Bike Mechanic Reacts to New Bike Tech! Di2, Etap, Tubeless, Chain Waxing...

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In todays episode we weigh in our thoughts on Shimano Di2, Sram Etap, tubeless tyres, chain waxing and much more...
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[@dalj4362]

I do like this geezer. He's down to earth, not like some channels on youtude where they tell you you to spend 8k on the latest and greatest bike, or buy high end wheels just because they are sponsored by them.

[@531c]

Your comments are spot on👍

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for the kind words 🧡

[@CoachLo3]

Always such a calming and chill voice. All your videos are relaxing! To watch a bike go back together after a service or a cleaning is always satisfying and having your voice behind it makes things so smooth. As always, very well done.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Derek we really appreciate all the support!🧡

[@Bennettcustomaudio]

Heavier rider here (185cm, ~108kg), I straight up don’t feel safe on rim brake bikes. Where I live it’s very “lumpy” (lots of little up and down hills) and we get a lot of precipitation. On wet days, my old commuter bike with canti’s can’t bring me to a stop unless I pull on them from the drops with my full strength. I’m sure the breaks could be set up better, but IMHO the level of effort to bleed disk brakes and change out the pads occasionally is about the same, for a much better performing brake. If you’re a light, fair weather rider, I totally understand sticking with rim brakes, but for us big guys, gotta be disks!

[@Bikespeeds]

Good point!🧡

[@Sansuiification]

My 2 cents as a bike mechanic of 20 years, most of them as a Continental team mechanic and a bike service center owner. 1. OSPW: Not a thing I recommend to my customers. If you ride 1 x group set, chain will touch the inside of the cage. If you want something in that order anyway, I recommend pulley wheels from the manufacture of the group set, like Shimano GRX pulleys for Ultegra Rear derailleur for instance. 2. Internal cables/hoses. A replacement of headset bearings becomes a costly affair, if you have a bike with Hydraulic brakes, since that often needs a bleed as minimum sometime a new hose for the rear brake. 3. Direct mount rim brakes vs. Disc there are almost no difference in braking power and modulation, however, the maintenance of the wheels braking surface is key in both regards. 4. What I ride: Mechanical with mechanical Disc brakes, love the size of mech. levers and the adjustability of the mech. disc brakes. 5. All my bikes have either BSA, ITAL of T47 treaded bottom brackets, if I where to have frame with Pressfit it would be fitted with a tread together box.

[@Bikespeeds]

We approve of all of those takes! The conversation in the comments has been interesting to see but seems you’re on the same page we are 🧡

[@kevinfrost1579]

An inspired idea introducing this Lee and Simon, would be nice to keep a mechanic’s opinion piece every 6-8 weeks. Another string / opportunity to educate added to an already successful format. My personal take on the underlying message is 90% of riders do not NEED 90% of what’s being promoted to them, and for the 10% that do, especially for specific needs, then fair enough. The wider industry marketing deception is convincing the 90% their cycling lives will be so much better if they spend X, when in reality riding a suitable bike for purpose is the win in terms of both fun and finances. Regular maintenance essential irrespective 1K or 10K bike. Mechanics mechanic here. 😁

[@Bikespeeds]

You said it better than we did there!🧡

[@LaOwlett]

I live in Canada. Waxed my own bike chain in November. The wax makes it much harder to install a master link, and I don't recommend doing it when it's cold outside because I had a harder time breaking it in. I had to stay in 3rd gear for a couple of commutes because it kept slipping into other gears. Now I just pour water over my drive train and wipe it dry with a paper towel. I don't have indoor space to really give my bike a proper cleaning in the winter. I like it so much, I believe I will be doing it until I replace it with a belt and internally geared hub. - daily commuter with a cargo foldie.

[@markvillanueva7877]

You are awesome!!!! Your show is famous here in the Philippines. Keep up the good work.

