The Forbidden Upgrade. -53g

[@micahsherer7189]

Better editing and cinematography in this than in most of the new Netflix or Amazon shows.

[@foldupaudi7645]

Very impressive

[@JasonDBike]

It's his passion. The mentioned are soulless profit oriented companies.

[@sjmclean0]

I mean it's amazing quality but your comment is such a stretch.

[@chrisprice5895]

He isn't on drugs

[@percival3830]

Great film-making, and I love those traffic-free roads.

[@micaelpereira953]

Man, you're absolutely amazing! Each video is an cinematographic experience and all about bikes! And I'm not a road geek, my thing is Enduro MTB but... congratulations

[@alessandromeyer4888]

Especially liked the subtle but important peace symbol, well done! ☮

[@mlegrand]

These videos are pure gold. That intro. . .

[@mrnobody9821]

Watching your channel is like playing the original Gran Turismo, a true pleasure and a reliable source of joy for a mechanophile :). R2 bike here i come!

[@dk1291]

Love your channel!

[@larrymcgoldrick3471]

I went with the LOOK X-Track Race Carbon Ti Mountain Pedals at a weight of 290 grams and a price of $164.99 US from Amazon. You are the weight guru that's for sure. 28 grams over my setup is pretty significant for pedals. For me price is always a concern sadly... Thanks for this deep dive into weight saving that I would otherwise not be able to explore. Love seeing these high ends parts evaluated by you. Great channel and I'm always on the edge of my seat waiting to see what's next. The production quality of your videos is amazing by the way. Thanks again for sharing!

[@milkbunnies]

I got the same pedals on my Mason Aspect and I love ‘em the wider cage but without the extra weight make a huge difference on longer rides

[@lee1987923]

This pedal only last few month for me. I was getting crazy noise and apparently i need special tool to service it.

[@bengt_axle]

When you tighten the nuts holding the bearings (7:20) tighten the first one to snug it up against the bearings, so that it is just a bit stiff (I.e. too tight). Then add the second nut finger tight against the first nut. Using two wrenches (Ikea furniture wrenches are thin and perfect for this), hold the second in place and loosen the first one so that it releases the bearings and locks into the second nut. Ideally, you want no play and the nuts pushing into each other. You can turn the wrenches towards each other, if needed. You always have to tighten those two nuts with two wrenches turning in the opposite direction. I think you can also just pop off the seals on those cartridges and pack the whole thing in grease, if you prefer that. Every gram counts!

[@mrbradleyland]

I'm here just for the intro. But always stick around for the rest, as well. Always worth the watch!!

[@ticklefritz5406]

This is a sweet upgrade, my friend. I love how deep you dig in on the details. The small things are the big things.

[@durianriders]

those bearings look better than the shimano slop for sure! Good edit mate.

[@bengt_axle]

I think you’ll get a better result with a steel bearing on a steel spindle. The ball bearings can be bigger and more easily cleaned and lubricated. I’ve had mine for probably 20000km. Still smother than new, greased just once a year. The looseness that is sometimes felt comes from the threaded insert that holds the body to the axle (on the plastic versions). Cones are also replaceable and adjustable.

[@wasupwitdat1mofiki94]

I'm with you on staying with Shimano. I've had everything, every brand for road and MTB in the last 35 years and I just went with Dura-Ace road a few months ago. It is a better platform. I always used Egg Beaters for off road but I am sick of replacing them every year because they wear and don't hold you in, so I got the XTR last year. I'm staying with Shimano because they are good pedals.

[@Ropetable]

did you have the ht component pedals too? i also was only satisfied with shimano, currently are using ht pedals, so far im a fan.

[@hansschotterradler3772]

Can't go wrong with Shimano; their stuff simply works and is reliable.

[@michadebicki6534]

@@hansschotterradler3772 I always had a good experience with TIME pedals. Reliable, very, very light, absolutely great platform with huge contact surface.

[@allanreardon]

Came for the info. Stayed for that descent. Miss my rides in Japan.

[@leewormald1972]

You should get the 16 piece titanium bolt kit for those pedals from titanium planet

[@JasonDBike]

Beautiful mountain roads!

