In a previous post I wrote about my dream gravel bike setup. It's only been a little over a month and yet I realize I was just probably having a "grass is greener" type envy of other bike set ups. So after a lot of introspection and chats with some bike friends of mine, I've decided to come up with my most current dream gravel bike set up.
Before I continue I would also like to say I again thought about what purpose I have for my bike, and I realized that it's primarily for exercise. I'm not really that keen to ride it fast, first of all because of my age and second of all because I'm not going to risk my life in the event I do ride farther on public roads here in Metro Manila.
Why am I explaining this? Basically because it means I've got the "perfect bike" already here. I just need to change some parts if and when they do need changing. So these are the things I would change.
- Drivetrain 1/2. Basically 1x with an 11-42 cassette. When I checked the gear ratios of the 2x setup I was thinking of versus my current 1x the fastest and easiest ratios were almost similar to each other. It would be useless to change to an 11-46 because based on cassettes I've checked in Shopee only the biggest gear would be different. An 11-42 cassette would make the last three or four gears smaller overall. I'd probably spend for a better brand of cassette as well.
- Drivetrain 2/2. I've honestly been thinking about getting a smaller chainring for my bike, for the same reasons I wrote above. Nothing too drastic, maybe a few teeth less, maybe 36 at the smallest. This will make my bike slower overall but it will also make it easier to pedal through all gears available. To be honest another plan of mine was to keep the 11-50 cassette and get a bigger chainring, around 46 to 48. However that would require more effort. Fortunately I am just doing this as a thought exercise. I'm too frugal to spend on more components when I don't need them anyway. (Side note, yes I got a new saddle because the original one I had was too short and was causing me lots of pain in the hands because I was probably compensating for not being able to stretch out properly or whatever reason. Comfort and avoiding body pain is a valid reason, trying out easier or harder chainrings is not.)
- Brakes. I'm sticking with my cable actuated hydraulic brake calipers. I've been more than happy with the stopping power and the fact that it's hopefully a no maintenance component. Of course I would love to get the better quality disk brake calipers.
- Wheels 1/3. I would love to get tubeless ready rims with better and more quiet hubs. For tires I still want either gravel tires or cyclocross tires just because they have knobbles and will hopefully offer better grip in both wet and non-tarmac surfaces. I'd also want narrower tires, maybe 32 to 35 millimeters in thickness instead of the 38s I currently have. The reason for this is because I do want to permanently attach old school fenders on my bike.
- Wheels 2/3. Assuming I push through with tubeless ready rims, I wouldn't mind using inner tubes provided I get Tubolito's Tubo-CX/Gravel-All inner tubes. Supposedly very puncture resistant inner tubes. Might be cheaper in the long run, similar to what I probably would save if I just used the damn inner tubes I bought instead of buying and buying tubeless sealant, but that's another story.
- Wheels 3/3. This deserves its own bullet point because like I said above, I would want quieter hubs. Not only that but I want to have a dynamo hub for the front wheel. This would hopefully be enough to power both a front and rear light setup. Or if lights aren't needed then have a USB port somewhere so I can charge a power bank while riding my bike.
Out.
