Suggestions needed for new Gravel/Endurance Bike

[mesomaxl]

and there comes the new Warbird
https://salsacycles.com/bikes/warbird/2 ... gra_di2700

Nice thing, but BB86 puts me off though…

[wheelzqc]

What's wrong with BB86 or BB90 ?

[mesomaxl]

to me the entire construction is odd. BB90 for instance is something which is a fault by design, as the concept isn`t able to take the repeating load on a crank-shaft without doing damage to the frame. the tolerances needed for this concept to work are so minimal that you end up having mis-fit and therefore cause wear in your frames bottom bracket. The fact that the "fix" from Trek is to sell oversized bearings which you have to hammer then into your frame in order to compensate the wear, seems rather odd. especially given the premium they charge you for their products.

With BB86 its a similar story.. but at least you can buy conversions, similar like Praxis is offering for PF30.

The concept of two cups (or bearings) that get pressed into a plastic material (which carbon is in the end) without any parallel or horizontal misalignment due to manufacturing deviations is odd to me. Asking around, PF30 is often mentioned as the preferrable application, if there is no way getting around a pressed bracket. I`m hoping for T47 in the future.. but for now, there seems often no way around it.

EDIT: Maybe check for Hambini on Youtube - that guy seems to be qualified to judge on these things

[LeDuke]

Rodeo Labs. Their Trail Donkey is a great bike.

www.rodeo-labs.com/td2/


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[mesomaxl]

yeah, i'm in contact with them - but as it seems i have absolutely no possibility to give it a test-ride. Its a bit strange to me to put down 2500$ for something i have never seen or even ridden :-/

[jemima]

Complete bike: Planet-X Holdsworth Mystique ??

[philipBer]

So.. "back to the drawing board" - the VPace seems to especially fit my geometry-needs (long legs, more comfy position).
Waiting for a reply regarding Di2 / 650b and frame finish - on the other hand… Ravensburg is less than 2 hours from Zürich.

We'll see

Have meet the guy behind Vpace several times, nice chap! A Di2 only frame is possible and has a lead time of ~10 weeks. That's at least what he told me... If you are around the corner, visit Vpace and have a chat with Soeren. You most likey will get decent coffee too...

My favourite solution at the moment is the Vpace Frame with custom paint...

[philipBer]

and there comes the new Warbird
https://salsacycles.com/bikes/warbird/2 ... gra_di2700

Nice thing, but BB86 puts me off though…

Great frame but in my opinion boring paint....

[mesomaxl]

since i`m getting no replies from VPace, my eyes start wandering off again towards Carbonda. Still uncertain whether it's worth the risk. But custom paint carbon for sub 800 sounds promising.

[philipBer]

since i`m getting no replies from VPace, my eyes start wandering off again towards Carbonda. Still uncertain whether it's worth the risk. But custom paint carbon for sub 800 sounds promising.

Did you try to call him? That's maybe the quicker way to get a response. Its a two man show after all...

[twoangstroms]

A lot of good suggestions!

I've been loving my Ibis Hakka MX (and saw one parked locally but with 650 wheels, and it looked great, too). It has a T47 BB, so when I went to change the crankset, I had to get a new BB, splurged on a Chris King. If the sizing works for you, it's hard to say that'd be a wrong bike.

[Powerful Pete]

Does the Ibis Hakka have flat mount discs?

[twoangstroms]

On the rear, yes. The model year I have, the Enve fork that came with it has post mount. Honestly, I haven't noticed any difference in performance of front versus rear brakes. If you're really set on flat mount front and rear, I suppose you could replace the stock fork.

[mesomaxl]

sadly the Hakka doesnt match my geometry preferences with rather long legs.. or put differently.. i'm not flexible enough in the spine to take such a racy position. Especially not for longer distances

[twoangstroms]

Oh, that's funny about the fit. I have a long torso and proportionally long femurs, so I need the 53 for the top tube and seat angle being slack enough, so it feels a bit on the large side and I've had to slam the stem. But the shorter stem that allows gives me great handling both uphill and downhill. The thing tracks really well, feels super smooth, and is totally responsive.