[@MikeSmith-qu5ew]

Fantastic ride! Great idea on the pedals!

[@alecfotsch3533]

I have cush core in my gravel bike tires, I don't care about weight but I LOVE watching some bike maintenance! Thanks for the video!

[@stephen5shaw]

your allied echo is so beautiful!!!

[@SonyEssential]

Holy moly... The level of quality you put into your video is just unreachable for me... ❤️ You are one of theses youtubers that inspired me to put quality above quantity in my videos. Nice job!

[@averagerider92]

I'm saddened, the ybn ti chain is not 207g out the box. It's 230g! A 10g weight savings compared to my KMC EL11 chain, what a disappointing $200 dollar loss.

[@jestag2]

I also bit the bullet with my DA7810. Bought the Ti spindles on ebay from a manufacturer in Switzerland. Been using it for years without any issues.

[@Ghostina1]

Pure joy watching this video!

[@AndrewBlucher]

11:26 On the right you can see the herringbone stone pattern used everywhere in Japan.

[@U.s.e.r.3493]

I love the cinematic experience I get from this video on my phone

[@niffcreature2018]

durability is kind of apples to oranges. Sealed bearings fail when they fail, and are easily replaceable. loose bearings can be cleaned and reused for longer, however if not properly maintained in this case they could wear down the race on the spindle and then you'd need to replace the whole spindle. I consider it an upgrade since your spindle is not at risk.

[@Dave_the_Dave]

Imo the lightest and most durable option would be a sintered bushing, as used in the inboard/crank side. This would necessitate a design change that I'm not sure is feasible. The ball bearings in the pedal design also take a large axial load. Look at how pedal body is prevented from sliding off the spindle. The reaction load when the body is tightened on is through the bearings to that little retaining nut on the end of the spindle. Meaning the balls and races take that axial load. Bad news for the much smaller balls necessitated by the cartridges.

[@jordandupont7430]

the intros get me every time lol well done

[@g_4462]

Great content again. Kudos to you! In the middle of last year, I did a similar upgrade on my XTR 25th Anniversary Eddition spd pedals. However, due to the lack of rubber axle seals (which were already worn out or lost after 500 km or so), the upgrade turned out to be worthless: it creaks and squeaks enormously without those seals. I have tried other options, but to no avail. Those original seals are quite necessary. I have searched all over the world to find the loose axle seals. Even Shimano Europe has been approached, but they are not offered and sold separately. Unbelievable and utterly bizarre. It's a wear part for crying out loud! So all this time, my XTR with expensive Ti axles have been gathering dust in a drawer... :-(

[@flo-fiftee]

The Xpedo Thrust 11 pedals are worth a try for the road bike. Using them for a year now an no problems so far. And the the weight of 164g. Just a dream…

[@aubz1972]

Nice even though the new spindles cost more than the actual peddles .. marginal gains great video 🚴🚴

[@kurofune.uragabay]

It looked to me like you were pushing it a bit on that tarmac descent... caaareful, ROJ, those surfaces have seen better days... 😅Thrilling as always, thanks mate. ☮

[@KotaroChannel]

Discover your channel. Very great❗️

[@david.vandergoes]

Great content. I was surprised: 1) it has taken this long for aftermarket manufacturers to switch to cartridge bearings. 2) the small parts are not also titanium. I have had success with Xpedo CXR and CXR Pro pedals. The M Force pedals don’t feel as good as the CXR. But I also use XTR pedals and suggest other people use XT and XTR pedals unless they are chasing grams. Great video. Thanks the for the content.

[@Megadeth6633]

Honestly cup and cone seems better to me. there is an immense amount of force being applied, traditional cup and cone will let you have more ball bearings, as well as having it in the right place where it needs it. These sealed bearings lay right next to each other, effectively concentrating the force in one spot. Might contribute to wear at the pedal body. And you can service them to make them last an extremely long time.

