My shifter linkage bushing on the transmission side broke, and I got a replacement and installed it. Pretty straightforward. My issue I’m having now is that the new bushing keeps slipping off the lever, maybe every 10 times I shift through the gears. Am I not pushing the bushing on far enough or is it possible the lever itself needs replaced too? Are there any bigger issues that might be causing the bushing to break originally and now slip?

Hey all, I am looking for a cadillac escalade ad a saw a few years ago. It was a caddy in a city maybe nyc. The ad also showed the gear shifter. Its probably a long shot. But if you know plz help me find it.

Driving an automatic car offers a seamless and convenient experience, particularly in stop-and-go city traffic conditions. With the advent of dual-pedal technology, the arduous tasks of clutch pressing and gear shifting have become a thing of the past. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of automatic cars, exploring their transmission technology and providing essential tips to ensure a smooth and safe driving experience.
Automatic Transmission Technology Modern automatic cars utilize advanced transmission technology to effortlessly change gear ratios, freeing drivers from the manual intervention required in traditional cars. There are three primary types of automatic transmission technology found in modern vehicles:

• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT): CVT allows for seamless gear shifting by using a belt and pulley system, providing a smooth acceleration experience without distinct gear changes.
• Automated Manual Transmission (AMT): AMT combines the benefits of both manual and automatic transmissions. While it operates as a manual transmission, the gear shifting is automated, eliminating the need for a clutch pedal.
• Dual-Clutch Automated Manual: This advanced technology utilizes two clutches to pre-select the next gear, resulting in faster and smoother gear changes. It offers improved performance and efficiency, often found in high-end sports cars.

Essential Tips for Driving an Automatic Car To optimize your driving experience in an automatic car, it is essential to follow these key tips

1. Don't shift to N when in motion: It is crucial to avoid shifting the gear to neutral (N) while the vehicle is in motion. Doing so can place unnecessary strain on the transmission system, leading to increased wear and tear. Only shift to neutral when the car has come to a complete stop.
2. Use handbrake and park mode: Automatic cars are equipped with a park mode (P) for a reason. Always engage the park mode when parking the vehicle and remember to apply the handbrake. Neglecting to use the handbrake places excessive pressure on the transmission mechanism. For AMT cars, keep the shifter in neutral mode and utilize the handbrake, as they lack a dedicated park mode.
3. Don't use your left foot: Unlike manual cars, automatic cars only require two pedals, rendering the clutch pedal unnecessary. Avoid the common mistake of using both feet while driving an automatic car. This practice can lead to unintended acceleration and braking simultaneously, compromising control and safety. Thus, refrain from using your left foot while driving an automatic car.

conclusion

Driving an automatic car offers a world of convenience and comfort, thanks to its dual-pedal technology and advanced transmission systems. By adhering to these essential tips, such as avoiding shifting to neutral while in motion, utilizing the handbrake and park mode correctly, and refraining from using your left foot, you can ensure a smooth and safe driving experience. Embrace the benefits of automatic cars while maintaining control and maximizing efficiency on the road.
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I have a 2nd gen 4runner 1995 with a 3.4 2001 tacoma engine swap. It has a stock tranny In it with a shorthurst shifter. Recently my shifter have been occasionally fishing for gears. I can find my gears and still drive ,but sometimes my shifter continues past. I have had it grab into gear into odd positions where it normally hasn't. Any ideas on what could be wrong? Recently drained my fluid and it was clean of metal and was still full to the top. Could it be a linkage issue or a syncro issue?

I have a 20 ord with 285’s. When I cruise at 75 the rpm’s stay around 5k. If I move the shifter over to manual mode it says 3rd gear.
When I drive manually I can keep the rpm’s around 2k with the same driving habits.
Is this normal for cruise control or is there something I should look at?

Im having trouble with my transmission not sure whats broken took it apart and found 2 Big chunks of metal and and 2 smaller ones all the gears on the transmission look fine but the shifter gets stuck.
any idea what this could be?

I used G27 for years. Eventually passed it on to my cousin. Realized I still wanna simrace, picked up a G29 because I trust the quality. (Even though a G300s mouse failed me before)
Turns out, they put a rubber at the end of the brake pedal, adjusted the firmware to exponentially increase the input towards the end of the pedal travel, and they are supposedly simulating a load cell with this contraption. But in fact messing up a completely fine low end pedal set just to do some load cell marketing. While I can see that the noise has improved a lot with G29 and there are a lot of extra buttons on the wheel, (Which there are none on the shifter anymore, which is sold seperately) after having both, I'd still prefer a G27.
If you don't have a real load cell, you adjust braking force by pedal travel. That's just how it is. When you arbitrarily and exponentially increase the brake force towards the end of the travel, it leads to extreme inaccuracy in braking since you can't do sensitive adjustments in braking.
Has Logitech even tested this with simracers to see if their laptimes improved? I am 100% sure their times dropped massively, even after getting used to this fake load cell.
Removing the rubber isn't a solution, because there's no linearity. At about 60% of pedal travel, it brakes 100%. Least you can do is release a firmware which makes brake pedal 100% linear, just like throttle and clutch. Just like the good old G27.

I have a 94 miata I bought last year that currently has about 99k miles on it. When I shift (through all gears) there's a bit of a clunk as it goes into gear. This only happens when I upshift though, never when I downshift. Just wanna see what you guys think before I go pulling the trans out and replacing clutch, etc.
What I have done to try and fix it:
-Brand new master and slave cylinder around 1k ago (helped a bit but not much, though they definitely needed to be replaced as they were on deaths door)
-Adjusted out the play in the clutch pedal, first couple inches aren't completely flaccid, but don't seem to do much in terms of disengaging the clutch
-Trans fluid was replaced by previous owner with either redline mt90 or mtl he said he doesn't remember which around 10k ago (I'm guessing he did this to try and solve the clunk too)
-double clutching does not help, very very slow deliberate shifts help a little bit it seems
Symptoms (on and off depending on the day):
-it's not a smooth linear motion into gear
-a slight "click" as it goes into gear, doesn't feel like a grind though. I had a 91 B2600i with bad synchros and it does not feel the same
-When at a slow roll going into first/second I can feel a slight buck in the car as it goes into gear
-this is probably just from being a thirty year old Japanese car, but when I step on the clutch while in first or second, there is a very noticeable clutch disengagement feeling as the cars bucks (more than I felt in the past on other older cars)
-requires a considerable amount of clutch slipping to get smooth start ups and shifts (again could be thirty year old car quirks)
What have identified as possible problems:
-shifter needs to be rebuilt, although the shifter feels pretty tight without much play, worried one of the bushing might be worn
-shift linkage needs to be adjusted
-clutch/pressure plate needs replacing, I don't know whether or not it's the original
-lastly, synchros need to be replaced, which I really really don't want to have to do/pay for
Anyways thanks for reading, just trying to figure out the plan on maintenance before I dive into a full transmission rebuild.

So when in neutral my shifter is biased to the far right . Still has full range of motion , all gears engage fine , but it occationaly throws me off thinking it's already in gear. Is this just a annoyance , working as intended , or something I could looking into correcting ?

