Functional bikes. Not Porn not Anti

Giant Toughroad

I'm pretty into this hybrid...

If you put drops on it you'd be all over it....

£899 , not a bad price either.

The geometry chart seems odd to me. 18" and 19" have actually more reach than the "larger" frames.

Check out the reach measurements also. WTF?! Med is the longest of the x4 frame sizes.

Fuck hybrids. I don't want my hands by my knees.

Currently getting on pretty well with an Arkose 2 as commuter and all round off road riding. Hydro disks are a big step up from cantis on a Kinesis CX. Still running stock 40mm Nanos but considering going narrower...or using some parts to build up a tourer to use as commuter and keeping the arkose as an off road machine.

Anyone with experience of the Spa Cycles steel tourer frameset or full bike?
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s143p2984

Great thread, top bikes.

Get some big slick tyres instead, the thread of the Nanos are reasonably fast but are no match for a decent slick.

These have been bookmarked for ages, might just do it.
http://www.velovitality.co.uk/collections/wheels-tyres-and-tubes/products/compass-barlow-pass-tyre-700c-x-38-mm

So, some visual contributions. Surprised I haven't seen this, sorry if I just missed it.

Twin Six Standard Rando.

Nice Town Bike

Stanforth Kibo

And some Ti.

Can't get enough of that last one.

Lol at the price of that Stanforth Kibo.

You could pick up an old Muddyfox, Saracen etc for £100, drop £200 on an xt transmission groupo, maybe £100 for a framebuilder to add the 3rd set of bottle bosses and brazeons, £100 on racks and still have £1k left to spend on the tour you want to take it on!

For sale here.

I used to have a Raleigh MTB like that about 20 years ago. Cost me £10. One of my favourite ever bikes. Snapped at the seatstays in the end.

.

Ha, very true. Met the Stanforth Guy at Bespoked, talked a good talk, went on about how they're going round the world.

I finished the conversation by saying that didn't think I'd ever want a 26" tourer (plenty of benefits, but I'd look like a giant on a kids bike) and he just couldn't get his head round it, did have a good chat about Paul Cantis though.

Depends where you go touring. I want to go ride the pamir highway. I'd take 26" wheels I think. Otherwise I'd never ride 26. So benefits as you say.

I really fucking do not like those Stanforth's. So unnecessarily antiquated. Totally get the need for 26" wheels. But do not understand the need for the rest of it.

Irony being that Stanforth was set up by the son of Saracen Cycles owner. Inspired by Saracen bikes.
http://www.stanforthbikes.co.uk/#!inspiration/ckiy

Yes antiquated, basically an expensive version of 1985 mtn bike.

On the other hand, I don't have any summit photos from Kilimanjaro to show from my life, so I'll keep quiet.

Harrison has good taste in functional imo

^^No suspension. No disc brakes. No dropper posts.

Win.

And also very clean! Air lifted up there?

Only just read about them properly. Being built by Lee Cooper I guess can mark the price up a tad, but still very spenny for what it is, it would seem. Then again they do have to make money. No worse value than an OTP Surly which are terrible value. I take it back.

Spam alert:
I've got some 700x32c Grand Bois for sale for £20 here. They measure 34mm on my Hope Tech XC rims.
http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/274630/#comment12521790

Does anyone know of a bag similar to this available in the UK?