Hello All-
I’ve had enough time on the Gus Boots to have a few opinions.
Pics- https://imgur.com/a/0l7aA17
The build is as follows-
Frame: Gus Boots XL
Crankset- White Industries M30 with 32 tooth chainring
Bottom bracket- White Industries
Rear derailleur- SRAM GX AXS
Rear cassette- SRAM Eagle 11-50 12 speed
Wheels- Velocity Cliffhanger laced to some cheap Shimano hubs
Brakes- Paul Motolites
Levers- Paul Love Levers
Shifter- SRAM AXS shifter
Handlebar- Simworks Ramble bar
Stem- Industry Nine 50mm
Seatpost- KS Dropper 27.2 sanded to fit 26.8
Dropper lever- Cheap KS lever
Grips- Ergon
Bar ends- SQ Labs Inner Bar Ends
Saddle- Brooks B17 with cut out
Tires- RH Fleecer Ridge 700x55 in the endurance casing
Front bag support- Swood T-Rack
Front bag- Road Runner Jammer
Stem pouches- Makeshifter Canvas Works
That covers everything, I think.
I’ve swapped through a few cockpit setups before settling on this one. The Ramble bars work really well for me. Maybe the grip area needs to be a touch longer but I’ve gotten used to it. I still need to wrap the hooks but haven’t gotten around to it. SRAM just released a new AXS shifter and I believe it’s a bit smaller so I might change that out. The dropper lever needs to be changed but I’ll sort that out later.
I love wireless shifting. Friction and indexing are great and I have other bikes running both. If I had the money all my bikes would be electronic shifting. SRAM AXS is so easy to set up and works wonderfully.
I turned the 27.2mm dropper post into a 26.8mm dropper post. It works but not it’s not great. I believe the outer wall is too thin now and too much pressure is being applied to the internals of the post. It’s very slow to return. Once I get a little extra cash I plan to buy a seat post reaming tool and convert it to a 27.2mm seat tube. Then I’ll get a new dropper (SRAM makes an AXS wireless model…) and lever. I might even drill a hole in the seat tube to allow for internal routing (unless I go the wireless route).
I’m not sure how many miles I’ve logged (400-500?) but it’s handled everything well. This weekend I went bikepacking at the FInger Lakes. The bike was heavier but I didn’t notice it. Even down steep hills I felt very comfortable and in control. A few weeks back we went to Asheville and rode all over Bent Creek. That was just perfect. With the RH tires I had plenty of grip. I noticed when I had RH slicks the rear tended to lose traction. I’m attributing this to the long chainstays? After switching to the Fleecer Ridge model that problem went away. My local PA rides have mostly been country roads or rail trails.
I did try a rack and basket set up but the front wheel flop was annoying. A large Fabio’s Chest works well. The Road Runner Jammer is perfect for day rides and paired nicely with the panniers for an overnighter.
All in all I like the bike and would probably purchase it again. The handling is excellent and the ride is nice. The seat tube is annoying and I would like it to be a little shorter. I use a rack for short drives but on longer trips I end up taking the wheels off and put the bike in my car. Rim brakes are kind of annoying too. Fitting a rack is a pain because you have to work around the Motolites. The Tumbleweed T-Rack works fine. One of my Surly racks wouldn’t work. That’s a minor issue though.
If there’s any questions just let me know.
Cheers,
Jacob
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