Just to add my 6-month review. I bought an Apollo in Oct of 2021 based on review from you, Ryan Van Duzer and The Gravelist. Everything you guys have been saying is spot on. Pros are it is well built and oh so quiet when riding. Tires and saddle are great. A very comfortable bike! Biggest thing is its hassle free with no maintenance! I love I can just rinse the bike off with a garden hose when I'm done and put it up. No need for chain lube or cleaning off the dirty greasy mess from the chain after riding. Never have to buy new chains, cassettes, lube, etc. I like being able to shift gears while stopped (and as many gears as I want at one time). One the things I wish came standard on the bike is a 46/26 front/rear cog setup vs the 50/24T that was standard prior to the 2022 model. I swapped out my rear 24T cog for a 26T, but that's additional cost. To handle grades >4%, one will really want at least the 26T rear cog and as you've mentioned a 46/26T standard setup would be ideal. Since it is a 1 x 11 speed setup (vs a 2x11), there is a large jump from one gear to the next (but a big overall range). If you are a cyclist that tends to average a certain cadence (80/85 rpm for me) then switching gears will cause your cadence to jump or drop a good bit. Just need to be aware of this. You might have to shift 2 gears at a time. I wish the Apollo had the 16-gear setup of the Priority 600, while keeping the Apollo overall range the same or tighter. Probably the biggest thing to get use to is that one needs to stop pedaling to shift gears (just a split second) which is totally different for those of us that ride conventional bikes where you pedal (with no/little load) when shifting gears as the derailleur moves the chain from one sprocket to another. This isn't a problem on the Apollo on descents, flats and at stops, but when climbing it takes some getting use to as one loses momentum to quit pedaling. I'd really like to be able to keep pedaling when I shift gears on climbs. The work around on climbs is to shift 2 or 3 gears at a time when you momentarily stop pedaling in order to maintain your momentum and your cadence. The last thing I noticed is that the single right shifter paddles are backwards from my road bike. On the Apollo the small forward paddle moves you to a harder gear and the larger rear paddle moves you to an easier gear (opposite of my Di2 road bike). The new 2022 model comes with the 26T rear cog and hydraulic brakes, which is an improvement. The manual brakes that came with my 2021 model are good but I would have loved the hydraulic brakes. I set my tires up tubeless, added a kickstand, SKS Speedrocker fenders, a Top Peak rear rack and bag to complete my build (along with lights and computer mounts). I also swapped out the stem for one with a 30 degree positive angle to put me in a more upright less aggressive position on the bike. It's a great gravel bike, touring and bike packing bike. Speed isn't its strong point as with all my add-ons it comes in around 38 lbs. If you want a fast gravel bike consider another bike but if you want a rock solid, no maintenance, comfortable bike at a fair price point then this is the bike for you. Looking forward to your own version of the "Love Cycles" as you make that cross-country trip.
Steve, Thanks for the awesome summary of your 6-month Apollo experience. I agree with your assessment of the gearing and think it would be good if Priority had two different gear ranges to choose from versus having to spend extra time and $ to get the bike gearing lower. Both Mb and I are very happy with the results of the 46/26T setup we ended up with. I also struggle a bit when changing from my road bike to the Apollo in terms of shifting protocol. I have noticed after riding the Apollo for a while, it becomes second nature. It's just when I switch between bikes that I have a bit of trouble remembering to stop or continue pedaling. I also agree with your comment about the brakes, the manual disc brakes work fine but I believe the hydraulic setup would be better and would reduce hand fatigue on long downhills. I like the idea of a positive angle stem. We have an appointment this week to get the Apollo wheels tuned up to ensure the spoke tension is right and consistent. We'll also be doing a formal bike fit on the Apollos and I'll bring up this idea during the bike fit. We are also going to discuss tubeless with them. When you went tubeless did you use the stock WTB tires or change tires? The start date for our big ride is quickly approaching and we are getting excited. Thanks for your continued support of BBB. Enjoy the Ride
Hey Burak, Thanks for watching and it's super cool you're watching from Turkey!! Thanks for letting us know. It's really inspires us to hear from viewers in other parts of the world. How's the cycling in Turkey? Maybe we should put Turkey on our list of places to do some cycle touring some day. Thanks again for the comment. Enjoy the Ride
That is GREAT! I'm thinking of buying the Apollo. The 600X is $$? for me at this time. Thank you for taking us along on your upgrades and your trip. Bike On!
Hey Nelson, First, thanks for watching and for leaving a comment. We love the interaction. We couldn't be happier with our Apollos. They performed flawlessly over the ~3500 miles of The Apollo Mission this summer and other than fix flats and clean the drive belt occasionally, we did no maintenance to the bikes. After our refinements (gearing, racks, etc.) they make outstanding touring bikes. Bottom line, we highly recommend the Apollo. If you decide to buy one, you can use the link in the description of any of The Apollo Mission episodes and we'll get credit for the sale as part of Priority's affiliate program. Don't hesitate to reach out if we can help you in any way with your purchasing or post purchase journey with The Apollo. Enjoy the Ride
Hi back from Idaho. Thanks for watching and it's so great for us to hear you enjoy the BBB videos. It really inspires us to post more content. Enjoy the ride.
I'm way late to this vid, but I always HIGHLY recommend Handsome Cycles fenders. They're hammered aluminum fenders in some great looking colorways - gold, copper, black, or silver. I have the Copper Handsome Cycles fenders on my dark green Cannondale Topstone bike and I get so many compliments on how they look - both from cyclists and non-cyclists. A word of caution - any fenders like these with all the parts separated, take a bit of tinkering to get on the bike. But once you get it dialed, or have your bike shop do it, they work really well and are much more solid than the plasticky pre-built fenders, in my opinion. Great content, and I look forward to more.
Hey Michael, Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment and recommendation. At this point, I've taken the rear fenders off both my and Marybeth's Apollo's. I just wasn't able to get them adjusted to a point I was happy. In the end, I think the problem is the cheap plastic support bracket that clips onto the fender and provides a screw hole for mounting to the bike frame. I checked out the fenders at the Handsome Cycles website. They look very nice and definitely something to consider as I work through my next move with respect to fenders. Thanks again for the comment and recommendation. Enjoy the Ride Wear a Helmet
Just as a heads up, on priority’s recommendation, I changed front to 46 and back to 26 on my Apollo with the same belt (though the tension goes to the other end). It seems to shift things roughly 1.5 gears down in total.
Hey Nat. Thanks for watching and for the comment. I like the suggestion to use a 46 tooth on the front along with the 26 tooth we already put on the back. I think that's exactly what we'll do on Mb's Apollo and see if that gets hers low enough, particularly considering we can use the same belt. I didn't want to have to carry and track two different belt lengths between her bike and mine. How has your overall experience with the Apollo been? Enjoy the ride.