[@Bikespeeds]

Haha we have actually seen all the Philippines comments which blows our mind! Thanks very much mark🧡🇵🇭

[@karlschleifenbaum5793]

Well, I went back to Campa Record after the Di2 failed to put in the lowest gear on a mountain. It was set up perfectly and never had this issue beforehand. But this showed me that there is a hidden side of difficulty to it that is a black box. If the Campa doesn't work, I know what's wrong. With Di2, I don't.

[@thomaskuhn6541]

Loads of info, thanks. Regarding tubeless, the last time I had a puncture my bike frame was pretty well coated with sealant by the time the puncture as sealed. It took me several hours when I got home to clean the sealant off my bike, my handlebar bag and even my clothes. So I'll happily take the 5-10 minutes to put in a fresh tube the next time I flat, no more tubeless for me.

[@JohnPilling25]

Was riding in Southern France this past May and got 2 punctures in just a couple of kilometres, needless to say I had to patch the original tube. There was a drought and no water in the creeks/river beds - eventually located a puddle found the hole and fixed it. A few more kilometres and punctures 3 and 4 - turned out to be small cacti needles - fixed again after finding the holes using water from my bidon. Stopped at Decathlon in Claria and got the stuff I needed to go tubeless - got home and changed both tyres over. No problems or punctures for the remaining 6 weeks. You should have seen the sealant squirting out of the little holes in the tyre until it sealed. I'm running tubeless from now on.

[@Bikespeeds]

We rode a mixture it was tubeless on the best bikes and definitely tubes for everyday riding🧡

[@MrDazP1adv3ntures]

Thanks for the Honest insight, it's this kind of down to earth advice that the prospective cyclists who is looking to upgrade their bike, really needs. Maintenance is key and I believe that most roadside breakdowns should be fixable when you are out and about, but some of the modern bikes make such tasks almost impossible they look great at the cafe stop if you are on a trouble free ride though...

[@Bikespeeds]

Bikes are way way to hardcore now, they’re all about maximum riding experience rather than maximum owning experience!🧡

[@JohnPilling25]

Enjoyed that review.❤ I'm a materials engineer and have worked with Ti,Al,Carbon in aerospace as well as steel in power generation and after 40+ years I'd say if you can afford it and want the best it's titanium every time. After experiencing so many issues with wet out and prep reg I would avoid carbon - there are so many inherent design issues in frames where one needs strength in 3 dimensions not one or two as in carbon laminates I'd just avoid them. Good quality carbon frames are few and far between because of qc issues and they are (seriously) not fixable when they break or crack as new resin will not join chemically to the old resins because they are thermosetting resins not thermoplastics so the only way the load transfers from new to old is through surface adhésion/friction. Aluminium or steel is great for 99.9% of riders Aluminium doesn't rust but does corrode when in contact with salt water and stainless steel because of a severe galvanic issue the aluminium simply corrodes away. Thanks again for commenting so freely, you opinions are always refreshing.❤

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for the inside perspective John we agree with everything you said there!🧡

[@hkchew03]

Agree with most, but definitely a big no for ceramic bearings, they are expensive while improvement is quite insignificant and probably not as durable.

[@Bikespeeds]

Seems a lot of people are saying that! Very interesting 🧡

[@stanzelko5243]

Thank you for your insight.

[@timjacob991]

This was great, thanks

[@Bikespeeds]

Thank you! We appreciate the support🧡

[@markrichards2321]

Just watched this Lee, didn’t know you done this video. But how many of these topics did we cover today! 😂 Awesome video, honest, unbiased and informative.

[@georgemicolta2130]

I really enjoy your content And your insight on cycling rim brakes forever

[@Bikespeeds]

Rim brake Army!🧡⚙️💪🏼

[@paulburns3016]

Hi bikespeeds hope your shop goes extremely well good luck

[@Bikespeeds]

Hi Paul! Cant thank you enough🧡

[@Cyclingismywholelife]

Great video, thank you for the insight.

