Wheel Nos 00030, 00031, and 00032

In the PBP year, new dynamo hub wheels are in order. 

Jerome asked for a new one, together with a new light. So back in June I built him one using a slightly worn H Plus Son rim I had used briefly while waiting for a different (tubeless ready) rim some time back. Jerome says he is done trying tubeless so this was a perfect match. A new SV-8 hub, and DT Swiss aero-bladed spokes, and voila -- Wheel No. 00030:

For myself, I want to try to ride PBP with a more "modern" tubeless setup this year, with carbon rim wheels. I got a slightly shallower Imezi rim than my existing ones (complete with pink decals to match my rear wheel) and built it up with Sapim CX-Ray spokes and another SV-8 dynamo hub, for use with my travel bike. Wheel No. 00031:

After a few weeks of riding the new setup, I worried about carbon rim brakes for PBP. Jerome and I went for a ride to the base of Wada Pass ... and I could not help but remember the time I melted another carbon rim sitting on the brakes descending the pass. And even though the dry weather stopping distance seemed okay, I lack the stopping confidence that I have with regular aluminum clinchers or, better yet, disk brakes. 

I saw that Ijichi-san, one of the regular Tokyo area randonneurs, had just taken delivery of a beautiful new custom titanium rando bike from Vlad at Equilibrium cycles, Tokyo-based Latvian framebuilder, and that Ijichi-san's new steed was using mechanical disk brakes. The thought hit me immediately -- why not swap out my Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork and replace it with a road disk brake fork, including mechanical disk brake that I could use with my current SRAM AXS Force/rim brake brifters? After all, that was the setup that I ended up with on the Yamabushi, where I did not really like the original brakes -- and a front mechanical disk was the ideal solution. After some searching, I decided to go for a made-in-USA Paul Components flat-mount short-pull mechanical disk brake that looks and feels very solid and has strong reviews. 

So I built up Wheel No. 32 today from an SP Dynamo PL-7 hub, Sapim CX Ray spokes, and a fairly wide (22.5mm internal, 28mm external, 40-42.5mm deep "wavy", hookless) rim purchased off Ali Express. Likewise I got a road disk brake fork from Ali Express. Everything has worked fine (so far) except that the fork is designed for M6 bolts, while the Paul and every other disk brake I have ever seen uses M5. Anyway, with a bit of extra elbow grease the new M6 bolts I purchased fit and the brake is attached.

Wheel No. 00032:

The mechanical disk brake:

The wide rim means the Corsa N.EXT TLR 700x28 tire sizes to 29mm wide, but still plenty of room in this fork. I think this should just about be the perfect rim/tire combination for both comfort and speed.

  

New Look for an Old Bike. ... It Goes To 12!

Voyage Voyage is back in action!

In 2012, via Tim Smith/GS Astuto, I got and built up Voyage Voyage, my titanium travel bike. It has served me well over the past decade. I have used it on most of my long rides since, including LEL (2014), SR600 Fuji (2015), PBP (2015, 2019), 3CR (2018), and the Tour de Tasmanie (2019), to name a few. The S and S couplers make it a travel bike. 

In 2019, I added SRAM eTap wireless shifting groupset for Tasmania, which is ideal for quick disassembly/reassembly ... but that first generation eTap rear derailleur failed so I reverted to mechanical shifting for PBP.  The replacement rear derailleur that my SRAM retailer sent to me has worked fine for the past 3 years, on the Sky Blue Parlee, and it seems that SRAM quickly resolved the quality issues that plagued those early eTap systems. Indeed, they quickly switched to eTap AXS, a successor groupset design that features a 12-speed rear cassette with a 10-tooth smallest cog. This allows smaller front chainrings and seems to work well.

