Update, I started hearing some creaking (argh, could it be the press fit BB?!?!). I basically took the whole drivetrain apart, like chainrings off, etc., lubed, greased, loctited (that was originally autocorrected to lactated, btw...) as appropriate and then took her for a ride. Still creaking, but only when riding the small chainring, it kinda sounded like AL/steel galling. I checked my chain for wear with my Shimano chain checker go/no-go gauge. It gave a go, but it was close, so I picked up a new chain and installed it. Silent bliss. Also, finally made some small front der. adjustments. The new Ultegra FD is really cool, I like that it has a built in micro adjust for cable tension. So long story short, I have put in enough miles to pretty much use up a chain, and definitely starting to think about new tires.
So at this point, what do I think of the bike. Well, there's not much I'd change, I mean sure, I'd like Dura-Ace, but would that make it better? Lighter wheels would be cool, but I sure as heck don't need them, I'd be happy to try a pair, but I'm not sure I'd know that they are there. One thing that I think would improve the bike is the new GRX brake levers which have a different pivot point that should allow more effective braking from the hoods. On steep descents (like 20%+) that would be nice. It would be nice when riding single track. That would mean going to Di2 also because that lever is only offered in the electric version. If I wanted to ride more single track, a dropper would be nice. Even two inches of drop would help out. But I have a mountain bike, I don;t need a dropper on the Grail.
The Hoverbar! I really like the aesthetic of the hoverbar, but for me, if I could wave a magic wand at it, I'd like to be able to make the lower bar more droopy and have it connect lower in order to allow more room for my hands when in the drops. As it is now, the connecter bar does let me hook my thumbs, but it kind of pushes on the meat of my hand behind my thumbs and pushes me back from the brake levers just a little bit.
Bottom line, great bike, would buy again. Depending on what next year's Grail is speced like, I might flip this, and buy a Di2 GRX model next year.