[@Bikespeeds]

Our pleasure! Thanks again🧡⚙️

[@MX5Fanatic]

What a great change of pace video. I really like your honest opinion on current bicycle trends and the maintenance issues that comes with it. I really think those oversized jockey wheel are just plain ugly. I don't own a bike that has electric shifting and I have enough bikes to ride that I don't see me buying one anytime soon. I never did like the idea of hiding all the cables in the frame as it just complicates things and for what, looks? I do have a cyclocross bike with disk brakes but other than that all my other bikes are rim brakes and like you am quite happy with them. As for frame materials I have everything type frame except titanium and enjoy them all. My carbon frame bike is not all carbon as some of the stress points like bottom bracket and seat post junctions that are aluminum lugged so I don't worry about it's life span. Thanks Lee, for your take on bicycle trends and Simon for filming it.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for all the insight! Sounds like you’ve got the right balance with everything there. Good balance of spec and also day to day maintenance 🧡

[@jrother]

Okay, now we need a video going the other way: Bike mechanic lists old bike things he'd like to see come back. Quill stems? Lugged steel? Friction Shifting? Cantilever brakes?

[@crazyjoedavola9002]

Those things are thankfully dead with reason, can't believe someone would love to see quill stem come back? Canti? Those are hideous. Friction shifters? You're joking, right?

[@KarlosEPM]

@@crazyjoedavola9002 I do prefer friction shifting over bottom tier indexed shifting for a front derailleur. Being able to trim without playing with in-line barrel adjusters is valuable when you use the entire range of gears. Lastly, only after 3 decades of cycling can I see that cantis actually have a place in road bicycles- mid mechanical advantage and mid clearance means you have better breaking power than cheap caliper brakes and much more clearance than linear pulls... at the expense of infinitely harder set-up.

[@trekkeruss]

@@crazyjoedavola9002Nothing wrong with (well designed) cantilever brakes. The main problem is most mechanics do not read manufacturers installation instructions and do it incorrectly. This is especially true of Shimano cantilevers with link wires.

[@lenolenoleno]

@trekkeruss Cantis are hideous. They were only ever acceptable in CX because of mud clearance, and in CX, you only need to scrub speed, not actually stop. The only cantis that work "decently" are the highest end models (e.g. Paul or Avid Shorty Ultimate, which is about $100-150. In the meanwhile, a set of $20 Mini-V brakes from Tektro have way more power and simpler to install/maintain with less parts. There's a reason why MTBers breathed a collective sigh of relief when V-Brakes were invented in the early 90s.

[@trekkeruss]

@@lenolenoleno Cantilever brakes were good enough to be able to stop tandem bikes back in the day.

[@olekmehera7256]

Swiss stop pads, and alloy rims are awesome!

[@KarlosEPM]

I use Kool Stop pads and they are great. They last long, provide extra modulation, keep the rim clean and confer a longer life to the braking surface. Tektros and Shimano (and BBB) offer great breaking performance but, in my experience, fall short of Kool Stops in the other criteria.

[@yonglingng5640]

​@@KarlosEPMAre your brake tracks aluminium or carbon? I keep hearing riders praise Kool Stop brake pads, which now got me considering them in the future (not that I need them now).

[@KarlosEPM]

@@yonglingng5640 I use alum rims almost exclusively. And the exceptions are vintage steel. No carbon for me. Kool stops are great, but do require meticulous setup- starting from squeaky clean braking surface and as close to perfect alignent of pads as reasonably acheivable. Totally worth it for me.

[@KarlosEPM]

Thanks for your expert review on these topics. Many of us fall prey to the skillful marketing that bombards us nowadays when deciding on buying, well... anything! Many of these new bicycle technologies, although valuable for the highest level competitors, are unnecessary complications for us weekend pub-riders.

[@Bikespeeds]

Absolutely! We’re just as guilty for upgrading spec we don’t need! 🧡⚙️

[@mart1nandersson]

I totally agree with your view on aluminium frames. I have a fancy carbon bike but whenever I go on trips with my bike I pack up the trusty old aluminium bike. It will survive all the abuse that the likes of Air France will inflict upon it.