@@BBB_Adventures Ha. I initially got the bike to be an all season commuter (an upgrade from my 3-season one). However, I discovered on this bike that I actually liked biking again, so this led to the gearing switch (many recreational bike rides in my area head into the mountains). Overall, its been great, though I’ve had some issues with the gear wire popping out of its groove on the hub periodically (easy to fix though).
Israel, Thanks for the pointer to Velo Orange. I'll check them out. I've also made a prototype of a custom fender that I'm pretty happy with so far. We plan on posting a video about fabricating these custom fenders in the near future. Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride
100% Agree! The Apollo should come standard with a 46/26 cog setup. I'm betting Priority eventually sees the light on the front cog (currently 50T) and comes with a standard 46/26 setup.
Hey Steve. Great timing for your comment. This week's episode will cover our final gearing change to the 46T/26T set up. We now have both bikes switched over and it's really a game changer in terms of climbing capacity, particularly when you load up the bike with packed panniers. Thanks for the follow up comment. Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures I have 28 x 42 (1.5 ratio) on my Alfine hub, gives a bottom gear of approx 21" (approx 1.6 overall ratio) which at my weight of 80KG (176LB) keeps the torque below 100 Nm, lower than recommenced by Shimano, but after a year of riding is still working fine. Suggest you visit Sheldon Brown's gear calculator that includes hub gears. The ratios on retail bikes tend to be unrealistically high
Yay, it's finally here! I've been sitting on pins and needles anticipating this review, and the report on the 26 tooth cog. It was everything I thought it could be. :) I am almost positive this will be my next bike, and just as positive that I'll need that cog on the hills of Japan. Thanks again for all the great content.
Hey Billy, Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching and supporting BBB. I believe you will really like that the Apollo and I definitely recommend the 26 tooth cog for the hills in Japan. Keep us posted on what you decide and what your experience is.
@@toddromer6116 Thanks for the link, Todd. I have been watching a lot of cycling videos from Japan and it really is a cyclist's paradise. I lived there for a total of 14 years in my younger days. I had a mountain bike that I used for local shopping and the occasional ride along the Tama River; I did quite a bit of hiking and camping but I wasn't really into cycling then. I will be retiring at the end of December and, hopefully, headed to Japan to spend my leisure years and this time I plan on using a bike for my camping trips. This, of course, is provided they even let me in.
@@BooLee01 You're equipping yourself with great equipment and lots of time--and I'm guessing you have the language too--to really embrace a great adventure. Best wishes for it all, and hey! post some videos for us! Having spent some time in China myself prompts my own interest in cycling in Taiwan...and now Japan, and that's what brought me here. That the content creator is a hometown high-school aquaintance, that sweetens the deal. Nice to connect with old friends--and new--through cycling.
@Eikichigai (Billy Woolfolk) Just wanted to pile on to Todd's comment...you are set up for some great adventures in Japan. I have several friends in Taiwan that have done a lot of cycling in Japan and only have amazing stories to share. We'd love to see some updates and videos of your adventures in Japan.
Hi!! Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment. We really enjoy engaging with folks that watch the channel. You must have some good hills to climb in your area, which is great because I like climbing. I think we will end up changing Mb's front cog next to get her a bit more bottom end gearing. Enjoy the Ride
Howdy, Totally agree. Low gearing and high cadence on hill climbs has made a huge difference in the health of my bad knees. Glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you'll get a chance to check out some of the other episodes. Thanks for watching, Enjoy the Ride
Yes. The stock gearing on the Apollo is not ideal for climbing, particularly if you load the bikes up with bags. I don't think you'd be disappointed with an Apollo if you're willing to change the gearing. We are continuing to tune these bikes into what we believe will be good for our planned ride across the US. Please stay tuned to BBB for some additional videos on how we will set the bikes up and prepare for that big adventure. We will also publish weekly (or approximately weekly) videos of that ride somewhat real time. Thanks for watching BBB. Enjoy the Ride
I changed out my rear 24T cog for the 26T cog. Much better! Priority recommended I do just the 26T and try it out and then if needed swap out the 50T front one for the 46T one. Noticed today that the 2022 version of the Apollo comes standard with the 26T rear vs the 24T on my 2021 version. FWIW, I added the SKS Speedrocker fenders sold on the Priority website (for the Apollo), and added a kickstand from the LBS and a Topeak rear rack and the Topeak slide on & clip in bag. All set for some bike packing and gravel riding.
Steve, So great to hear from you and thank you so much for the update. Good observation about the newer versions of the Apollo have the 26T rear cog. We've been very happy with ours since we changed from the 24T to the 26T and I think you will be as well as you get some miles on it. Also good to hear you've successfully installed the SKS Speedrocker fenders, as you know I've not had good luck with the fenders we bought. Perhaps the SKS's are what I should try. Please keep us informed of your experiences on the Apollo now you have it set up. Your final set up sounds similar to what Mb and I have. She does have a front rack as well as well. We are planning a few more modifications before we head out across the US in the late Spring. I have the 46T front cogs that I'll put on Mb's bike for sure and probably mine. We are planning on loaded the bikes with panniers and other baggage and the lower gears will be nice for climbing over the Rocky Mountains. We plan on posting some BBB updates in the near future on how we are preparing the Apollos for that trip. Stay tuned. Thanks again for the update and for continuing to support BBB. Enjoy the Ride
19:28 Everyone seems to like those WTB Biway tires, but in the very few videos I've seen about the Apollo, there were three flats. Granted, all of them were with tubes. I think going tubeless with them will end up being more than just a good idea.
HI Billy. We've noticed the same thing about the puncture resistance of the WTB tires. We have been running Continental Gatorskin tires on our road bikes and have enjoyed their excellent puncture resistance. It seems like the tubeless technology for bikes has improved to a point where it's worth trying. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Hey Christopher, First, thanks for watching and for the comment. Yes, we'll be doing RAGBRAI this year. It will be our 10th and we plan on doing it every year unless something happens to prevent us from getting to Iowa. If you go to the video list on BBB Adventures you can watch our RAGBAI series from 2019, virtual RAGBRAI in 2020, 2021 and this year we did RAGBRAI as part of The Apollo Mission, our bike touring adventure across North America. We have many episodes published of us riding our Apollos across the country. We absolutely love these bikes and they performed flawlessly on our nearly 3500 mile adventure. For RAGBRAI 2023 we will be riding our Co-Motion Tandem we call The Red Dragon but we'd love to sync up with you during the ride. We'll be staying with Pork Belly Ventures again this year and plan to organize some meet ups for BBB Adventure viewers via our Instagram @busesbikesbeers. Thanks again for watching and a huge congratulations on the purchase of your Apollo, you are going to love it. Enjoy the Ride
I had the same issues with fenders and finally took them off out of frustration. I've read nothing but good things abut the SKS Speedrockers, so I may give them a try,.