“This is crazy.” Souryuu grumbles under her breath.
She’s got one hand on the Delta S4’s wheel, the other on the shifter as she’s flooring it. The trail ahead, originally an outcrop of rocks, scrub and gravel is now a virtual sea of people, with spectators literally spilling over on to the track itself. There had been four cars in the starting queue: Akagi and Shoukaku’s comparatively sleek Lancia 037 at the start of the line, Souryuu and Hiryuu’s Lancia Delta S4 in second, along with an Audi Quattro in third, piloted by the Ironblood’s finest – Graf Zeppelin and Peter Strasser. The final car in the queue was a bright white Peugeot 205, with the Vichyan contingent consisting of Jean Bart and Foch.
Even with her focus fixed on the road ahead, Souryuu can see them waving, cheering, and even more disturbingly, some were reaching out as if trying to play tag with the Delta as it streaks by.
“Hard left, 30… unbelievable!” Even Hiryuu’s distracted by the spectacle – until an admonishment from Souryuu makes her look back down on the pace notes. Behind the wheel, Souryuu feels like she’s Moses parting the Red Sea at exactly 110 kilometers an hour as the crowd scatters like cockroaches under lights, just barely in time for the car to slide past.
Oh the irony, Souryuu thinks. Her fellow drivers, her sister and herself had spent the previous decades of their lives protecting humanity from the Sirens, yet now in this era where the factions of old have moved on from the Siren threat to fight each other on the track with gasoline, tires and clenched teeth instead of riggings, cannons and bombs, two of humanity’s finest are now trying their damnedest not to lose control of this pocket rocket of a rally car and plow into the humans lining the track.
Yet despite having spent years away from combat and sparring, her reflexes are sharp as ever, both arms crossed in full opposite lock as she swings the car around, missing an overly-intrepid spectator who leaps out of the way at the very last millisecond. Each rattle and bump is already unnerving enough, especially in a section as packed with people as this one. Souryuu chooses to ignore the bumping noises. Hopefully those are rocks she’s hitting and not something else entirely.
She grits her teeth, keeping her focus on the wheel. Her senses at this point are already sharper than the edge of the tanto dagger she often carried into combat in the old days alongside her katana, both now half a world away in Yokohama.
“Ah kuso!”
Souryuu hears a muffled thunk – a sign she’s clipped something as the Delta S4 straightens itself out. She takes a quick glance in the mirror, spotting a figure in the dust dropping to their knees to pick up the remains of something, most definitely a TV camera, attached to a now-snapped tripod, which undoubtedly left a big dent in the car’s composite bodywork, just out of view of both driver and co-driver
“Long, easy right. 50. Who the hell did we hit?” Hiryuu raises an eyebrow, glancing in the direction of the sound.
“Someone’s recording gear.” Souryuu deadpans.
Hiryuu can’t help breaking into an amused chuckle after as for a second, the mental image of a TV reporter struggling to recover something actually useable from what’s left of the tapes in their mangled camera flashes across her mind’s eye.
“Foolhardy bastard deserved that one.” And just as quickly, Hiryuu switches gears back into co-driver mode. “Straight, 500 then hard left, 200 after. Straight on to finish! Go! Go! Go!”
Out of the turns and into the final stretch, full throttle upon exit. Yet the sight of a car approaching at breakneck speeds while trailing ochre dust behind it does little to deter the people on the track with only inches of air seperating them from the speeding Delta S4.
“Oh kami, I can’t even see the finish…” Out of reflex, Souryuu flashes the car’s headlights, which does little to make the crowd scatter any faster – until the boards with chequered flags come into view suddenly. And then Souryuu goes through the motions of lifting off the gas then slow down to a crawl.
Souryuu and Hiryuu collectively draw in a deep breath, right as the car comes to a halt and then Souryuu flips the engine’s kill-switch.
Both sisters share a look of relief. Relief that the madness is over, for now. Souryuu shakes her head.
“That should never have been allowed to run.”
-
It’s nightfall when Souryuu visits the huge tent that served as a makeshift garage for the Lancia team.
Separated from both her Delta S4 and Akagi’s 037 by security tape and six feet of distance, Souryuu can only really watch the team mechanics swarm over both cars with spanners and mallets under the bright white glow of floodlights, pounding dented panels back into shape and dismantling the engines for rebuilding while the muffled popping and rattling of a generator resonates in the distance.
This isn’t the first instance where Souryuu’s final stage time has lagged behind that of Akagi’s yet it never fails to sting every time despite their 1-2 finish for the team. The close calls from earlier in the day, in the sea of people on the ending half of the stage only really serves to rub salt in the wound.
It’s a natural reaction to want to reflect on the events of that day, to think that just maybe if the track was clear, all those precious seconds wasted trying to avoid running people over would have kept her stage time above that of Akagi’s. And more importantly, she wouldn’t be feeling such an odd sense of anxiety, wondering just what kinds of horrors would have happened if she went just that little bit too fast or went just an inch too wide in the final turns.
But there’s little point in dwelling over what could have been or the various what-ifs, Souryuu tells herself. At least the fact that her team is still leading by points is comfort enough.
Just next to the Lancia tent is that of the Audi team’s. Mechanics are all over the front of Zeppelin and Strasser’s Quattro, hauling out its engine which was almost literally bleeding oil from half a dozen gaskets.
And as Souryuu passes the Peugeot tent, what catches her eye is the gruesome sight of a long, thin trail of blood running along the outside of the starboard intake behind the driver’s door. A mechanic is bent over the cooler at the end of the intake, shaking their head before removing something off the cooler face with gloved hands and placing whatever grisly thing it was into a black plastic bag.
Souryuu looks away. Brushing aside her curiosity, she makes her way to what passed as the ‘common area’ for drivers, which was pretty much a collection of crates and footlockers arranged around a lantern that lit up the immediate area in a pale yellow glow.
Someone thrusts an amber colored bottle into her hand with the cap already popped off. Souryuu looks up, right into the eyes of Hiryuu, who’s also got her own bottle, as did half the other drivers surrounding them. Souryuu’s never really liked beer but tonight she’ll make an exception. She needs a drink, as much as the others do, if not more.
No one raises their bottle, no one toasts. It’s just silence along with the distant sounds of ratchets and impact wrenches from the bigger tents. At least until one of the drivers speaks up.
“To think we went from protecting humanity just decades ago to threading the needle around these fools without running them over… there’s a reason I never wanted to join Rally de Portugal in the first place.” Akagi mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose as she’s grimacing. “We may be in the lead now but something will happen at some point. And it will not end well.”
“If only Lancia didn’t make us come. Portugal’s the last place I’d rather race at. Just… those people on the sides of the track and in the middle…”
The Sakuran contingent turns to look at Shoukaku with varying degrees of surprise as this is the first time in memory anyone’s actually seen and heard her agree with Akagi, of all people.
“Only the gods know how many people we came close to mowing down earlier today.” Souryuu is the next to speak up. “Today it was a TV camera. Tomorrow? Who knows.”
“Still better than taking someone’s fingers off…”
And now the spotlight is on Jean Bart. So that’s what the Peugeot team mechanics found…
“As we all know, the intake lips on our Peugeots are sharp as hell. Me and Foch, we were right in the middle of the track! We never went wide or short but they just kept trying to touch the car as we went past and that was it…” Jean Bart groans before downing her entire bottle in a few long chugs.
“Algerie’s brought this up with the bigwigs at Azur Lane and the FIA over and over yet they don’t seem to want to do anything about it.”
“Even if they wanted to, they can’t.” Souryuu sighs as she adjusts her glasses on the bridge of her nose. “With how long the stages are, crowd control is next to impossible.”
The memory of a police helicopter swooping down to buzz the spectators on another stage a few days earlier comes to mind. The fans had scattered – then promptly went back to spilling over on to the track once the helicopter retreated.
“If you all think Portugal is enough of a madhouse as it is, just wait till you get to Catalunya and Acropolis.” Graf Zeppelin chimes in next, punctuating her words with a derisive chuckle. “These people… to me and Strasser, they are bushes to us – only trees. If one thinks of them as people, one cannot drive. Not in Portugal, not in Acropolis and especially not in Catalunya. Though the madness does stop once you’re in Monte Carlo. San Remo and Corsica are especially smoother sailing from then on.”
“You’re awfully optimistic.” Akagi says, cutting in with a tone that pretty much dripped with sarcasm.
“I am just being pragmatic.” Zeppelin says with a shrug. “If you’ve been rallying for as long as I have…”

(Decided to carry on writing my motorsports AUs for Azur Lane and this is the result. Inspired by the Group B era of rallying in all of its sheer madness.)
AO3

I just picked up a 2016 wrx with almost 130k on the clock. Only mods are short throw shifter, stereo, and minor cosmetic mods. Whenever I try to get to freeway speeds it almost feels like the transmission is jumping or slightly slipping. Occasionally when shifting into second gear you can hear the teeth grind slightly. I read somewhere that could be a sign of the clutch going out and I'm pretty sure this is the original clutch. I'm looking for recommendations for a replacement clutch that maybe a step above OEM. I have no plans to race or track the car at this time but I would like to eventually do a Cobb accessport and minor perfomance mods sometime down the road. The article linked in the FAQ page felt sponsored so I'm asking people who won't profit from my choices what they think.

So I've got a 2009-ish Specialized Enduro, with a 3x9. I'm looking to upgrade it to a 1x11 Deore M5100 setup. I'll get an M5100 derailleur, the matching shifter and 11-51 cassette, a KMC X11 or a Shimano chain and a cheap narrow-wide 38T chainring. Will the gearing be okay? It looks like I'll be losing my easiest and hardest gear compared to the 3x9 (22-32-44 chainrings and 11-34 cassette). What issues can I encounter? Will the cassette fit on the hub, will it be too big on the 26inch wheel? It's an HG driver.
I'm doing this all on a budget, but there's basically no price difference between M4100, Advent X and M5100 in my country, Shimano cassettes are nearly always cheaper than Sunrace or Microshift, though narrow-wide chainrings are surprisingly expensive, I've found some by Snail which are 1/3rd the price of others.

It's Thursday and let's just get straight into it - make sure to check out the Vaer, interested in your thoughts.