[@Bikespeeds]

Carbon is great when you’re sat on the saddle but all the ownership other than that is rather terrifying!🧡

[@oftankoftan]

OPW is great if you don't like your money. the difference in drag is negligible. drivetrain drag comes mainly from the top of the rotation, (freehub->crank) not on the bottom (crank->pulley cage->freehub). you're better off waxing your chain or getting a better bottom bracket.

[@Bikespeeds]

Very valid 🧡⚙️

[@dundeedideley1773]

Love for mechanical bits shows with the spaceview on your wrist. Beautiful watch collection you have there. Rolex, Accutron, wooden, weird and wonderful tastes

[@Bikespeeds]

Weird and wonderful is exactly the brief for the collection!🧡⚙️

[@dianemulholland]

Thanks for the video - some interesting thoughts here! I think both kinds of brakes have their place still. One disadvantage of rim brakes that we come across a lot at the workshop though is worn rims. We try to rebuild with the hubs if we can, but we still ditch a lot of wheels. I know people like to hate on cable disc brakes, but I think they're actually a decent option for being easier for a non-mechanic to look after.

[@MediumHalf]

The key aspect of mechanical disc brakes for me is the adjustable gap between the rotor and pads- this makes the brakes way easier to keep quiet without having to keep everything perfect, which, in the real world, is time-consuming.

[@Bikespeeds]

You must be in a hilly area! That sounds like a lot of braking to get to that stage!🧡⚙️

[@paulseaman8558]

Great video all my bikes bar 1 have been shimano but the odd one I was fortunate to have SRAM Red and it was great. Also an anecdote for you I have got some friends who always rode with Campy and then one day one of them said enough is enough I am getting Shimano DI2 next and disc brakes 😂. Press fit bottom bracket well I have got a CAAD 10 and never had an issue, I replaced it once as a matter of course but I bought the right tools and took my time making sure everything was aligned and no issues and that was 4 years ago and the bike is 11 years old . To many videos on KZbin saying right today we are going to do a press fit BB and the bring out a hammer and some kind of drift to bang six bells out of it then you wonder why it creaks afterwards! Keep up the good work guys always great to watch and I should pop in one day as I live in the same county

[@Bikespeeds]

We see the hammering all to often! Makes us cringe. If you ever wanted to come visit we’d love to see you. There isn’t much to see in the shop but we’ve had a few fans in and it’s blown our mind chatting to you!🧡

[@DeanPattrick]

Really cool video.! Always some great knowledge on this channel. Just goes to show every day is a skool day. 🇫🇮😎

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks Dean! Order has been dispatched😉🧡⚙️

[@DeanPattrick]

@@Bikespeeds excellent, thanks guys 🙌😎

[@ppotz]

Love your channel! I’ve been looking waxing my chains (along with chains for wife’s bikes and kids bikes) for years now and love the cleanliness. I use a base of paraffin wax into which I add PTFE powder, commercial chain lube and Boeshield T9. I was wondering - what’s the black powder you were brushing on that chain?

[@Bikespeeds]

Nice profile photo💪🏼 the black powder is PTFE powder, so our process is very similar to yours!🧡

[@tmayberry7559]

Comment on the re-emergence of friction shifting . I like them. They seem to shift faster than sis shifters. Your thoughts

[@Bikespeeds]

I have not come across this in the shop! Would be very intrigued to see it!🧡

[@johnstrac]

Can't agree with tubeless on road bikes but otherwise an excellent video (again).

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks John!🧡

[@adorensinghoff5605]

well spoken!

[@Bikespeeds]

Thank you!🧡

[@TheChancerdog1]

Road bike.. for sure rim brake. And yeah I am spoiled with DI2 even though it’s an older 10s (works amazing still). My MTB and gravel bike I do prefer hydro disc and bigger tires.

[@Bikespeeds]

Best of all worlds by the sounds of it!🧡

[@savagepro9060]

Wow! You look like you took a dip into the Ultrasonic Cleaner yourself. You look fffffffresh!

