Comment got in was
‘Don’t know much about the Cult, but was a big fan of the old-shaped Waroo. Went to buy a newbie and found that had changed the design completely – NOT the same kite, beware – it is SLOW and heavy feeling.
Tried a Slingshot Octane and fell in love with it – now have two (7m and 9m)- especially good in surf and build quality way above Waroo.’
I do get some strange looks sometime as I commute to the office. I live just over 5km away from work but was sick of either waiting to get a lift or driving the completely wasteful 5L gas guzzler car back and forth. So that’s where the Brompton came in – brought it out 10 days ago and I am loving it.
Firstly the fold – very simple and now I don’t even have to think (top tube, back wheel and handle) takes about 20 sec or less to fold and take the front bag off and take it indoors.
Secondly the ride. The route to work is tar – not the smoothest with the odd pothole and corrugation. Brompton is fine – even tank track sleeping policeman are easy to go over. I hit them at about 20km/h lifting the front and unweighting the back wheel so it just pops over. Ride to and from work is generally done at an average of 22-24km/h – nothing too speedy or sweaty just a steady pedal in 4th or 5th gear.
The back shock takes quite a lot of the buzz off the road so really is quite smooth.
Everything feels very tight and well put together – Brooks is still barely wearing in only had about 150km on it so far – should be super comfy in about 500 but still better than most saddles already.
silly iPhone accelerometer seems to place this on its side and YouTube wont let me rotate it …
On paper, the new Shimano XTR pedals read as though they’d visually stand out from prior year’s Spuds like a sweet potato in a pile of russets.
With 270 percent more surface area and oval-shaped axle body housing?
Certainly those two new features alone would make it obvious. But at a quick glance it’s hard to not simply write them off as last year’s version.
Honestly, they look so much like last years pedals that you could almost be cheated then you notice the cutaway which gives that better pedal contact, out on the trail, it’s quickly very obvious that these are a revamped version of the industry bench mark pedal.
The most obvious change comes from those new, shiny little contact points that are wholly responsible for the 270 percent surface-area increase. All but completely negating the familiar rocking effect of previous SPD generations, with a stiff-soled shoe these pedals now feel like they have the surface area closer to that of a BMX platform pedal. That said, the engagement, release, and float are essentially the same as they ever were, in a good way.
Side by side, it’s more noticeable that the new generation pedal bodies are both wider and thinner than last year’s pedal. As for width, Shimano added 12-mm toward the crank, which is said to help with bearing durability, as well as rider stability. And by using an oval-shaped axle body housing, they were able to reduce the thickness by 4mm, increasing pedal clearance and supposedly helping with mud/debris-shedding abilities, too. The egg beaters have always been the king of shedding around here but I have gotten fed up with the loosening of the spindles and the speed in which the pedals wear down. The best EB I had where the very first chromoly ones – since then the SL and even Ti versions have been a bit crap.
In addition to the design tweaks, they’ve also decreased weight by a handful of grams, thanks to lighter axles, and cutting out some of the girth on the outside of the pedal. It will be interesting to see how the pedals fare in the long-run with these reductions, as I don’t know about you, but the ends of my pedals take a beating like Balboa, and lightening up axles simply makes me a bit nervous.
Of course, Shimano usually isn’t known for taking chances, so odds are these SPD’s will be just as stout as the ones before. We’re also not talking about huge weight reductions, either, as according to our scale, the ’11 XTR pedals weigh in at 308-grams, which is 18-grams lighter than our ’10 XTR pedals.
Certainly there is a school out there that prefers a lighter pedal, but for myself, pedals should be a non-issue item. And if the durability is at the same standard Shimano has set with their previous pedals, then I’ll be in clover.
If you are the cyclist who likes the look of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento then there is also a bike for you to go with it. While the car is all about lightweight the bike is all about heavy steel and mad max rage.
TREK BROADSIDE – you will feel manly on the bike up to the point where you smack your nuts on that top tube ….
So that got me thinking to other mad max bikes and then I thought that Trek had obviously reworked the theme from in-house and more specifically from Gary Fisher. They have this on their own website which is a more subtle version.
and then there are the more extreme versions of big wheel bikes like this …
The famous Black Sheep Beast
Think this is their Zamer showbike:
http://mtobikes.com/carver-bikes-96er-mountain-bike-review/
rss feed from MTO Bikes
Let me begin by stating that this review is for theCarver 96’er frameset. However, I could do a review on so many items on the bike, since I have never ridden any of them before. I wanted this build to be new and fresh as I always do, rather than build with components I am familiar with. In this way, I am able to have a broad knowledge of many brands. I try to be unbiased when evaluating different items, and judge them on their own merit. However, I will state that I would not change a single component on the bike – everything performed flawlessly!