What's new

1/
Orient Star Will Sell You A Skeleton Watch At 1/5 Of The Price Of A Zenith
Just the other day I wrote about the Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton, a wonderful skeletonized watch. It’s modern, it shows off a legendary movement, but it will also set you back a bit over EUR 11,000, which is a lot of money, no matter what budget you are shopping in. What if there was an a more affordable option out there? Maybe it didn’t have the super high end finishing of the Zenith or a legendary movement, but it looked just as cool and cost less than a fifth of the Zenith? Well, say hello to the Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton.
Orient started out in the 50s and has been part of the Seiko Epson Corporation since 2009. Orient Star, however, is the higher-end of the brand, which in 2016 shocked the market with a skeletonised model. Orient Star was known for their classical watches, so this was a huge departure. They updated it once in 2022 and are now introducing two new Avant-Garde Skeleton models as part of its Sports Collection with an automatic movement and a 60-hour power reserve.
The two models differ in the case material - you can have them in stainless steel or black plated steel - but they share the case specs. 42.3mm wide and 12.4mm thick, with a water resistance of 100 meters and bezels with hexagonal screws. The steel model has a combination of brushed surfaces with Sallaz mirror finishings (comparable to Grand Seiko’s Zaratsu polishing), adding accents and emphasising the solid metallic feel of the watch and bracelet.
Composed of two layers, the upper and lower plates of the dial are distinguished by different colours and finishings. The upper plate holds the luminous indices that project over the movement, and the lower plate is designed to protect the upper plate from shocks and deformation. Like the earlier model, the dial features a power reserve indicator at noon, a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock and a view of the balance wheel with its silicon escapement. The hour and minute hands are wider, sportier, and treated with luminous material.
Powering the Orient Star Avant-Garde Skeleton is the automatic, in-house calibre F8F64. Decorated with Geneva stripes, the partially openworked base plate reveals the bright blue silicon escapement peeking out just to the left of the small seconds and it’s rated at +15/-5 seconds per day, with a 60-hour power reserve. The stainless steel model comes with a steel bracelet; the black-coated steel watch on a black Cordura Ballistic nylon strap.
The retail price is EUR 2,000. Looking at photos of the watch, I’m not sure it lives up to that price. I would love to handle one live. However, this looks close enough to the Zenith, which is EUR 11,000+.
2/
Saint Laurent Redesigns The Cult Girard-Perregaux Digital Quartz Watch, Gives It Black Ceramic And PVD Titanium
While Girard-Perregaux is most known for their higher end Swiss mechanical watches, at one time they were pioneers in the era of digital watch. Back in 1971, it made waves with the Caliber GP-350, a quartz movement that set the universal market standard for frequency. Following that was the Caliber 395 and that’s the movement that GP put in the Casquette, an unusual watch even at the time - it was a black geometric hunk on your wrist that displayed the time at the push of a button on a tiny screen on the front facing side of the watch.
The Casquete came in three materials, Makrolon (which was a black composite), stainless steel and gold plated. It was only made for two years - 1976 and 1978 - and during that time 8,200 pieces were made. The original is still a desired item among collectors, which GP recognized and did a recreation of the watch last year. While remaining fully retro, the reissue is powered by the vastly more efficient GP-03980 that displays hours, minutes, seconds, the day and the date, the month, the year, a chronograph, a second time zone, and a secret date.
Now, there’s a new version of the Casquete, one redesigned by Saint Laurent Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello for the Saint Laurent Rive Droite line. Vaccarello gives the watch a radical upgrade in materials, as the case is now made out of black ceramic and black PVD-treated grade 5 titanium. It’s sleek, it’s retro, chunky and dramatic, all the things Vaccarello is known for.
The watch is released under the Rive Droite imprint, a series of objects that are sold exclusively in two stores located in Paris and LA. This means that it will also be available exclusively at Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles, as well as online via the official Saint Laurent Rive Droite store, in selected countries only. That, combined with the fact that this will be a limited edition of only 100 pieces, means you aren’t very likely to see one in the flesh. Which isn’t that much of a shame because I’m not sure it would be easy to justify the $6,700 price tag.
3/
Bremont Releases Their Third Limited Watch For The Williams F1 Team
Formula 1 racing is an incredibly expensive sport. It was, at least, until 2021 when the organization implemented a budget cap of about $135 million. It’s still expensive, yes, but before the cap teams were known to spend up to half a billion dollars per year to push as hard as possible to win championships. The money for this endeavour comes from Formula 1, the organization, but this is just a small amount distributed to every team. The rest has to be raised from sponsors, and raising $135 million from sponsors is not easy.
Because of the high costs of the sport, the sponsorships are equally as high. It is estimated that the cheapest sponsorship is $1 million per year, an ammount that doesn’t get you a lot - surely doesn’t get you a sticker on the car, and it’s rumoured that Rolex is paying up to $50 million to be the official timing partner of the organization. So, I was pretty shocked three years ago to see that Bremont, the independent British watchmaker, sponsored Williams, the legendary British racing team, to a tune high enough to get a prominent sticker on the car. I had no idea Bremont was doing that good. Good on them.
To mark this sponsorship, Bremont has already created two limited edition watches and is just now releasing the third. Since both companies are very British, it’s no surprise that they are doing so just a month before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It’s the Bremont WR-45, a limited-edition chronograph that is inspired by this year’s Williams Racing F1 car, the FW-45.
The watch has Bremont’s signature three-piece “Trip-Tick” construction, it’s made from stainless steel with a black DLC finish and measures 43mm in diameter by 16mm-thick, with 22mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 50mm. Despite the fact that the crown and pushers that operate the chronograph don’t screw down, it has a 100 meter water resistance. Unlike previous Bremont Williams Racing watches, the dial fitted to the new WR-45 is black to match its case, and it has a tri-compax configuration and a date window within the 6 o’clock sub dial. The white register at 9 o’clock features a light blue hand and serves as a running seconds indicator for the time, while the other two sub-dials are fitted with white-finished hands. Additionally, the hours counter features a thin three-color ring in light blue, dark blue, and white surrounding its perimeter, and this serves as a subtle nod to the official colors of the Williams Racing F1 team.
Inside the watch is the brand’s Caliber BE-53AV automatic chronograph movement based on the proven ETA/Valjoux 7753. It has a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) while offering users a power reserve of approximately 56 hours, while the rotor has been skeletonized to look like the wheels of the Williams F1 car. The watch comes on a black two-piece alcantara strap.
This will be a limited edition of 244 pieces and every watch is accompanied with a genuine wheel nut taken from one of the Williams Racing cars. It’s priced at $6,595.
4/
The Accutron Spaceview Gets First Major Update With Spaceview Evolution, But Keeps The Very Cool Electrostatic Movement
Accutron is one of the most familiar names in watchmaking. This Bulova model participated in the space race and was, reportedly, narrowly pushed out by the Omega Speedmaster to be the official NASA watch that will be worn on the moon, but the Bulova Accutron remained a beloved watch by many astronauts and was used in space. That’s why it was a bit puzzling when Bulova in 2020 decided to spin of the Accutron into its own brand. But the puzzle was put aside when Accutron introduced the gorgeous Spaceview 2020 with an open-worked dial and inspired by the original 1960s Spaceview. Now Accutron is introducing two new models called Evolution that do exactly that - evolve the Spaceview.
Just like the 2020 model, the Spaceview Evolution watches are housed in a 43.5mm polished stainless steel case that is 15.9mm thick. Where it differs from the previous model is in the movement. Not the movement they use, but rather the orientation of the movement - the entire thing is shifter 30 degrees, moving the crown to 2 o’clock, giving the watch a completely new look.
Accutron currently offers two versions of the Spaceview Evolution timepiece. One with a smoke-gray open dial, darkened metal outer ring, silver-toned hands, and a matte-black alligator strap. The other also includes a smoke-gray open dial paired with a silver-toned outer ring, metallic blue hands, and a shiny blue alligator strap. Both straps are genuine American alligator and are finished with double-press deployant clasps.
Inside the Spaceview Evolution watches is Accutron’s proprietary electrostatic energy movement. Essentially, the movement is home to twin turbines that rotate at rapid speeds with the motion of your wrist. Those turbines are located between two electrodes, which serve to capture the electrostatic energy created by the turbines and send them to an accumulator. The stored energy in the accumulator then powers two motors: an electrostatic motor (a world’s first) that drives the gliding seconds hand and a step motor that drives the hour and minute hands. The duo of motors are synchronized via integrated circuits and provide an accuracy rating of +/- 5 seconds a month.
The movement also has a power-saving mode, which kicks into gear after five minutes of inactivity with the second hand automatically halting at 12 o’clock. Although the seconds hand stays in place, the watch will continue to keep time as the hour and minute hands continue to move. To stop the power-saving mode and reactivate the seconds hand, you simply have to swing your arm up and down for about five seconds.
The Accutron Spaceview Evolution watches are priced at $3,950 and are available immediately for purchase.
5/
The New Vaer G5 Meridian Is A Flier GMT Watch Well Below The $1,000 Mark
At the moment, my favorite GMT movement is a highly modified Miyota 9015 which the microbrand Arken calls the ARK-9015DT and uses in their Alterum. It’s a crazy movement that works unlike any other GMT movment. Rotating the hands clockwise moves the entire handset, including the GMT hand, as well as both AM/PM indicator discs. However, moving the handset in the opposite direction will lock the GMT hand and its corresponding AM/PM indicator (left of the dial) allowing you to set the time difference between your local and home times. This means you can set the minutes to any time and just rotate the hour hand.
Other than that movement and, obviously, in house ones, there seems to be a consensus that it’s hard to beat the recently introduced Miyota Cal. 9075 movement which is an affordable option for those who want a “flier” or “true” GMT, which allows for an independently adjustable local 12-hour hand. And this exactly has been a request from millions of collectors and watch enthusiasts. The movement also allows microbrands like the LA based Vaer to slap these movements into watches that look great and are really affordable.
Vaer’s most recent watch is the G5 Meridian GMT and it’s an intresting proposition. At first glance, the G5 looks identical to their G7. That could be because it comes in a 39mm stainless case without a crown guard and 200 meter water resistance or the fact that they come in pretty much the same four colors - two models with black dials and either red/blue or black/blue bezels, along with an all-black PVD variant, plus a third stainless steel option that is fitted with both a green dial and a green bezel. However, while Vaer’s G7 GMT is a Swiss-made timepiece powered by the Sellita SW330-2 and priced just above the thousand-dollar mark, the Vaer G5 Meridian GMT is an American-assembled version that runs on the Japanese Miyota 9075.
The watch comes on two different straps or bracelets that connect to the 20mm lugs with integrated quick-release springbars. Since the G5 GMT was designed to be used in the water, a black FKM rubber tropic strap is the standard included configuration, as it is the most water-friendly option available for the model. For the secondary strap/bracelet option, buyers have the option of either a simple NATO or a nylon single pass strap — or opting for one of the premium leather straps or stainless steel bracelets in Oyster and Jubillee designs.
The official price of the Vaer G5 Meridian GMT is $799 or $849 if you opt for one of the premium strap/bracelet options. That’s a fantastic price that gives you more functionality for a traveler.
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On hand - a selection of reviews