[@Dave_the_Dave]

@@Megadeth6633 the cup and cone is definitely superior in this case, in terms of durability and efficiency. The cartridge bearing performs the same function, but think about it this way: the cartridge bearing itself has to fit into approximately the same diameter as the outer race of the original bearing. Then that cartridge bearing has an inner and outer race of its own. So effectively you shrink the diameter of the outer race and increase the diameter of the inner race, meaning the bearing balls themselves must be much smaller. This greatly impacts the load capacity and life of the bearing, and the efficiency to some extent. Life worries may not be a problem because changing out a cartridge bearing is super easy. But then if you have to carry a spare cartridge bearing or two, there goes your weight saving. Regarding efficiency, the most efficient bearing would be a large ball (large diameter outer race) with a very small inner race diameter. Kind of like a bicycle wheel itself, or like a watch gear that rotates on nearly a pinpoint. the leverage at the perimeter is applied far from the pivot point.

[@scrooge1913]

I always enjoy your content, but sheesh that title and thumbnail went hard! I had no intention of watching another video this morning, but that title grabbed me and pulled me in.

[@LukeGJPotter]

I always appreciate a nerdy RoJ video. 😂

[@davidadamus177]

When the alert came in for this video, I thought you were putting on Aero bars LOL.

[@ridesofjapan]

😂

[@ex201]

53g, not bad 👍😎

[@mariomalbertifont6572]

Gran canal! +Bonus clip ;)

[@albertmoyanadal781]

Amazing intro

[@neilk22]

Goes to check for titanium spindles for his crank brothers pedals - $159!! For OEM 🤯 I’m surprised you choose SPD for gravel, unless you running the spring tension at softest, i prefer the crank bros candy which gives a frame for shoe support and 4 entry points for mud and they slide in and out like butter

[@fukairen9601]

I‘m using EXUSTAR PM-215 pedal, 280g, steel axle.

[@paulojrg]

You could have moved the coned nut to the outside so it has better contact/lock performance with the other one. Another solution to add "permanent" grease to the bearings is to leave only the one on the crank side and fill the inner pedal as usual.

[@lilreddev]

Great video! As a mechanical engineer, I am surprised that the bearings are side by side and not further apart. I fear that they are wearing out fast due to the alternating torque. This aside, I enjoy your videos, especially since they have the right amount of insanity and humor. Ever thought about making a background video about yourself? Not giving too much details but a European working full time abroad in Japan is quite unusual. Also, what do you think about the Japanese cycling community? Japan has a lot of significant brands, especially shimano but not a lot of active riders (there are barely any other riders in your videos).

[@ridesofjapan]

Nope, this is about cycling only :) Cheers!

[@BenBowmanNYC]

@@ridesofjapan What about your video setup, equipment, lenses, audio, software, etc...?

[@ridesofjapan]

@@BenBowmanNYC keep an eye on kzbin.info

[@BenBowmanNYC]

@@ridesofjapan a secret room! There goes the day.

[@tomahoks]

He is from Sweden. That will do. I'll show myself out.

[@JibbaJabber]

Bonus Clip 1 = ASMR

[@Thracium]

Good Luck! :)

[@jimmyhuynh7563]

more bonus clips please! : )

[@grzegorzdrozdz189]

Man! You realy deserve 1milion subs !!!!

[@docmccoy9813]

An advice: put some anti seize grease between the cranks and the spindle

[@ElDiabl0187]

Very good video

[@andycorso8498]

Loved the super tuck footage,!………..glad the offage was was on the 2nd bonus clip and not the first. Still loving the ENVE bars?

[@ridesofjapan]

Still not totally loving the flat tops but other than that, they are ok

[@RindoRob]

Look forward to the 2000-5000km follow up after rainy season this summer ☺️

[@EditioCastigata]

Premium ball bearings, like SKF’s, have PU grease in them. You don’t want to mix greases, hence I’d go with the same grease for the pedal inner. Or whatever grease is compatible to what’s in your new cartridge bearings.

[@HectorDavide]

nice one, dude!

[@peterthygesen1754]

Mate u make some great vids

[@ianiscaratti4924]

I bought them too and they don't spinn good if i tighten the last big silver nut flush to de dark grey pedalbody. There was no play like you had so I did't turn the nuts and like this the outer bearing is better suported.

