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I really like the look of it!
Who made the rims and mudguards? -
Thanks.. I think some colourful bar tape would help the WW top tube bag feel more at home.
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I think Supercaz might do, but no idea what their tape is actually like.
Bike looks fantastic btw.
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It’s been a while so worth an update. I’ve given up on the drop bar MTB life and decided that flat bar ATB is the way to go, partially inspired by @samrensho ‘s build shenanigans, partially because of some lower back and neck pain inspired by the drop bars. I feel like it looks….right.
The bars are Ritchey XC bars off the forum and are really horizontal with a little backsweep, which seems to agree with me. Ritchey foam grips, and the Deore 2-finger levers off my Stanton to complete. No dropper - rigid Thomson has been fine for trail shenanigans in gently undulating Warwickshire.
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I’m still playing around with the bag/rack situation. The silver Tortec pannier rack was the most utilitarian but looks most naff IMO. The bagman/Carradice combo looks cool but I’m not enjoying the inertia when turning off-road. Just the frame and top tube bag, with a small saddle bag, feels zippiest but Veeery minimal esp for changing weather. More to play with, I guess?
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This is a welcome change, although i liked the dropbar setup too! My vote is for the frame+top tube bag combo
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It really is a welcome change. I liked how it looked visually with drop bars, but not how it felt - it was also always a bit stiff and heavy at front (though tbh the difference between the Ritchey Comp Venturemaxes and the WCS bars could be the reason). This feels really zippy and agile and not unlike my old 26er Rockhopper, but with bigger tires!
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Have you ever used the Jones bars? I put the Planet X knock-offs on my ‘Atb’ thing (almost as a joke) and was pleasantly surprised at how well they work and all the hand positions they offer. You can get a good low lean on the front, or use the generous sweep to really hang off the back of the bike for very steep technical stuff
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Lovely OG Solaris! Jones bars are high on my ‘try’ list. I visualised my bike with Joneses when I first decided to go flat bars, especially for their bike touring potential. These Ritcheys aren’t Quite the easiest to strap bags to! Though I’m really quite liking how they make the bike feel like a light and zippy off road fun bike for now.
Can I ask how you found the weight and bar angle of the Jones? Very personal I know but I wonder why if it might make for slower, smoother steering. These Ritcheys are just 680mm so quite ‘light’ steering in comparison! -
Sure. The PX bars I have are the single-butted version. However, The weight of the bars is inconsequential relative to the rest of the bike, and I don’t recall them feeling overly heavy in the hand.
The back sweep is a very personal thing.. I like the multiple hand positions and the ability to get your weight back, but i do find the 45 degree angle slightly too much. It’s good for sitting bolt-upright, but a bit acute for the ‘normal’ riding position. I think the Koga Denham bar would be a good option as there’s slightly less backsweep, but it’s even uglier
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Yeah I know the bar weight thing is a tad silly, but I tried genuinely light bars for the first time (or maybe it's 'cus they're narrow? Psuedo-science abounds) and they feel incredible. Maybe this steel, 27.5" knobbly ATB build will end up in the weight weenies thread, yet....
Yeah the Kogas are in the mould of the VO crazy bar aren't they. I'll see if someone is willing to lend me their Jones bars or probably their Jones-alike bars. I probably don't bike tour enough to truly need the extra bag space but the hand positions and comfort are intriguing! -
Ok, been to Bespoked (will put some piccies up too!) and had a chat with loads of people but particularly WizWo, with the express intention of scoping out some frame bags. I had a Cotic-branded bag anyway but it’s a single-sided zip and, tbh, pretty floppy and doesn’t have a lot of structure.
Wiz have a cool printable template to check sizes and I’m very divided between their L and XL sizes. L is a bit smaller than my current bag and would fit two 500ml bottles (the one shown is a 350ml), but doesn’t extend the length of the top tube. XL is almost exactly the TT length but is actually a bit too tall, so any bottles would clash against it.
What would you pick? I’m inclined towards the L, which would suck for the reduced space and unsightly gap but carrying enough water matters more IMO.
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As I've been yelling into the void anyway, I thought I might as well rename this thread and make it about all of my bikes. Some are not 'projects' per se anymore, but I will probably keep fiddling with them and testing new kit and set up options.
First up - my Stayer Groadinger UG, bought as a frame only from Stayer back in 2022 and paid for by insurance money from a stolen bike. Here are some images of it through the years - it started off wayyyyyyyy too long and low (110mm stem, 20mm of spacers, 580mm ETT) but two years of back trouble at the tender age of 29 have mellowed it down a touch.
It started off pretending to be an off-road bike but ever since I bought a dedicated MTB/ATB the full mudguards with flaps and fat 650B slick tires have stayed on.
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My most recent little tour on it up to the Farne Islands, starting from Berwick upon Tweed, with the Bikes and Bird Hides crew earlier last month. Note to self - if you run a large saddlebag and Bagman with a single-bolt seat clamp, and then ride it over bumpy tracks, it'll eventually come loose!
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About
Varun's Bikes, Stayer, Cotic, that singlespeed Rockhopper....
Posted by
@vthejk
Yes, I realise this is rapidly turning into an extended monologue about me and my bike. Yes, I am aware few people are probably interested. No, I don’t mind either way!
Should’ve just called it what it is - not as much a flat bar conversion project as an extended build. I’m mostly convinced that the Cotic suits drop bars, now. I’ve got the old Rockhopper as a flat bar hack and the wide and high drops on the Cotic are very comfy so far. Maybe in the future there are higher and wider bars, but for now it’s just fine.
I think this was always destined somewhat to be a dirt touring bike. With the rear rack and steel fork, there are infinite temptations to stick a permanent rando/saddle bag on and ride off over the bridleways. After playing around with it and clearing out some old bags, I finally decided to stick some worn old Carraduras on. They’re effectively the same mini-panniers that everyone from Porcelain rocket to Tailfin have been banging on about for the last decade, but with character. They’ll probably outlast me, ship of Theseus-style.
I mocked the bike up with a large Super C saddlebag and it looks right. Time will tell if that is too much weight on the back or not; for now, until I get some longer stays for my Nitto M18 (the bolt holes on the fork don’t quite reach) this will probably be it for load-carrying.
I whacked on a WizWo top tube bag from their recent sale and am ambivalent. I love the colour and it suits the patchwork-y nature of this build, but I’ve always kind of found top tube bags annoying, and the bolt holes are too far back, so there’s a gap. Stand by to see if it stays.
Other things: the Charge camo saddle is hilariously hard but also quite cool, the dropper post gets used like once every ride for 20s, the bar tape needs replacing (HMU if you have any cool cloth tape knocking around) and I need to dig out my battered old alu water bottle which will fill the frame a bit nicer. Until then - et voila.
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