1/
Review Of The ProTek Series 1010, The Official Watch Of The United States Marine Corps
2/
Hands-on With The The Delma Shell Star Titanium That Sheds Both Size And Weight
3/
In-Depth Reveiw of The Horage Lensman 2 Exposure — A Watch With A Photographic Cheat Sheet
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Watch Worthy - A look at an offbeat, less known watch you might actually like

The RZE Aspirare launches the brand into yet unexplored waters
Up until now, RZE have been quite conscious of their case sizes pleasing the majority of modern collectors who prefer conservative diameters. Their largest watch was the now-discontinued RZE Valour Chronograph at 42mm, with the sold-out Fortitude coming in second at 41mm. The new RZE Aspirare is bullish with its 44mm diameter, and untamed with a 53mm lug-to-lug that will absolutely demand some bravery to wear if you don’t have large wrists. Although the RZE philosophy has catered to the adventurous, the Aspirare is designed to be their most rugged project yet.
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I have a Tronxy X5SA that I've been building with a spare Biqu H2 extrudehotend that I had. I have been having several issues that have resulted in me disassembling the whole unit more than a dozen times.
With some prints (not all) and some filament (not all, and the same filament can give different results) The filament stops being extruded after laying 20-30 perfect layers. Here are some of the things I've tried:

• Completely disassembled extrudehotend and cleaned the heck out of it (nozzle, throat, changed heat block, cleaned extruder gears). Haven't seen anything that would cause issue standing out to me
  
• Changed my retraction settings in the slicer, going from one extreme to the other, even cutting off at one point.
  
• It was suggested to me that heat creep could be the issue. I remounted everything near the hotend fan so it could have better airflow, still nothing
  
• I have both increased the speed of the prints, and decreased the speed of the prints, same results.
  

I am still not convinced that it's not heat creep, so my last chance is to buy a 40mm Noctua fan and print an adapter that can fit that to the hotend. Hopefully this will help. If not, I probably will be trashing and going with a different brand. Any ideas on what it might be?

Hi.
I currently have a gravel bike with 2x8 Claris groupset and am thinking of switching it to any 1x11 gearing as I almost never use the second chain ring.
The problem I have is that the spec sheet for my bike isn't available as it's a store brand bike from 2018, so I can't be sure exactly what's on it.
As far as I know, the BB should be a standard 68mm BSA Shimano with a 24mm hollow axle. Does this sound correct?
My plan is to get a MTB rear derailleur coupled with a Microshift bar end shifter for 11-speed. Microshift has one for SRAM and one for Shimano. Pros cons for Shimano/SRAM? Price difference?
Is there a 1x crankset I can fit into my current BB or would I need to switch to a MTB one?
Chainline, how do I determine that?
Anything else I need to think about before buying parts?
Edit: This is what I had in mind, and according to what I've figured out, should work with my current bike. Would I need to switch to a 73 mm BB or would the 68 work? In terms of chain line, I suppose?