Late last year, having not gotten a new road bike since 2015, but while enjoying the new Pelso and, frankly, shocked at the prices now being charged for higher-end bikes ... I decided the best approach to have a travel bike I could enjoy for the NEXT decade would be to upgrade the components on Voyage Voyage. For the makeover, I ordered a SRAM Force AXS eTap upgrade kit that I could use with my current rim brakes and frame, bars, seatpost/seat, fork, and other components. I needed to get an AXS crankset separately and could only find the Rival version in stock, so got that, a bit heavier and less expensive than Force (or Red!), and with a built-in power meter. I also got a DT Swiss 240 rear hub with a SRAM XDR freehub so I could build a rear wheel that would work with a SRAM AXS 12-speed cassette. And I got a beautiful new SP Dynamo SV-9 hub, DT Swiss RR411 rims (asymmetric rear, symmetric front) and Sapim CX Ray spokes to build up wheels for the makeover, and built wheel Nos. 27 and 28.

But as I started to remove the current components from Voyage Voyage's frame ... I found a crack low on the seat tube where the clamp secured the front derailleur. I think at one point the derailleur was slipping, so I tightened the clamp. I OVER-tightened the clamp. (Note to self ... next time apply some kind of anti-slip compound). Yes, even a titanium frame does not last forever, even if it is more resilient than aluminum , and not subject to the kind of hidden internal damage that can occur with carbon. 

Oh no!

But I hated to say goodbye to this frame. The S and S couplers remain a great way to travel with a bike (and, in contrast to Tim's incredibly generous pricing back in 2012 for this "proof of concept" frame with couplers), they would typically add ~$1000 to the cost of a new frameset. Worse yet, I had just purchased new components for the rebuild. I checked with Tim, and he said he would check with the factory that is welding his new RAMAX frames -- representing a decade of evolution since Voyage Voyage.  They said they were willing to try to fix the crack. 

When they got the frame and checked it (x-rayed it?), they found another tiny crack further up the seat tube. The down tube, head tube, and top tube are all straight gauge Ti on Voyage Voyage -- essential because of the couplers don't work with super-thin tube walls. Only the seat tube is double-butted and so quite thin in the middle ... and that is where the crack occurred. 

The constructors cut out the middle 50% of the seat tube, welded in a replacement, and sanded/ground (?) down the welds so that it again looks like one seamless titanium tube. I cannot tell exactly where the old tube ends and the new begins. I hope that, with this repair, I will get at least another few years of long, even epic rides out of this frame.

Repaired frame, with reflective tape replaced on chain/seat stays

Not obvious where the old tube ends and new one begins

Anyway, I got the frame back from Tim last Thursday, built it up on Friday, and rode it on Saturday and Sunday. 

Built up with that classic titanium look.

Dipell Bar Tape

SRAM AXS eTap Force -- It Goes To 12!

How do I like it? Well, the SRAM eTap AXS shifting is a dream. So far flawless and effortless -- and noticeably better shifting under load than the older Shimano Di2 that I am using now on the RAMAX. The AXS gear range -- 46-33 on the front and 10-36 on the rear, with its 33-36 granny gear about 15% lighter than my previous 34-32 low gear -- means I can spin up even the inside of the steepest corners on the climb to Yamabushi Pass in Saitama, while the high gear of 46-10 (4.6:1) is even a wee bit bigger than my previous 50-11 (4.54:1). And I look forward to training with a power meter/cadence sensor).

The new wheels are just fine. The RR411 rims have a noticeably superior braking surface. The SV-9 dynamo hub adds no noticeable drag while generating plenty of current for my light and still the lightest weight dynamo hub I have seen, and the DT Swiss 240 rear hub has a reassuringly fast but not annoying ratchet sound. The wheels seem to soak up bumps -- not overly stiff -- and I will be interested in how durable they prove, as the RR411 is a very light weight aluminum rim.

I paired the wheels with some Vittoria Open Pave "open tubular" tires that I bought online on clearance last year, 700x25 rear and 700x27 front (Open Pave used to be my favorites 8-10 years ago, except they were expensive enough and wore quickly enough that I could not justify using them on an everyday basis. Now they seem deeply discounted, as they are "old" technology for Vittoria, but still wonderful). Yes, this kind of handmade tire should age at least 6-8 months after manufacture to achieve maximum suppleness and strength, and these definitely have. I suspect they have been sitting in inventory at least a few years ... but they ride beautifully.