[@d4n1g63]

If you want I can translate the instructions for you! Amazing video as always bro! But.. bonus clip: better keeping hands on drops when descending on gravel single track😉 although sometimes I do myself this mistake 😣

[@Murgledoo]

Waiting for the day that the KZbin Algorithm starts promoting this channel all over the place!

[@nickjohnson710]

You must have seen those 3D printed titanium cleats........🤩

[@raul0ca]

One does not simply lose weight. One makes biking more "exciting"

[@daviddyke9981]

Just need them to make some that work with da now

[@ridesofjapan]

That would have been ideal yeah

[@jantoman2279]

Maaaaan, I really hope the views will pay for this upgrade. Was not prepared for that price! Nice weight saving, though.

[@SenorGonzo]

Not sticking to the speed limits on that decent I see. Nice.

[@danielbum912]

this video is all about being illegal af 😎

[@Carftymk]

why arent weight weenies getting eggbeaters? they are lighter than even my road pedals. am i missing something?

[@EditioCastigata]

Always compare the weight of pedals and cleats.

[@Carftymk]

@@EditioCastigata they are still only 10 grams heavier than look carbons.

[@szurketaltos2693]

Have you considered using titanium bearing balls with those cheap eBay spindles? Might require frequent replacement of the balls but hopefully not the spindle.

[@michadebicki6534]

And I'm looking at my road bike with stock Time Xpresso Xpro12 Pedals which have titanium axle and housing as standard and weight 91 grams each, 182 grams total...

[@brennansquad]

Can we please get a review on the xc902? 😄 I have two pair coming in the mail!

[@discodave6153]

Another great video. How come you never see a car coming the other way? They must be super quiet roads.

[@CyclistJack56]

Was wondering about that too with this video , or he has a reputation and they know to better stay away from him :-D

[@finnnation]

You could do a video on you doing the dishes or taking out the garbage and we’d all watch it!!

[@jonasbielskis1033]

Also you can remove clipls from one of the sides to make it even lighter

[@evanm.2300]

That seems like extra work, and i bet the clipbside will always fall to the bottom from its extra wieght. Less safe... stupid unless ur on road only

[@davidide1525]

Nice video , as usual . Are the longitudinal grooves in the pavement for traction, water removal, snow ?

[@tewaewae]

grip on snowy roads.

[@tzed2509]

I hear that the Ultegra and XT level pedals already use sealed bearings and therefore are better suited to being converted with the cheap spindles? Also, this is one oof the only videos I've ever seen with thousands of views and no thumbs down, quite an achievement!

[@evanm.2300]

You tube doesnt show how many thumbs down a video gets anymore for us watching. There too worried about feelings getting hurt, just like when they got rid of the 5 star ratings

[@larisonjohnson]

Tuck POV in the Descent clip was awesome! Was that UCI legal? 😆

[@kimrice394]

LOOK X Track Carbon Ti 😉 150grams per side. 2yrs of flawless year-round performance, on and off road Midwest US conditions.

[@josephphillips865]

Haven't had such luck with mine in the long term. Wear on the Ti spindles and already replaced bearings within 1-2 seasons of riding. My XT pedals though just work and spin super smooth for thousands of miles with minimal service.

[@GeekonaBike]

Carbide studded tires are the only way to go on rutted Ice.

[@gregboyd5815]

Mmmmm metal from weight weenie heaven, high strength-to-density ratio as well as corrosion resistance. What's not to like? Bang for buck, obviously a lot of bucks, but 16% weight saving is not shabby. That's like saving 1200 grams from a 7Kg bike. Sadly my pockets are not deep enough for such Ti goodness.

[@mistagregory]

Did I miss something? Where is the THM crank set? I see you have the EC90SL on the bike now.

[@lm2906]

Hi, what do You think about these Continental tyres. Are they better than Gravelkings. What about confort, grip, puncture and rolling resistance? By the way, I’m using Maxxis Rambler 700x45 in the front (very confortable and good grip) and GravelKing SK+ 700x43 rear (very responsive). Tks

[@KPong1337]

Next level intro. As usual the production is great! do you work in editing? Motion graphics?

