Had my Topstone 4 since Jan 2022, it’s a decent gravel bike for a grand (even less on C2W), great addition to my carbon roadie & full sus trail bikes. The standard kit is pretty decent & works well, except…
Brakes – Promax Render R mechanical disc:
The stock stoppers were absolutely pants & the main thing to swap – “squeal like a peeeeg and not slow down” is their mantra 🙁Zoom R200 Semi Hydraulic Line Pull Calipers.
Replaced pads 4 times in a year and still awful – binned.
Brakes v2 Apr ’24; TRP Spyre-C Mechanical Disc Brake Caliper F&R:
Should’ve got these in the first place! They’re best rated cable pull disk calipers for the money and they are superb. Paid £80/pair delivered on eBay.
Easy to install and adjust (did both in a lunch hour), equal L/R balance and pads easily clear the discs. The Topstone has more stopping power than ever from less lever movement too. Happy Bunny 🐰
Gearing! 40T front chainring – way too low for this bike imho.
Honestly didn’t touch gears 1-3 for a year, 40 (F) to 40 & 48 rear is MTB crawler territory, and I’m never gonna take this up big technical climbs like Afan or Cwmcarn like the trail bike.
Replaced with a 46T from Amazon £23 – it’s a 104BCD narrow/wide chainring – simple 20 min install with the stock bolts.
Oddly the stock chain was long enough! 1st is still a super low 46F – 48R, but I can do 30mph without spinning out. You might squeeze a 48T in but it’d be very near the chainstay (rear frame).
46 is perfect for me & looks superb – ignore the dirty bike 😹
Wheels and Tyres…
Never liked tan wall tyres on any bike, plus the stock WTB Riddler Comps were wired, heavy & ugly. Replaced with tubeless ready WTB Riddler TCS Light 700x37c folding tyres…
Update, Aug 2023 – now running WTB Nano 40c TCS Light. The Nano’s are noticeably bigger with a rounder cross profile (Riddlers are quite squared) so cornering, grip and braking are much improved. Another total bargain on Wiggle, so I’m very happy.
Sept ’24 – The same Nano’s are still fab, loads of grip and comfort.
Running TPU inner tubes (£30 for 6 on Amazon) 46g Gravel 38-50mm, sound weirdly quiet, handling improved and they hold air better than butyl 🙂
Stock wheels were solid and bombproof, but jeez them’s heavy!
12mm x F110 & R142 bolt thru axle with disc, standard fare & easy to swap.
PlanetX had a mega sale in early ’23 so I grabbed a pair of Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 tubeless ready wheels for £75 (from £200).
Upgrading the Wheels n Tyres dropped almost a kilo off the bike! Still running lightweight inner tubes, not tubeless. Swapped wheels during 2 lunch breaks with new discs & the stock cassette.
Saddle – the standard Cannondale CX saddle was fine for short rides, but anything over an hour left me numb. Bought a Selle Italia Flite Flow in Wiggle sale, it’s super comfy, has a pressure channel for ya bits, magnesium rails, look & feel primo. Loves it!
With all the above, honestly this bike is sublime.
Wheels are much stiffer but more compliant, so the ride is smoother and the bike feels more responsive. Tyres have DNA dual compound & grip well in all conditions.
Brakes are excellent now, saved quite a few “near misses” (near hits!). She looks far better with nice wheels, black tyres, bigger chainring and tidy brakes, as I think you’ll agree…
Also installed a HKT frame protection kit. Lush.
Spare tube, inflation kit & tools live in a 1L dry bag, held firmly with a Granite Rockband.
(Why Mudguards? Is my commuter & rains a lot here)