So, I was looking for a GPS mount for the Wahoo Elemnt Roam and all of them I have are being used. I wanted to put the Roam on my Gryphon Mk3 for the upcoming Tree In The Road Ride. Well, since I was unwilling to dismount any of the mounts I have in place now this left me with no other option than to order a new one.
Shopping online led me to KOM Cycling. I've had good performance and experiences with their products such as their tubeless tools, saddle roll, and tube pack. They offer GPS mounts as well, so I decided to roll with one of their Wahoo compatible mounts. The price is very reasonable, and it comes in colors, so this was appealing also.
The mount is made of injection molded plastic. It seems reasonably lightweight, and it has these killer rubber shims for smaller diameter mounting points. They are molded rubber in a cicular shape, and split, so you can slip one over a bar and not have to hold it in place while trying to mount the GPS holder. These are probably the best shims I've ever seen for an accessory.
Which is kind of sad since I didn't need to use either one sent! The GPS mount has an embedded rubber strip for grip if you do not need those impressive shims. The mount uses the ubiquitous single 3mm hex head bolt to clamp down the mount, and with the embedded rubber strip, this clamp feels rock-solid. I expect no movement there. And the Roam fits snugly with no wiggle or chance it would randomly twist out of the mount. So, I am satisfied and I would buy one again if I need to for another bike.
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| Image from Facebook post. |
Trek Full-Sus Gravel Bike Spotted:
Recent ultra-distance events have revealed a Trek branded full-suspension bike which is not in their catalog as of this writing.
The bike appears to use a linkage driven rear shock tucked up underneath the junction with the top tube and seat tube. The tires look pretty beefy, which is the trend for adventure bikes, and the bike appears to have geometry which would be more mountian-bikish rather than gravel race/riding geometry.
Apparently there is a Reddit thread on this bike where users claim the name of the model is "Checkout".
Comments: Interesting.... My observation is the average bikepacker is looking for less complexity and ease of field repair. While suspension forks are typically used by many bikepackers, a short travel gravel fork seems, well......pointless.No one has convinced me yet that 40mm of travel can do what 100mm of travel does. The reality is 40mm of travel is handcuffing yourself to a compromise which has the same weight, complexity, and maintenance factors as a 100mm fork which, as well all know, actually works.
I am not against this idea, however, full-suspension hasn't been a hot bikepacking choice, not that I've noted, so acceptance of a model like the Trek shown here doesn't seem a slam dunk. Obviously, we don't know details either, but if the bike has a high bottom bracket and leans into MTB geometry, with its paltry suspension travel, (at least up front), it would seem to be an odd-ball offering.
But I don't know, it could be a big deal. What do you think?
4 comments:
KOM cycling mounts are what I run. Fairly inexpensive, always in stock, and simple to move from bike to bike.
48mm of travel was all we needed when the RS-1 came out 35 years ago. For gravel 40mm sounds like a good number for me IF it is tuned for the small bump compliance end of the scale
I have a couple of those KOM mounts as well. They're solid.
As for the Trek, I tend to agree with you… The line between 'gravel' and 'mtb' is getting really muddy. Unless it's significantly lighter, and pretty much just as strong, I'd probably pull out my Top Fuel for conditions I'd use that bike for. And none of those are 'gravel', at least as we have it here.
Bikepacking=!= Ultra races. Tour Divide was won by the same rider, Justinas Leveikas, on a flat bar full suspension bike. Short travel full sus XC bikes are becoming popular for long distance ultras. People want to go hard for days, sleeping very little if at all, so they are looking for comfort.
I agree with your points on short travel forks and low maintenance. I enjoy simpler bikes myself.
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