Hey Troy, I still haven't figured out a solution to our fender problem. I'll look up SKS Speedrockers and please let us know if you try them and what you think of them. Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride
Hey Jack, Thanks for watching BBB Adventures and for the comment. I ordered both the 26t rear cog and the 46t front cog I ended up putting on both my bike and Mb's bike from the good folks at Priority. There may be other places you can get them but I like supporting Priority and it gave me the confidence I was getting the right part. If you reach out to their support team they will send you a link to the part you need. info@prioritybicycles.nyc Text/WhatsApp: (917) 819-1665 BTW, we are within a couple of days of completing The Apollo Mission (our ride across the US) with the 26/46 setup and are carrying about 50 pounds with of gear and we love this gearing setup for climbing. Thanks again for watching. Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures thanks, so far I've went ahead and did 46/26t configuration. I only had to buy chain ring as my rear sprocket was already 26t. Much better climbing setup indeed. thanks for doing this. I enjoy my Apollo 11 so far.
Hey Jered, True and even with the lower gearing and the fully loaded bikes in touring mode we ended up walking a few hills on The Apollo Mission. Overall we were super happy with the new gearing and very rarely miss the high end gearing. If someone was using the Apollo is strictly a commuter or gravel bike, the stock gearing would likely be fine. Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride
Howdy, Thanks for watching and for the comment. I have a Garmin Edge 1000 bike computer which gives all kinds of data including % grade. It's an older unit but works great. I also used it all summer during The Apollo Mission to track our daily stats. Enjoy the Ride
Thanks for the quick response. I've been thinking about the Apollo 11 for a little while. The only problem is that I have a surly disk trucker that I love and it's similar to the Apollo except for the belt drive. Love your channel and just subbed!
If I end up purchasing this model bike from Priority, I will be sure to specifically order it with the larger rear cog and smaller chainring up front. Loaded down with panniers and a front bar bag filled with touring "stuff" - for me anyway - I'll be needing those lower gears!
Howdy, We have been super happy with our Apollo bikes so if you get one, I'm guessing you'd be very happy with it. I'm not sure if Priority offers a selection of cogs but you can easily change them post purchase. We really put these gears to the test on The Apollo Mission and are very happy. BTW, if you use the link in the description of any of the Apollo Mission episodes to purchase your Apollo that would help us as we are members of their Affiliate program. Thanks for watching. Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures Thanks for this feedback. And, regarding Priority's affiliate program, yes sure, I would like to do that for you folks if that's the direction I go in. It would be my pleasure!
Hi Edison, Thanks for watching BBb Adventures and for the question. When we bought the Apollos we ordered the front rack for Mb's bike from Priority. As we were preparing the bikes for The Apollo Mission, we took that rack off and installed cages on her forks and installed a front pannier rack on my Apollo. If you're interested, we cover some of this on a couple of videos about how we prepared for our cross country adventure. Thanks again for watching. Enjoy the Ride
Great relaxing video. Have my Apollo on back order. Anyone has the rollout distances for the lowest and highest gear for each full crank rotation ? Need these numbers to decide if i will need a bigger / smaller rear cog.
KW, Thanks for watching and for the comment. Congrats on ordering an Apollo, hopefully Priority can clear their backlog soon and get yours shipped. I don't have the rollout distances, but I did calculate the final gear ratio differences between the 24t and 26t rear cog. The final gear ratio on a stock Apollo with the 24t cog is 1.098 for 1st gear and 4.485 for 11th gear. With the 26t cog the ratios change to 1.013 and 4.140. Hope this helps. Enjoy the Ride.
Great review! I’ve been sitting on go for sometime on buying one of these bikes, ever since Ryan and Dana rode them. Heard Ryan say Dana wanted an easier gear. So I held off. Saw another review where , I believe it was Tim, had a puncture and also mentioned he would like an easier gear and then you guys mentioned it, so I’ve been waiting for you to get the new 26 tooth gear and see the full review. So it seems like for sure I’ll try to order it with the 26 tooth gear already on it, hope they’ll sell it like that. Guess fenders are out. So no option for kickstands, huh? It’s a shame they have them on their MTB 600X but not on these. Quick question on the tires and wheels, I know they are tubeless ready, but after you put on the rim tape and would add the sealant, are the tires themselves tubeless or will I have to buy tubeless tires. By the way, got my notice, I’m officially registered for RAGBRAI, do hope you’ll do a video on what one should pack and expect , been 40 yrs since I slept in a tent, kinda like sleeping in a bed. You guys recommend Pork Chop Ventures, right? Guess I need to get squared away with them. Thanks again!
I don't know this from actual experience, but I commented on one of these Apollo videos (can't remember whose it was) and they said that Dave won't really sell it pre-configured with the 26 tooth cog. You kind of have to try it stock first and order one if you need it.
Hey Steve. Always great to hear from you and thanks for the great comments. I think you will be much happier with the 26 tooth cog just like I have been so far. Mb will probably need more bottom end gearing so we'll work on that and give an update. I'm not going to give up on fenders and I'm confident I'll figure out a solution. If you are interested in fenders for your Apollo, I'll post what I finally come up with but I believe the solution will include a custom steel bracket to replace the plastic one that came with the fenders. Congrats on becoming an official RAGBRAI rider for 2021!! Yes, we hire Pork Belly Ventures and use their full tent service. We've used them for the last 5 RAGBRAIs and have had an excellent experience. Reach out to Tammy at Pork Belly and she'll hook you up. We love your suggestion about making a RAGBRAI prep video and will start working on that soon. We are looking forward to meeting and riding with you this year. Thanks so much for the comments and for supporting BBB.
Hey Patrick, Thanks for the comment and for the support of Buses Bikes and Beers. No...we haven't not had a chance to get back to our efforts to optimize the Apollos for our needs. We've been busy preparing our tandem for RAGBRAI and have been on several road trips this summer. Things are calming down for us now and I'll be getting back to the Apollos soon and will definitely post an update on that process. Enjoy the Ride.
Hi David, Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment/question. It's awesome to hear from someone in Australia. When we lived in Taiwan we took a trip to Sidney and Perth during the Chinese New Year holiday. We had a fabulous time. We often talk about trying to get back there and NZ to do some cycle touring. Yes, I believe that is the correct part number. Here's a link the part on the Priority website for the correct cog. www.prioritybicycles.com/products/26t-cdx-rear-cog-for-alfine Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Enjoy the Ride
Hi Damien, Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for leaving a comment. My Apollo is a large frame and Marybeth's is a medium frame. My inseam is 32" and I'm 5'11" tall, so I theoretically I could have also ordered a medium frame but I sent Priority the measurements of my optimal bike geometry set up and they recommended a large frame. The folks at Priority as super helpful if you have any bike fit questions. I'm super happy with the large frame. We continue to be very pleased with the Apollo and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a low maintenance and highly capable gravel and touring bike. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have more questions about the Apollo. Thanks again for watching. Enjoy the Ride Wear a Helmet.
