Shimano

I have been a fan of Shimano shoes for decades for both road and off road. While the 903s are indeed the "Mac Daddy' of cycling shoes, for less than half the price these are about 90 percent there. The fit is nearly identical, and the weight is only a few grams heavier. My only gripe is that they could be ventilated a bit better. While the outer skin is perforated, the holes don't all penetrate all the way through. Still a great shoe for the money, especially if you catch them on sale.

For years a did not do a full bleed and only used the cup but now since I had to replace the cable I had to. The kit has all the parts and even the cup is better than the one I had before. The connectors and everything else are quality and work well.

After some research I didn't use the syringe since I did it in reverse with gravity which empties the whole thing. I really recommend that for anyone doing a bleed.

My experience is with Shimano brakes. Haven't done it on my SRAM brakes yet.

I've been road cycling for years but want to explore some gravel riding and touring. Not wanting to mess with my position on the bike and pedals, it was nice to have the option of the shorter axle to keep the q-angle unchanged from my road pedals. The difference in stack height is less than a millimeter, so no significant change there either. There's a little more float but that's manageable. The pedals hang just right for consistent clipping in. I'm pleased with the transition, although I do miss the large contact area of my road pedals.

An Ultegra chain is so good and smooth and reliable that I don't even have to think about it! And BTD has such great sale prices and quick, efficient delivery that it's a no-brainer:)