I put on some lovely Dipell leather bar tape. I eventually may replace the Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork. It is a great fork, but one that is getting quite long in the tooth, having been on another frame before Voyage Voyage.

I will eventually do a comparison between Voyage Voyage and the RAMAX. Both are titanium frames designed for a wide range of types of riding. But the RAMAX frame represents a decade of further evolution of both technology and design. The RAMAX frame incorporates what Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly describes as the "All-Road Bike Revolution", in addition to the innovations made possible by hydroformed titanium tubing. But in its current set up, Voyage Voyage remains a joy to ride. Stay tuned.

Three bottle cages -- (a) 1 liter water bottle, (b) rinko bag, and (c) tools and spares.

Wheel No. 29

I finally built up a replacement wheel for my Dura Ace rear hub (FH-9000). A new version of the same go-to H Plus Sons Archetype 32 hole rim, and Sapim CX-Ray spokes.  Why fix it if it ain't broke? The last time I replaced the rim, in 2019, I reused the spokes, so this time the makeover was primarily aimed at isntalling a new set of spokes, and the rim probably could have lasted awhile longer. I will replace the bearings in the hub as well, to make it a new wheel except for some of the longer lasting hub components.

A rim design that remains attractive, in my humble opinion.

Very modest wear on the Ti freehub body. More durable than most.

Proper wheelbuilding - rim spoke hole located directly over the hub label.

Wheel No. 28 Redux

I had built up Wheel No. 28 in December of last year but have not used it yet. My 10-year old Ti Travel bike frame needed a repair to the seat tube due to a boneheaded move (I overtightened the front derailleur clamp). It is repaired, but I am waiting for it to get shipped back from the factory (in another larger shipment of frames). Welcome to the supply chain issues of 2022!

Meanwhile, I was able to secure a DT Swiss RR411 32-hole front rim that would match the RR411 rim I used for the rear Wheel No. 27.  The rear one is asymmetric, to allow slightly more even tension between drive and non-drive side. The front rim is symmetric. I decided to take the new spokes and rim off Wheel No. 28's H Plus Son Archetype rim and rebuild it with the DT Swiss rim instead. Why? Of course, the aesthetics favor a matching front and rear rim. More important, RR411 rims are "tubeless ready" while H Plus Son rims are not, and it makes sense that both front and rear rims have this designation, as I will eventually try them with a tubeless set up. Finally, at around 930 grams w/o QR skewers or rim tape, this is around 25 grams lighter than my previous lightest dynamo hub front wheel, with a 370 gram hub and 32 triple cross (Sapim CX-Ray bladed) spokes. The RR411 is probably not as strong as the H Plus Sons Archetype rim, but I expect it will hold up just fine.

New Bike Day -- RAMAX, a Very Modern and Beautiful Titanium Frameset

Obligatory new bike photo.

Nearing Takasaki, along the Usui River

On Wednesday, March 9, I went to GS Astuto in Matsuida, Annaka City, Gunma. The plan was that I would ride my Renovo there from Takasaki and Tim Smith, with a bit of help from me, would take the Ultegra Di2 disk brake groupset off of the Renovo and install it on a new frameset, a titanium RAMAX (Randonneuring Adventure MAXimum), that I would ride home. 

The RAMAX frameset is Tim's design and incorporates everything he has learned from more than a decade of designing the Astuto titanium frames and accommodating the latest updates in components and styles of riding. He told me that his idea was to "future-proof" the design so it is versatile and works with the latest components and any coming down the pike in the next few years.

