Ending 2022 I built up a new hardtail and really was not denied any parts that I wanted. I was able to lay hands on everything at a good price even. Maybe parts I like are not popular [Shimano 11 speed drivetrain] or I got lucky, but I didn't have to work too hard to get a bike rolling.
Bike frame/parts drought 2021
Benefits of not being trendy. /\
It's getting hard to get all dolled up for the trailhead fashion show these days.
There should be Shimano 12sp chains around if shops ordered them early enough. We have some.
Got a more up to date bike with the used Optic just grabbed.
Grabbed some new pads from Norco Bikes to complement the emergency discard pile.
Buddy has my spare XT derailleur can steal back.
Steed had Shimano chains in stock. 🍻
Brake levers seem to be an item I've been going through too. Will go Shigura asap and have spares.
Tires meh can always rummage through the discard pile.
Alrighty then, Omicron riding preparedness✔️
I was looking for obscure small parts yesterday, and every local shop I reached out to was great:
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They e-mailed back within a couple hours with detailed and extremely helpful e-mails.
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They all went above and beyond in a different way that I wasn't expecting.
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They all appeared to be reasonably-well stocked.
I've been quite impressed by Dunbar, Kinetik, and North Shore Bike Shop every time I've interacted with any of them since the supply chain issues began.
It's definitely worth sending them an e-mail or giving them a call if you're looking to stock up on a specific part.
Last edited by: Cheez1ts on Dec. 28, 2021, 7:55 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: Hepcat
Got a more up to date bike with the used Optic just grabbed.
Grabbed some new pads from Norco Bikes to complement the emergency discard pile.
Buddy has my spare XT derailleur can steal back.
Steed had Shimano chains in stock. 🍻
Brake levers seem to be an item I've been going through too. Will go Shigura asap and have spares.
Tires meh can always rummage through the discard pile.
Alrighty then, Omicron riding preparedness✔️
don’t break any shimano brake blades, single ones are hard to get atm
That would be the sweetest excuse to buy some of these:
https://flomotorsports.com/products/copy-of-beta-brake-lever-1
Posted by: Sethimus
don’t break any shimano brake blades, single ones are hard to get atm
after exhausting many options (the flo levers were backordered), i sourced an slx lever from alibaba. never ordered anything from there previously (it *feels* sketchy af), but was cheap enough, part was genuine, & shipping time was reasonable.
in a pinch, you can also buy complete single pot shimano brakes from TBS for decently cheap (ie, $160 for slx), and be ready to roll within a couple days (they ship fast). i have also had opportunity to explore this avenue...
i had an old slx brake from 2012 and used that instead, the blades are not even available on alibaba anymore
I just bought some Deore M6100 levers to replace my leaky SLX M7000 levers and they could be found in stock at a few places online (RideHub, Dunbar and Sports aux puces Longueuil). 46$ each with the new style clamp and simple "Shimano" branding instead of "Deore" on the master cylinder. Steel forged lever blades and hex-adjusted reach though, but I don't care about that or weight. Could be an option for those ho don't mind "downgrading" to Deore, but I'm thinking that it won't be a downgrade at all.
Last edited by: martin on Dec. 30, 2021, 6:16 p.m., edited 2 times in total.
Shimano 'just' need to produce a metric-shit-ton of good old Zee levers. No more snapping lever blades. No more split bladders. And probably half the price of Flo Bro levers.
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