Want to buy a heavy, ugly, flexy, expensive bike?

bails87

Then look no further: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/e ... ride-32763



It'll cost ~£2500, it weighs 300g more than an Orange 5, you can't adjust the seatpost.....

Why?

MountainMonster

Handmade, and not mass produced.

clamps81

Some things you just cannot unsee.. Can't work out what the point of it is as everything about it seems functionally worse than a normal hydroformed jobbie. Can you imagine trying to clean the thing!?

Someone fetch the midnbleach.

mrmonkfinger

Chris’s decision to deliberately design flex into the swingarm “to add feel and compliance”

Nothing to do with not making it from boring old tubes of aluminium then.

dan shard

Never have the words "Ugly pile of crap" been more fitting..Then again, the world is full of gullible numpties that are easily parted with their cash

And who on earth would put a white fork on it??!! Surely black would suit that (dreadful) colour scheme better

Pudseyp

I kinda like it in a spastic type of way.

nicklouse

Not many people want to do machining projects like this," says Chris. "I don't have a death wish, I just wanted to do something that wasn't available from anyone else.

he does need to get out a bit more.

d00m

That is one ugly bike, but a little flex in the rear end (chassis, not wheels) can be great for ride quality and feel.

ste_t

But how does it ride?

Either way, I wouldn't ride it cuz its gopping.

Major flaw not being able to drop the seatpost though imo - thought that particular stumbling block had been figured out a fair while back

cat_with_no_tail

Ah yes, but it's made in the UK, in relatively small numbers. That instantly makes it rad to the power of sick, and worth eleventy million pounds. See Orange 5 and hope for empirical evidence.

And as for:

Not many people want to do machining projects like this," says Chris. "I don't have a death wish, I just wanted to do something that wasn't available from anyone else.

Ja, there may be a reason for that.

Tell you what else isn't available from anyone else chris, a bike made entirely of cheese.

Clank

So, he wanted to build a better bike. He wanted to avoid the issues from welding. Yet he hadn't worked out that in the trumps that is second order bending moments, that tube beats I-section.

Then there's the issue of cost and waste.

If it's different and better, then fair enough, but this is different and poorly engineered. Great case of form over function equals fail.

supersonic

While I have respect for the guy for making a bike starting with an ingot of aluminium, the fact is that the methods available to him are limiting and will result in a compromised design that actually costs more to produce. Hydroformed tubes and forged solid sections are almost always better for frame manufacture, compared to casting and total CNCing (though forged parts are often finished by CNC).

Problem is there are few if any places where you can take your design in the UK and get the bits fluid formed or forged. CNC yes, but it is our friends in the far east who have invested in forging and hydroforming tech and are taking advantage of the speed and mass production.

So we are left with in the UK inferior construction methods that needs heavy work arounds to get the desired result. As has been mentioned, the seat post issue and pivot placement limit the bike, as does the flex and weight.

But still he has had a go, and it will sell by those who think that we still do it best ;-)

louthepoo

If you can't adjust the seatpost, surely its very specific for the size of rider that would buy this bike? I haven't clicked on the review so don't know if they make it per your individual spec

MountainMonster

louthepoo wrote:

If you can't adjust the seatpost, surely its very specific for the size of rider that would buy this bike? I haven't clicked on the review so don't know if they make it per your individual spec

It's not compatible with dropper posts, but will take a normal size seat post. Cut down to the size you want, and when you sell it maybe throw in another seat post for the next person to cut down!

Clank

Gonna have to disagree with Mr Sonic, in parts.

I'm thinking it was his choice of design that dictated his choice of manufacturing route - not the other way 'round (he could have gone the composite, for example).

Willaims wanted something 'different' and in that, he has succeeded. But 'different' ain't the same a 'better', and he has argued that his designs would be 'better'.

It has a certain aesthetic, I'll grant, but a 'better bike''? Not by my reckoning.

..and for that reason, ahm oot.

njee20

It's not compatible with dropper posts,

Why not? You can't drop the seatpost, but surely you could fit a dropper post?

King_Pin_Rich

The title of this thread is unfair in my opinion.
I say hats off to the man. He's had the gumption to follow the idea thorough and as a result has produced something unique. Its not to everyones taste or ride, but what is.

DodgeT

njee20 wrote:

It's not compatible with dropper posts,

Why not? You can't drop the seatpost, but surely you could fit a dropper post?

Unless he's gone and made a nice bespoke size seatpost to go with the bike too....

Just do as they did in the review, take it off and stick it in yer bag, awesome

Actually, he's just expanded on the dropper post idea. Instead of just dropping it out of the way, he completely eliminates it from the equation. Pretty damn clever if you ask me....

Could probably do with a bung for either the top of the seat tube or the bottom of yours though :oops:

bluechair84

If it had of looked remotely like the design concept I'd have proclaimed it to be a miracle bike, even if it did ride like tosh...


If it looked like a minature AP1, I might have even bought it

paulbox

I think it's a good effort, though agree it would be a huge PITA to clean after a muddy ride.

On pic 7 it says: "The seat tower on this prototype is 27.2mm in diameter; a 30.9mm or 31.6mm replacement is on the way for greater dropper post compatibility"

bails87

There doesn't seem to be much seat-tube, how low could you actually get a dropper seatpost? Would you be able to set it so that at max extension it's at 'XC height' or would it always end up above that: too high? It's not like you can chop a dropper down to make it fit!

milko9000

You can use your arse to stop a dropper post from hitting full height though. At least, on some you can (Reverb, i900 and probably more). Not ideal.

wobbem

The poor guy is reading this thread and crying. :oops:
Should of asked us first :twisted:
But really, F**k all that effort into that?
Pinkbike is offering a design competion but it is only open to American users. How about the UK sort out something similar?
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Reality-Redesigned-Submissions-Now-Open.html