First Prev Next Royal Road Patreon
u/KieveKRS providing the Trash certification of quality! (with help from u/coldfireknight cuz this one needed it.)
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Nalah affixed the massive shield to her back, the rectangular form large enough for her to fit behind while only needing to crouch slightly. It was mostly ironwood, but the sides and front were metal-plated, so it still weighed a considerable amount. Despite that, the thing’s bulk hardly seemed to be noticed by the blonde-furred female, likely due to the constant construction work she involved herself in. It paired oddly with the long pike she insisted on using, but he couldn’t deny that poking at things while hiding behind a mobile wall sounded like a good idea.
Jax was wearing his new armour, the bulky chest-piece a mirror of his blond-furred pack mate’s. Though he forwent the protection a buckler or likewise would offer, he doubled up on gear. Gauntlets, vambraces, pauldrons, and anything else he could wear to compliment the massive axe he had taken a liking to.
Where Nalah was fitted to look like an apocalypse survivor—her protections limited to her torso, forearms, and shield—the black-furred male resembled a giant, if underfunded, paladin. All he needed now was some religious imagery and a penchant for exalting the qualities of their god. Joseph almost nudged the guy to suggest it for kicks.
On second thought, he decided that Jax absolutely did not need a reason to start yelling about the Human-turned-religious-figure, because there was no way in hell he wouldn’t. There was no telling what he would choose to say, and the Grand Hunter was perfectly happy never knowing.
Having been with the male as long as he had, it would probably involve ‘taming’ females or something else that would leave him groaning for weeks, if not just contemplating another high-dive from the cliff.
Joseph fixed his own equipment, the ‘Wraith armour’ worn over his own thin iron breastplate. He wasn’t thrilled to wear the extra weight, but it beat being mauled by the thing they were heading out to kill. The trips so far had been tolerable, fog and overcast skies keeping the temperature in check, but he didn’t want to go out in this on a hotter day as Summer really kicked back in. He was sweaty enough without baking inside all this crap.
He adjusted the wolf-skull mask, the rest of the hunting party having gotten over the worst of the unease it gave them. Though they’d needed to rotate people out for the sake of fairness, this would be their eighth consecutive scouting. Using the information that Raine and Faye provided, they narrowed down a likely stomping grounds for the creature and were systematically clearing sectors. It might have been discouraging to keep looking after so long, but the occasional marking on trees and the odd moss-wolf corpse tipped them off that they were getting close. There was still another week’s worth of searching left if today wasn’t the day, but somehow he doubted they wouldn’t need that long.
All in all, they numbered six; larger parties were attempted, but their efforts at stealth quickly became pointless between so many trudging through the forest and stopping for breaks. There was a bit of a scare where one of Mi’low’s pack went missing, but the guy had just stopped to relieve himself. Since the discovery was made by someone else knocking him over in the process by mistake, they decided that keeping the number smaller made communication easier. And lowered the amount of grumbling about needing a bath.
Jax, Nalah, two security members, one of the hunters, and him. Sure, grabbing Tel or the Wraiths would have been a bit more useful for cohesion, but they were all busy with things, and he didn’t want to grind everything in the settlement to a halt for nothing if the search turned up empty again. They were more suited to taking out their fellow Lilhun than some monster in the woods, as much as he disliked the thought.
Scarlet was spending a lot of time with Violet and the new Atmo, Faye was spending much of her recovery with the moss-wolves and moss-pup, and Tel was in the process of helping Harrow shore up the few security members that were slated to become snipers. Kaslin was still learning chemistry with Toril, and Raine was helping whoever needed a hand, so that marked off all of his usual accompaniment. He could have taken more of his direct pack, but they all had important things to take care of as well.
Sahari was managing the pack and putting people where people needed to be put, Pan was working with Idee and Heralt to make a line of armour for the whole pack, and Mi’low was...well, Mi’low. He was pretty sure she was unofficially the master of the hunter’s lodge and spent most of her time keeping track of what came in and out of it, while also making sure that everyone got their fair share. It needed to be done with the settlement growing as much as it had, and it kept Mi’low busy enough to stymie the flow of complaints, so he wasn’t about to complain.
They double checked that they had everything that was needed; food, water, arrows, bolts, and some bags to store anything that the snares had caught on the way back. Four ranged and two melee weapons meant that they would be mostly using Jax and Nalah to soak hits if it came down to it, the others peppering it with projectiles. Given that Harrow was insistent on the bear-thing being resistant to anything they could use at a distance, they also carried spare weapons for the ranged users, just in case. Nodding, Joseph gestured to the group finishing up their preparations for the day’s trip.
“A moment, sir?” Scarlet called to him as she approached the gate, the Wraith flanked by Rose and Cobalt. The two Atmo were decked-out in their own armour, which appeared to be almost entirely metal, save for the palm lining the inside for comfort. Each of their six legs were adorned with broad shields, their bases capped off with a flat storage carriage. They looked like someone had a little too much fun testing how much the insects could effortlessly carry and had ended up with sapient hexapedal tanks.
“Only if you explain why those two would look more at home if they had cannons installed on their backs,” he quipped, an expression somewhere between surprised, amused, and plain dumbfounded plastered on his face. The blackish red-furred female smirked for a split-second before resuming her usual servile presentation.
“The young mistress had extended her request for these two to accompany you.”
Joseph tilted his head incredulously. “Violet told you to send them?”
Scarlet nodded, gesturing to the outfitted Atmo. “They have been under her tutelage for some time now, and wish to be of assistance.”
The Grand Hunter snapped his mouth closed when he was about to ask why his daughter would teach them anything that might be useful for fighting a deadly beast. Of course she did; It was one of the first things he did for her. It would have been weirder for her not to pass on what she knew after all the hours she spent either seeing him coach the others, or being coached herself. With the time she had under her belt, she was the local Atmo Close Quarters Combat specialist, and no one else understood how the modified boxing she learned worked with their bodies like she did.
He wore a hesitant expression, shifting his weight to his other leg. “Well, they’ve certainly geared up.”
“It is a product our smith is rather proud of,” the Wraith affirmed confidently.
He exhaled slowly. “Seems a bit much.”
She seemed to be expecting the remark, barely pausing to register what he said before responding. “Your kit wishes you safe, yet understands you would not allow her to accompany you. These two wish to be of assistance.”
To punctuate her point, the two nodded in agreement, walking forward and slinging some of the backpacks onto their carriages. It seemed ‘no’ wasn’t something they were going to accept after Violet had said her piece. He sighed, conceding that they wouldn’t slow the party down with everyone carrying so much weight in equipment, regardless of the bags. They took breaks frequently enough to accommodate the Atmo, so that wouldn’t hinder anything either.
“Fine,” he relented with a wave of his hand. “We’ll take them. Not like they’d hurt anyway. But–” He put a warning into his tone. “–they’re not playing the hero and getting themselves killed. This isn’t going to work if they think any of us dying is still a net positive, got it?”
The two Atmo mimed their understanding, Scarlet replying with a victorious smile. Joseph couldn’t help but bemusedly roll his eyes. The female had taken rather well to baby-sitting, and that seems to have extended to humouring the young Queen’s schemes now. It wasn’t an unwelcome addition to their little sojourn. At least they could haul back any larger game without it tacking hours onto the return trip.
He thanked Scarlet for her trouble before dismissing her, confirming with the group that everything was accounted for, and set off before it grew too late. He wasn’t looking to get caught out in the woods during the night. The Lilhuns might be fine, but he was pretty well blind unless the moon felt generous.
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Jax watched the two Atmo quietly follow on the sides of the group, their heavily armoured forms posing no issues with their naturally soundless movements in the forest. In the den, they would make moderate clacks and clicks as their chitinous legs contacted the ground, but the soft dirt and foliage stifled all but the smallest report of their travel. With Scarlet supervising alongside Violet, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the former Blade had influenced their movement with the goal in mind, though he had never paid much attention to how they walked before to compare.
He had to admit, having them carry the additional equipment was exceedingly useful. He had proposed having the group use the newly acquired platforms on their more arachnid-like abdomen to rest in shifts, but Joseph was quick to insist that the insects were of lesser stamina than even Lilhuns. The phrasing seemed like a comparative insult, but Jax had more than enough experience with the Human to know that he had simply spoken his mind. To him, everyone had sub-par stamina. Training had gone some way to remedy the discrepancy, but the Grand Hunter could still continue for longer than even the most well-conditioned of them.
The black-furred male rolled his shoulders, feeling the heft of his axe shift with the movement. It was an impressive size, the weight well-balanced and its edge sharp. He had once laid it to the ground out of curiosity and confirmed that it was about as tall as Pan from head to haft, though only if she stood to her full height. Regardless of its size, it was still lighter than the armour he chose to don.
Having only really worn leathers or a few sets of ironwood protections, the encumbering prominence of the iron equipment took getting used to. It wasn’t entirely restrictive, but did put a damper on any chances he had of sprinting from danger. That was fine, he supposed, since he was wearing it against a beast he had no experience with. It could very well outrun him regardless, and he would rather have the defences in either case.
Nalah seemed to be doing fine, the large barrier she kept on her back swaying slightly as she walked. She was unhindered by it, her movements barely affected by the bulk, which was reassuring. Joseph, however, seemed to be panting more than usual, the rolling cloud coverage easing as the sun progressively warmed the environment. The fog from earlier meant that it was rather humid, and that seemed to bode no well wishes for the male encased in dark leathers and thick plates. He had even flipped down his hood, the sweat beading on his skin adding a sheen to his visage.
“I liked this better when the sun didn’t exist,” the Human lamented quietly, just loud enough for Jax to hear. The black-furred male chuckled.
“It would be rather dark.”
Joseph glared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I just don’t rank ‘heavily armoured hike through the woods’ high up on my list of things I want to do regularly.”
“I believe that list would be occupied by your mates, no?” he ribbed playfully, a smirk arising when the Grand Hunter shunted his eyes closed in a grimace.
“I hate you.”
“I can see your smile underneath your displeasure, Joseph,” Jax quipped, nudging the male with his elbow, then giving an apologetic smile when his friend almost fell. Joseph sighed, waving Cobalt over and fetching a water-skin from the luggage that the insect was ferrying without breaking stride—though he needed to be careful not to get stepped on.
The Atmo always amused Jax. Be it their passive demeanour hidden by their towering stature, or his interactions with the den-kit, they never failed to be curious people. Having the two that accompanied Volta with them was an unexpected development, but he couldn’t claim to disapprove. If they had been imparted the methods of combat that Violet had cultivated, then there was little worry of them being harmed by naught but perhaps their current target. At least not until there was a better reference of its strength than the single encounter the first-years had so long ago.
At the time, it had smashed pillars and pierced flesh effortlessly, claws proving to be little more than tempting ministrations of tender touch to the thick hide. Jax only had some of the pack’s recount to base the experience off of, but was content to take their word for it. He was, ashamedly, preoccupied taking care of baser needs when the event transpired, so he was woefully unprepared for the eventual encounter. Still, he was afforded the best the settlement had to offer so that he might serve his duty of protecting the Grand Hunter. Harrow would never forgive him if only he returned.
His thoughts were disturbed by Joseph calling for a rest, Jax’s legs thankful for the break from supporting the unusual weight for so long. The Human dispensed rations and water for the pack, the Atmo waiting until everyone else was supplied before accepting their portion. They rested on their base directly, instead of curling their legs beneath them like Jax had become accustomed. Perhaps the armour impeded such, or they wished to remain mobile in the event such was required. Regardless, they blocked what little breeze there was, forcing the Grand Hunter to walk beyond them to enjoy it in the shade. It was short-lived however, as Rose quickly repositioned to stay between the pack and whatever lay beyond their protections.
It was a futile effort, it seemed, because it repeated again twice before Joseph groaned loudly and threw himself atop the carriage to lay back, his legs dangling at the knee. He seemed perfectly content with the unorthodox arrangement, snorting his amusement along with a muttered comment about a ‘taxi.’
The entertaining sight was marred by a distant yelp, snapping the group to attention. Jax and Joseph traded looks, subtle nods and gestures given to move out while remaining quiet. Ignoring his earlier complaints, the Grand Hunter flicked his hood up and donned the mask, drawing his crossbow and readying a bolt. The hunter of the pack mimicked the preparation, the two security members loosely nocking their arrows while Rose, Cobalt, Jax, and Nalah took point.
They proceeded quietly for far longer than the proximity of the noise would have suggested, but marks and gashes upon the trees implied a moving conflict. Thoughts of it being a lost cause quickly became moot as a closer growl and bark shattered the careful silence they had been maintaining.
Motioning for the pack to stop, Joseph waved Jax forward, Nalah approaching the other side. Using the large shield as additional cover, they peered around a particularly thick tree. Locked in combat were two moss-wolves, both attacking a truly massive grey creature.
Twice the Human’s height, half that in width. Four pillars as legs—the muscular trunks sinewy and defined—supported the disturbing hunched figure, the wide base tapering slightly into a thick and extended torso. A singular eye-stalk replaced the head, the ocular organ atop it pitch black and free of any indication of its focus. Four arms with deadly claws parried and sliced the two yellow beasts as they attempted to drive off the predator, a sickeningly large maw gaping to catch any attempts at a lunge. The mouth of the creature almost occupied the entirety of the available surface area upon its front, the jagged bone tools of manduction undulating with the promise of sustenance.
Joseph pulled them back, cursing under his breath as he tried to fight off the tension. From Nalah’s worried expression, it seemed his caution was rather potent, the other members of the group smelling his reaction as well.
“So, what’s the plan, Jax?” the Human whispered, his grip on the crossbow alternating with his fingers stretching across the trigger lest his fidgeting cause a misfire.
“I thought that, with your record, you would wish to tame it for the settlement,” Jax replied while thinking through a plan of action. He was glad that his friend trusted him, but he wished he had known the true scale of the beast prior. Joseph grit his teeth, turning to glance past the tree again with sarcasm pouring out of his response.
“Can’t quite see Winnie-the-woodchipper there playing great with kids.”
“You say that after adopting an Atmo as kit, Grand Hunter,” he returned, nodding to himself when a plan formed. The Human smiled, the banter easing the tension somewhat. “Rose, Cobalt, you two are the most well defended of us. Circle around and drive the beast this way. You should be capable of such without noise, yes?”
