Bontrager 29-3 Tires: Update

With some trail time on these tires, I am ready for an update on them for you. Let’s take a look at what I’ve been doing on them, and the rig I’ve been riding them on first though.

The Salsa El Mariachi with a Bontrager rigid fork

The Salsa El Mariachi I have is outfitted with a Bontrager Race X Lite Switchblade fork. The wheels are also from Bontrager and are the Race X Lite TLR wheels which are being run tubeless with the 29-3 tires. The main testing grounds have been at “The Camp” which has a wide range of terrain consisting of steep, rooty climbs, sweeping turns, switchbacks, off camber traverses, and soil ranging from some embedded rocks, to dirt, to some sandy traps.  In other words, a pretty varied pallette to judge a tire by.

The 29-3 front specific tire

The Front Tire: The 29-3 tires are front/rear specific, so I am going to break down each tire and give my thoughts on how they do their jobs at each end. The front tire reminds me a whole lot of a Specialized Resolution tire that has tie bars on the base of the lugs. (The Resolution, a discontinued tire, did not have this feature.)  The performance is very similar as well. I ran the front tire at about 27 psi  and felt it was very good at absorbing some trail chatter, but not supple. I should say that this is a pre-production pair of tires and that the casings are somewhat stiffer than the casings the production tires will supposedly have. The lateral grip is really good, as you might expect from a tread pattern featuring this sort of layout in regards to the knobs. Braking traction was great. The cornering performance in the conditions I have run it on so far s been top notch. I have yet to get some real “loose over hard pack” yet though, so the jury is still out in that regard. However; if your trails consist of any dirt that is tacky, loamy, hard packed, or buff single track, these tires will rail. Sand isn’t their friend, although they do okay because of the volume of the casing here. Mud performance is decent, but not spectacular. This tire seems as though it would be a great all-round tire, in my opinion.

The rear 29-3 tire

The Rear Tire: The 29-3 tires are an odd couple. They just don’t have anything in common except the branding on the sidewalls. I will admit to still having some trouble with the looks of this combination, and most of my doubts are directed at the rear tire. It is diminutive. It doesn’t have a lot of anything, really- volume, width, or tread depth. What it does have, it makes to work above and beyond all my expectations. Let’s get to the point: I didn’t expect to like this tire at all. After riding it some, I have found it to be a very capable tire. The climbing traction this tire gives you is amazing, and all without a rolling resistance penalty. In fact, it rolls really well. I ran it at about the same 27 psi as the front, fearing pinching or bottoming out on roots, but I never did. Cornering traction was very good. Braking traction…..well, it gives away faster due to its size. If the tire was wider with a similar tread pattern, I think it would work far better. People that rely heavily on the rear brake will find issue with this tire though. Mud wasn’t a friend, and sand wasn’t either. The tread packs up fairly quickly and the narrow width of the tire just cuts right down into loose sand. (In fact, it does the same in mud, which may be good or bad depending on the type of mud you have.) Overall, an impressive tire, but perhaps better for drier, racing type adventures.

Thoughts So Far: The front specific 29-3 is intriguing and I would like to see how the tire would fare as a front and rear set. The volume for the width is fantastic. The cornering and braking traction has been spot on so far. I like this as a choice for a rigid front end especially. The rear is perhaps the best “monster cross” tire available. If I had a suitable rig, this rear tire would find its way onto both ends of it. Fisher/Subaru team racers and 29erCrew racers are reportedly all over the 29-3 rear tire as a front/rear combo for racing. I can totally see this as well. If you are an XC racer on a 29″er, check these out.

I will be doing some further testing of these treads and will give a “Mid Term” report in a few weeks. In the mean time, I hear that 29-3 tires will be coming into stock at Bontrager’s warehouse within days of this post. Stay tuned for more………..

Origin 8 2 X 9 Crank: On Test

The Cyclist has just received a brand new addition to the Origin 8 component line in the form of a new crank set offering. The crank set is a 2 X 9 specific design. 2 X 9 is becoming a way that many mountain bikers can get nearly the same gear range without using a small inner, or “granny” ring. (Apologies to our own Grannygear- We would like to keep you around!) At any rate, the drive train set up with a 2 X 9 will have better chain line, easier front shifting, and more usable combinations.  Some like 2 X 9 for the possibility of a narrower pedal stance; however, the benefits of narrow pedal stance, or “Q factor”, are in debate.