My last new frameset purchase (aside from the Pelso recumbent) was in 2015. Things have changed a lot in seven years. Back then, there was almost no "gravel bike" or "all road bike" category. Clearance for wide tires on a road bike, even an endurance road bike, meant 700x28mm or maybe 700x30mm tires, not 650Bx50mm. Disk brakes were on the way in, but still in a distinct minority. Axles were mostly QR (quick release), not the beefier 12mm thru-axle. Rear wheel spacing was a standard 130mm. Electronic shifting was still a limited, high-end option. Large diameter press-fit bottom brackets had started to proliferate, bringing with them problems of poor fit that had yet to find a solution.

Tim unwraps the frame

GS Astuto headbadge

Lovely curves, fender attachment

Beautiful welds. 

I love my current titanium frameset, the Ti Travel Bike with S and S couplers. In fact, I am planning a major component makeover for the bike's second decade. But I got that frame from Tim/GS Astuto in 2012, an early vintage. The Ti Travel Bike is designed for rim brakes, a mechanical (but not Di2) groupset, it has a standard BSA threaded bottom bracket shell, and can fit only 25mm or 26mm wide tires in the rear, not 28mm or wider. The RAMAX is made from the same raw material, but a different beast.

Titanium has long been considered a highly attractive material for bicycle frame tubing. Larger riders, especially, praise the "lively ride feel" of titanium frames -- which can be quite similar to the feel of the best steel frames. It is far lighter than steel for the same tensile strength, and far stronger and much more resistant to metal fatigue than aluminum alloy. Titanium is highly resistant to corrosion -- another advantage over steel frames -- such that the frames do not need to be painted.  And titanium can get banged up a bit without generating that gnawing feeling in the pit of the stomach one gets on a carbon frame that has taken impacts. The combination of resistances to metal fatigue and corrosion make titanium the best candidate for a "lifetime frame".

But titanium tubing has undergone a revolution in the past decade. Titanium historically was a difficult (and expensive) metal to form into tubes of various shapes. So a typical titanium bike in 2012 (e.g. the Ti Travel Bike) had round tubing for its four main tubes -- head tube, top tube, down tube, and seat tube. Round tubing may not offer as good ride qualities, or power transfer/stiffness, as other shapes. This practical limitation was removed with the invention and gradual expansion since 2012 of "hydroforming" techniques that allow fabricators to make tubes of various shapes more easily and economically. The RAMAX takes advantage of this with an ovalized down tube and seat tube that attach (are welded) to the bottom bracket shell in shapes that offer far greater lateral stiffness. This offers a feeling of stiff power transfer I have only before felt on a carbon-frame bike. The RAMAX top tube has a nearly flat top side -- aesthetically very pleasing and also offers increased lateral stiffness. 

Headset cups are set in now.

The RAMAX seat and chain stays offer clearance for up to at least 650Bx48mm tires (perhaps 50mm?). The head tube is a larger diameter and will accommodate different diameter fork crowns depending on the headset used. The all-carbon fork also offers lots of clearance for tires, looks lovely and while noticeably beefier than that on, say, my old Canyon Ultimate CF, is far less heavy and more graceful than some of the early disk brake CX carbon forks.  The BB shell is T47 -- the logical answer that gives the "best of both worlds" -- the larger diameter of those troublesome press-fit designs, the stability and easy installation/removal of a threaded BB, and adaptability to many different crankset standards.  The frame is designed for thru axles, which are now widely favored over QR skewers for off-road applications such as gravel and are safer and work better with disk brakes as well. (Most disk brake road bikes now come with thru axles -- some hubs have end caps that can be replaced to accommodate either QR or thru axle ... but not all, and certainly not older hubs.)

I made a new friend -- Latte.

My wheelset on the Renovo (Velocity Aileron rims) is a disk brake set with hubs designed for QR skewers (not adaptable to thru axle), ... so Tim lent me a similar set of Ailerons with thru axle hubs. He is building me another set, as soon as I can get a dynamo hub with thru axle for the front wheel. ...  I will use the Renovo wheelset as a backup for the Pelso (which is QR drop outs/disk brake).

