SRAM

I was in the market for these 160mm cranks from SRAM since they became available. Shopping at all my regular cycling sites, I either could not find them or I never saw them discounted. Then one morning I got a general discount coupon in an email from Bike Tires Direct. I went to their site to see if I could apply the discount to this item. To my surprise and glee Bike Tires Direct would and could, despite other site restrictions on such discount coupons being applied to this item. I acted immediately and received the item in the post in due course.

The cranks replaced some SRAM Force 170mm cranks on my bike and they are working for me like a charm. Thank you to Bikes Tires Direct.

I have used the thread together bottom bracket for this same bike. Since the frame as titanium the dissimilar materials almost fused together making it really difficult to remove. To answer your question, yeah I prepped the surfaces before installing. Anyway Its odd that I would pick a bottom bracket based on removing it but did. I expect to wear it out. I put over 6,000 miles on the commuter per year. I'm expecting to replace this every two years. On the bright side this part is about a third of the price of that wheels manufacturing thread together, so win/win?

Purchased these to control a Reverb AXS xplr dropper post I added to my gravel bike. These with a blip box are the best way to control the dropper post on a Shimano Di2 drop bar bike. Blips won't work with the dropper post. I like the dropper post for 200 mile unbound North course because it helps on the steep rough descents. These are easy to install near the shifter with the formable holders and route the wires under the bar tape. These are mirror images of each other so you can put them in the same location on both sides if you want and not have to do a 180 with the control wire to get back to the blip box. I also have these on my TT bike at the brake levers and they work great there too with a blip box.

Simple installation, they last, and I've never had a pair fail. I ride lots of hill repeats throughout the year in all conditions, so I'm trying out the variety of materials, from the organic quiet, to the powerful sintered copper options. The latter seem to provide more miles on hills, albeit with more noise. I'm an advocate of changing out brake pads well before the minimum thickness specification as opposed to having to replace rotors, so I keep several pair on hand.