The Gravel Bus Gets "Limited Editioned"

The Shimano GRX Limited rear derailleur. Image courtesy of Shimano

 Many of you readers already know that I received a GRX Limited Edition group* set from Shimano recently as a gift to celebrate my getting into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame back in June. I had given thought as to what to do with this group for many days and I only decided just last week what to do with it all. 

So, this past weekend was a roller coaster of weather with Saturday being all hot, humid, and inhospitable while Sunday was stormy, rainy, humid, and inhospitable. That meant that it was perfect weather for a group set installation. Now, I was not sure I would even have all the stuff I would need to get the job done. In fact, I was almost certain that I did not have everything necessary, but......well, you'll see. 

The single speed version of the Gravel Bus

 Obviously, the first order of business was to tear down the bike from its single speed status and rebuild it from that point. Originally, the Gravel Bus was to have been a geared bike, but in June of 2020, you weren't getting any GRX stuff. I was very fortunate to have found flat mount brakes back then to make it a single speed bike I could ride. So, that is why it came with the full cable stop set up. Because I was going to have a geared bike. But when plans changed, it was just one of those things I figured I would just live with. And I was glad that I did in the end.

So, with that out of the way- I knew I needed a new bottom bracket to fit the Press Fit shell on the frame. Now, it was something of a surprise to me, and even more so as to why I had this at all, but I actually had a Wheels Manufacturing PF-30 bottom bracket for a Shimano crank! So.....yeah. Weird! It had an Andy's Bike Shop tag on the box, so I must have picked one up to replace the one in my Noble Bikes GX5 at some point, but why I had it, I don't know, because the one in that bike is fine. Looking to the future maybe? Did I trade Andy for it? I may have, since I believe Andy was going to do a GRX crank in his Standard Rando and couldn't get it. I don't remember..... Point is, I had it. WooHoo! 

Then it was a question of would I have full-run housing for it? I knew that I had housing, but a full rear derailleur run's worth? And you know what? I had it! Crazy! Then it was finding the brake hardware for the rear brake attachment. The new calipers came in paper wrapping, not in their proper Shimano boxes, so I had calipers set up with pads and that was it. Add in the fact that the rear rotor was a 140mm diameter one and finding bolts in that small size that flat mounts use was going to be tough. Also- Why didn't they just use the same size bolts that brakes have used since, like- forever?!! Dang Shimano! 

But I found a pair! That was amazing to me. I mean, every time I thought I was going to run into a road block to getting the bike finished, I found a work-a-round or the actual part. It was as if this was meant to be. And, well- maybe it was. 

That got me a bit excited because I realized that maybe I could get the bike done and rideable by the end of the weekend. I did run into one slight bump in the road, so to speak, and that wasn't with the group, actually. No, it was with tools. Any bicycle mechanic can tell you that specific tools sometimes put an end to a repair session. But this wasn't even that. No- it was a basic tool set that I did not have that I should. 1/4" drive hex drivers. That's no big deal, right? 

So while Mrs. Guitar Ted and I were out to buy groceries, I suggested a stop at one of our big-box chain store supply outlets in town. Nope! No go. I was a bit surprised, to be honest. So, once I got back home, I looked for these on the internet and found that another big-box supply outlet did have what I wanted. They even told me what aisle and in which section to find it. Pretty neat! So on Sunday I got that and was able to use my fancy Unior torque wrench to tighten the crank arm bolts to the spindle interface.

The brakes on newer Shimano road levers are the No-Bleed type which allows you to cut the hoses, insert them into the lever after removing a yellow plug, and then tightening the compression nut in the lever. Pretty slick deal, but....I didn't get any extra barbs! Fortunately, the stock hoses come with barbs installed, so I had to salvage them by way of utilizing some old whittling skills and free them from the ends I cut off. Then I reinstalled them into my shorter hoses, and then I did the no-bleed attachment. 

Whew! Another hurdle crossed! Then it was on to re-using the old black handle bar tape, which I happened to like well enough and was in good shape yet. I think it is some basic stuff from Quality Bicycle Products from their "MSP" line. It isn't necessarily the easiest to wrap, and wrapping a Shimano hydraulic road lever is challenging as well. So that took a bit of wrangling, but I got it to work. 

Some final tuning, chain installation, and double checking bolts later and this came out of the basement Lab.....

The new, geared version of the Gravel Bus.

Other than the obvious new GRX Limited stuff, I also changed the bottom bracket, added a found front derailleur strap I had on an old Campy front derailleur, and used the WTB CZR wheels I recently reviewed for RidingGravel.com. *

I'm hoping that today I get out to test out this set up. I'm not a huge fan of a bigger front chain ring mated to a smaller inner front chain ring, but I'll give this a whirl and see what I think. I definitely will have a lower range gearing than I typically do! I tried out the granny on my test ride in the neighborhood and wow! Spinning like a hamster wheel! Not used to that, I'll say that much for now. 

Impressions: I was told not to "review" this group, and I won't. This is from an aesthetic point of view. I really, really like the silver. I am not 100% sold on the look here on the mostly black and yellow Gravel Bus. Honestly, I knew I would be a bit cool on this set up, and that is why I was looking for a different frame for a bit. I probably could get one of those Ritchey Classic seat posts, and maybe I could do a set of Velocity polished silver rims and some silver hubs from, well like from White Industries, let's say. But..... Yeah. I'm not complaining. This was a gift, and I am very humbled to receive it and I will put it to good use. Once it is dusty it probably won't matter anymore anyway! 

If the Raleigh Tamland Two would have had brake mounts compatible with the flat mount brakes that would have been a slam-dunk for this GRX Limited. That was my first choice, and while I did find that Wolf Tooth now makes an IS to Flat mount adapter, you have to bump up from the stock settings to the next larger rotor size. In my case, that would have been 180mm frt/160mm rear, and 160mm rotors are not compatible with the Tamland Two frame. So, bummer! 

So, this is the bike the GRX Limited will live on. I hope that I get on with the gearing! More on that soon.....

* Standard Disclaimer