Hi Tim, Thanks for watching and for the question. The new cogs were $75 from Priority and it cost us about 40 to have one installed. We got them about a week after we ordered them.
Hi and thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the question. We didn't actually weigh the racks before we installed them, but I would estimate that each rack is between 2.5 and 3 pounds. The racks are made from aluminum tubing to balance weight and strength. Since our plan is to use these bikes for bike touring and will be using panniers, we decided it was the right trade off or us. Thanks again for the question, please let us know if you have any more questions about the Apollo bikes. Enjoy the Ride. Wear a Helmet.
@@BBB_Adventures I,too, am a Ryan Van Duzer fan and have been considering a bike with a belt drive since watching his videos. My partner, Lance, and I have done some bike touring trips with our recumbent trikes. They are super comfortable but a little cumbersome and not always the best bikes on looser trails. We’ve been talking about gravel bikes for a while and he spotted one on craigslist Sunday and I jumped on it sight unseen. It’s the Apollo. The only downside to it was the lack of mounts versus many of the other gravel bikes I’ve looked at but I really like the racks Marybeth‘s. Was also excited to learn that you can change the cogs out for lower gears. Have you managed to out pedal the high gear now that you changed the cog?
It's crazy you bought a gravel bike on Craigslist and it turned out to be an Apollo! That's super cool. I don't think you'll be disappointed. We bought the rear racks and Mb's front rack from Priority Bikes when we ordered the Apollo bikes. You think you can still get the nice front rack from the Priority Bikes website. It's a high quality rack and I'll probably end up putting one on my Apollo before we start our cross-US adventure next summer. I have had the bike in high gear after the cog change but it was downhill and for me it was plenty of high range. I rarely (maybe never) use high gear on the flats and can still cruise in the mid-20 mph range, however I tend to be a high cadence rider because I feel like it's better on my problematic knees. What color is your Apollo, green or blue? Let me know if you have any other questions about your Apollo as you get it set up for your needs.
@@BBB_Adventures it’s the green one. A friend of mine checked it out, picked it up for me and he’s taking it on its inaugural bike packing trip, the Great Allegheny Path and C&O trail. I am a little sad about it, but…we live in NYS, 20 minutes from the Erie Canal Trail if you end up our way.
@@BMad-we6qf Love the green. I can see how you'd be a bit sad someone is taking it out on a journey before you but it does sound like an epic adventure. We do plan on riding as much of the Erie Canal trail as possible on our cross-US trip next summer. We'll be posting a lot more about that as the time gets closer and hopefully we can work something out while we're in our neck of the woods. You are going to love the Apollo once you get your hands on it.
Hey Sam, We just got lucky. It's nice to get a day or even part of a day where the wind isn't howling up on that hill. Now that spring is around the corner, I'm looking forward to riding to the Bone Store again. Thanks for the comment. Enjoy the Ride
Thanks for the review. I have an Apollo on order with a delivery of June 20th. I live in WA and we have hills and I was concerned about the gearing and think that I will request a 24 tooth cog and hope it is enough. Are you going to ride your Apollos at RAGBRAI? I am doing RAGBRAI this year for the first time. I am not sure about taking it on such a long ride with only having the bike for a few weeks. I think I will ride my Salsa Cutthroat with Jones bars at RAGBRAI, but we will see.
Hi and thanks for the comment and thanks for watching BBB. It's exciting to hear you have an Apollo on order.. there is nothing better than New Bike Day. I think you made a great choice for a new bike. If the 24 tooth gear isn't enough, you can watch for what we do with Mb's Apollo since she is looking for a bit lower gearing. We won't be riding the Apollos on this year's RAGBRAI. We have a Co-Motion tandem we bought to ride last year but since RAGBRAI was cancelled, we will ride the tandem this year. The Apollo would be an ideal RAGBRAI bike but I understand you need time to get confidence in a new bike. BTW, you're going to LOVE LOVE LOVE RAGBRAI!! We will be posting a video in th near future with our recommendations for what to pack based on our 6 years of RAGBRAI. Stay tuned, hopefully it helps you. Enjoy the ride!
O Canada!! I'll bet you have some great riding up there. Canada is definitely on our list of places to ride once this pandemic is behind us all. Enjoy the Ride.
Unfortunately most fenders out there for sale are just no good, floppy plastic paired with pot metal heavy floppy stays. You can get aluminum fenders from, for example, Velo Orange. They seem pricey and take some time to initially set up, but once they’re on, they won’t flop around.
I agree with your assessment of available fenders so I decided to make my own. I show it on this episode ua-cam.com/video/WL4-90oumF0/v-deo.html We are now 3200+ miles into The Apollo Mission, our ride across the US and the fenders I made are holding up great. Thanks for watching BBB Adventures. Enjoy the Ride
Hey Josh, Honestly, Marybeth has a wider range of beer styles she really likes, I'm currently stuck in a hop-head phase. However, I do like a good stout or porter on occasion. No matter the style...beer = happiness. Thanks for watching and for the comment. Enjoy the Ride
Hey Josh, Thanks for watching and for the comment. Yes, 15% is tough and I can only do 20% for very short distances. Actually I doubt I could ride a 15% hill for very long either. During The Apollo Mission, we were super happy we'd lower the gearing on the Apollos as we climbed the long passes over the Rockies with the bikes fully loaded. Luckily we didn't hit climbs near or over 10% very often. Enjoy the Ride
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Just to add my 6-month review. I bought an Apollo in Oct of 2021 based on review from you, Ryan Van Duzer and The Gravelist. Everything you guys have been saying is spot on. Pros are it is well built and oh so quiet when riding. Tires and saddle are great. A very comfortable bike! Biggest thing is its hassle free with no maintenance! I love I can just rinse the bike off with a garden hose when I'm done and put it up. No need for chain lube or cleaning off the dirty greasy mess from the chain after riding. Never have to buy new chains, cassettes, lube, etc. I like being able to shift gears while stopped (and as many gears as I want at one time). One the things I wish came standard on the bike is a 46/26 front/rear cog setup vs the 50/24T that was standard prior to the 2022 model. I swapped out my rear 24T cog for a 26T, but that's additional cost. To handle grades >4%, one will really want at least the 26T rear cog and as you've mentioned a 46/26T standard setup would be ideal. Since it is a 1 x 11 speed setup (vs a 2x11), there is a large jump from one gear to the next (but a big overall range). If you are a cyclist that tends to average a certain cadence (80/85 rpm for me) then switching gears will cause your cadence to jump or drop a good bit. Just need to be aware of this. You might have to shift 2 gears at a time. I wish the Apollo had the 16-gear setup of the Priority 600, while keeping the Apollo overall range the same or tighter. Probably the biggest thing to get use to is that one needs to stop pedaling to shift gears (just a split second) which is totally different for those of us that ride conventional bikes where you pedal (with no/little load) when shifting gears as the derailleur moves the chain from one sprocket to another. This isn't a problem on the Apollo on descents, flats and at stops, but when climbing it takes some getting use to as one loses momentum to quit pedaling. I'd really like to be able to keep pedaling when I shift gears on climbs. The work around on climbs is to shift 2 or 3 gears at a time when you momentarily stop pedaling in order to maintain your momentum and your cadence. The last thing I noticed is that the single right shifter paddles are backwards from my road bike. On the Apollo the small forward paddle moves you to a harder gear and the larger rear paddle moves you to an easier gear (opposite of my Di2 road bike). The new 2022 model comes with the 26T rear cog and hydraulic brakes, which is an improvement. The manual brakes that came with my 2021 model are good but I would have loved the hydraulic brakes. I set my tires up tubeless, added a kickstand, SKS Speedrocker fenders, a Top Peak rear rack and bag to complete my build (along with lights and computer mounts). I also swapped out the stem for one with a 30 degree positive angle to put me in a more upright less aggressive position on the bike. It's a great gravel bike, touring and bike packing bike. Speed isn't its strong point as with all my add-ons it comes in around 38 lbs. If you want a fast gravel bike consider another bike but if you want a rock solid, no maintenance, comfortable bike at a fair price point then this is the bike for you.