The two insects nodded, emptying their luggage behind a tree so as not to lose any of it before disappearing into the trees. The slight glimmer of their iron armour was the only indication of their position through the dense forest. Jax hoped that the beast was not particularly curious about the dimly pulsing glare, nor finished with its current altercation in time to impede the pair.
Satisfied with their progress, he motioned for the two security members to scale a tree and gain a superior vantage point. Their weapons would be able to maintain a more rapid pace of sustained fire at longer ranges. Joseph and the hunter were instructed to hide behind trees nearby, though the Human would need to remain grounded as his lack of claws made scaling the large flora difficult with his equipment.
Finally, Nalah and he positioned themselves much closer, in order to flank the creature as it fled the Atmo and occupy it long enough for the others to bleed it out, if not outright dispose of it.
With the forms of the Atmo peeking through the brush opposite them, Jax raised his axe to signal the start.
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Joseph felt the hammering in his chest, his heart preparing him to fight for his life against the walking abomination that easily outclassed the only other predator that he had experience with. Sure, the moss-wolves were easy to take down once you had equipment and a plan, but that thing screamed danger.
He watched Jax and Nalah set up behind thick trees, their goal being for Jax to hopefully disable a leg or two with the war-axe while Nalah occupied it with the shield. As the two strongest members of his little family, he trusted both to do their job.
As a clusterfuck of animal and torture device, he had no faith in the creature playing along.
Swallowing his hesitation, he adjusted his grip on the crossbow again, mentally tallying his shots and cursing himself for not researching explosives. Sure, Toril didn’t want to be involved in that kind of weapon, but at the moment, the tailless white-furred male could suck it up and make one anyway. Joseph would give his left nut to see how quickly the chemist would make weapons of mass destruction just to annihilate whatever that thing called home.
Jax raised his axe, glinting the sunlight of it towards the Atmo. Receiving the start signal, the two clicked and loosed a deafening screech, the Human’s ears ringing even from this distance.
The beast seemed unperturbed by the noise, though the lack of visible ears may have had something to do with the lacklustre effect. Regardless, it did notice the two armour-clad insects charging at it, and smartly decided to extradite itself from the area. The moss-wolves, however, didn’t quite get the memo, mistaking the advancing assistance as yet another foe to defend themselves from.
He had to say, Violet taught the two well. They flashed their blades out in the same flicker jab that he had shown his daughter, and with an unceremonious squelch, the two bisected canines landed in four pieces, a vibrant green ichor now staining the weapon-like appendages of the Atmo. Undeterred by their first act of violence—as far as he was aware, anyway—they continued herding the beast.
It wasn’t as fast as they might have feared, its quadrupedal gait hindered by its proportions, but it was still quick enough to be damn intimidating. Its arms acted as a counter balance, constantly adjusting this way and that just to keep it stable. That thing was clearly never meant for sprinting, all its mobility being given to the overactive maw that pulsated with the exertion.
He readied his crossbow, the shaking in his hands not ruining his aim against such a large target. He eyeballed the distance between the creature and the ambush point, forcibly moving his finger off the trigger so that he didn’t fire early.
Closer. Come on. Almost.
Now.
Jax wound up like a particularly enthusiastic lumberjack, putting his full body into the rotation. The massive axe swung like a horizontal pendulum striking home with all the finality of a clock tolling midnight. It bit into the front leg of the beast, only sinking a few inches before momentum nearly wretched the weapon from the black-furred male. Luckily, the force and timing was enough to trip it, the creature crashing to the forest floor with a deafening roar of pain.
They could hurt it. That made him feel better.
His relief evaporated as the beast swiftly recovered, hauling itself from the ground faster than he thought possible, but his archers took it for an unspoken signal. Arrows and bolts peppered its thick hide, to no effect—it shrugged off the projectiles like they were nothing more than pine needles, none sinking far enough to gain notable purchase.
Jax hefted his axe for another strike, careful not to over-commit this time. Nalah prodded the beast wherever she could with her pike, the melee weapon sliced and skewered just past the surface of the hide, though not enough to do more than marr. It was, however, enough to gain the attention of the target, the creature swinging two of its four arms to rake across the shield that the blond-furred female held. The iron plating across the front let out an unearthly shriek as claws ripped and crumpled the metal.
Well, fuck.
Nalah was quick to react, treating the shield less as an immovable barrier and more like a slight distance buffer, dodging in and out of range to steal jabs with the polearm. The security members nocked another volley, picking different targets than before. An arrow bounced harmlessly off the black orb of an eye, another finding purchase in what passed for gums in its mouth.
The hint was received; aim for the mouth. Thankfully, that was a large target. Less thankfully, it realized that flashing its teeth was detrimental to its health, slamming the maw closed.
Jax managed another swing, this time into one of the rear legs. It wasn’t as effective as the first strike, but it did warrant a sweeping double back-fist from the creature, scoring Jax’s armour with shallow claw marks as he jumped backwards. Joseph let out a breath as he fired his second shot, only just narrowly missing the sliver of a gap between razor teeth that the enraged attack afforded. It couldn’t keep its mouth shut forever, each frenzied swipe pulling its form enough for glimpses of softer flesh within to appear. The hunter dropped from their tree, darting across to reposition for a wider angle to capitalize on. The creature noticed, lunging forward to eviscerate the easier target.
Joseph blinked as two armoured figures jumped in front of the Lilhun, raising their blades in a tight guard to block the four arms grabbing for a quick meal. The beast recoiled with a thunderous screech, two of its appendages sporting deep gashes that fountained blood, while the others managed to impact above the edged outside of the blades. Rose and Cobalt pressed forward, buying time and space for the hunter to collect themselves and scale up another perch. Taking advantage of its pain, two new arrows ripped through the air, smacking into exposed inner flesh. Two new protrusions joined the first in the mouth, one landing next to the existing projectile, while the other cleared the gateway of serration, driving deeply inside of it.
More flicker jabs and extended straights pushed and cut the beast as it tried to gain distance from the two that wounded it, every retaliatory strike earning it another gash in its grey hide.. Unencumbered by the constant barrage, Nalah thrust into its legs more vigorously, her body leaning into each attack to gain every inch of penetration she could into the muscle and thick hide.
Jax used the chance to score another chopping blow, doubling down on a previous wound to a back leg—striking bone this time, based on the unholy wail the beast uttered. Joseph raised his crossbow to land another shot into its mouth, but the beast flailed wildly to fend off the ambush.
Rose managed to block, Jax lunged backwards, Nalah deflected most of it with what remained of her shield, but Cobalt was caught by a strike, taking the hit to its torso. The Atmo flew backwards, rolling when it landed, the carriage and assorted armoured plates trailing behind it. Rose shifted instantly, covering the direction that their companion had been sent while Jax and Nalah focused on pulling the beast away from the downed combatant.
Joseph’s eyes flicked to the Atmo, waging an internal battle on whether helping the insect would be better or worse for the situation as a whole. He didn’t want to lighten up their assault if it would just mean more injuries, but Cobalt could be in dire need for a patch job. It was hard to tell from where he was.
Cursing, he bolted from his spot, firing off one last round into the gaping maw before clipping the crossbow onto his armour and sliding on his knees in front of Cobalt, healroot hastily retrieved from his pocket.
He paused, sighing in relief when none of the armour bore more than deep gashes, the carapace underneath unblemished by the attack. Cobalt clicked lightly, dazed, but otherwise seeming unhurt. Unlearned in the physiology relevant, he ushered the Atmo to remain out of the fight for fear of concussion or something similar. They could look at the insect back at the base to be sure later.
“Joseph!”
His head spun around at both Jax and Nalah screaming his name, a massive clawed hand sweeping at him—the monster's approach unnoticed while he focused on Cobalt. Lacking a better option, he lunged forward towards the underside of the beast to dodge the swipe, crashing to his shoulder on the dirt below.
The creature raised a leg above Joseph, pounding the earth scant inches from his head as he rolled sideways. Ignoring the kicked up dirt, he brought his fist to the underside of the beast, flicking the release on his bracer.
Blood spouted from the newly formed wound, the blade breaking at the mechanism as the massive animal lurched in pain, Joseph rolling out of the way of another attempted trampling. He scrambled to his feet, feeling the wind of another strike narrowly missing him.
Yeah, that would probably kill him.
Luckily, the injuries renewed the desire to flee in the monstrosity, the group of attackers proving too dangerous to continue challenging. It stumbled away from them, sparing Cobalt from its panicked trudging. Jax and Nalah started to run towards him, worry evident in their eyes, but he barked for them to finish it, redirecting the two to keep the pressure going. He didn’t want to mention the pain in the arm from where the bracer hitched. It didn’t feel broken, and thus was irrelevant.
Pressure applied, the grey beast picked a random direction free of opponents to escape, ignorant of the waiting security. When it was too close for them to shoot into its mouth at a decent angle, they slung the bows over their shoulders and drew the swords they had been afforded, patiently waiting with the blades turned down.
It passed below them, the two Lilhuns dropping from the branches to put their full weight into the plunging blades. Both landed on the large target, one sword sinking deep into a shoulder, while the other managed to pierce one of its hip joints. The beast spun haphazardly to dislodge the ‘new’ threats, both security members kicking off and finding new trees to set up in.
Whatever damage was actually done, it had lost the use of an arm, and its gait shifted awkwardly as the blade lodged in its hip worked more harm with each shambling step.. Emboldened, Jax picked up the pace, struggling to position himself with the amount of metal he wore. Ducking another swipe of its claws, he saw his chance and swung, pivoting with his axe as a counter weight. For the third time, his axe blade found the wound in its leg, adding a sickening crunch as the bone snapped from the impact.
The creature swung wildly, forced to favour its two remaining good legs, and the only other leg that could still support at least some of its weight. It was unstable now, the hunched figure swaying while unmoving. Unable to run, it decided to go down with as many of them as it could.
Rose caught up with the attack, drawing attention from the comparatively squishy Nalah as the blond-furred female deflected a wayward swing with her shield. The once iron-plated ironwood now sporting little more than jagged scraps of metal atop its silver wooden structure, a series of deep gouges marring the surface. Two lunging thrusts with the pike bit flesh, drawing new blood from the beast.
Joseph loaded his crossbow, getting off two bolts, but not managing to keep it steady enough to hit anything of use, his arm faltering under the weight of the weapon. Cursing, he decided to flank the beast and try his luck with the other bracer. If nothing else, the force in which the blade deployed was enough to pierce the thick hide, and the others were doing a good job of distracting it.
The red armoured Atmo let loose a series of directed swings, the fifth severing an arm in motion, the flying appendage forcing Nalah to raise her shield to block the unorthodox projectile. The female was sent sprawling from the weight of the impact, but the beast was too busy voicing its agony to take advantage of it. Jax worked another two chops into the broad legs, but neither managed to incapacitate it any more, and the prolonged exertion was slowing his reflexes.
As if cued into his waning energy, the beast flung Jax with another strike, the hunter of the group sinking a bolt deep into the cavernous flesh of its mouth to prevent an attempt at following up.
Joseph roared, desperate to finish it off before the creature could do the same to his downed pack. He sprinted at the monster's back and slid underneath it with as much speed as he could muster. Throwing his fist into the passing undercarriage, he let the deployed blade leave a long gash in its wake.
The grey monster lost its ability to stand, torn tendons, blood loss, and inflicted injuries taking their toll. The Grand Hunter kicked off his knees to fling himself out of the way of the collapsing figure, grimacing as the remaining bracer proved unable to support the abuse he had put it through. He looked back at the beast, the flailing body failing to right itself as teeth did little more than gouge dirt, its back exposed. Rose approached, raising their blades together and plunging it through the body over and over until it stopped moving.
Exhausted, the Atmo dropped where it was, breathing heavily. Joseph’s instinct to yell their victory was delayed as he hurried over to Jax and Nalah to confirm he didn't need to bring back bad news. Nalah seemed fine, if a bit sore from hitting the dirt and rolling, while Jax just asked to lay down when he heard that everything was over. Cobalt came over to the group, the armour that had come off collected atop the carriage it had managed to loosely affix to its base.
It was light, a chuckle originating from the Human as he slumped to the ground against a tree, but soon the entire group was roaring with laughter as victory settled in their minds. The two security members helped the hunter begin disassembling the beast, their contribution to the fight leaving them with more energy than the rest. They hadn’t been slacking off, that much was certain. The number of arrows jammed into the maw of the thing would have guaranteed a few extra seconds of survival and chances to escape if one of them had been forcibly tossed into there, and it had caused enough pause for the rest of them to get in a few hits up close.
Joseph rested across from Jax and Nalah, letting his heart rate slow from the rapid pace it had been pinned to since the start of the conflict. His arm continued its protests, but from the amount of movement he still had, he guessed that he had just strained the elbow. A few days taking it easy should straighten that right up.
Once the active members were about half way through processing the creature for hide and meat, Cobalt approached him, a mimed request for assistance putting their armour back on being redirected to Nalah since he doubted he could lift the damn pieces without hurting himself at the moment. She obliged, getting the blue Atmo back in full attire, though it took a while.
Rose stood first, stopping over to allow the hunter to place collected bits and pieces onto the carriage before securing it with whatever they could make work. A security member gathered the moss-wolf corpses for a similar treatment. Waste not, want not, he supposed.
Rose ended up carrying most of their spoils. When he was about to ask why, he, Jax, and Nalah were dragged to Cobalt and hefted onto the carriage. A series of confused questions revealed that the rest wanted to head back before it started getting dark, and it was pretty obvious who was the most exhausted of them. Lacking the will or energy to argue it, he flopped back on the Atmo as the trees passed them by, Nalah resting her legs across him as her head sat on Jax’s lap. The black-furred male didn’t so much as smirk, so it was clear he had pushed himself too far to quip about the arrangement as he laid down.
“The next time you wish to exhaust me this much, Joseph,” the Head of Security started after a long while of silence, tiredness in his voice, “I would prefer it to involve my mate and a bed.”
The Human snorted, closing his eyes and enjoying the lack of walking as the surprisingly stable Atmo carried the three of them. “Fuck off, Jax.”
“Of course, Grand Hunter.”
Next
A/N: Patreon is fixed!... aka new one cuz problems with the last. Check it out to support the story, get AI character art every now and then, or even preview sections of chapters as i write them! (aka, before kieve gets to fix them :D)

