This is connected to this previous blog post of mine about a new gravel bike dream build.
I'll be honest and realistic, I really want a GRX system for my bike but based on specs on Shimano's website the biggest low gear a GRX rear derailleur can have is 42T. Based on how fit I am and one short but steep climb I took I really need at least one gear ratio that's at least 1:1. Which means only one thing.
I'm going with the Shimano GRX 2x11 hydraulic brake, mechanical shifting. It'll have the ST-RX600-R and the ST-RX600-L brifters, the RD-RX812 42T max rear derailleur, the FD-RX810-F front derailleur, the FC-RX600-11 crankset with the 46/30 gearing, a BB-RS501 Tiagra bottom bracket, an 11-40T CS-M7000-11 SLX cassette. Basically you get my drift, all Shimano components, all GRX compatible, even the brakes. I've also decided to go with the Shimano SPD PD-M530 pedals instead of the Shimano Saints just because the former is cheaper (or at least I think it is).
Thinking about it I can also go 1x with the FC-RX600-1 40T 1x crankset with either the 11-40 or 11-42T rear cassette. If this is the case then I'll be using the BL-RX600-L left brifter instead. Come to think of it, this isn't that bad an idea since I don't plan on riding too fast anyway.
I didn't add a saddle before and I think I'd like to try the Brooks C17 all-weather saddle. Yes it's not the leather Brooks saddle but it is an all-weather saddle. And it's still Brooks. It also seems to have a positive review from a bike website I trust.
So there, some updates from my previous post where I was too lazy to add a decent groupset. Although I have heard the Sensah has a hydraulic braking mechanical groupset about to come out soon.
Out.