The new Origin 8 2X9 crank with 29T and 44T rings

What the new crank does have are CNC machined aluminum rings on the 104/64 BCD pattern. There are profiles and pick up pins on the outer ring that aid in shifting. This set is also ISIS bottom bracket compatible. The arm length is 175mm. The set is anodized in black with laser etched graphics and CNC’ed highlights on the chain rings.

Laser etched graphics

The crank set is available through independant bike shops that work with J&B Importers and will retail for a suggested price of $100.00. The set is a little weighty, but for this money, the crankset looks great and should be a good value. We will be bolting it up to a Salsa Dos Niner soon and will return with an update as to how these cranks perform out on the trail. Stay Tuned!

Geax Gato 2.3″ 29″er Tire: Two Souls Of A Tire

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of articles on the Geax Gato 29″er tire by chris_geotec. Part I can be found here, and Part II is here.

A word about the two souls of a tire:

Here are a few words on what the GEAX TNT tires have taught me.You all know that a tire consists mostly of casing and tread (I know this is a bit simplistic). The tread meets the eye and in most cases a tire is liked or rejected because of this. In my ~20 years of mountain biking, and before going tubeless, it usually was enough for me knowing I liked the tread and size (As long as I could afford it, I would always go with folding – mostly due to weight reasons). Than I went tubeless and soon realized the other soul of a tire that I had been neglecting – the casing.

When mounting any tire tubed and riding standard to high pressures (> 2 bar)you can get away with much. Wide tires on narrow rims – not much of a problem. But when you go tubeless and want all of its benefits (better traction & comfort, plus lower rolling resistance) you will soon be riding lower pressures. That´s where the casing (and the rim)becomes key factors that decide between fun and disaster. Riding stability, folding over tires, burping, and blow offs are just a few keywords…I guess you all know the story in one way or the other . Like most, I settled with a compromise somewhere within the interdependent variables: (a), rim (width & type), ( b),  tire (size, tubed/tubeless); (c) , riding pressure -and all these influence rotational weight, comfort, and traction (be it objective or subjective, but that can be another discussion). After many years of much trial and error with tubeless it has not been a question of whether I wanted to go tubeless, but what combination I would have to compromise the least. To me this is (or better said: was) lightweight tubeless rims (Notubes, FRM and such) and tight fitting folding tires. (To my defense: Tubeless ready tires are mostly unknown here in Europe and UST were simply too heavy and stiff to my liking)…. end of story (…so I thought).

Then came the one day I got my hands on GEAX´s TNT tires and for the first time I had the perfect casing in my hands – that is to my style of riding. Can you believe they were offering this tubeless ready version for years – fully unnoticed by all of Europe? Not only did the tight and strong bead allow easy inflation and safe riding with no risk of burping under any pressure (like all tubeless and tubeless ready tires) but also the trick reinforced sidewalls were allowing for stable riding at pressures I had thought impossible before. Believe it or not but I rode the 29er 2.2 Saguaro (and the 29er 2.3 GATO) down to 1.2bar and that on 19 mm inside width rims! (… and yes I am not the lean racer type rider). In the end I found the tires´ sweet spot to be about 1.5 bar in the rear and 1.4 up front. Believe me when I say that comfort is top notch, traction is increased to new levels and the overall rotational weight isn´t bad at all with the ZTR 355 rims either. So with GEAX´s TNT tires we have the positive synergy of two souls – casing and tread working together, be it for 26 or 29er…. and now we have a new kid on the block: The 29er GATO 2.3.

Siren Bicycles Announces A New Steel Hard Tail: “John Henry”

In a leak from Siren Bicycles, news comes of a new project called “John Henry”. The John Henry will be a production steel hardtail, a first for Siren Bicycles, says owner Brendan Collier. The new steel frame will be offered in five stock sizes, be equipped with Paragon sliding dropouts, and will be offered in one color. (As yet to be determined) There will be options for different decals available. The frame will have Siren’s signature bent top tube as well as being made from Reynolds tubing.

Brendan says he hopes to offer the frame through select local bike shops and says that the MSRP will be $950.00. The first production run is to start in a couple weeks.

Named after the iconic “John Henry“, who was a workingman’s hero that “took on the machine”, Siren Bikes hopes to become successful with the U.S. produced stock frame. (But hopefully won’t die in the end from trying, like John Henry did!) Stay tuned for further updates as the frames become available.

Lynskey Ridgeline 29″er: First Impressions

After getting a few great runs in on the Lynskey Performance Ridgeline, I can give a few impressions of this titanium single speed. So far, it has been a near flawless ride.

Unattended Ridgelines may spontaneously float away. (Not really!)