Just completed the 1247km long Carreta Austral in Chilean Patagonia on my rigid steel frame Breezer Radar X running 29 x 2.25 inch tyres tubeless. The bike is about 14kg (31 pounds with pedals and a Brooks B17 special saddle) unloaded and when fully loaded with my bikepacking gear (tent, clothes, tools, water, sleeping system, food etc) is about between 28 to 30kgs (61 to 66 pounds). The bike was very supple and comfortable on most of the trip including the 500kms of gravel (el ripio) and no complaints on ride feel on the washboard and the worst of the "ripio"(tennisball sized rocks on gravel against strong headwinds) when running lower pressures on the i25 WTB rims.
However on this trip I found myself wanting a lower granny gear a lot of the time on the much more steeper gradients especially on rocky gravel. The gearing is stock with an FSA direct mount 38T chain ring and an SRAM 11x 42 cassette. and Apex derailleur and shifters. The only times I used the 10th and 11th gear was on big downhill sections that were too fast (over 50kmph) to keep pedaling even at over 100 gear inches in highest gear. But some of those Patagonian climbs were so tough and steep that I had to walk the bike many times in order to save the quads and knees and my heart from getting into the dangerzone.
The stock gearing provides a granny gear of around 26 inches and the tallest gear was a bit over 100". Am considering doing the GDMBR and would love to get a lower gear to prevent having to walk and get off the bike. I have a 30T FSA direct mount chain ring as spare that came with the bike and that would get me almost two lower gears and bring the granny gear down to around 20.7 inches. I don't think I would miss the top end (because the bike would be loaded and it would be off-road). Because even on flat bitumen road and unloaded I find 9th gear (3rd smallest cassette cog is where I stay the most can get a good cadence and speed that feels right and optimum for cruising for many hours. This is roughly about 80 gear inches as being perfect for high end under flat normal conditions.
Dropping to a 30T chainring would mean my highest gear is about 80 gear inches (a seemingly worthwhile sacrifice), but this would be offroad (and loaded) and on lower pressure tyres and the lowest would be as mentioned before about 20.7".
Am I going to run into issues swapping out the direct mount FSA chain ring from 38T to 30T. Would it be as simple as changing the chain ring (with the right direct mount tool) and shortening the chain by a few links? Would there be any need to change spacing at the crank and chainring or it is just install and ride?
Forgive me for asking any silly questions but I am not that knowledgeable about derailleur setups after coming off a belt driven Shimano Alfine 11 IGH that I've used as a commuter bike for last 10 years.
I have read about some people running 11 x 46 cassettes on the Apex 1 with no issues apart from adjusting the B screw (but that seems more complicated and expensive to just changing the chain ring. But obviously if I can get as low as 19 gear inches with a 30T chainring and a 11x 46 cassette I am all ears.
Basically I am really wanting to find a much lower gearing for my groupset without too many changes and without breaking the bank as this bike is not built for racing but is a pack mule loaded to get me to where I need to go without killing these 48 year old knees.
Has anyone had experience of lowering the gearing on an SRAM Apex 1 for steeper gradient climbs and how did you go about it?
All and any advice appreciated?