[@stuartdryer1352]

I agree with all of this. (Except I don't know anything about Sram and all my bikes are carbon).

[@Bikespeeds]

Go big or go home!🧡

[@buzzzam2095]

Awesome

[@Bikespeeds]

Thank you!🧡

[@rivasyoung]

Where can I get a Shimano Di2 9070 low limit front derailleur screws please I’m jn need of one

[@kautzz]

any thoughts on electronic shifting in hot climate (40°C in the shade for the whole summer). worried about battery degradation. my phones die very quickly. also heard tubeless could pose to be an issue because the sealant could dry out. is there anything to it?

[@Bikespeeds]

We haven’t experienced it, and definitely never had weather that hot where we live but I can understand the logic there 🧡

[@stickmenkissarmy6907]

I have disc ,bit I still love rim brakes best 👌 bit I will never give up my cables, and my shimano groupset...

[@Bikespeeds]

Haha sounds ideal! No faff!🧡

[@tkrzysiek]

Nice wideo, can you give examples of good alu frames?

[@Bikespeeds]

Condor 🧡

[@ajfrog699]

Love all your great insights and thoughts here Lee and Simon. Really what you want from your bike shop, no nonsense honest approach to what the rider needs 🎉🙌 although respectfully disagree on the disk brake topic. Being on the heavy side, I love discs and would never go back 😂

[@Bikespeeds]

Seems a lot of people have sided with you there. We do live in a flat are and are both quite light ourselves so we may have had a biased perspective a bit! Thanks for all the love 🧡

[@muhamadirfaan3329]

Whats your reaction to the recent shimano recalls for certain cranks?

[@Bikespeeds]

We’ve had loads booked in with us! It’s been a known problem for years!🧡

[@Traildude193]

I prefer disc breaks simply for the stopping power in all conditions, and you can get them in hydraulic or cable.

[@hkchew03]

Disc in cable is simply trash unless you match it with a premium caliper that cost as much as a hydro set with shifters.

[@Traildude193]

@hkchew03 ik but i was just saying i prefer hydraulic any day but for the kids bike its nice that you can get cable disc breaks

[@Traildude193]

@@hkchew03 and i ride mtb

[@hkchew03]

@@Traildude193 mtb is fine, but mechanical disc is a big no-no for road which this channel mostly feature.

[@Traildude193]

@@hkchew03 did i ever say mechanical disc was great for road no

[@mattbanner3032]

Rim brakes....My man

[@brianpurcell9058]

Nice video as always guys ! On the subject of frames I ride a carbon on the road but an Ali on my mtb ! Just think its more durable 👍

[@Bikespeeds]

For mtb’s absolutely, we can’t wrap our head around the carbon being safe. I’m sure it is but it just seems terrifying🧡

[@1972malberto]

I've started waxing on my two bikes i'll never go back so much cleaner

[@MisterE331]

What is the maintenance on waxing your chain

[@1972malberto]

@@MisterE331 yeah when I'm rewaxing I just hit it with hot water to clean then into the wax back on the bike it's great

[@Bikespeeds]

If you like mint bikes it’s the only way🧡

[@mikevannike]

Lee,Simon, How about Cyclowax for waxing your chain ?

[@Bikespeeds]

We’ve never used it so have no experience to speak from but if they have a good reputation you’ll get similar performance to anything else on the market!🧡

[@mikevannike]

@@Bikespeeds Thx 4 your reply and good luck with the refitt

[@fisharefriends598]

I’d never go electric shifting, not even for free. Too much to go wrong, and no road side repairs

[@Bikespeeds]

Absolutely fair enough!🧡

[@seanlee8269]

I would say ceramic bearings are kind of waste of money...

