Shimano

Bought on sale for a climbing century. I was concerned I would not be able to use it with my Shimano 9150 DI2 since it was not recommended. I run a sub-compact (50/34). It worked in all gears but didn't want to risk going big-big gear option. So I set my DI2 to full syncro mode and limited gear options to drop down the front to 34 when gearing down (higher up on the cassette) on the rear cassette from 27. This avoided the big-big gear selection that put a lot of stress on my rear derailer. Worked great!

These inexpensive Shimano pedals will last a very long time if they are well maintained. This is my second pair. I bought the first pair probably over 20 years ago. And they have been on a lot of different bikes since then. They still work perfectly and show very little wear. I have never had to do anything to them. I just keep them clean and that's it. The bearings are still perfectly smooth and don't have hardly any play in them at all. Not enough to even notice. And that's only in one of them. The other has no play. But it is still as smooth as glass. The originals have a polished aluminum main body. The new ones are black. And they both have the same chrome steel adjustable clip-ins. They are both easy to clip in and unclip. They are a very good value and well worth the money. If I ever need another pair I will probably buy another pair of these.

I have 11-speed drivetrains on both my road and gravel bikes (Ultegra and GRX). About a year ago, I switched to the DA version chains, based on recommendations from Josh Portner (Marginal Gains) and Dylan Johnson (Bonk Bros). They both report slightly better efficiency vs Ultegra, and considerably better than other brands. I am not sure I can notice the 2-3 watt difference compared to the Ultegra but I feel they are slightly quieter and shift nicer. Might be my imagination though.

I use Silca hot wax, with their drip on wax (Super Secret) between, and get at least 3,000 miles before detecting and chain stretch. I'm not at all fanatical about cleaning, and especially my gravel bike deals with a lot of dirt, plus the occasional water crossing.

Expensive, and maybe not that much better than Ultegra, but I buy them when BTD has them on sale.

I have 11-speed drivetrains on both my road and gravel bikes (Ultegra and GRX). About a year ago, I switched to the DA version chains, based on recommendations from Josh Portner (Marginal Gains) and Dylan Johnson (Bonk Bros). They both report slightly better efficiency vs Ultegra, and considerably better than other brands. I am not sure I can notice the 2-3 watt difference compared to the Ultegra, but I feel they are slightly quieter and shift nicer. Might be my imagination though.

I use Silca hot wax, with their drip on wax (Super Secret) between, and get at least 3,000 miles before detecting and chain stretch. I'm not at all fanatical about cleaning, and especially my gravel bike deals with a lot of dirt, plus the occasional water crossing.

Expensive, and maybe not that much better than Ultegra, but I buy them when BTD has them on sale.