Looking forward to your own version of the "Love Cycles" as you make that cross-country trip.
Steve,
Thanks for the awesome summary of your 6-month Apollo experience. I agree with your assessment of the gearing and think it would be good if Priority had two different gear ranges to choose from versus having to spend extra time and $ to get the bike gearing lower. Both Mb and I are very happy with the results of the 46/26T setup we ended up with.
I also struggle a bit when changing from my road bike to the Apollo in terms of shifting protocol. I have noticed after riding the Apollo for a while, it becomes second nature. It's just when I switch between bikes that I have a bit of trouble remembering to stop or continue pedaling.
I also agree with your comment about the brakes, the manual disc brakes work fine but I believe the hydraulic setup would be better and would reduce hand fatigue on long downhills.
I like the idea of a positive angle stem. We have an appointment this week to get the Apollo wheels tuned up to ensure the spoke tension is right and consistent. We'll also be doing a formal bike fit on the Apollos and I'll bring up this idea during the bike fit. We are also going to discuss tubeless with them. When you went tubeless did you use the stock WTB tires or change tires?
The start date for our big ride is quickly approaching and we are getting excited.
Thanks for your continued support of BBB.
Enjoy the Ride
excellent breakdown. I can imagine how it would work for me now.
Hello from Turkey, I'm really enjoying to watch your adventure . Thanks for great video.
Hey Burak,
Thanks for watching and it's super cool you're watching from Turkey!! Thanks for letting us know. It's really inspires us to hear from viewers in other parts of the world. How's the cycling in Turkey? Maybe we should put Turkey on our list of places to do some cycle touring some day.
Thanks again for the comment.
Enjoy the Ride
That is GREAT! I'm thinking of buying the Apollo. The 600X is $$? for me at this time. Thank you for taking us along on your upgrades and your trip. Bike On!
Hey Nelson,
First, thanks for watching and for leaving a comment. We love the interaction.
We couldn't be happier with our Apollos. They performed flawlessly over the ~3500 miles of The Apollo Mission this summer and other than fix flats and clean the drive belt occasionally, we did no maintenance to the bikes. After our refinements (gearing, racks, etc.) they make outstanding touring bikes. Bottom line, we highly recommend the Apollo. If you decide to buy one, you can use the link in the description of any of The Apollo Mission episodes and we'll get credit for the sale as part of Priority's affiliate program.
Don't hesitate to reach out if we can help you in any way with your purchasing or post purchase journey with The Apollo.
Enjoy the Ride
Hi from Oregon. Really enjoying your videos. Thanks for taking us along!
Hi back from Idaho. Thanks for watching and it's so great for us to hear you enjoy the BBB videos. It really inspires us to post more content.
Enjoy the ride.
I'm way late to this vid, but I always HIGHLY recommend Handsome Cycles fenders. They're hammered aluminum fenders in some great looking colorways - gold, copper, black, or silver. I have the Copper Handsome Cycles fenders on my dark green Cannondale Topstone bike and I get so many compliments on how they look - both from cyclists and non-cyclists.
A word of caution - any fenders like these with all the parts separated, take a bit of tinkering to get on the bike. But once you get it dialed, or have your bike shop do it, they work really well and are much more solid than the plasticky pre-built fenders, in my opinion.
Great content, and I look forward to more.
Hey Michael,
Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment and recommendation. At this point, I've taken the rear fenders off both my and Marybeth's Apollo's. I just wasn't able to get them adjusted to a point I was happy. In the end, I think the problem is the cheap plastic support bracket that clips onto the fender and provides a screw hole for mounting to the bike frame. I checked out the fenders at the Handsome Cycles website. They look very nice and definitely something to consider as I work through my next move with respect to fenders.
Thanks again for the comment and recommendation.
Enjoy the Ride
Wear a Helmet
Just as a heads up, on priority’s recommendation, I changed front to 46 and back to 26 on my Apollo with the same belt (though the tension goes to the other end). It seems to shift things roughly 1.5 gears down in total.
Hey Nat.
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
I like the suggestion to use a 46 tooth on the front along with the 26 tooth we already put on the back. I think that's exactly what we'll do on Mb's Apollo and see if that gets hers low enough, particularly considering we can use the same belt. I didn't want to have to carry and track two different belt lengths between her bike and mine.
How has your overall experience with the Apollo been?
Enjoy the ride.
@@BBB_Adventures Ha. I initially got the bike to be an all season commuter (an upgrade from my 3-season one). However, I discovered on this bike that I actually liked biking again, so this led to the gearing switch (many recreational bike rides in my area head into the mountains). Overall, its been great, though I’ve had some issues with the gear wire popping out of its groove on the hub periodically (easy to fix though).
@Nat Thiem - As I prepare to switch out my cogs, I was curious if you left the guard on the crank or had to remove it to fit the 46.
@@RideShagbark I left the guard on. It doesn’t look quite as clean, but it works fine and probably keeps my laces out of the belt drive.
@@natthiem7833 thanks!
velo orange makes the best fenders, thx for the content, have fun..
Israel,
Thanks for the pointer to Velo Orange. I'll check them out. I've also made a prototype of a custom fender that I'm pretty happy with so far. We plan on posting a video about fabricating these custom fenders in the near future.
Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the comment.
Enjoy the Ride
100% Agree! The Apollo should come standard with a 46/26 cog setup. I'm betting Priority eventually sees the light on the front cog (currently 50T) and comes with a standard 46/26 setup.
Hey Steve. Great timing for your comment. This week's episode will cover our final gearing change to the 46T/26T set up. We now have both bikes switched over and it's really a game changer in terms of climbing capacity, particularly when you load up the bike with packed panniers.
