TREK Madone SLR6 with KMC X11SL Gold chain added

Just swapped the Ultegra 11 Speed chain to the new KMC X11SL chain and boy is the KMC really quiet and smooth. Saved about 20g weight over the Ultegra HG701. 2 rides (150km) over the weekend and it came in as solid as the HG701 outgoing chain. Kinda like the Gold colored chain which added some bling to the SLR6.

Continental GP5000

Just got my hands on the Continental GP5000. will be testing out this spanking new tire this weekend. Tire looks well made and mounting it on the Imezi Rims was easy and surprisingly tool less. Love the German flag logo on the tire...adds a luxury feel to it.

Weight in at 210g approximately 5g lighter than the outgoing GP4000SII of 215g. Hoping the manufacturer claimed 12% improved rolling resistance (compared to the GP4000) would be a justifiable upgrade for this tire.

Bontrager Flare RT (New) for Trek Madone SLR

The Bontrager Flare RT (New) for Trek Madone SLR is a truely smart tail light. The RT came charged out of the box, initial switch on test after reading the manual found the blinking rate to be irregular (not blinking). test was done in doors. however found out later that once the RT is outdoor in the outdoor ambient light the in built sensor detects that you are outdoor and blinks regularly as it should.

Tried to link to my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and found it not supported by wahoo just yet. It would be great if Bontrager comes out with a generic mobile app that could control the Flare RT as removing it to turn OFF and ON could be a hassle if the saddle rails are the low profile type.  Besides the users who have opt not to purchase the Bontrager Transmitr Remote

TREK Madone SR Bontrager (DT Swiss) Thru Axle 12x100 & 12x142 specifications

Some info for Trek Madone 2018 SLR owners out there. I have taken measurements for the Bontrager DT Swiss Thru Axle 12x100 & 12x142 specifications below.

Front: 100mm x 12mm, 122mm length.  Thread Pitch : M12x1.75

Rear Axle : 142mm x 12mm, 166mm length, Thread Pitch M12x1.75. Weight in at 60g. Checking if DT Swiss RWS Thru Axle has the Madone SLR model support as removing the Lever can save 27.3g for rear axle(65.4g complete RWS TA assembly - 38.1g RWS TA Plug In Rear axle only) 

Shimano Road Dura Ace SM-RT900 Ice-Tec Center Lock Disc Brake Rotor

Will soon be mounting the Shimano Road Dura Ace SM-RT900 Ice-Tec Center Lock Disc Brake Rotor (160mm front & 140mm rear) to the SLR6 when the Newmen hubs go on the new wheelset. This upgrade from the Ultegra rotors will reduce the weight of the entire bike further by 38g. The cleaning of the rotor will be easier as the Dura Ace rotor 'Freeza' fins are painted black instead of aluminium silver.

Weight of the 160mm Dura Ace Rotor as seen below.

NEWMEN Evolution SL Straightpull Road Center Lock Disc Hubs

Just Received the NEWMEN Evolution SL Straightpull Road Center Lock Disc Rear Hub. First visual inspection ...Build appears to be of Good quality. The Front Hub comes with a Reducer Cap/Collar for the 15x100mm TA to fit a 12x100mm. The total weight for front and rear hub is a commendable 287g. For comparison my current DT Swiss 350 Straight Pull Center Lock Disc REAR HUB only is already 267g. Will update further once it has been laced to the ASTUTO IMEZI 40mm Rims from Japan, Built by MB Custom (megabike)...hoping to achieve the total wheelset weight of 1.44kg

As a comparison..I have attached the DT Swiss 350 Straight Pull Center Lock Disc Hub set weight for reference.

NEW Giro Empire SLX Road Cycling Shoes Metallic Charcoal

NEW Giro Empire SLX Road Cycling Shoes Metallic Charcoal. Testing of this iconic shoelaced shoe underway. First ride was pleasantly comfortable with just the lacing portion kinda slow compared to the usual dial from the Atac & ratchet type fasteners. But once tucked in the laces stayed there the entire ride without any issues.