The RAMAX has a "direct mount" for its rear derailleur. This is a Shimano design that works with their newest derailleurs. It offers a very solid and secure connection and should avoid the typical derailleur mis-alignment issue from a minor bump of the derailleur somewhere along the way, in transit by rinko bag perhaps. (SRAM does not use "direct mount" but apparently has its own similar "universal derailleur hanger" design in the works). The direct mount cannot be used with an older "classic" derailleur. In building up the bike, this was the one place where my ca. 2014 Ultegra Di2 groupset would not work on the bike. Instead, I swapped my Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur for a GRX direct mount version Tim had on one of the Astuto bikes. He tells me he has use for the Ultegra derailleur on a bike that has a "classic" derailleur hanger. After a firmware upgrade, the GRX/Ultegra Di2 combination worked (and works) perfectly.

The disk brakes ... well, Shimano hydraulic disk brakes are very nice.  They are a bit heavier than rim brakes, and not as easy to fix if there is a problem at roadside on a cold, wet night, ... but they work beautifully and, set up properly, can work without adjustment for a long, long time. They are far better in the rain than the typical rim brake set up. They also solve the problem of a heavy rider melting rims on a carbon clincher with rim brakes. And with a hookless set of disk brake-specific carbon rims, the weight differential disappears.

How does it ride? Well, my first impression is that it will be an extremely capable, balanced, and comfortable bicycle! It feels light and quick, even with the 700x36mm somewhat knobby gravel grinder tires. The BB is 1~2 cms higher off the ground than on a road bike -- not just the fatter tires, but also a bit of CX/gravel design? The seat, bars, etc. are all similarly higher. As mentioned above, the bike feels very responsive and alive. And it also feels ultra-solid and reliable in corners (this could be the wide Aileron rims and Challenge tires ... but it is the whole system). I suspect that, with time, this solid feeling will add to my confidence and I may find myself going downhill a bit faster, laying off the brakes a bit more, than in recent years. 

I will get the bike dialed-in over time. I will eventually have a front hub with an SP Dynamo for 24x7 lighting. And I will have lots and lots of opportunities to ride it in coming months and years. I'm looking forward to it!

Wheel No. 00028 -- First new SP dynamo hub in years!

This is around a 955g wheel, including the dynamo hub. About as light weight as imaginable for a 32-spoke, wide-rimmed, very sturdy wheel with a dynamo. 

As part of preparing the Ti Travel Bike, Voyage Voyage, for its second decade, I thought I also should replace my front wheel, built in December of 2014. The wheel and its Shutter Precision SV-9 dynamo hub has gone at least 20,000 kilometers over the past 7 years. The hub is a closed system -- can only be opened and maintained at the factory, in theory at least. So while it still "rolls good",  the bearings must have worn a bit by now. I recently noticed a very slight degree of "play" in it, so I think it may be nearing time to replace. And the wheel's H Plus Son Archetype rim is showing definite wear on the brake track -- what started as a straight brake track is now noticeably sunken/concave on both sides. I think the rim could last another year or two, but if I am going to replace the hub I might as well do the rim at the same time. If I build a new wheel, it should be what I use with the Ti Travel bike for PBP 2023 and beyond.

The new dynamo hub arrived it seemed almost overnight, actually second day I think after it shipped -- Taiwan is incredibly close to Japan and so it is practically like a domestic shipment! The SV-9 is designed to meet the German regulator's standards of output for a 20 or 24 inch wheel. On a 700c road wheel (28 inch) this hub requires a slightly higher speed than the regulatory standard to achieve the necessary output. This also is true for the SV-8/SD-8. The PV-8/PD-8 and PD-7/PL-7 are the models that clear the German regulator's output requirements. But that regulatory standard is for commuters on heavy bikes going slowly in urban environments. And it is for older lighting that drains more power than the newest, most efficient LED lights and reflector systems. The regulatory requirement is just not an issue for someone riding a road bike, even a plodding randonneur in the middle of the night.  And the SV-9 hub is just over 300 grams -- the lightest dynamo hub that works. The SV-9 (and SV-8, to some extent) have lower drag than other options. (These models are not included in any of the head-to-head tests by SON-friendly reviewers like Jan Heine at Bicycle Quarterly, or this Australian touring cyclist. Instead, they test the PV-8/PD-8. In my experience, anyone doing Audax or light, bikepacking touring will be very happy with the SV-8 or SV-9. They easily power a 50, 70 or 100 Lux LED headlight plus a rear light. And the drag is not noticeable. 