I have been riding a rigid single speed 29’er for the past several months, so I am very familiar with riding 29” wheels. They are great for rolling trails, but I would prefer a 26” bike for racing or very technical singletrack. One of my good friends has become a 96’er convert, and now has a rigid Carver single speed, as well as another brand’s full suspension bike. I was intrigued by the 96’er idea, especially having come from a motocross background. A larger tire up front will roll more easily, which is why so many people are now riding 29”-wheeled bikes. On the other hand, it does take more effort to spin up a rear 29” wheel, so technical riding can suffer when acceleration out of corners is required. Companies making the 96’er-style of bicycle use this as the rationale for using a 29” front wheel and a 26” rear. After building Tom’s Carver 96’er single speed, I knew that would have to be my next frame! However, all three of my current mountain bikes are single speeds, so I knew that I wanted gears. I plan to race again (2 or 3 x 9), but in the meantime, I felt that a 1×9 would serve me perfectly in the Atlanta area, since I could ride most trails on a single speed. Given the benefits, a 96’er 1×9 would seem to be the perfect all-around bike.
As built, the Carver was 25.5 lbs. with pedals – very respectable, considering the fact that it had a 29” front wheel and fork. I was not aiming for a light bike necessarily – after receiving the frame, I bought the Halo rims, knowing that they would be relatively heavy since they were freeride rims. However, I compensated with the other components. I have never personally had Chris King hubs, but I have built dozens of wheels with them. I knew that I wanted the best. I decided to use a 20mm thru-axle just because. Originally I was going to get a FOX fork, but they did not have any 29’er forks in stock since they were transitioning to 2010 units. I currently have FOX, Marzocchi, and Rockshox forks on other bikes, so I decided to try the Manitou. I have been riding several models of Avid and Hayes disc brakes, so I wanted to try Magura SL. Finally, I went with the Ritchey carbon bars, stem, and seatpost.
The first thing I noticed about the bike was how responsive it was! The tubeless tires helped, but I was immediately comfortable on the bike. My friend Dave was riding behind me, and he commented several times on how well I was able to flick it around. I actually had to keep reminding myself that it was not a 26”-wheeled bike. It pulled a wheelie much easier than my other 29” bike, and just felt “right.” I was a little reluctant to push heavily into corners at first due to the standard tire converted to tubeless on the front, but my confidence increased as the ride progressed. The harder I pushed the bike, the more it seemed to want! The bottom bracket was super-stiff, and handling was exactly as expected. I have an old Mazda RX7 GSL-SE I am restoring, and this bike reminded me of that car – point it where you want it to go and it does the rest!
Descending was zero effort, and I felt perfectly confident at any speed. I will admit that the tires and brakes were a large factor, but the geometry of the frame was the main reason. Climbing was equally as impressive. I tried the new “Monster Mile” at the Fort Yargo trails in Winder for the first time, not having any experience with it. There is a decent-sized “horseshoe drop” which was the most technical part of the ride. The bike dug in and climbed out of the Georgia clay without incident – I never put a foot down on that entire trail!
I can’t say enough about how happy I am with the bike – it is the PERFECT mountain bike for almost every trail in Georgia! I am definitely a 96’er convert now, and that will be the bike I use mainly. Sure, the components were incredible, but they were only as good as the foundation. A painted Carver 96’er frame is $399 MSRP. I would take that frame any day over a $1,500 carbon 26” frameset! It was stiff and responsive with perfect handling. What more can I say? The bike was amazing!
Frame: Carver 96’er
Fork: Manitou Minute-29 Super 09 Absolute T-A – 100mm travel
Rims: Halo Freedom Disc (29” front, 26” rear) with Stan’s NoTube kits
Hubs: Chris King ISO Disc (20mm front thru-axle)
Spokes: Black Wheelsmith double-butted with blue alloy nipples
Brakes: Magura Marta SL (180 front and 160 rear)
Headset: Chris King NoThread
Shift Lever: SRAM X.0
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.0
Chain: SRAM hollow pin
Stem: Ritchey WCS carbon
Seatpost: Ritchey WCS carbon
Handlebar: Ritchey Super Logic carbon
Tires: Kenda Nevegal (standard 29” front and 26” UST rear)
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Troy Lee Design
Grips: Oury
Pedals: Crank Brothers Egg Beater Ti
So was in the PX (shopping place) when I spotted fak (battery) flares in the sale.
$8 instead of $20 so bought one and lashed it on to the tail of the brooks.
I have a blinky but this seems quite cool a type of underglow feel.
