Pompino Alternative

NorwegianBlue

A year or two back C+ ran a short test on a single speed/fixed cyclocross bike, trouble is I can't remember what it was. Anybody got a comprehensive set of back issues able to find out? I was wondering if it was available frame and fork.

I'm thinking of building a do it all on/off road fixed/free cross/touring/hack bike - a proper old fashioned second/winter bike I suppose. For some reason whenever the urge takes me to do something like this On-One are always out of stock of Pomp frames in my size so I'm looking for an alternative.

SJS used to do a cheap touring/cross frameset that could have done the job, horizontal dropouts rather than track ends, but what the hell. Trouble is they seem to have stopped selling them.

2muchCake

You could try the Bareknuckle which is (I think) available through Hub Jub. Cotic Roadrat gets good reviews too

wasi

I don't know which bike C+ reviewed but either a Surly Steamroller or Cross Check would fit the bill.

NorwegianBlue

The Bareknuckle is very road oriented, wouldn't fancy tackling cyclocross on it!

The Surlys have always been expensive for their spec, this is even harder to understand now that the dollar has got much weaker against the pound but prices haven't come down over the last couple of years.

I've been racking my brains and I think the bike concerned was a Perkins. Bikeradar don't seem to have the test online, not that I'm surprised by that! Anybody got a copy?

Trouble is I can't find a web presence for them or any local or online stockists. They're not exactly local to me. Any ideas?

belgiangoth

How about you get a frame from a custom builder. Claude Butler should be able to sell you a horizontal dropout cross/tour bike at a compettitive price, for a bit more you could get exactly what you want, not what the manufacturor wants to sell.

NorwegianBlue

Didn't know the vast conglomerate of Falcon still did custom frames?!

Bear in mind that a Pomp frame and fork costs about £175, you are not going to get a custom built frame and fork "for a bit more" than that.

Somebody mentioned the Cotic Road Rat, well it's a nice frame but I don't like the 132.5mm track end spacing. I'd be using a track hub for fixed work and probably a BMX hub for off road SS work so I'd want 120mm spacing.

belgiangoth

Well, apparently on-one are selling off their frames at bargain prices ... again. problem is if you're a popular size you'll miss out, so will need to pay their full price of £225.
Claude butler, I'm having a brain spaz, I don't mean them, but rather .... forgot the name, they're based in Leeds I think and are cheeper than Mercian. If you're looking at 225 pounds for a frame you could go to a framebuilder and spend the same, plus an upcharge to customise to your specifications.

Tom753

Bob Jackson in Leeds?

graham_g

What size pomp frame were you after? I'm parting mine out pretty soon and the frame will likely be a bargain price - it's a large by the way. Email or PM me if you're interested.

NorwegianBlue

belgiangoth wrote:

Well, apparently on-one are selling off their frames at bargain prices ... again. problem is if you're a popular size you'll miss out, so will need to pay their full price of £225.
Claude butler, I'm having a brain spaz, I don't mean them, but rather .... forgot the name, they're based in Leeds I think and are cheeper than Mercian. If you're looking at 225 pounds for a frame you could go to a framebuilder and spend the same, plus an upcharge to customise to your specifications.

On-one, as usual, have virtually no stock. Just the small and extra large at £149, no other sizes at any price.

I've spoken to/e-mailed a few frame builders over the last week and prices for a custom build single speed steel cross bike range from cor to blimey! Nobody got under the price of a Surly Cross Check F+F for a custom built frame only. Wish I could find out who was supplying SJS with their touring/cross frames a while back, £125 F+F IIRC.

Johno68

The back issue of C+ which has the bit on the Perkins (custom) Fixed has the following contact details:

www.timetrialbikes.com

This appears to be nothing more than a cycling related launch site for pop ups.

and Tel No: 01509 416 650

I've not tried that number.

The full bike price was £650, that seemed very good compared to a £550 Perkins, £400 Langster et al. especially if it is made to measure.

Let us know if you manage to contact them.

John

peejay78

definitely bob jackson - he does a custom and an off the peg vigorelli.

Tom753

"I've spoken to/e-mailed a few frame builders over the last week and prices for a custom build single speed steel cross bike range from cor to blimey! Nobody got under the price of a Surly Cross Check F+F for a custom built frame only. "

I don't think it's realistic to expect a custom frame, even without forks, built in the UK to match the price of an off the peg F&F factory built mass produced in the far east, let alone go under it. The two are completely different.

Actually it's frames like the Surly which are overpriced for what they are, when you compared them with complete off the peg bikes, UK custom frames, and imported off the peg frames (not US). As a comparison US custom prices will be at least double UK prices.

NorwegianBlue

Read further back and you'll see that I consider Surly's to be well over priced. The cheapest "custom" frame I could find was still more than a Cross Check f+f and the builder did admit that it wouldn't be a full custom job, but "one of our standard cross frames with track ends". And we'll try to forget the builder who told me dismissively "I only deal in top end steel tube sets so a custom frame would be too expensive for a cross bike." How's that for sales technique? He didn't even ask me what my target price was. What if I'd told him my budget was four grand? After a snotty remark like that he still wouldn't have got the business. Too expensive for a cross bike? How much does he think a pro level bike would cost?

I haven't managed to speak with Vernon Barker yet, but if I do I'm afraid I'll just end up buying one of his off the peg fixie winter training bikes for £595. And I don't have that much money to spend at the moment

mikespike80

I've just bought a pompino from on-one. It's well worth emailing planet-x to see if they have any stock as when I told them what I wanted they kept mentioning a back room full of stuff they wanted to clear!