Shimano
During the pandemic service parts were in short supply, so I couldn't find genuine brake pads for an upcoming gravel event. The LBS recommend "ceramic" pads they say they've used with great success and customers were happy with ...fine, they worked and seemed ok, so I just forgot about them and got through the pandemic on them.
Recently a got an email notice from BTD that genuine Shimano pads were back in stock AND it happened there was a flash sale also, so I figured since I was getting the Revolt prepped for the '23 gravel season, why not just go ahead and freshen up the bike with new pads too ???????
O... M... G!!!! After bedding them in, I cannot believe the difference in outright power, modulation & gain, resistance to fading and they're quiet ??
I'll never ever go with anything else, these are the pads to go with period you won't be disappointed ????
Been using the Shimano MW501 shoes for weeks while mountain biking and road biking in temps 15+. Gone are the rides with numb toes! In the past I would use my normal bike shoe with toe covers and it was not enough. Never realized what a difference winter shoes would make. I like the shoe overall but am not the biggest fan of velcro around ankle. Although I have not had issues with it yet, it is a bit awkward. Not a deal breaker and still love the shoes though.
I refreshed some drivetrain components after a few thousand miles of commuting, gravel, and CX racing. This paired really well with Tiagra 4700 shifters, and gave more crisp shifting than the RD-4700 that it replaced. I had a couple of chain drops last CX season (but this is a commuter bike with a 50/39 crank), so I'm hoping the clutch will prevent drops in the future. A couple of online reviews mentioned that this will also work with some 11-sp shifters, but YMMV. Highly recommend!
I've been using these since receiving at Christmas. For 25F to 50F they've been great. On those cold mornings commuting my feet stay warm enough. I'm not sure how they are in the teens because it hasn't been that cold yet where I live. I rode over the weekend in mid to high 30's and got stuck in a rain storm. My feet never knew the difference, still warm & dry. I highly recommend. I went with the same size as my Shimano shoes, if you like thick socks in the winter months consider going up a half size.