Weight: Okay, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Yes- the Ridgeline is a light frame and you could definitely build a “redicu-lite” rig with it. As this one sits, it has no real glaring “weight weenie” parts installed, but it still evokes a “Dang! This is light” response every time I handle it. Does this matter? Is it really a big deal out on the trail? The answer to that is a bit more complicated than you might think.

The Ride: This frame and fork work really well together, first off. The Ridgeline as it was sent to me is a great, racy feeling single speed that changes directions really well and yet is steady enough that it doesn’t feel like you are getting in over your head when things around you turn into a blur.

The fork is a big reason why. It tracks very well, takes off the sharp edges on trail hits like a good rigid fork should, and the offset matches the head angle in a way that makes for a snappy handling hard tail. Lean a bit with your hips for directional changes at speed, or throw the bike over and steer it through a fast switchback. Either way works here.

I will only say that things will get a bit hairy if your descents consist of very long, technical, and bump strewn single track. Why? Because first off, this is a rigid bike, after all. Secondly- because the steering leans towards the fast, twitchy side as opposed to the laid back, stable side. Mind your business while descending and the Ridgeline will reward you with a thrilling downhill ride.

You get snappy handling and a smooth feel on the trail with a Ridgeline

The frame is smooth, as you might expect. It feels eerily similar to the finer steel rides, like the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29″er we just finished up with. It has a give that steel riders crave. Nice stuff. The lateral stiffness is good. Not great, just good. The bottom bracket can be twisted up in a severe, mashing style when just cresting a long hill. You might hear a tooth pop or snap in the drive train if you ride in this style when you have extreme power on at a slow cadence. I had to change up my style just a bit to alleviate the problem, and I’m happy to say I have not heard a peep out of the drive train since. (I probably am pedaling in a more efficient way to boot!)

Of course, Lynskey Performance has done much tube manipulation on the Ridgeline, and it shows up in a frame that tracks well, and while it gives, it does so in a subtle way that doesn’t seem to affect performance in a negative way, (besides the issue mentioned above) . Braking, turning, climbing, and descending are all accomplished without fuss, and in some cases, the low weight of the bike comes into play to make the ride even nicer.

Climbing is a given when you talk about how a light weight bike benefits you. However; it also makes power maneuvers easier and I was able to clean a difficult rooty section on a steep climb that required a bit of a lunge/hop. I executed the move to perfection on the Ridgeline, but missed it with a heavier steel geared bike a bit later because the steel bike was too heavy to toss around like you can the Lynskey.

So, while a light weight bike is cool, impressive, and climbs well, it also can be a couple of other things. In the case of the Ridgeline, it makes for a more maneuverable bike, but comes at the expense of some bottom bracket flex. A rider can learn to overcome this, but it might not be your cup of tea.

Stay tuned for more on the Ridgeline as I break down some of the components on the bike and give my two cents on them in the next “First Impressions” post.

Lynskey Ridgeline 29″er: Out Of The Box

In our announcement of the Lynskey Ridgeline, we gave you the spec numbers as provided by Lynskey. Here I will break down the build and give you the numbers as I measured them on this particular rig.

First off, I noticed that there is nary a tube that has not been manipulated in some way. There is a lot of impressive frame tubing work on the Ridgeline. The frame is done up in a “satin brush” finish which looks great. The decals are available in white or black on the Ridgeline, and obviously we got the black ones. Here are the numbers I came up with on the bike I have here:

Frame Size: Large
Head Tube Angle: 72 degrees
Seat Tube Angle: 73 degrees
Effective Top Tube Length: 24 inches
Bottom Bracket Height: 11 5/8ths
Wheel Base: 43 5/8ths (44mm offset on fork)
Complete Weight: (with pedals) 20.8 lbs

Yeah…..it is light! The lightest bike we have test ridden yet. The nice thing about the build is that it has smart spec choices and nothing I feel is a little sketchy. Let’s take a look:

Wheels: Industry 9 hubs and spokes to Stan’s NoTubes Flow rims
Tires: WTB Nanoraptors with tubes*
Fork: White Brothers Rock Solid 29″er (44mm offset)
Head set: Chris King, black anodized “Sotto Voce”
Stem: Thomson 90mm
Handle Bar: Salsa Pro Moto 17 degree
Crank/BB: TruVativ Stylo SS, GXP BB, 32T w/bash guard, 175mm length
Chain: SRAM PC-1
Cog: Endless 17T
Brakes: Avid Elixir w/160mm rotors F/R
Seat Post: Lynskey 400mm titanium w/carbon base top plate and aluminum hardware. Zero offset
Saddle: WTB Pure V w/titanium rails
Grips: ODI Lock on
Pedals: Old, used up SPD knock offs. (Guitar Ted’s)

*Note:  Rear tire has subsequently been converted to tubeless. Front tire to follow.