49 left until it pays for itself
Still got horrendous cough and bad jetlag (well more like 3 hrs sleep) so canned work early – going to power nap and then carry on work from here. Good to ride the bike here for the first time – there’s a 30kmh speed limit on the base so only one car actually overtook me in 5km
Brompton in box on way to airport
Made it through Dubai – in fact landed on carousel as I was walking up to it – and I was second off plane. Unscathed as good as new. Then a taxi to Terminal 2 of doom … down another check in it rumbles this time on it’s way to bag-a-daddy. And tada arrived unscathed again … handle is very good and bag rolls well too.
Saw this bike in portugal – quite an unusual frame design I thought – was rushing to restaurant so didn’t stop to really investigate. Cant make out the name of it – which is a shame – anyone who knows please let me know.
I seem to be the only one saying this – but … here it comes ‘what utter dross’
i am a fan of Taylor Steeles other piece but the premise of this piece is about Rob turning his back on the publicity and limelight and heading off to find himself. This is just bad drama and as far from doccie as anyone could get. The worst moment that typifies this all is Rob going past camera on a motorbike and his mobile being discarded – it bounces next to camera and then FX comes in with a missed call and answerphone message ‘hi you’ve reached rob …’
Beautifully shot but not the doccie-drama it pretends to be – felt robbed of my viewing time. Bad drama perhaps.
From dirtrag – carver killer B review – more fuel to the fire
http://www.dirtragmag.com/reviews/carver-killer-b
Issue:
147
By Karen Brooks
Tester: Karen Brooks
Age: 36
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 125lbs.
Inseam: 33″
Vital Stats
Country of Origin: China
Price: $1345 frame with options, $2700 as built
Weight: 25.3lbs. built as a singlespeed, 27.3lbs. geared, 3.2lbs. size 17″ frame
Sizes Available: 13″, 15″, 17″ (tested), 19″, 21″, 23″
Contact: www.carverbikes.com
Having a “geeky physics background.” Davis Carver isn’t afraid to mess around with unusual wheel sizes, and in fact, sees advantages to offering more than the standard 26″ wheel for mountain bikes—in getting the fit just right, and in being able to mix front and rear wheel sizes. But the fact that he’s also a bike shop owner, and thus could argue against the potential multiplying of replacement parts, doesn’t dissuade Carver from experimenting. From his shop in Woolwich, Maine, he dreamed up some bike designs, and then about ten years ago met a bike builder based in China who offered to help make them a reality. Carver started with the 96’er, a 29″ front/26″rear combo bike (reviewed back in issue #112), and from there, has produced a collection of mountain bikes with almost every conceivable wheel size combination.
The 650B, or 27.5″, wheel size is something relatively new, at least as applied to mountain bikes. Andy tried out the first one for Dirt Rag in issue #131, a prototype by Kirk Pacenti. This “tweener” size, Carver feels, gives some of the sure-footedness of a 29er without the potential geometry problems in smaller frame sizes. The Killer B frame is made of 3/2.5 titanium and has a clean, “normal” appearance; at first glance it’s hard to tell what size the wheels are. The welds are not quite stack-of-dimes perfect, but aren’t bad either, and the closed-in, box-section head tube gusset is elegant. The top tube is subtly bent for standover clearance. The chain- and seatstays swerve in an S-shape for tire clearance, giving plenty of room for the Pacenti Neo-Moto 2.3″ tires plus lots of mud.
This is a bike that felt comfortable right away (which was fortunate, since my second ride on it was the Shenandoah Mountain 100). Some of the instant comfort I attribute to the fact that it’s a fairly straightforward hardtail, but its 650B-ness was also a factor. I felt like Goldilocks tasting just the right porridge. With 29ers I tend to fit the smallest available frame size; this 17″ tester is right in the middle of Carver’s six size options, with geometry that is nearly identical to my personal 17″ Mooto-X 29er singlespeed (the smallest that Moots makes). The Killer B’s chainstays aren’t particularly short at 17.5″-18.5″ (depending on where the sliding dropouts are set), yet the rear end felt nice and compact. At 4.5″ the head tube was actually a quarter-inch longer than my bike’s, but no extraordinary measures were needed to keep the handlebar height reasonable, and in fact it measured 2.5″ lower than on my bike with a similar stem. Already some benefits to the smaller wheels reveal themselves.
Overall the handling was about what can be predicted—somewhere in between that of a 26er and a 29er. Duh! It was interesting to note how the tweener wheels worked better than two-nines or two-sixes in some situations but worse in others. The course of the 2009 Singlespeed World Championships, in Durango, Colorado, was a perfect test track to illustrate these pros and cons: there was a rocky ridgetop section, in which the wheels got caught up in between the giant slabs of rock more than 29″ ones would have (and I firmly believe I would not have been passed by so many racers if I hadn’t been crippled by smaller wheels—the elevation had nothing to do with it, I swear), and there was a tightly-wound woodsy section, in which I could sling the bike around easily, approaching the flick-ability of a 26er. In singlespeed mode, there was less of our old friend momentum coming from the smaller wheels, but that had its advantages in quicker acceleration.