The H Plus Son Archetype is always an easy wheel to build, and today was no exception. And the H Plus Son Archetype remains, in my view, one of the best looking aluminum clincher rims out there. Just some good wheel-building therapy!

Wheel No. 00027

Wheel No. 00027

After a flurry of wheel building during 2012-2015, I have rebuilt a number of wheels in recent years ... but until today it has been quite awhile since I built up any entirely new ones. 

In 2020/21, I rebuilt each of my Imezi wheels after damaging the rims (my fault). 

In Spring 2019, after the rim died in Tasmania but before Paris-Brest-Paris and the other cycling planned for a European trip, I rebuilt Wheel No. 00024 with a new rim, but reused the lovely Dura Ace 9000 hub and the still okay Sapim CX-Ray spokes.* 

My plan is to convert the Ti Travel bike to SRAM Force AXS eTap 12-speed groupset -- for the next decade of use. That requires a rear wheel with a SRAM XDR hub. I got an XDR conversion freehub adapter for my Imezi 167 carbon chincher wheels, but also wanted a new, aluminum clincher rim wheel for everyday use, travel, and Audax.

XDR freehub, DT Swiss 240 classic (J bend) rim brake hub

I could find a DT Swiss 240 "classic" 28-hole hub and DT Swiss RR411 asymmetric rear rim, plus Sapim CX-Ray black spokes, on a German mail order retailer's website. The package arrived within two weeks and I built up the wheel.

The RR411 looks really nicely built. so does the DT Swiss 240 hub. The SRAM XDR cassette attaches really nicely to the freehub -- very secure and easy installation using the same tool as for a Shimano or legacy SRAM freehub. 

I have not used an asymmetric rear rim before, but the idea is that the right and left sides can have more even spoke tension than a typical rear wheel build, where nearly all the tension is on the drive side. In the end, with the wheel tensioned and trued, the right side spokes are around 125kgf and left side around 75-80kgf. In a typical aluminum clincher rear wheel the right would be the same, 120-130kgf, and the left would be I think no more than 50kgf. My hope is that this design, plus the super-strong Sapim CX-Ray spokes and the long, brass spoke nipples that I used, will make this a very strong wheel despite the 28 (vs my usual 32) spokes.

The RR411 is 22mm wide outside, 18mm wide inside, not so different from the H Plus Son Archetype (23mm/17.5mm), but not as wide as many of the rims being made in the past few years for use with 28mm, 30mm or wider tires. (Velocity Aileron rims and Gokiso GD2 rims are 25mm wide on the exterior, the Imezi rims are 26mm). The RR411 width is just fine, as the Ti Travel bike's chain stays do not allow a tire wider than 26-27mm in any event. In recent years, I use a 28mm tire on the front of the bike, for extra comfort, and a 25/26mm rear. I also use a 27.2mm seat post with an adapter for a bit of added flex and comfort, as the bike feels a bit stiff for ultra-endurance with a 30.6 seat post. 

I have DT Swiss 350 hubs on the Imezi wheels, but this is my first experience with the DT Swiss 240 -- the higher-end model, lighter weight for road racing, but I expect very similar in terms of maintenance and durability. The freehub is very quiet.

The fully built wheel, without cassette/tape/skewers, is 838 grams. That is excellent for an aluminum clincher rear wheel. For comparison, Wheel No. 00024 was 913 grams when new. The DT Swiss 240 rear hub is 212 grams (vs 247 for the Dura Ace 9000). There are 28 (vs 32) spokes. And the rim is 435g (vs 485g for the H Plus Son Archetype). I used slightly longer (and heavier, brass) spoke nipples as compared to the aluminum nipples that used to come paired with Sapim CX-Ray spokes. 