So, as you can see, it wouldn’t be too hard to drop this down below 20lbs with some alternative component choices. However; this build shows that you do not have to get too crazy to get a nice, light sled. That’s cool.

The overall look gets lots of compliments. The silver/grey and black look is classy and understated. The lines of the bike look “right” and the decals are not bad in the overall scheme of things, really. They sort of blend in with the whole look of the bike to my eyes. One thing I was surprised to see was the “fade ano” on the Industry 9 spokes, which blends into the look so well most people don’t notice it unless you point it out. As far as looks go, the Ridgeline scores highly as presented.

One more note: I normally don’t comment on how bikes we recieve are packaged, but Lynskey needs to be called out here for its stellar packing job. The box was twice the overall thickness and weight than ordinary bike boxes and the bike was so well packed that I looked at it for several minutes before I went ahead and took off the packing. Nicely packed bikes mean that they arrive in one piece, (usually) and this one was packed about as well as any bicycle I’ve unboxed. And I’ve unboxed a whole lot of bicycles! So that was notable to me, at least.

Now that we’ve seen the bicycle and dissected the build, how does it ride? That question will be answered in my next post on this bike coming soon. Stay tuned.

Also: See our first post on this bike here: Lynskey Ridgeline 29″er On Test

Geax Gato 29″er Tire: First Impressions

Editor’s Note: chris_geotec chimes in with his first ride impressions of the upcoming Geax Gato 29″er treads…….

Part 2, First ride impressions:
Now that we have the numbers down it is time to get them dirty and what a dirt we started out
with. The first time riding the 29er Gatos here in Southern Germany we were blessed with
completely soaked soil, lots of mud, wet roots, and sprinkled with a few remains of snow
here and there – all in all slippery and nasty but perfect testing grounds for the Gato. At first
I only mounted the front. I liked the Gato right away for the great braking traction. It sure
helped me descend with more confidence and corner a bit more aggressively. I ended having a
very enjoyable ride; riding a bit more than what I expected to ride, and walking most of what I
thought I would. With my prior experiences on GEAX´s TNT tires I knew these tires could
handle low pressures – but more on this later.               

Gato on the trail

The next ride I swapped over to full Gato   front and rear and … boy I was flying …traction was awesome. Self cleansing in the mud was no issue except for the nastiest stuff
(more like sandy glue than soil).  I was having a blast!! I knew that the Gato – 26er that is – was good on the wet and slippery, but this one was a Gato on steroids!! It showed
me once more why I had committed myself to 29er wheels. At one point I found myself at the top of a technical rooty downhill I certainly do avoid under these conditions,
thought for a moment and…. down I went. No moment of uncertainty, hardly any slippage.

 I have no conformation about this,  but it feels like the Gato´s compound is softer than its brothers´ – mucho grip on all the slippery stuff. Sure the multi sectored, aggressive knobs add much to that impression, but I hold my opinion, it feels stickier! Along the ride I encountered
like the Gato´s compound is softer than its many sections that I usually clear with luck under such wet conditions, or often not at all and this time I rode it all! I will not comment on rolling resistance and acceleration as this was just no ground for such thoughts. Plainly said – I was happy enough to stay on my bike for most of the ride rather than counting off time.
OK – I must admit this review turned out to be a bit more emotional and less objective, but I simply had a blasting riding,  and isn´t that what mountain biking is all about? (Sorry I have no pics of these rides – wouldn´t dare to take my camera out in these conditions. But here is one a few days later )

A Few Days Later....

Over the next weeks riding conditions remained the same and I found myself playing with riding pressures to test the tires´ sweet spot. All in all my first thoughts were fully confirmed: Very good grip, excellent mud clearance, strong cornering and to add this one – very stable at a very wide range of riding pressures. So much for the first few rides.

Lynskey Ridgeline 29″er Single Speed: On Test

The Cyclist has just taken delivery of a Lynskey Performance Ridgeline 29″er which is part of their “Houseblend” line of titanium frames which includes models in their Road, Mountain,  and Triathlon series. Here’s what the Lynskey site says about the Ridgeline:

The Lynskey Ridgeline 29 delivers all the benefits you expect from a high performance 29er. Our combination of cold-worked/multi-shaped titanium, 29 inch wheels, and balanced geometry will give you the increased traction, comfort, and stability you’re looking for while avoiding the normal 29er pitfalls of poor standover, sluggish handling, and a whippy front end.

