advertisement


new bicycle choices

HarryB said:
About 20 years ago I paid just over £2,400 for a titanium hard tail with full XTR, nice handmade wheels and good forks. The bike has been up hill and down dale off road and done a few coast to coasts in a day. Thousands of miles on the clock and more shitty weather than I care to remember.
Click to expand...

I used to have an Ti hardtail - a Van Nicholas Zion which I didn't keep for long although I miss it now. I was going through a phase of chasing light weight (no idea why as I wasn't by any means light myself) and ending up running it with quite a pricey build to get it down to about 20lb. It was horrible like that though - too skittish - and it wasn't until later that I found that I don't really seem to get on with hardtails lighter than about 23-24lb for some reason. It was actually nicer with a cheaper build (100mm Fox forks instead of 80mm SID's, XT drivetrain instead of XTR, Hope/317 handbuilts instead of American Classics etc.). Quite tempted to see if I can pick up a 2nd hand frame in fact and built another one just like that!
 
SteveG said:
I used to have an Ti hardtail - a Van Nicholas Zion which I didn't keep for long although I miss it now. I was going through a phase of chasing light weight (no idea why as I wasn't by any means light myself) and ending up running it with quite a pricey build to get it down to about 20lb. It was horrible like that though - too skittish - and it wasn't until later that I found that I don't really seem to get on with hardtails lighter than about 23-24lb for some reason. It was actually nicer with a cheaper build (100mm Fox forks instead of 80mm SID's, XT drivetrain instead of XTR, Hope/317 handbuilts instead of American Classics etc.). Quite tempted to see if I can pick up a 2nd hand frame in fact and built another one just like that!
Click to expand...
All 29ers are stable I think.....
 
SteveG said:
My Epic is also like that. It was bought new in 2001 when the Epic's first came out and was the base model (LX with a couple of touches of XT if I recall correctly) - I think it might even have come with V-brakes. It now wears full XTR (apart from that front mech of course) with the dual control shifters that didn't really catch-on but which I like (and have on several bikes),various carbon and Ti bits, SID forks (God knows how many sets of forks I've had on it over the years) and some very light American Classic tubeless wheels (that I run with tubes!). Other than that front mech and the frame I think the only other original bit is probably the rear shock - they had a reputation for dying early but mine is still working fine. A little unfashionable now with it's 26" wheels but I still love it and it's quite light for a FS bike, even by modern standards (I think it's around the 23lb mark). Even with me on it is quite fast!
Click to expand...

I bought a Kona Kula Primo in 2006. It did the Annapurna Circuit, a massive trek round the Andes and loads of other stuff. The Raceface Deus Xc triple crankset off it is the only surviving component - it’s now on an Orange G4 frame, which is constantly being reconfigured depending on if it’s being used for touring, winter road riding or XC. I firmly believe a hard tail MTB is the Swiss Army knife of cycling. If I could only have one bike it would be a hard tail, although I’d want two sets of forks and 3 sets of tyres. I also have too many bits to ditch 26 just yet, although I suspect decent rims and tyres will soon become harder to come by.

Incidentally, I also briefly tried a ti hardtail, a genesis latitude, but the geometry felt weird and I was a lot slower on that than on the G4.
 
Anybody got views about the SRAM 1 by chainsets? Can't decide whether to go for a Shimano Ultegra or an SRAM 1 by. I like the simplicity and that it is less likely for the chain to come off. I am not overly fussed about cadence.
 
Dozey said:
Anybody got views about the SRAM 1 by chainsets? Can't decide whether to go for a Shimano Ultegra or an SRAM 1 by. I like the simplicity and that it is less likely for the chain to come off. I am not overly fussed about cadence.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go to a single chainring on my road bikes but I'd definitely consider it for a CX bike and I do have one of my mountain bikes set-up that way (although with Shimano rather than SRAM).
 
Riding in Kent I certainly wouldn't go for a single chain ring as you need the ability to quickly and dramatically change ratios.
 
andrew d said:
Riding in Kent I certainly wouldn't go for a single chain ring as you need the ability to quickly and dramatically change ratios.
Click to expand...

1x11 is a bit of a game changer if you haven’t tried it. I had 1x9 before but that hurt a bit on some of my local climbs (South Downs).
 
I run a 1x with 42 front and .10-42 cassette. That spins out at about 34 mph at 120 rpm. More than enough for all but the most mental sprints
 
Dozey said:
Anybody got views about the SRAM 1 by chainsets? Can't decide whether to go for a Shimano Ultegra or an SRAM 1 by. I like the simplicity and that it is less likely for the chain to come off. I am not overly fussed about cadence.
Click to expand...

I did look at it in some depth.

The 1 by is much quieter and the SRAM clutched rear mech is a great design with no chain slap so if you are going to do quite lumpy bouncy stuff it is excellent. The ratios are fine really and 1 by 12 SRAM is here already and will offer even more range.

That said, I much preferred the Ultegra 2 by 11 and the closer ratios even with dupes. I am more road than off road and have no complaints so far with my relatively new choice. I believe that Shimano have a clutched Ultegra rear mech coming as well.
 
Thanks for the informative comments. I expect I will go with an Orro Terra Carbon having the Shimano Ultegra groupset at the end of the day.

Maybe get a 1 by on the next bike!
 
Dozey said:
Thanks for the informative comments. I expect I will go with an Orro Terra Carbon having the Shimano Ultegra groupset at the end of the day.

Maybe get a 1 by on the next bike!
Click to expand...

Looks lovely, same groupset as mine and looks like they have used the whole groupset not substituted cheaper bits for the cassette and chain etc. What tyres did you get?
 
Not decided yet - I will get some advice from the bike shop. Possibly slicker ones suitable for road use with deeper tread on the sides.
 
Oh god, I used some semi slicks on a summer day of torrential rain. I was expecting hardpack. I spent more time off the bike than on it, and by close of play I was approaching every muddy corner with a Scandinavian reverse flick so that I could get the back sliding, put on the power and get it round the corner. Without doing that the front would wash out and drop me on my face.
 
Dozey said:
The Panaracer Gravel King tyres are a possibility. Any opinions?
Click to expand...

Great tyre, its what my Reilly comes with and the Mason Bokeh has them as std equipment as well as a few other high end bikes. They will spin up in sludgy mud but you can keep going and the side bite is still good in grunge. The rolling resistance is low for a 38mm tyre and a great starting point IMO.
 
£2000 frame only, I'll say it's not cheap. That's a £3k bike if you build it on the cheap, £4k to do it any justice and more if you want anything special.
 
Briefly back to the OP, anyone have any experience of Kalkhoff pedelecs? They look like an answer I need to investigate?
Ta.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top