[@savagepro9060]

Hambini said the same thing

[@Bikespeeds]

Fair enough!🧡⚙️

[@rupertcreek7101]

I've got three bikes all with different brakes. 1. Thrree speed Sturmey Archer with hub brakes 2. British Eagle touristique with Cantilever brakes 3.Carerra with disc brakes Hub brakes okay, cantilever better but disc the best. Just my opinion.

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks for adding to the conversation Rupert! Seems a lot of people agree with you when it comes to discs 🧡

[@Manetty6]

Waxing is amazing. You just have to fiddle more with it. It like tubeless, you can't explain for a lot of people.

[@Bikespeeds]

We agree 🧡

[@Babkyb]

Rim, just because!😅

[@Bikespeeds]

Haha we’re with you there, even if discs are better we just like rim more!🧡

[@savagepro9060]

2:04 " . . . stand sitting very well . . ." Imagine the nightmare of non-native English speakers coming across 'stand sitting'🤔🤨 . . . . 🤭🤭🤭🤭

[@Bikespeeds]

Lol we thought that🧡

[@jamesschilling9269]

👍

[@Bikespeeds]

Thanks James glad you’re still enjoying all the videos 🧡

[@maciej_ma]

I'd be very hesitant to say that ceramic bearings are that much of improvement. 1. Ceramic bearings actually have ceramic balls and races are steel. One material is much harder than another. That makes them less durable long time than quality steel bearings. 2.Most of Watts are lost due to drag between sealing of the bearing and type and amount of grease put into them. For me cost of ceramic bearings, durability and negligible difference in lost Watt is not worth it. If you are chasing marginal gains and look for empty wallet go for ceramic ones.

[@alistair410]

Oversized jocky wheels might be better but they are certainly not 2 or 3 hundred quid better.

[@oreocarlton3343]

noice, but no di2 for me ever

[@Bikespeeds]

Why not? 🧡

[@dougbrett9218]

My road bikes all have rim brakes because I could be miles away from home and its one less thing to go wrong ..my mountain bikes all have discs

[@Bikespeeds]

Best of both worlds🧡

[@savagepro9060]

Rim Brakes for ever and ever and ever . . . until . . . supplies . . . last

[@531c]

Ah yes, i love my Shimano RX100 rim brakes

[@ppotz]

Rim brakes for the overall lower weight when climbing … disc brakes for the tight, twisty descents 🫤

[@lenolenoleno]

I enjoy the channel but gee some of the advise given with no context is disappointing. Having a preference for rim brakes over disc brakes can't be said without context. You're a road cyclist who did triathlons, both disciplines are very easy on brakes and not in areas with a whole lot of elevation. You're also not a woman - rim brakes don't have "plenty of power on the pull" for smaller women. For many of my smaller clients, hydro disc brakes was the first time they had confidence descending faster on the road. It also means you can ride your nice carbon wheels year round, no more "race day wheels" as you don't wear out your rim. You also don't cook your rim descending big mountains or feel so sketchy in the wet (carbon rims are terrible descending mountains in the wet). Don't know a single proper MTBer who would choose rim brakes over disks.

[@trekkeruss]

One problem that could be addressed for people with small hands is road levers with slimmer hoods. Reach adjustment is not enough. I have had women not really be able to use the hood position because they have to rotate the hand in order to use the brakes.

[@lenolenoleno]

@trekkeruss Yes, that was an option on previous gen hoods, some employing shims in the lever to partially engage the brake/remove some deadstroke. Helps with the problem only slightly. Underlines my point, though: rim brakes don't have "plenty of power," like the video says. He's saying it from a position of a bloke of average weight riding undemanding terrain. Not say a female rider with small hands riding steep gravel or say EDR Enduro singletrack. He also services mainly road bikes/utility bikes and entry-level MTBs, so quite clearly has little experience in ways of riding/understanding the needs of demanding terrain. Just irks me when people give "expert opinions" with no acknowledgment of their baises.

[@prep1989]

rim brakes, who wants to replace a bunch of wheels

[@dylangrantz8124]

Sram and not even funny how old and dated Shimano is

[@Bikespeeds]

Very interesting!🧡