Most recent activity
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New Fairlight is 47-50mm ish trail for those who like it low.
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I've used a few - SP, another TW brand and SON. In use there's little in it at all, just lifespan. One may be a bit smoother or have more output at low speeds but at 15mph it's all the same. I've had about 2 yrs good use from SPs and the bearing wear wasn't anything dramatic, I ran it a bit worn/loose for maybe 1500-2000 miles w/o issues (had 2 of them, QR disc spec. Durability as expected rather than the early thru-axle versions that were prone to rapid bearing wear).
Only went for the SON on a recent build for the durability and the wide body spec for a better rim brake wheel build. Really I should use SP on a rim brake wheel as the rim will wear about the time the hub wears, easier to justify SON for a disc wheel. -
Yeah it's impressive, I met and briefly rode with one of their testers last year on the TNR. He was on a proto of that bike. They've spend a decent amount of time on it. Decathlon do product development really well.
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I get that, doing more with less is always good. I think I'm happiest with the two option either side as I like road/easy gravel riding as well as MTB specifically, depends on my mood.
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Or how much tyre is too much for a drop bar? Maybe better if I'd said 'traditional/common drop bar uses' rather than where drops makes sense ie makes sense to me.
For tyres, let's assume gravel to fast XC tread and volume on either size rim. I might go a bit bigger on a 29er as I'm on that route to more technical ability but the point's valid if you assume general 650B gravel tyre or 29er XC tyre.
All I'm getting at is how these things add up and a bike can have parts that pull in a direction or gives the bike a useful bias. But if a drop-bar fat bike makes someone happy, all good and no logic needed. -
I'll nerd-bite.. A 29er wheel has about 7% more OD than 650B, more stuff at the edge, it'll weigh about 7% more. The only thing that matters is the weight since the bigger wheel rotates slower at a given speed. 7% isn't enough for me to care tbh as wheels affect more important things when it comes to off-road riding.
My take on it seems to be about bump frequency and amplitude. Frequency is handled by volume, amplitude is handled by OD and roll-over. 650B is great for a road-gravel bike as it's got the volume potential at a lower weight, works well on fast, small bumps. 29ers can handle both so they make more sense for an XC MTB.
I like 650 x 50 for road and light gravel, basically anything where drop bars make sense. Another benefit to 650B as Ed said is you can get guards in and still have a fairly agile road geometry.
When the bumps get bigger and chunkier I'd go 29" but I'd also drop the drops by then, it's XC MTB time and I'd rather use an Jones bar or some sort of MTB bar than drops. With the wheel capability comes the want to handle the bike differently, for me anyway.A 29" drop-bar like the Cutthroat could be good if you have a lot of that middle ground riding, neither road/gravel nor XC MTB. Most of my riding is more one or the other or I prefer a bike that has clear advantages and disadvantages vs something in that middle ground.
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I've been using the 10s MTB version since 2015, it's a bit shonky, the index indent and the actual shift points don't line up to make a great shift if that makes sense but it's not so bad that I've taken it off. It's not work or got any worse in all that time and it's had a lot of use. I think the Sturmey bar-end @Alb had on his bike was the better option though - not sure if that was 9 or 10s and they prob don't make a 12.
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This is the smart answer. Bar-enders since you should be riding in the drops a lot of the time anyway.
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Pros and cons of each drivetrain aside, 1x was designed for MTBS for chain retention needs. The gaps in gears, cost of the system and chainline compromises are worth it on an MTB that gets used for trail/enduro/shuttle type use. imho that balance of compromises changes for a bike that goes on road half the time at wider speed ranges and has less need for such solid chain retention. But as long as you can pedal it..
I use one of these as a back up to my dyno rear light. It has a clip on the back so I cut a strip of stainless ~15 x 60mm, a bit of a bend lower down and drilled it to mount off the SS bridge, pointing up. Light mounts on that. A short bit of inner tube over the strip means the clip grips solidly. Gaciron stuff is good quality and it looks fine on a classic style audax bike.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gaciron-W08-Bike-Tail-Rear-Rechargeable-Light/193614146766?hash=item2d144d6cce:g:P-YAAOSwUxxfK-Xh