Thanks for the follow up comment.
Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures I have 28 x 42 (1.5 ratio) on my Alfine hub, gives a bottom gear of approx 21" (approx 1.6 overall ratio) which at my weight of 80KG (176LB) keeps the torque below 100 Nm, lower than recommenced by Shimano, but after a year of riding is still working fine. Suggest you visit Sheldon Brown's gear calculator that includes hub gears. The ratios on retail bikes tend to be unrealistically high
Yay, it's finally here! I've been sitting on pins and needles anticipating this review, and the report on the 26 tooth cog. It was everything I thought it could be. :) I am almost positive this will be my next bike, and just as positive that I'll need that cog on the hills of Japan. Thanks again for all the great content.
Hey Billy,
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching and supporting BBB. I believe you will really like that the Apollo and I definitely recommend the 26 tooth cog for the hills in Japan.
Keep us posted on what you decide and what your experience is.
Some nice riding ahead for you, Billy. A sweet article from Bicycling magazine: www.bicycling.com/rides/a29817448/cycling-japan-poetry/
@@toddromer6116 Thanks for the link, Todd. I have been watching a lot of cycling videos from Japan and it really is a cyclist's paradise. I lived there for a total of 14 years in my younger days. I had a mountain bike that I used for local shopping and the occasional ride along the Tama River; I did quite a bit of hiking and camping but I wasn't really into cycling then. I will be retiring at the end of December and, hopefully, headed to Japan to spend my leisure years and this time I plan on using a bike for my camping trips. This, of course, is provided they even let me in.
@@BooLee01 You're equipping yourself with great equipment and lots of time--and I'm guessing you have the language too--to really embrace a great adventure. Best wishes for it all, and hey! post some videos for us! Having spent some time in China myself prompts my own interest in cycling in Taiwan...and now Japan, and that's what brought me here. That the content creator is a hometown high-school aquaintance, that sweetens the deal. Nice to connect with old friends--and new--through cycling.
@Eikichigai (Billy Woolfolk) Just wanted to pile on to Todd's comment...you are set up for some great adventures in Japan. I have several friends in Taiwan that have done a lot of cycling in Japan and only have amazing stories to share. We'd love to see some updates and videos of your adventures in Japan.
I like how straight forward you folks are, i would probably change front and back cogs for the hills i live in, thanks
Hi!!
Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment. We really enjoy engaging with folks that watch the channel. You must have some good hills to climb in your area, which is great because I like climbing. I think we will end up changing Mb's front cog next to get her a bit more bottom end gearing.
Enjoy the Ride
I'm a higher cadence rider too! It's definitely better for my knees. Good video.
Howdy,
Totally agree. Low gearing and high cadence on hill climbs has made a huge difference in the health of my bad knees.
Glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you'll get a chance to check out some of the other episodes.
Thanks for watching,
Enjoy the Ride
Good to see. The gear range for hill climbs has been my only concern with regard to buying one.... Well that and the 6 month backorder period...
Yes. The stock gearing on the Apollo is not ideal for climbing, particularly if you load the bikes up with bags. I don't think you'd be disappointed with an Apollo if you're willing to change the gearing.
We are continuing to tune these bikes into what we believe will be good for our planned ride across the US. Please stay tuned to BBB for some additional videos on how we will set the bikes up and prepare for that big adventure. We will also publish weekly (or approximately weekly) videos of that ride somewhat real time.
Thanks for watching BBB.
Enjoy the Ride
I changed out my rear 24T cog for the 26T cog. Much better! Priority recommended I do just the 26T and try it out and then if needed swap out the 50T front one for the 46T one. Noticed today that the 2022 version of the Apollo comes standard with the 26T rear vs the 24T on my 2021 version. FWIW, I added the SKS Speedrocker fenders sold on the Priority website (for the Apollo), and added a kickstand from the LBS and a Topeak rear rack and the Topeak slide on & clip in bag. All set for some bike packing and gravel riding.
Steve,
So great to hear from you and thank you so much for the update. Good observation about the newer versions of the Apollo have the 26T rear cog. We've been very happy with ours since we changed from the 24T to the 26T and I think you will be as well as you get some miles on it. Also good to hear you've successfully installed the SKS Speedrocker fenders, as you know I've not had good luck with the fenders we bought. Perhaps the SKS's are what I should try. Please keep us informed of your experiences on the Apollo now you have it set up.
Your final set up sounds similar to what Mb and I have. She does have a front rack as well as well. We are planning a few more modifications before we head out across the US in the late Spring. I have the 46T front cogs that I'll put on Mb's bike for sure and probably mine. We are planning on loaded the bikes with panniers and other baggage and the lower gears will be nice for climbing over the Rocky Mountains.
We plan on posting some BBB updates in the near future on how we are preparing the Apollos for that trip. Stay tuned.
Thanks again for the update and for continuing to support BBB.
Enjoy the Ride
19:28 Everyone seems to like those WTB Biway tires, but in the very few videos I've seen about the Apollo, there were three flats. Granted, all of them were with tubes. I think going tubeless with them will end up being more than just a good idea.
HI Billy. We've noticed the same thing about the puncture resistance of the WTB tires. We have been running Continental Gatorskin tires on our road bikes and have enjoyed their excellent puncture resistance. It seems like the tubeless technology for bikes has improved to a point where it's worth trying.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment.
Just bought my Apollo. Great review. Also, noticed the RAGBRAI jerseys. You guys going this year? Let me know and we can compare Apollos.
Hey Christopher,
First, thanks for watching and for the comment. Yes, we'll be doing RAGBRAI this year. It will be our 10th and we plan on doing it every year unless something happens to prevent us from getting to Iowa. If you go to the video list on BBB Adventures you can watch our RAGBAI series from 2019, virtual RAGBRAI in 2020, 2021 and this year we did RAGBRAI as part of The Apollo Mission, our bike touring adventure across North America. We have many episodes published of us riding our Apollos across the country. We absolutely love these bikes and they performed flawlessly on our nearly 3500 mile adventure.
For RAGBRAI 2023 we will be riding our Co-Motion Tandem we call The Red Dragon but we'd love to sync up with you during the ride. We'll be staying with Pork Belly Ventures again this year and plan to organize some meet ups for BBB Adventure viewers via our Instagram @busesbikesbeers.
Thanks again for watching and a huge congratulations on the purchase of your Apollo, you are going to love it.
Enjoy the Ride
I had the same issues with fenders and finally took them off out of frustration. I've read nothing but good things abut the SKS Speedrockers, so I may give them a try,.
Hey Troy,
I still haven't figured out a solution to our fender problem. I'll look up SKS Speedrockers and please let us know if you try them and what you think of them.
Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment.
Enjoy the Ride
where can I buy this 26 cog gear?