Overview

It's a fun day today, because today The Mane Six are going to be going up against 19 different Titan shifters to determin how would win.
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https://preview.redd.it/w05ip5qm0q4b1.jpg?width=350&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e3b217d39adcae3d0589af79556b198169ba211
Okay so how I'm going about this is I'm mainly focusing on the humans controling the Titans rather then the titans themselves. Also this is my personal opinion.

Round 1: Mane Six vs Armored Titan Reiner Braun.

So the first Titan the Mane Six will be facing off is Reiner Braun's Armored Titan.
Now when we first saw the Armored Titan it looked like an unstoppble killing machine, barraling through the wall, and shaking off canon shells like they were nothing. However later on we saw very clear, that under the right circumstances the Armored Titan can be broken.
When Eren, and Reiner first fought in Season 2 Eren realized that physcial punches wouldn't be very effective, so he switched to grappling moves, which ended up breaking Reiner's skin, and even ripping his arm off. Infact I have no doubt that had Bertholdt not interfeared with that dive bomb Eren would have won that fight. Also now that Eren can harden his fist, he's been absoultey dogging Reiner.
Reiner was also destroyed by Zeke's Beast Titan, and now there are weapons like Thunder Spears that can easily break the Armored Titan's armor.
Twilight's blast from her horn alone would be able to make a dent in Reiner's armor, sure in Season 1 she wasn't as powerful, but come Seasons 5-9, and she was on par with Celestia, and Luna. And there's no doubt that if she fought the Armored Titan when she was supercharged with all the Alicorn Magic like in the Season 4 finale she would absoultely obliterate Reiner.
Winner Mane Six

Round 2: Mane Six vs Cart Titan Pieck Finger

Now for Pieck. Now the Cart Titan is the smallest of the Nine Titans, but there are two adavangtes Pieck has, and that is speed, and intelligence.
Pieck has used her speed to help her fellow warriors mutiple times. Such as saving both Zeke, and Reiner from the Scouts.
Pieck is also able to do mutilpe consective transformations hundreds of times. This means she can eject her self out of her Titan, and then transform again.
Also she's usally equip with gun turrents and armor to help he fighting.
Despite this, and her intellegence I'm sure the Mane Six would figure out a way to defeat her and her Panzer Unit.
Winner Mane Six

Round 3: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Marcel Gallaird.

Unfourtently we've only seen Marcel's Jaw Titan once when he along with the other warriors fought an enemy nation. Then he's eaten on their first night on Paradis.
What we do know about his personallity is that he was very kind and caring, and Reiner started acting that to basically cope with his guilt.
But because we haven't seen much of him in his Titan form I again have to give this to the Mane Six
Winner Mane Six

Round 4: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Ymir.

Ymir was the first Jaw Titan we saw. Unlike other Jaw Titans Ymir didn't have any armor or hardening parts on her body. She was also overwhelmed by Pure Titans.
Winner Mane Six
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Round 5: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Porco Gallaird.

Now Porco's Jaw Titan is stronger, and faster then Ymir's Jaw Titan, and we've seen him in action the most, but Porco's problem is that he let's his emotions get the better of him, causing him to make rash descions, which is why for the fifth time in a row I have to say the Mane Six win again.
Winner Mane Six

Round 6: Mane Six vs Jaw Titan Falco Grice.

So Falco does have a few unique abilites such as being able to fly since he swallowed Zeke's spinal fluid giving him Beast Titan like abilites, but I don't think that would help him in a fight against the Elements of Harmony.
Winner Mane Six

Round 7: Mane six vs Female Titan Annie Leonhart.

Okay now this one. By god Annie was a beast. Not only was she a great fighter thanks to her father's traning. Not to mention her Titan is very powerful. As the Marley goverment said it's an all purpose Titan capable in every field. She was able to take out so many elite soldiers from the Scouts, and she's smart enough to wait, and bide her time before making her move. Sorry, but because of all of Annie's abilites I have to give the Mane Six their first loss.
Winner Female Titan

Round 8: Mane Six vs Beast Titan Tom Ksaver.

Tom Ksaver was the father that Grisha never was to Zeke, he inherited the Beast Titan and took the form of a bighorn sheep. Unfourtently his Beast Titan was not sutted for battle, and instead Ksaver mainly did research on the Titans for Marley. This battle is easy to figure out the outcome.
Winner Mane Six

Round 9: Mane Six vs Beast Titan Zeke Yeager.

Now Zeke was a much more capable Beast Titan then Tom. Not only did Zeke have long arms that allowed him to grab objects, and throw them long distances. Also since he had Royal Blood he could do things other Beast Titans couldn't do, such as creating Pure Titans by screaming.
Zeke is also very smart. Combinde that with all the debries being hurled at them, and you give the Mane Six a run for their money.
Winner Beast Titan Zeke Yeager.

Round 10: Mane Six vs Warhammer Titan Lara Tybur.

Okay so while the Warhammer Titan does have cool abilties such as creating spikes, and weapons, but also being able to remotley control the Titan by a crystal underground. Yes the Warhammer Titan has amazing abilites, but considering that Eren defeated easily defeated it, no doubt the Mane Six could too.
Winner Mane Six.

Round 11: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Eren Kruger.

Again we only see Kruger's Titan once, and we don't know what type of abiltes it had, but we can assume it had the same abiltes as all other Attack Titans, but these would not be enough to beat the Mane Six.
Winner Mane Six

Round 12: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Grisha Yeager.

Again we only know of two times that Grisha used the Attack Titan. Once to make it to the Walls, and once again to kill the Reiss Family, and steal the Founding Titan combing both it, and the Attack Titan. However I don't think this would help him as since he didn't have Royal Blood he couldn't acess the Founding Titans power. So he looses.
Winner Mane Six

Round 13: Mane Six vs Attack Titan Eren Yegaer.

When Eren first started as a Titan he was easily defeated by Annie's Female Titan, later after months of training he got better at fighting. But even though he gained hardning abiltes as well as the Warhammer Titan he would still loose.
Winner Mane Six

Round 14: Mane Six vs Colossal Titan Bertholdt Hoover.

The largest of the Nine Titans, The Colossal Titan is a powerhouse, being able to create a massive explosion upon transforming. However the Colossal Titan is slow, and is not suited for long term battles. It does have one ability though, and that is to shoot out jets of hot steam to act as a barrier. However this steam only comes from the musscles, If you attach ODM gear to bones you won't get blow away, but will get seriously burned. The problem with this, is that Bertholdt does not fall for the same trick twice, so if any of the Mane six tried to use this against him, he would likely remember what Armin did, and just swat them away with his massive arm.
Winner Colossal Titan Bertholdt Hoover

Round 15: Mane Six vs Colossal Titan Armin Arlert.

Armin has the same abiltes, and since he was the one to figure out that you needed to attach to the bones in order to not be blown away by the steam so he wouldn't fall for that trick. But Armin is a good boi, he's a bean. So there wouldn't even be a fight.
Winner No one, they'd become friends

Round 16: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Ymir Fritz.

Ymir Fritz is the OG Titan, having all the abilties of every Titan that ever existed. The Mane Six could not defeat something like that.
Winner Ymir Fritz

Round 17: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Karl Fritz.

This is the King who created the Walls, as well as the Vow Reouncing War basically meaning that the Founding Titan would not be used for war. Because of this he would not win.
Winner Mane Six

Round 18: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Uri Reiss.

We only saw him once, and it wasn't even a full transformation just a Partial one. But still he was bounded by Karl Fritz's will, meaning Uri did not have acess to the Founding Titan's full power.
Winner Mane Six

Round 19: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Freida Reiss.

Again we only see her once, where she fights and looses to Grisha's Attack Titan due to being bounded by the First King's Will not giving her access to the Founding Titan's full power.
Winner Mane Six

Round 20: Mane Six vs Founding Titan Eren Yeager.

The first person in over a hundred years to gain the full power of the Founding Titan. However since Eren's Founding Titan was really just a long skelteton like centepiede thing it would only take one blast from Twilight on his head to defeat him, even if he had full support from the Rumbling. So while it would be a hard fight, the Mane Six could still pull it off.
Winner Mane Six

Final Verdict

So after 20 rounds The Mane Six won 15, and the Titans won 4. The Mane Six, and Friendship and Magic once again triumphs.
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Your Champions!