Running gears, the bit of acceleration gained was nice to have. On long smooth sections, of which there were a lot in the aforementioned 100-miler, the 650B wheels rolled along slightly better than 26″ would, but didn’t generate the keep-on-truckin’ feeling of 29″.
I don’t tend to get airborne much, but when I did, the Carver was less bike to pilot, yet stuck to the ground upon landing a little better than a 26er. I generally felt less high-up off the ground than on a 29er, and it was easy to hang off the back of the bike in techy downhill bits. This could be due in part to the the Killer B’s low-ish bottom bracket height of 11.XX”; I struck my pedals more than a few times on rocks and logs, but I’ll take that in trade for more stability. The Neo-Moto tires’ in-between contact patch worked well in most situations, but once the mud started getting rehydrated in the fall I missed having a wider area to get a grip.
All that wheel size experimentation seems to have served Carver well. There was nothing jarring or weird about the ride. This is a bike that seemed perfectly at ease in a variety of cross country environments.
There are a ton of options for Carver frames. My tester’s sliding dropouts (with a derailleur hanger) closely resemble ones from Ti experts Paragon Machine Works, only thicker, and add $250 to the basic $1100 frame price. Carver also offers their own brand of eccentric bottom bracket (but Davis cautions that it can slip more easily in a Ti frame), as well as a BB30 option. Custom geometry can be ordered with no extra charge. A third bottle mount, fender mounts, and other tweaks are also available.
The only problem I had with the frame was the rear derailleur cable braze-ons—they stuck out from beneath the top tube enough, and were sharp enough, to put holes in my skin along with a couple pairs of tights. While I was running the bike singlespeed I wrapped multiple layers of electrical tape over them. Newer versions of the frame have these braze-ons more tucked under the top tube.
Carver also offers a plethora of build kits. My tester arrived with XT hubs and Velocity Blunt rims, a huck-worthy but hefty combination, although the Velocity rims have a fairly wide 21.6mm internal rim width, which helps eke out the maximum tire contact patch. (I’ll be reporting on a lighter 650B wheelset from Notubes.com in an upcoming issue.) Although the Killer B was sent with a straight handlebar, for all-day comfort I hit up Eric for the Carver MyTi alt-bar that he had tested in issue #144, and was damn glad I did. Its curves matched nicely with the frame’s and it helped keep the bike comfortable.
This Killer B got its suspension action from a 2009 X-Fusion Velvet fork, a $350 option. As we reported from Interbike ’09, X-Fusion has been flying under the radar for a while now, making forks and shocks for other brands, but they are poised to grab more attention soon. They just might do it by offering this excellent 650B fork choice (it’s actually a 26″ fork, but approved for 650B use). If I had to describe the Velvet in one word, it would be, well…velvety. Through all kinds of conditions, the fork remained supple and smooth. Its only drawback was the lack of a lockout.
So are 650B bikes the next wheel size revolution? Hard to say. Personally, I agree with Mr. Carver, and think it makes a lot of sense to offer as many options as are practical. The offerings from this particular bike maker, being grounded in real-world experiments, are especially attractive for conducting your own try-it-on-for-size experiments.
27knots feels fast – these boys hit 46+ all the time as an average speed over the course.
Quick ride at 4pm as Jolene and the girls were coming back from swimming – Ruby (now 6yo) was doing only her 2nd ride to the West End (glasgow) which is just over 5km each way. in between was a 40 min swimming class which always wipes her out so thought I would meet them on their way home to give Ruby a moral boost and also to make sure she was safe on the road
Took a bit of coaching at the end – but she was insisting on doing it – we were going to strap the bike on the side of the Yuba if she was tired … but she wouldnt give up despite complaining.
Went to meet them on the Brompton – getting used to the slightly small wheels and noticing the bumps – but a solid well-made bike and I am loving it.
| Name: | Track 023 | |
| Date: | 3 Oct 2010 5:19 pm | |
| Map: (valid until Nov 2, 2010) |
||
| Distance: | 7.84 kilometers | |
| Elapsed Time: | 35:34.6 | |
| Avg Speed: | 13.2 km/h | |
| Max Speed: | 35.0 km/h | |
| Avg Pace: | 04′ 32″ per km | |
| Min Altitude: | 81 m | |
| Max Altitude: | 107 m | |
| Start Time: | 2010-10-03T16:19:53Z | |
| Start Location: | ||
| Latitude: | 55.860547º N | |
| Longitude: | 4.223120º W | |
| End Location: | ||
| Latitude: | 55.860423º N | |
| Longitude: | 4.222976º W | |
Kite*Surf*Bike*Rambling 