And the DT Swiss RR411 rim came with washer-like supports (PHR washers) that  fit around the inside edge of the spoke hole, where the spoke nipple presses into the rim, to compensate for a rim that does not have any grommets around the spoke holes. These supports are wider than the base/head of the spoke nipple and are shaped to fit snuggly into the inside of the rim bed and give additional support around the edge of the spoke hole. 

I used the black brass Sapim Polyax 16mm spoke nipples I ordered with the spokes, rather than the set of DT Swiss silver alloy "Squorx" nipples that came with the rim. I now see some instructions on other retailers' sites to the that the wheels "must be built" with not only the PHR washers but the Squorx spoke nipples. Hmmm. 

Did I mention that, with the right rim tape, the RR411 rims are "tubeless ready"?

The rim, hub, and spokes all made for an easy build. I expect this to be an excellent wheel with which to launch the second decade of the Ti Travel bike! 

10-36 12-speed SRAM Force 1270 Etap AXS hub (with QR skewer inserted). 
With 46-33 crankset and 10-36 cassette, the AXS drivetrain will offer a barely bigger high gear than my current 50-11 compact setup, and a much lower low gear (33-36 vs 34-32)
for spinning up the steepest hills, exhausted and with some gear on the bike.

*Wheel No 00024 now could use another rebuild, after thousands more kilometers. The rim probably could last another few years, though it is showing some wear along the brake tracks. But a number of the bladed spokes have bound up in the spoke nipple or are badly twisted from 6+ years of adjustments, and are essentially stuck. At this point, instead of mixing 7-year old and new spokes, I think it is best to again re-use the Dura Ace hub, with a new replacement H Plus Son rim and a full new set of spokes. Another winter project!

SRAM Revisited

If you look back into the Positivo Espresso archives, or search some online forums, you can find some complaints that many of the first generation of SRAM eTap (wireless electronic) rear derailleurs failed, gradually or suddenly, within the first three to six months. Mine did also, in the middle of a ride. It was of questionable enough reliability that there was no way I was taking eTap for the trip to Europe that included 2019 PBP.  I also, historically, have grumbled when, say, a SRAM crank-arm sheared off above the pedal, leaving my foot dangling in mid air, not to mention the many times that the rubber brifter covers have torn and worn on my SRAM brifters.

Overall, I had the impression that SRAM was trying to shave weight off of components in places where, perhaps, they should have focused on reliability. And that they rushed eTap to the market faster than they should have.

Of course, a search through the archives and the "equipment we broke" page will show plenty of Shimano brifters, Shimano Ultegra cranksets, etc., that were unrepairable after catastrophic failure. But overall, historically, Shimano seemed a bit more reliable and conservative than SRAM.

Then there was the very fast, sudden, jump from 1st generation eTap to the AXS eTap, with almost no backward/forward compatibility! Ouch - felt like a punishment for jumping in with both feet and getting the early product.

But I have now been using my warranty replacement SRAM eTap rear derailleur without any problems for the past 2+ years.  At this point I would trust it enough to take it on a 1200km brevet outside Japan. It continues to have some great advantages, other than reliable, push-the-button shifting. The main one is ... no shift cables, mechanical or electrical. This is a compelling advantage for travel, when one needs to take apart and put together a bicycle several times to avoid damage and fit it as luggage. 

And these days I find myself using an old SRAM Rival/Red mechanical groupset mix, with long cage (Wi Fli) rear derailleur and FSA/Ossymetric cranks, on the travel bike. Also, the Pelso came with a 1x SRAM GX groupset with hydraulic disk brakes (also 11 spd ... not the newer "Eagle" 12 spd version). These SRAM products work just fine, though they are not as effortless to use as eTap.

SRAM seems to be the "innovator" now. They led in bringing 1X systems from the MTB to the road/gravel bike market, including rear derailleurs with a clutch and a very wide gear range.