Hey Jack,
Thanks for watching BBB Adventures and for the comment. I ordered both the 26t rear cog and the 46t front cog I ended up putting on both my bike and Mb's bike from the good folks at Priority. There may be other places you can get them but I like supporting Priority and it gave me the confidence I was getting the right part. If you reach out to their support team they will send you a link to the part you need.
info@prioritybicycles.nyc
Text/WhatsApp: (917) 819-1665
BTW, we are within a couple of days of completing The Apollo Mission (our ride across the US) with the 26/46 setup and are carrying about 50 pounds with of gear and we love this gearing setup for climbing.
Thanks again for watching.
Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures thanks, so far I've went ahead and did 46/26t configuration. I only had to buy chain ring as my rear sprocket was already 26t. Much better climbing setup indeed. thanks for doing this. I enjoy my Apollo 11 so far.
Nothing wrong with getting off and pushing if you wanted to leave gearing as it is currently
Hey Jered,
True and even with the lower gearing and the fully loaded bikes in touring mode we ended up walking a few hills on The Apollo Mission. Overall we were super happy with the new gearing and very rarely miss the high end gearing. If someone was using the Apollo is strictly a commuter or gravel bike, the stock gearing would likely be fine.
Thanks for watching.
Enjoy the Ride
Do you use an app on your phone to find the grade percentage or a wristwatch? Or ma5its a Garmin!
Howdy,
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
I have a Garmin Edge 1000 bike computer which gives all kinds of data including % grade. It's an older unit but works great. I also used it all summer during The Apollo Mission to track our daily stats.
Enjoy the Ride
Thanks for the quick response. I've been thinking about the Apollo 11 for a little while. The only problem is that I have a surly disk trucker that I love and it's similar to the Apollo except for the belt drive. Love your channel and just subbed!
If I end up purchasing this model bike from Priority, I will be sure to specifically order it with the larger rear cog and smaller chainring up front. Loaded down with panniers and a front bar bag filled with touring "stuff" - for me anyway - I'll be needing those lower gears!
Howdy,
We have been super happy with our Apollo bikes so if you get one, I'm guessing you'd be very happy with it. I'm not sure if Priority offers a selection of cogs but you can easily change them post purchase. We really put these gears to the test on The Apollo Mission and are very happy.
BTW, if you use the link in the description of any of the Apollo Mission episodes to purchase your Apollo that would help us as we are members of their Affiliate program.
Thanks for watching.
Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures Thanks for this feedback. And, regarding Priority's affiliate program, yes sure, I would like to do that for you folks if that's the direction I go in. It would be my pleasure!
what kind of front rack you using?
Hi Edison,
Thanks for watching BBb Adventures and for the question. When we bought the Apollos we ordered the front rack for Mb's bike from Priority. As we were preparing the bikes for The Apollo Mission, we took that rack off and installed cages on her forks and installed a front pannier rack on my Apollo. If you're interested, we cover some of this on a couple of videos about how we prepared for our cross country adventure.
Thanks again for watching.
Enjoy the Ride
Great relaxing video. Have my Apollo on back order.
Anyone has the rollout distances for the lowest and highest gear for each full crank rotation ? Need these numbers to decide if i will need a bigger / smaller rear cog.
KW,
Thanks for watching and for the comment. Congrats on ordering an Apollo, hopefully Priority can clear their backlog soon and get yours shipped.
I don't have the rollout distances, but I did calculate the final gear ratio differences between the 24t and 26t rear cog. The final gear ratio on a stock Apollo with the 24t cog is 1.098 for 1st gear and 4.485 for 11th gear. With the 26t cog the ratios change to 1.013 and 4.140. Hope this helps.
Enjoy the Ride.
@@BBB_Adventures thanks a lot for the info. Continue to enjoy your rides...cheers
Great review! I’ve been sitting on go for sometime on buying one of these bikes, ever since Ryan and Dana rode them. Heard Ryan say Dana wanted an easier gear. So I held off. Saw another review where , I believe it was Tim, had a puncture and also mentioned he would like an easier gear and then you guys mentioned it, so I’ve been waiting for you to get the new 26 tooth gear and see the full review. So it seems like for sure I’ll try to order it with the 26 tooth gear already on it, hope they’ll sell it like that. Guess fenders are out. So no option for kickstands, huh? It’s a shame they have them on their MTB 600X but not on these. Quick question on the tires and wheels, I know they are tubeless ready, but after you put on the rim tape and would add the sealant, are the tires themselves tubeless or will I have to buy tubeless tires.
By the way, got my notice, I’m officially registered for RAGBRAI, do hope you’ll do a video on what one should pack and expect , been 40 yrs since I slept in a tent, kinda like sleeping in a bed. You guys recommend Pork Chop Ventures, right? Guess I need to get squared away with them. Thanks again!
I don't know this from actual experience, but I commented on one of these Apollo videos (can't remember whose it was) and they said that Dave won't really sell it pre-configured with the 26 tooth cog. You kind of have to try it stock first and order one if you need it.
Hey Steve. Always great to hear from you and thanks for the great comments. I think you will be much happier with the 26 tooth cog just like I have been so far. Mb will probably need more bottom end gearing so we'll work on that and give an update.
I'm not going to give up on fenders and I'm confident I'll figure out a solution. If you are interested in fenders for your Apollo, I'll post what I finally come up with but I believe the solution will include a custom steel bracket to replace the plastic one that came with the fenders.
Congrats on becoming an official RAGBRAI rider for 2021!! Yes, we hire Pork Belly Ventures and use their full tent service. We've used them for the last 5 RAGBRAIs and have had an excellent experience. Reach out to Tammy at Pork Belly and she'll hook you up.
We love your suggestion about making a RAGBRAI prep video and will start working on that soon. We are looking forward to meeting and riding with you this year.
Thanks so much for the comments and for supporting BBB.
kickstand can be installed on this bike. This guy installed a $15 kickstand on his Apollo ua-cam.com/video/WXENnfhKQsM/v-deo.html
Thanks!
Hi, just wonder have you change out the front cog to a 46 yet? Want to see your review and is it difficult to change out the front cog?
Hey Patrick,
Thanks for the comment and for the support of Buses Bikes and Beers.
No...we haven't not had a chance to get back to our efforts to optimize the Apollos for our needs. We've been busy preparing our tandem for RAGBRAI and have been on several road trips this summer. Things are calming down for us now and I'll be getting back to the Apollos soon and will definitely post an update on that process.
Enjoy the Ride.
Hi from Australia, can you confirm the right part no for the 26 Tooth rear cog is CT1126XMN David
Hi David,
Thanks for watching BBB and for the comment/question. It's awesome to hear from someone in Australia. When we lived in Taiwan we took a trip to Sidney and Perth during the Chinese New Year holiday. We had a fabulous time. We often talk about trying to get back there and NZ to do some cycle touring.
Yes, I believe that is the correct part number. Here's a link the part on the Priority website for the correct cog.
www.prioritybicycles.com/products/26t-cdx-rear-cog-for-alfine
Let me know if I can answer any other questions.