 

The Lynskey Performance Ridgeline in single speed mode

We will be keeping these benefits in mind as we take a closer look at the Ridgeline in our next “Out Of The Box’ post. For now, here are some hard numbers on the frame:(all info from Lynskey’s site)

Frame size: Large
HEAD TUBE ANGLE: 72 
SEAT TUBE ANGLE: 73 
TOP TUBE LENGTH : EFFECTIVE: 24.5 
HEAD TUBE LENGTH: 3.93 
BB DROP: 2.36 
CHAIN STAY LENGTH: 17.5 
SEAT TUBE LENGTH: 18.5 
STAND OVER HEIGHT: 30.6 
FRONT CENTER: 25.5   
WHEELBASE: 42.4   
FORK TRAVEL: (adjusted for 80mm) Rigid fork on test model
FRAME WEIGHT:  3.35 lbs 

Stay tuned for pictures of the build and a detailed break down in the “Out Of The Box” post soon!

Misfit Psycles diSSent: A Captain Bob Review

Editor’s Note: This is a review of the Misfit Psycles diSSent by Captain Bob. This will be Captain Bob’s final reveiw for me and I want to personally thank him for all of his past work.

What defines the differences between a race frame and a normal frame?  Is it the ride quality, weight, price, looks, tubing material, the company that actually fabricates the frame etc…..?  I don’t really know the answer to that.  Do we decide this by reading reviews?  Sometimes we do I guess.  It sure might play some role in decision making, for me at least.  Some frames get written off just by being inexpensive maybe.  Others get the ax by being too pricey.  Well, I guess I would have to admit that I didn’t express too much interest in the Misfit Psycles Dissent.  Not much interest at all,  even after seeing it at the shop where Guitar Ted works.  Then one day I was talking about the hassles I have when testing different wheels/tires but having to use one bike.  Having to readjust brake calipers and chain tension at the trail head in order to get in all the reviewing needed.  So, Ted said, “Hey Captain.  Why don’t you use the diSSent as a second test bike until get your new race bike.”  I thought about it for a few minutes and decided to take him up on the offer.

This frame and fork ended up at my house with the complete build that Ted had previously been testing as a budget build.  I rode it around the yard and on my 3/4 mile single track that is in my back yard and thought, what’s going on here, this is aluminum?  Really?  Something is different here.  Ok, more on that in a bit.  I decided that I should do a very contrasting build to the “budget build” that I was looking at.  Why not bling this thing out a bit.  Could this entry level rig make a quality race bike?  Hmm…..  So granted, I wasn’t going to go buy new high end parts to throw at this project but I would put all the good stuff on it that I have not been using.  So, now we have project “Misfit Race!”

Ok.  Let’s get into the parts end of this mini-review:

Misfit Psycles diSSent Frame.  (claimed weight 4lb 7 oz)
Misfit Psycles diSSent Aluminum Fork (claimed weight 1lb 10oz)
Cane Creek S3 headset
Cheap seat clamp
Thompson 70mm stem (botched anodizing job turned flat black)
Thompson seat post (botched ano again)
Salsa Moto Ace 11 degree flat handlebar
Ergon E1 grips with bar-ends (my favorite single speed combo)
Quad Hydro disc brakeset 180mm rotors
San Marco Caymano saddle
TruVativ ISO Flow cranks and bb
Bontrager pedals (yeah, I know they are old)
32t Generic chain ring and bash guard.
Easton XC-One SS wheels
Misfit Psycles 18t aluminum cog.
Specialized Fast Trak S-Works 2Bliss tires 2.0
inner tubes
Bontrager bottle cage