They led with wireless electronic shifting. Shimano is only now bringing out a "half" wireless product that, while it does not have wires running through the top nor down tubes, and so would work for a travel bicycle with couplers, still has plenty of cables within the front and rear parts of the bike, and a seat post battery that cannot just be swapped in and out in seconds as the SRAM batteries can.

And the AXS eTap seems reasonably well-regarded in the market. It has been out for several years, and has "trickled down" from Red, to Force, to Rival versions. The Rival one is affordable, the Force one at least not shock-the-conscience outrageously expensive.  You can get a power meter in your crankset for a few hundred dollars extra -- a fraction of what the first Quarks or old SRMs cost a decade ago. And they have both 1X and 2X systems.

--I have read that SRAM is doing a firmware upgrade so that an older 11 speed eTap rear derailleur could function with a new AXS shifter, as they stop being able to supply the older shifters for replacement. Backward compatibility instead of forced obscelescence. 

--The batteries and chargers also are compatible between first generation eTap and AXS. The 12 speed SRAM cassette free hub is different than the 11 speed SRAM/Shimano one, but at least it seems that many hub/wheel manufacturers (e.g. DT Swiss, Chris King) make adapters to allow continued use of old wheels/hubs with the new 12 speed cassettes.

--Rim brake versions are available. A hydraulic disk defeats the simplicity for travel of no shift cables/wires, simple brake cables with splitters, unless you use one of the mechanical/hydraulic disc brakes such as TRP or the Ultimo Yokozuna. If I were to transfer this groupset to a disc brake bike in the future, I could get some of those and continue to use everything else (and continue to use cable splitters for the brake cables to travel.

The main disadvantages for SRAM are, I think:

(1) the Shimano front derailleur performance continues to be noticeably smoother/faster than SRAM, and 

(2) SRAM is very hard to find and expensive in Japan. 

I bought my eTap from a German online retailer at the end of 2018. If I try today, the same site tells me the product is "not available for shipment to Japan".  That said, it is usually possible to find someplace that will ship to Japan what I want and need, if I cannot find it locally. I just purchased a Force AXS upgrade (with Rival AXS crankset, including power meter) to install on my travel bike this winter. I was glad that they offer a rim brake version. 

And the gearing will be 46-33 crankset, 10-36 rear cassette, compared to my current 50-34 and 11-32.  So my top gear will be 4.6x instead of 4.54x, and the bottom will be 0.916 instead instead of 1.06. Total range is 502% instead of 428%. Also, I could find a merchant willing to ship to Japan. The bike's titanium frame is in its 10th year. I hope that with the new groupset, I will have at least another 10 years of relatively trouble-free travel around the globe with my Ti Travel bike, Voyage Voyage.

Finally, even if SRAM is made in Asia (mostly Taiwan), it is an American company, with a pretty cool looking HQ in Chicago. As an American overseas, it is nice, once in awhile, to fly the stars and stripes.

Classic bikes in MOB's shop

MOB told me that he is selling lots of good quality city bikes, mountain bikes, e-bikes, and even some electric scooters.

But the other bikes around his shop that I really noticed were the "Eroica-eligible" classics hidden here and there.

You can find the rules for Eroica bicycles in Regulation 6.1 of the Eroica -- an annual 200+ km event on the bianca strada of Chianti in Tuscany. Basically, the bicycles should be from before 1987, or more recent ones that are "historically inspired".  No brifters, etc. I realized that MOB could easily outfit a team of tall Bremen-based riders to join the Eroica.

Here are two of them. First, a Pegliaghi.

Is it for sale?

Next, a Cinelli Supercorsa with gorgeous components.

Beautiful Campagnolo downshifters

Holes drilled ... for grip? Save weight?

A Peugeot ... too large a frame for Jerome.

Nagasawa track bike -- MOB bought this Keirin frame with me in Tokyo!

You can learn about all of these and more on MOB's blog.