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Patrick October 13, 2024

Updating Brakes Round Two

Back in mid-July, I updated the Hope brakes on my Volagi Viaje. I replaced the original RX4 calipers with the new and improved RX4+. Whereas the old RX4 used 2x14 mm and 2x11 mm pistons, Hope increased the pistons to 2x16 mm and 2x14 mm for the RX4+ calipers. I paid little attention to the pads then, but once out of the box, I immediately realized that RX4 and RX4+ calipers shared different brake pads. The original pads for SRAM RX4 calipers are 30.8mm wide. The width of the pads increased to 37.0mm for RX4+ calipers. That's a 20% size increase.

Patrick October 11, 2024

DJI Neo - The Perfect Cyclist's Drone 

I got my feet wet using a drone for cycling photography in the spring of 2017 when I bought a Yuneec Breeze 4K. It showed me two things at the time. Firstly, I was able to capture some amazing photos. Secondly, drone technology wasn't ready.

Patrick September 23, 2024

My Latest Gadget, The DJI Neo

Seven years ago, I bought a Yuneec Breeze 4K drone for cycling photography. It allowed me to snap some awesome shots only a flying camera can take. It was an unreliable flying object, though. After half a year, it self-destructed. I've been following the development of consumer drones as attentively as the bike market ever since. DJI brought the Spark and the Mavic Minis. US-based Skydio was the first company to release a drone with subject follow mode and obstacle avoidance with the R1 in 2018. They were never available to consumers in Europe. Last year, Zero Zero Robotics brought the HoverAir X1 pocket-sized self-flying drone. They improved this concept this year with the HoverAir X1 Pro/ProMax. While the 8K video-capable ProMax is a drone I could see myself owning one day, I'm getting back into drone photography on a much smaller budget with the DJI Neo.

Patrick August 5, 2024

Spexcel Cycling Apparel

Other than a review on theBidon blog and a few Reddits, there's very little online about Shenzhen-based cycling apparel brand Spexcel. I first ran across Spexcel on AliExpress in 2023. I bought a few windproof vests and two bibs for the fall and winter seasons. The quality and workmanship were outstanding. In 2024, I revisited their AliExpress store multiple times. I bought a half dozen jerseys, several bib shorts, and a thin, windproof vest. I have a drawer full of jerseys, some old, some newer; what I was missing were short-sleeve jerseys made from extremely lightweight materials for hot summer days. By hot, I mean 24-28°C. No jersey in the world would make cycling fun at 30 °C. Spexcel had just what I needed.

Patrick July 19, 2024

Updating Brakes Round One

I owned a lovely set of red Formula R1 brakes since 2010. They went onto my singlespeed Niner Air9 Carbon, moved to my black 44 Kid Dangerous in 2013, and then to my 44 Marauder in 2017; fourteen years of service and still working perfectly. It was time to treat the Marauder to a new set of brakes. I was just waiting for a worthy replacement to appear on the market. This happened recently with Hope’s release of the XCR brakes in anodized colors and the option of two, or four-piston calipers. Hope is essentially the only manufacturer that still offers disc brakes in a variety of colors. The XCR with E4 calipers were the brakes I was waiting for.