I will let you know right now that this complete bike (yes, with pedals and bottle cage) weighed 22.28 lbs on the shops Ultimate digital scale.  I was surprised though since it felt much lighter.  Maybe that’s because I have been working out…..ok, I don’t work out so that’s not the reason.  Anyway, I guess that’s a respectable weight for a budget frame.  Ok, enough with the small talk.  Let’s get to the real issue here.  The ride.  The ride is what makes this frame and fork so special.  First off, the Easton wheels make any bike ride a little more compliant than other wheels, but they are not the only reason.  I would have to call this frame set steel with the looks of aluminum.  Yes, it is aluminum but the feel is all steel.  In fact it’s better than most steel frames I have owned or ridden.  The fork surprises me the most though.  It’s so compliant yet still rigid.  When you grab a handful of front brake you can see the fork pull back.  Even cruising along on a gravel road the movement of the fork is clearly evident.  I did throw on an Origin 8 Black Ops carbon fork for one day and I  realized quickly that the Misfit fork was way more compliant.  The Misfit fork is lighter too.  So, is it too flexy?  I don’t think so.  If there is lateral flex I guess I just didn’t notice it.  Out on the single track I could really appreciate the softer ride from the front end.  I believe there are many people out there that may discover in this fork that it’s what they have been longing for.  It’s very light.  Stiff enough but very compliant.  Tracking is right on too.  The price is right.  I think it’s $90. (Editor’s Note: The Misfit Psycles site lists the fork at $90.00) Pretty cool.  Quite a surprising fork for sure.  Only one issue.  With the vertical dropouts I am able to get the front wheel to pull out of the dropout ever so slightly when grabbing a big handful of front brake.  I can see that the wheel is not straight and the rotor also rubs the caliper a tad.  This mainly happened when the temps were below freezing.  Weird I guess.  I have had this happen on other forks too that have a vertical dropout but not forks with an angled dropout.  Now that it is warmer I really haven’t had the problem as often.  There was never an issue of danger since the dropouts have those little tabs to prevent the wheel from coming out without loosening the quick release.  Just something worth noting.

So, how about this frame?  “It’s very lively” is the best way I can describe it.  I would say it’s identical to what a high end steel frame feels like.  Much more compliant than the Jabberwocky that I no longer own.  Both nice frames but one is stiffer than the other and that is the only comparison that I will make.  The welds are very nice and the gussets are straight.  Nothing worse than crooked gussets.  Out of the saddle climbs with my 210 lb frame did show a hint of bottom bracket flex but nothing that smoothing out my pedal stroke didn’t correct.  The head tube area felt stiff enough too.  The sliding dropouts worked flawlessly.  I do wish for a bit more length to play with gear combos.  To get the wheel where I wanted it and with my gearing I did need to use a 1/2 link which works fine.  The sliders never slipped on me at all.  The washer was smooth so if someone were to get some slipping a knurled washer would for sure stop that.

So, there are three nit pics with the frame.  Nothing major again but worth noting.  The seat post seemed a tad small for the seat tube.  Once the seat clamp was loosened the post would drop all the way down under it’s own power.  However; it did stay put with my cheapo clamp once it was torqued down.  It never did slip down while riding.  The other nit pit is the chain hit the back end of the chain stay with most of the gear ratios that I chose.  It appears that the dropout put the rear axle a little lower than it maybe should be.  When running a 32×18 gear combo I could get chain slap even with the really tight chain.  I ended up putting a little electrical tape around the stay which helped silence the slapping noise.  Not a big deal but would be if I were to run a 32×16 gear.  My final nit pick would be the bottom bracket height.  With the 2.0 S-works tires it left me with a bottom bracket height of 11.5 inches.  A did have a couple pedal strikes but there is a learning curve with any low bottom bracket.  On some trails I had to stop pedaling on one off camber stretch where I normally would be able to pedal.  Not a huge deal though.  I just swapped out the tires today to a Geax Barro Race rear and Geax Saguaro front.  With the Saguaro being such a tall tire it actually raised the bottom bracket height to about 11.75 inches.  That’s a pretty good jump and I bet with the Saguaro on the front and rear it would hit 12 inches.  Something to keep in mind if bottom bracket height is an issue for you.

In conclusion I would have to mention one last impressive thing to note is the paint.  It’s a nice powder coat.  In fact, it looks and feels like the thinnest powder coat I have ever seen on a bike.  However, I have yet to scratch through it.  Even the brake cable rub is minimal,  Very impressive since some high end frames come with less than perfect paint jobs.

I  am still impressed with the diSSent frame and fork.

The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo 2009

Guitar Ted Productions along with Twenty Nine Inches presents the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo 2009 . The event, which is a big excuse to get out your mountain bike, join a bunch of like minded freaks, and ride, is set to take place October 10th and 11th in the Sand Hills region of West Central Nebraska.

 

Nebraska? you say? Yes! The venue we have chosen is a great network of single track with hills and technical riding unlike any you will find anywhere else. It is a gem hidden in the Great Plains that only a few have ridden and we invite you to check into it. If you have further questions or are interested, click the link above and check it all out. Contact info can be found on The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo 2009 site.