Brooks B17 Saddle - Throughout the entire planning process a WTB Pure V saddle had been earmarked for this build, but Bike24 lists a Brooks saddle for 74.90 euros (including VAT). Since the 19% VAT doesn't apply to shipments outside Europe, the actual price comes to 62.94 euros or $67.98 USD, $71.38 USD after the US imposed 5% import tax on bike parts. Even after considering its portion of the $23 shipping (for the whole box of stuff), we're talking about $75 for a Brooks B17, roughly that of the WTB. Even if I end up hating the Brooks, I'm sure I can sell it for what I've got in it.
Brake Sets - Shimano's relatively simple one-way bleeding procedure made them a brand of choice for hydraulic brakes. The XT and SLX lines also got very good reviews on their ease of adjustment and stopping power. The SLX seemed to be the price performer I sought, but Shimano makes a trekking version of the SLX (BR-T675 instead of BR-M675) that sports longer levers, but only seem to be available in Europe. I went with the LX trekking version.
Rotors - Shimano rotors would make sense given my choice of Shimano brakes, but I went with Avid Cleansweep G2 rotors. Rohloff Speed Hubs have a non-standard 4-bolt pattern for the rotors and Shimano doesn't seem to make a rotor with that pattern. I wanted rotors that matched, or at least looked fairly similar. Avid makes both 6 and 4 bolt pattern versions of their Cleansweep rotors. Sold.
Tires and Tubes - I have to admit, I swallowed the Schwalbe hype pill early on in the planning process and have been a homer ever since. I didn't find anybody online who had anything to say against this brand. The only choices were the model and size and I wavered on both a number of times. The Marathon Plus model looks almost bullet proof against thorns and road debris, but are quite heavy. For touring, this would be my no-doubt choice. For commuting/transportation the Marathon Supreme provides very good puncture protection, great grip, and has a more all-around purpose. Once choosing the lighter Supreme I continued down that path with the lighter, more nimble, 32c width, bucking the wide-tire trend of most Wolverine builds. Side Note: I'm no weight weenie (duh, Rohloff build), but I'm not building a tank either. When lighter makes sense, lighter makes sense.
Chain - Cycle Monkey recommends Wipperman chains for Rohloff bikes and has this to say about them: "High-quality, long lasting German-made chains. Recommended for use with the Rohloff SPEEDHUB 500/14; will fit through Rohloff chain tensioner. 8sX model is the longest lasting chain on the market." and also had this to say about the 8sX chain I chose: "- Stainless steel inner links and nickel-plated outer links - Good corrosion resistance - Best wear life - Includes Connex Link". Cycle Monkey is the go-to Rohloff authority in the US, so how can I, who knows darn little, justify going against their recommendation? Never looked at another chain. The Connex master links are cool too.
Pedals - I probably spent more time looking at pedals than any other component and never found that model that shines above the others for me. Dual sided pedals appealed to me at first but finally realized pedals are easy to swap out, so I could always switch to clipless later on. Once shying away from dual-sided I decided to go with a pinned pedal, then went looking for an all black pinned pedal with sealed bearings with low-contrast branding. That's how I arrived at the NSBikes Industrie brand/model.
Computer and Sensors - Ever hear of O-Synce bike computers? Me either until looking overseas for parts where O-Synce has a solid reputation. I wanted a simple wireless computer for one primary reason (odometer) and several secondary reasons (mainly current speed and current cadence), and no battery-draining GPS. I had my eye on the usual Cateye and Sigma models until learning about Garmin's Ant+ magnetless sensors, which were A) cleaner looking than the typical sensors, B) lacked the hated high-contrast branding, and C) did not use a proprietary wireless interface. All I needed to do is find a desirable ANT+ enabled non-GPS cadence computer. O-Synce found.
The model I ordered (Macro High X rc) has more features than sought or needed, including things like elevation and grade. It also has a handlebar mounted control so I can flip through the various functions with my hands still on the grips. Oh, and its orange and black like my bike. <Sarcasm> What a plus. </Sarcasm>
Miscellaneous - A brake bleed kit, a spare tube, a spare set of brake pads, a spare chain, a spare master link, some Rohloff chain oil, a Rohloff hub oil change kit, and two Schwalbe rim strips rounded out the order. Its been a good April Xmas.
Thhanks for writing
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