SRAM

?I upgraded to the 165mm SRAM RED E1 DUB arms, and the difference is incredible. These are absurdly light, you can instantly feel the weight savings over the old generation. The carbon stiffness is phenomenal; every watt goes straight to the wheels.

?Switching to 165mm has been a game-changer for my fit, boosting my cadence and reducing hip fatigue on long climbs. Installation was easy thanks to the DUB spindle standard. My only complaint is the price, but if you want the absolute best and lightest crank arms for your build, these are it. A truly premium, five-star upgrade.

With more Gravel riding under my belt this year, I realized that having an alternative location for shifting would be helpful, for comfort and for aero riding on the tarmac or smoother trails. Adding them to the crossbar, fairly close to the stem, was a great solution. After 5 days of gravel riding in Kansas, I realized just how wonderful they were. The only hard part was wrapping the handlebar tape around them to hold them in place and keep the wrap relatively smooth. The neighborhood bike store was very helpful in doing that as they wrap handlebars frequently.

Caught a sale, and I'm about to move some levers over to another bike, so got some new lines. No issues, work perfectly.

Sram - if you read this, can you stop sending your brake/caliper kits FILLED with fluid? We have to cut them anyway, it makes a mess, and we have to bleed, just send empty lines with a bottle of fluid if you want to be helpful. I don't see the point, I mean we have to at the least shorten them, not counting the internal routing factor.

Gem of a rear derailleur, next gen stuff. Swapped to the complete E1 system this season, 1500 miles so far and it still amazed me every ride. The shift is crisp, immediate and NOT A SINGLE mis-shift. Truly appreciate the immediate shift under load. Pair it with the amazing 13 speed cassette you won't be disappointed. Pricey! But totally worth it if I can get years out of it. Came from D1 Force and this rear derailleur is at the heart of the whole Red E1 XPLR groupset. Full mount setup is also a game changer, literally took me 5 minutes to setup from start to finish without fiddling with limits screws.