BikeNY
10-04-2018, 03:05 PM
So I've got my Franken-Etap all setup and have a couple of rides on it, and it actually works! Thought others might be interested, as it's far from the standard Etap build.
Quick backstory: I took delivery of a custom Carver Ti Allroad frame about 2 months ago, and started out swapping basically all of the parts over from a Salsa Vaya. At about the same time I was researching Etap and the soon-to -be-released Etap Eagle 1x12 group. I learned that It could be setup with just blips for shifters instead of the full Etap Brifters. So I formulated a plan to make a 1x11 setup involving a Blip Box, 2 sets of Blips, an Etap WiFli rear deraileur, a wide range 11 speed cassette, and a set of TRP Hylex brakes. Oh and a snazzy new Salsa Cowchipper bar and ESI bartape that I bought a while back and never used.
My biggest concern was getting a wide enough range going 1x11. The bike was originally setup (2x10)with a low & wide range. 42t & 28t chainrings from an SRAM MTN crank, and an 11-36 cassette and a 10 speed Ultegra derailleur and a Wolftooth Roadlink. According to SRAM, the WiFli mid gauge mech will work with up to a 32t cog, but I read a bunch of reports of people running 34t and even 36T cogs without issue. Although not endorsed by anyone, I figured I could use the Roadlink to use at least a 42t cog, and maybe even bigger. I have a couple of mountain bikes that are setup 1x11 with 11-42t and 11-46t Sunrace cassettes, so that would be my starting point. If I could get the 11-46t to work, using a 36t chainring would get my low gear about the same, with the high being a bit short of what I had before. I can live with that for now. This bike is really more for dirt than asphalt anyway. It's currently running Schwalbe Big One 27.5x2.35 tires!
So with my plan set, I took my time and started carefully shopping for parts, using coupons from shops and Ebay, etc. to keep the costs down. $1100 later, I had everything I needed, TRP Hylex brakes, Blip box, 2 sets of blips, WiFli rear derailleur & battery charger. Next step was figuring out where I wanted to Blips. I knew one set was going on the tops, and the other set somewhere on the brake lever body. TRP actually sells a part to adapt blips to the Hylex brakes, and I ended up getting that as well. I decided I didn't like the location using that adapter, so I just used some 3M tape to mount the blips and then punched a hole in the rubber hoods. I was trying to locate them to be accessible from the hoods and from the drops, but was only partially successful. I'll still be playing with the location in the future. The Blip Box uses the same mount as a Garmin, and I mounted it under the stem with one of those adjustable headset spacer mounts, actually worked perfectly.
Amazingly, it all actually works! Setup of the rear derailleur and shifting adjustments were a piece of cake. I'm using the 11-46t cassette right now, and the B-adjustment screw is screwed in only halfway to get the suggested 6mm-8mm between the biggest cog and the upper jockey wheel. Shifting is not lightning quick, like I imagine XTR DI2 would be, but it works perfectly.
Also, the TRP Hylex brakes are SO much better than the Spyre mechanical setup that I was using before. Hoods are comfy and the hydraulic braking is light years ahead of the mechanicals. The cowchippers have a nice feel to them as well. I put a wrap of old inner tube from the brake levers along the tops before wrapping the ESI tape, and it feels really nice, a bit more girth and cushioning just where it's needed. The ESI tape feels really nice as well.
I'm a couple of rides in and really happy so far. I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures though! I'll get some picture up in the next day or two showing the whole setup.
Quick backstory: I took delivery of a custom Carver Ti Allroad frame about 2 months ago, and started out swapping basically all of the parts over from a Salsa Vaya. At about the same time I was researching Etap and the soon-to -be-released Etap Eagle 1x12 group. I learned that It could be setup with just blips for shifters instead of the full Etap Brifters. So I formulated a plan to make a 1x11 setup involving a Blip Box, 2 sets of Blips, an Etap WiFli rear deraileur, a wide range 11 speed cassette, and a set of TRP Hylex brakes. Oh and a snazzy new Salsa Cowchipper bar and ESI bartape that I bought a while back and never used.
My biggest concern was getting a wide enough range going 1x11. The bike was originally setup (2x10)with a low & wide range. 42t & 28t chainrings from an SRAM MTN crank, and an 11-36 cassette and a 10 speed Ultegra derailleur and a Wolftooth Roadlink. According to SRAM, the WiFli mid gauge mech will work with up to a 32t cog, but I read a bunch of reports of people running 34t and even 36T cogs without issue. Although not endorsed by anyone, I figured I could use the Roadlink to use at least a 42t cog, and maybe even bigger. I have a couple of mountain bikes that are setup 1x11 with 11-42t and 11-46t Sunrace cassettes, so that would be my starting point. If I could get the 11-46t to work, using a 36t chainring would get my low gear about the same, with the high being a bit short of what I had before. I can live with that for now. This bike is really more for dirt than asphalt anyway. It's currently running Schwalbe Big One 27.5x2.35 tires!
So with my plan set, I took my time and started carefully shopping for parts, using coupons from shops and Ebay, etc. to keep the costs down. $1100 later, I had everything I needed, TRP Hylex brakes, Blip box, 2 sets of blips, WiFli rear derailleur & battery charger. Next step was figuring out where I wanted to Blips. I knew one set was going on the tops, and the other set somewhere on the brake lever body. TRP actually sells a part to adapt blips to the Hylex brakes, and I ended up getting that as well. I decided I didn't like the location using that adapter, so I just used some 3M tape to mount the blips and then punched a hole in the rubber hoods. I was trying to locate them to be accessible from the hoods and from the drops, but was only partially successful. I'll still be playing with the location in the future. The Blip Box uses the same mount as a Garmin, and I mounted it under the stem with one of those adjustable headset spacer mounts, actually worked perfectly.
Amazingly, it all actually works! Setup of the rear derailleur and shifting adjustments were a piece of cake. I'm using the 11-46t cassette right now, and the B-adjustment screw is screwed in only halfway to get the suggested 6mm-8mm between the biggest cog and the upper jockey wheel. Shifting is not lightning quick, like I imagine XTR DI2 would be, but it works perfectly.
Also, the TRP Hylex brakes are SO much better than the Spyre mechanical setup that I was using before. Hoods are comfy and the hydraulic braking is light years ahead of the mechanicals. The cowchippers have a nice feel to them as well. I put a wrap of old inner tube from the brake levers along the tops before wrapping the ESI tape, and it feels really nice, a bit more girth and cushioning just where it's needed. The ESI tape feels really nice as well.
I'm a couple of rides in and really happy so far. I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures though! I'll get some picture up in the next day or two showing the whole setup.