Share Something That Has Worked For You In 2026 - Component, Accessory, Other?

[larson....@gmail.com]

I am running 700 x 50 Maxxis Ramblers on my Appalossa and have been very impressed. These tires roll well on pavement, provide a nice ride and traction on gravel, and have surprised me with how well they have worked on trails/field roads. The Ramblers are perfect for my daily riding, set up tubeless on Cliffhangers. I decided to try these after hearing positive comments from Adam Sklar riding these in California on his Super Something.

What have you discovered this year that just works for you?

Randy in WI

[Dave White]

The long and low ride of the Appaloosa I got recently (it has a lower bottom bracket than any bike I've owned). I was skeptical of the long chainstays, I certainly didn't like the appearance, and I was worried the bike might feel like a beach cruiser. But I love the way the bike rides, both on and off road.

[Patrick Moore]

Late (October) 2025, but: Roadeo. And, for indexing: 11 speed R800 brifter shifting. And: EL Snoqualmie Pass tires. And: TPU tubes. I the Roadeo’s tires they’ve given no problems and OS regular has worked fine. Must ride this bike more, and expect to have opportunities to as I pick up group riding again. Not so highly rated: carbon fiber bottle cages, not for any defect in them, just for the price-to-benefit ratio, which is largely null. But they match the R800 group.

Schwalbe Thunderburt tires, the lightest model. Roll very nicely indeed on pavement, which for a bike that is ridden about 60:40 or so is important. Better than the Furious Freds and as good I think as the Oracle Ridges, but setup tubeless far, far, far more easily.

B&M IQ XL. 90%. Wonderfully bright beam, bright enough unaugmented for my bad eyes to ride familiar unlit dirt roads at night and with a low beam, unlike the also very bright K-Lite it replaced. 10% off because of the default “on” and the auto low beam features.

Fenix rechargeable headlight. Just one of there very bright flashlights, but with bar mounting system. Charges quickly, very bright in deed, small and takes up little bar real estate, metal and well made. I bought mine paired with a Fenix tail light, also vg.

Ali Express single 10 and 11 sp Shimano cogs. Scuttlebutt says that the metal is not as good as OEM, but for my riding and for the price they are excellent, not that it seems you can’t easily find Miche single cogs. 

Wabi Woolen jerseys. I bought several more when Harth announced he was stopping production. Simply the best.

Brian and Liminal Machine works, who made a custom offset 124 mm spindle for a Phil bb bearing assembly for $100 and shaved 6 proprietary, 12-spline 1/8” Sturmey Archer cogs down to 3/32” for another $100. Total with shipping came to $200.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Ron Mc]

3x1 RoadUno.  

Took awhile to work out the drive bugs.  

I learned you can't use sealed-bearing, high-engagement BMX freewheels with the 3x1 drivetrain - the rigid freewheels hopped the chain whenever I needed mash.
Final solution here was Shimano MX-30 freewheels, with loose roller bearings, and enough angular freeplay to adjust to the variable chainline.  

 

I replaced my IRD Alpina triple FD with an older Shimano 600 TriColor FD, which I have older 6200 (Arabesque) and 6207 versions working fine on two other half-step triple drivetrains.
I was getting about one over-shift off the outside chainring on each ride - the Alpina triple FD worked perfectly 90% of the time, but the other 10%, it would cock a chain link and drive it off the chainring.
'92 Shimano 600 (Ultegra) FD6401 had all the travel I need, perfect penny clearance between cage and large chainring teeth, can't physically overshift, and the chain doesn't rub the cage at the two extreme shifts.

Unfortunately, the good-looking used FD had probably been on a bike and on a large chainring for its 30 years.  

After 3 weeks of demanding more from it, the return spring relaxed (spring creep) so it would no longer shift to my granny ring - I could push it over by hand, but the spring was sprung in that final travel.  

I made do with a Campy Racing T, improvement over Alpina, though still fighting overshift, while a NOS Ultegra FD6401 made the trek from France.  Shipping was delayed, because the bike collector was a foodball fan and was on this side of the pond until FIFA ended.  

Along the way, changed flip-flop freewheels and large chainring as follows - 

- the logic was larger rear cog for trails and greenways (max 15 mph), and smaller rear for road groups.  

The 44T big was not quite fast enough on the road, and the 45" granny was taxing on switchbacks.  

It will now pace 18 mph,  

 

All humming now like there were never any troubles, and I'm making 60 mi/wk through S. Texas summer, which is a good target that will stretch out in the fall.  

[larson....@gmail.com]

Dave - I am happy to hear that the Appaloosa has won you over. I really like mine; not sure how much the geometry differs from the updated Appaloosas.

Ron - Very interesting drivetrain, way out of my wheelhouse! Texas Summer heat must be really difficult to ride in.

Randy in WI

[Ron Mc]

Hi Randy, we get 2 hours every morning from 7a to 9a - you don't want to be on pavement and away from trees by 10a.  

[Patrick Moore]

Interesting setup. Many people set up their Roadunos with front triples; BS did this for a while.

I’m curious (not trolling!) why people use triple cranks with single freewheels instead of triple freewheels and single cranks, or simply hub gears …?

A bog standard AW might give you 70-53-39, and the AM I am selling (hint hint) a 70-61-52, while the ASC that I am very definitely keeping, with fixed and freewheel capabilities, gives me, current gearing, 72-65-54.

The 3 studies I’ve read show that the simpler IGHs, as the AW or AM and, I daresay, the ASC, are at least as efficient as well-maintained derailleur drivetrains, in case people are thinking “slushbox."

Patrick Moore, with 2 and 3 speed IGH drivetrains, in ABQ, NM, who always admires other people’s so very clean drivetrains.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f902192d-6cfe-4c25-871d-3fc1f319b032n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ron Mc]

Hi Patrick, I get that from my older friend who went from Charrel and Chapman randos to Trek e-assist, along with his newfound "30-something" retirement job selling bikes at Trek.  

I don't begrudge him, he has a hip limit, and e-assist stretches his rides past 10 mi.  

  

But the two local bike people I respect most, Shawn Britton (grew up in his dad's bike shop - Brittons - and could be an MD, but has his own bike shop - Crossroads), and Joey Villarrel (Blue Star Bicycle Company - made his niche in the rarest upscale city bike inventory in town) both like my RoadUno.  

And so do I.  

Regards - urethane tubes are da bomb - $15/ from Spain...

[Patrick Moore]

Ron, I don’t doubt experienced riders like the 3X1 setup, but I’m still curious why it’s 3 in front instead of 3 in back, either 3 derailleur cogs or 3 IGH gears?

One reason, of course, is that with bog-standard equipment you have a huge variety of gear ratio options with a front triple and rear single. Three-speed freewheels are far harder to find and, I daresay, far harder to customize; and of course, IGHs limit your gearing gaps by their internal logic.

Is this the reason?

Patrick “simply curious” Moore

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/590aea95-bf74-4174-a3ed-f328e12c300cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Ron Mc]

Hoping not to derail the thread any further, I have 20+ years riding half-step triples.  Rear shifting is rare, and I was mostly in the habit of picking rear for cruising pace needed today.  

When Grant introduced RoadUno, knew I must have one, and had my crank a year before the tax return that let me buy the bike.  

It incorporates my experience from half-step triples in the two places I most often ride three others.  

 

I tell people my RoadUno has exactly everything I need, and nothing I don't need.