Originally Posted by
praivo
I've made some progress on the Hardrock gravel/do-it-all build:
I replaced the crappy Force brake levers (which also had the wrong pull ratio) with a pair of Tektro RL520s and also got rid of the old bar tape that had been reused several times while I was figuring out the position of the levers and no longer felt very nice.
The 11-36t cassette has been replaced by a 11-42. I did buy a cheap one which means it's really heavy (630 g, more than the NX 11-speed cassette) and the RD hanger extender means it's doesn't shift very well, but it gives me the range I need and I'll eventually get rid of all of this anyway when I have the money for a proper 12-speed setup.
I've now done about 220 km on the bike and I'm really happy about the way it turned out. I do still need to get a slightly shorter stem (probably a 70mm instead of the 80 I'm using now) because the handlebar feels a little bit too far, but I can already spend well over an hour on the bike every day without any significant discomfort.
Originally Posted by
Schlafen
Dang, this is exactly what I'm thinking of, when people talk about gravel bikes. Looks ready for the Tour Divide.
I might take some inspiration from this off road monster rig of yours.
Wow, very timely for me to find these posts as I'm getting ready to do similar upgrades to my 2016 Hardrock. It's been my commuter for the past 4 years, and while I've taken it to my LBS for regular tune ups, the components are showing their age. I've slowly been getting into doing the maintenance myself during COVID, and after lots of research feel ready to replace the drive chain, brake levers and shifter.
praivo : was your bike originally specced as 3x7? That's what mine is and I was, and unfortunately the Freehub is only compatible with 7 speed cassettes. Was contemplating getting new wheels, but since I've been fine with the gearing for the past 4 years, am just converting to a 1x7 (I've only ever used the 42T crank so no loss there). I'm now looking at doing a custom build from the ground up now that I have a better idea of my riding preferences and what I would want in a more fitness oriented commuter. Also, not commuting since I'm working from home.