hard to find and they are sized for Omnomnoms, so the nuts can be a bit long for less burly cranks.

Super. Since I don't have any LD-Tris booked for next year my plan is to use it with a single stronglight TT chainring on Sram Rival cranks for a 1x10 setup (This also makes it easier to play with different bar setups for my planned aero-testing). My guess is that my Rival cranks aren't as beefy as the Omnoms so I'll look for the stronglight ones.

Or just keep your stock bolts and replace the inner ring with some spacers

Had a search, but couldn't find anything in this thread:

Tester Approved Chain Tool? One to work with both 1/8" and 10/11sp chains if possible.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-tools-pro-chain-rivet-extractor/rp-prod10186

Thanks. So this isn't worth the extra £8?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/park-tool-chain-tool-ct3-2/rp-prod109886

Looks less good to me. The above was approved when I asked, and has served me fine.

No. The Park one is OK, but nothing special, and can only be used for breaking chains, not joining them.

What would be the difference on stems made with 6061 compared to 7050 alu? Apart from the number of course

It depends more on the manufacturing process, if they're working to the material's strengths. From memory 6000 series alu is generally a bit softer and less brittle than 7000, but either one could be stiffer or lighter.

What would be the difference on stems made with 6061 compared to 7050 alu?

Mostly Nickel Zinc 😊

7050 is about 50% stronger* than 6061 (Ed: Check matweb for the exact number) If the stem manufacturer thinks strength is the limiting factor in his 6061 stem, he can switch up to 7050 and trim the amount of material to make a lighter stem.

On the other hand, if after using enough metal to make the stem stiff enough he finds that his 7050 stem is twice as strong as it needs to be, he can swap down to 6061 and save about 75% of his material cost.

Edited to correct composition

*Close enough, but there's a very wide range depending on heat treatment conditions even for T6 condition.

@Sumo @mdcc_tester so it's really up to the mfg then yeah.

Thinking of getting another Kalloy uno stem from eBay, but just realised that there are the "6" and "7" which, if the seller descriptions is to be believed, differs in the materials.

The "6" is generally cheaper, but I've already got a "7" and pretty please with it.

Just wondering whether a "6" would be similar or inferior.

Just wondering whether a "6" would be similar or inferior.

Most manufacturers who offer the choice of 6000-series alloy or 7000-series for stems exploit the higher strength of the latter to use less material, so the stems tend to be lighter. If they just scale down all the wall thicknesses, that also ends up making the stem slightly less stiff, which is why you often see track sprinters picking cheap stems. That assumes that they don't take extra care with the expensive alloy to make sure it's distributed correctly, but of course they often do apply more expensive manufacturing as well as more expensive raw material for the premium products. It's all somewhat interesting from a geek perspective, but from the saddle I can't tell the difference between the (cheap 6061 Pro LT) and the (expensive 7075) Pro Vibe 7S, and the weight difference is no more than an ounce.

1/8" chains: 1Z1 for outdoors, 1R8 for track
3/32" chains: Wippermann 7Z1 for outdoors, 7R8 if you're running 3/32" on the track
10-speed chains: Any Wippermann or KMC
Sprockets: Phil all the way
Square taper BBs: Shimano BB-UN55, if you must
Drop bar levers: SRAM S900 are the best, SRAM S500 are functionally identical for half the price. Tektro RL340 have been recommended on here previously at ¼ of the price of S500s
Basic seatposts: Kalloy (see below)
Brake calipers: Tektro (see below)
Hubs: Joy Industries (Novatec - see below)
Cables: Transfil (see below)
Helpful general rule: Stick to companies which specialise in one thing: Tektro brakes, Wippermann chains, Joy Industries (Novatec) hubs, Kalloy seat posts

Any chance of an update - including 144bcd chainrings so that I don't have to ask. Ta :)

Goldtec or Gebhardt

144bcd chainrings

You want the Xavier Approves thread for that, I think he's a big fan of Blackspire

Goldtec , Stronglight and TA are all fine by me. I'd marginally favour TA on the grounds that they cut the teeth after anodising, so your chain doesn't get filled with alumina.

Gebhardt

Yeah, them too.

Thank you :)