[@quarkonium3795]

Does this upgrade take into account the weight of the cleats? For instance, I know a lot of people choose wahoo speedplay nano pedals to save weight because they are some of the lightest commercially available pedals but they actually weigh more than some of the other top end pedals when you take into account the massive 100g+ cleat system that they use

[@nekobytes9187]

SPD cleats weigh around 50 grams. SPD-SL around 70.

[@AndrewBlucher]

There is the weight of the shoe to consider also. Just sayin.

[@ironbull21]

Great video! I have been enjoying them much. Good stuff. Great effort to put these together! I was wondering if you keep your tools with a tool cabinet? Not sure if I have see it in some of your video, but I am interested to know how you organize your tools for easy access? I am having so much trouble to keep all the tool in one place.

[@ridesofjapan]

I use a cheap cabinet from Amazon, unfortunately I’m not the person to turn to for neat organization though 🤪 Cheers!

[@robertm1552]

Bonus clip one near the end, was that the forbidden top tube seated tuck maneuver?

[@ridesofjapan]

No such thing as forbidden tuck maneuver :)

[@asengineer4594]

Cool mod. I wouldn't be affraid of titanium spindle endurance. Crank Brothers use them in pedals for years.

[@WowRixter]

Another great intro. Cool Ti solution. Hope it lasts. I’m curious, what GPS / light mount are you using?

[@ridesofjapan]

F3 cycling Cheers!

[@WowRixter]

@@ridesofjapan Thats the one I got. I found it soooo fiddle to install. Cheers

[@FlorianJunk]

What about a power meter on the gravel bike or favero pedals?

[@ridesofjapan]

Nope, don’t need one

[@donwinston]

Your descents give me the heebee jeesees. I get scared as soon as I go over 50km per hour. Any wind further terrifies me.

[@sawc7012]

Awesome filmmaking quality as usual. Out of curiosity, how have the titanium spindles and bearings held up over time? Were they not so durable as you feared?

[@ridesofjapan]

No problems yet

[@johnnypetkaa176]

Can you make video about tool kit you take with you for your gravel rides? I'm sure you picked carefully every single piece of it 🙂

[@ridesofjapan]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3m2XpSpiL18h7M

[@SixGunTodd]

Do you even need the seal with cartridge bearings ?

[@Volkmannx]

😃👍

[@kusheen...]

Have you considered stripping the paint off your bike? How many grams do you think it would remove?

[@hzunasdfgbciw]

What about stiffness? Some of our heavier and poweful riders didn't like titanium pedal axles, because they aren't as stiff as steel axles.

[@rasmuswi]

Tobias probably weighs just a fraction more than his bikes, so it's probably no problem. :)

[@lians07]

Nice video! What Garmin-mount are you using now?

[@ridesofjapan]

F3 cycling

[@roilev]

I was going to ask you how often do you fall. I got my answer at the end. About the pedals, I started my clipped in endeavors with CrankBrother's Eggbeaters. I went through 3 pair of these. I switched to the heavier, 'only' 2 sided XTRs and I never look back. P.S. мир для України!

[@vongdong10]

Were the crank brothers eggbeater 11's ever a consideration. Crank brothers claim 179g for a pair

[@ridesofjapan]

Nope

[@adambarlev8992]

How about those Silca cleats?

[@The_One-Eyed_Undertaker]

How is that derailleur hanger after the fall?

[@autokanada]

What is cost per gram of this upgrade ? 53g x $ = total cost of titanium shafts

[@alfabethev2.074]

😱Du kör ju på fel sida om vägen!! 🤪 🤗

[@JonathanFisherS]

Related topic: does anyone make an extended spindle for pd-m8100? I could use another 4mm-6mm longer axle.

[@bengt_axle]

Have you tried seller « Titanium spindles » on eBay?

[@JonathanFisherS]

@@bengt_axle I can't seem to find them, have a direct link?

[@joaocastro924]

Every gram counts, it's worth it xD. Amazing video and cinematographic experience, how did you slip on that bonus clip!?!

[@ridesofjapan]

Hidden stuff under the leaves