Enjoy the Ride
@@BBB_Adventures That for the intel., are you still happy with only the change just to 26 on the back with the original belt?
great video ! need some insight regarding sizing. what's the bike size ? your inseam and height if you don't mind sharing :-) thanks!
Hi Damien,
Thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for leaving a comment. My Apollo is a large frame and Marybeth's is a medium frame. My inseam is 32" and I'm 5'11" tall, so I theoretically I could have also ordered a medium frame but I sent Priority the measurements of my optimal bike geometry set up and they recommended a large frame. The folks at Priority as super helpful if you have any bike fit questions. I'm super happy with the large frame.
We continue to be very pleased with the Apollo and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a low maintenance and highly capable gravel and touring bike. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have more questions about the Apollo.
Thanks again for watching.
Enjoy the Ride
Wear a Helmet.
@@BBB_Adventures thanks for response ! appreciate it. my inseam is 31 and i'm 5'11 so i guess Large is good too for me ;)
What is the cost of the new rear cog & labor ? How long was shipping ?
Hi Tim,
Thanks for watching and for the question. The new cogs were $75 from Priority and it cost us about 40 to have one installed. We got them about a week after we ordered them.
Thank you
Did the racks add a lot of weight?
Hi and thanks for watching Buses Bikes and Beers and for the question. We didn't actually weigh the racks before we installed them, but I would estimate that each rack is between 2.5 and 3 pounds. The racks are made from aluminum tubing to balance weight and strength. Since our plan is to use these bikes for bike touring and will be using panniers, we decided it was the right trade off or us.
Thanks again for the question, please let us know if you have any more questions about the Apollo bikes.
Enjoy the Ride.
Wear a Helmet.
@@BBB_Adventures I,too, am a Ryan Van Duzer fan and have been considering a bike with a belt drive since watching his videos. My partner, Lance, and I have done some bike touring trips with our recumbent trikes. They are super comfortable but a little cumbersome and not always the best bikes on looser trails. We’ve been talking about gravel bikes for a while and he spotted one on craigslist Sunday and I jumped on it sight unseen. It’s the Apollo. The only downside to it was the lack of mounts versus many of the other gravel bikes I’ve looked at but I really like the racks Marybeth‘s. Was also excited to learn that you can change the cogs out for lower gears. Have you managed to out pedal the high gear now that you changed the cog?
It's crazy you bought a gravel bike on Craigslist and it turned out to be an Apollo! That's super cool. I don't think you'll be disappointed. We bought the rear racks and Mb's front rack from Priority Bikes when we ordered the Apollo bikes. You think you can still get the nice front rack from the Priority Bikes website. It's a high quality rack and I'll probably end up putting one on my Apollo before we start our cross-US adventure next summer.
I have had the bike in high gear after the cog change but it was downhill and for me it was plenty of high range. I rarely (maybe never) use high gear on the flats and can still cruise in the mid-20 mph range, however I tend to be a high cadence rider because I feel like it's better on my problematic knees.
What color is your Apollo, green or blue? Let me know if you have any other questions about your Apollo as you get it set up for your needs.
@@BBB_Adventures it’s the green one. A friend of mine checked it out, picked it up for me and he’s taking it on its inaugural bike packing trip, the Great Allegheny Path and C&O trail. I am a little sad about it, but…we live in NYS, 20 minutes from the Erie Canal Trail if you end up our way.
@@BMad-we6qf Love the green. I can see how you'd be a bit sad someone is taking it out on a journey before you but it does sound like an epic adventure. We do plan on riding as much of the Erie Canal trail as possible on our cross-US trip next summer. We'll be posting a lot more about that as the time gets closer and hopefully we can work something out while we're in our neck of the woods. You are going to love the Apollo once you get your hands on it.
The good news is that the wind wasn't blowing--yet. Lol.
Hey Sam,
We just got lucky. It's nice to get a day or even part of a day where the wind isn't howling up on that hill. Now that spring is around the corner, I'm looking forward to riding to the Bone Store again.
Thanks for the comment.
Enjoy the Ride
Thanks for the review. I have an Apollo on order with a delivery of June 20th. I live in WA and we have hills and I was concerned about the gearing and think that I will request a 24 tooth cog and hope it is enough. Are you going to ride your Apollos at RAGBRAI? I am doing RAGBRAI this year for the first time. I am not sure about taking it on such a long ride with only having the bike for a few weeks. I think I will ride my Salsa Cutthroat with Jones bars at RAGBRAI, but we will see.
Hi and thanks for the comment and thanks for watching BBB. It's exciting to hear you have an Apollo on order.. there is nothing better than New Bike Day. I think you made a great choice for a new bike.
If the 24 tooth gear isn't enough, you can watch for what we do with Mb's Apollo since she is looking for a bit lower gearing.
We won't be riding the Apollos on this year's RAGBRAI. We have a Co-Motion tandem we bought to ride last year but since RAGBRAI was cancelled, we will ride the tandem this year. The Apollo would be an ideal RAGBRAI bike but I understand you need time to get confidence in a new bike.
BTW, you're going to LOVE LOVE LOVE RAGBRAI!! We will be posting a video in th near future with our recommendations for what to pack based on our 6 years of RAGBRAI. Stay tuned, hopefully it helps you.
Enjoy the ride!
I'm writing from Canada.
O Canada!!
I'll bet you have some great riding up there. Canada is definitely on our list of places to ride once this pandemic is behind us all.
Enjoy the Ride.
Unfortunately most fenders out there for sale are just no good, floppy plastic paired with pot metal heavy floppy stays. You can get aluminum fenders from, for example, Velo Orange. They seem pricey and take some time to initially set up, but once they’re on, they won’t flop around.
I agree with your assessment of available fenders so I decided to make my own. I show it on this episode ua-cam.com/video/WL4-90oumF0/v-deo.html
We are now 3200+ miles into The Apollo Mission, our ride across the US and the fenders I made are holding up great.
Thanks for watching BBB Adventures.
Enjoy the Ride
@4:30 I prefer my beer to taste more like chocolate milk than bitter soda pop. Drink more stout and porter.
Hey Josh,
Honestly, Marybeth has a wider range of beer styles she really likes, I'm currently stuck in a hop-head phase. However, I do like a good stout or porter on occasion. No matter the style...beer = happiness.
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
Enjoy the Ride
15% is hard, let alone 20%.
Hey Josh,
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
Yes, 15% is tough and I can only do 20% for very short distances. Actually I doubt I could ride a 15% hill for very long either. During The Apollo Mission, we were super happy we'd lower the gearing on the Apollos as we climbed the long passes over the Rockies with the bikes fully loaded. Luckily we didn't hit climbs near or over 10% very often.
Enjoy the Ride
Sorry, or maybe a Garmin.
I understood. Typos seem to be part of our daily lives. :)
Enjoy the Ride