SRAM

I have been riding with SRAM's Organic/Steel brake pads for 4 years now. They are mostly quiet, as advertised and despite the description indicating that the braking power is not quite as high as other compounds, it is plenty strong for me. I can brake as hard as I would ever want.

Only downside may be the life of the pads. I find that they last about 3000 miles, which is less than a season for me. I haven't tried others, so I cannot compare.

This tool is perfect for shimano barbs but the ones Sram uses are actually threaded and a t8 torx size so this tool doesnt actually thread the sram barb into the hose end it simply presses it in. I have used it like this and it seems to work fine but not how sram designed their barbs to be installed. That being said if you shop around you can find 4mm T8 torx bits to replace the one that comes with this tool (T10) and install the sram barb as described by sram techs. Hope this helps...

Relatively simple upgrade (ideally you need a torque wrench) and provides accurate power numbers for a fraction of the cost of other systems. Equally, you can run any pedal system (road vs mtb, shimano spd vs crankbrothers vs keo etc). Pedal based power meter might be more versatile in switching between bikes, but that method means you are tied to a specific cleat system (does not exclude changing pedal body but that is costly and time consuming). So I have been running this power meter upgrade for several months with no data issues, drop outs or spurious numbers so very happy and would recommend.

Switching from mechanical shifting to electronic shifting was a bit daunting. The big worry was range anxiety (like EV owners) of the electronic shifters, front, rear derailleurs and power meter. However, SRAM has eliminated that issue with their SRAM AXS app (awesome software) which shows the charge level of the above SRAM system products, but also add-ons such as the SRAM Blips and Quark (SRAM).

I have a Garmin Edge 1050 head unit and swiping screens to view other screens meant that I had to take my eyes off the road for too long. Enter the Blips. Installing was a blip (less that 2-3 minutes per Blip). I assigned the Blips to the Edge 1050 and paired the Blips to the Edge 1050 in about 3-5 minutes. SRAM has an installation video which is first rate to help guide you. I love the Blips as they have made the Edge 1050 more functional and safer to use.