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The Speedgoat Blog  RSS Feed
Posted by Chris on 05/09/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 05/09/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: Would a 26.6 and 26.8 mm seat post be interchangable? Im trying to contact the frame maker to get the exact size, but it cant hurt to ask.
A: Believe it or not, even that small a fraction matters when it comes to fitting a seatpost securely into a frame, so it's best to know the exact size you need. Even though a frame is designed to compress around a post, if your post is even a few tenths of a millimeter too small, you'll likely find your post slipping when you ride the bike. Likewise, too large a post might allow itself to be wedged into the frame, but could end up damaging the frame or getting stuck in there.
Of the two sizes you list, 26.8mm is the more common, though even that isn't used very much any more. If someone is building you up a steel frame, there's a better chance it's going to use a 26.8mm than a 26.6mm, but it could just as easily be 27.2mm. Definitely best to confirm with the frame builder.
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Posted by Jeremy on 05/08/08 |
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Posted by Jeremy on 05/07/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 05/07/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: What is the degree of setback of a Thomson setback post? Thomson lists 10 and 7 degree posts on their website.
A: We've never seen this post measured in terms in "degree of setback," probably because that doesn't really offer any important information to anyone except maybe an engineer trying to design his own seatpost. If you're designing your own seatpost, you could try going to Thomson for answers, though they'd be apt to be cagey, one would assume.
What really seems to matter is the offset, or how much further back your saddle rail clamp sits with a setback Thomson versus a regular Thomson (or other brands). According to Thomson, their setback post has 5/8-inch or 16mm of set back. This number, not angle of seatpost setback, would be used by anyone fitting a bicycle to your femur length, true inseam, torso length, and arm measurements. We usually calculate a Thomson at 14mm of set back, factoring in average rail range on most saddles and the width of the clamp head on the Thomson, when we're calculating fit needs for a rider.
Also, when it comes to how much rotation you can get out of Thomson post, they can handle frames as slack as a 62.5-degree seat tube angle.
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Posted by Chris on 05/05/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: are Reynolds Topo T Carbon Tubular wheels tubeless compatible?
A: This is really a case of two cultures colliding. A "tubular" (a.k.a. "sew-up") wheel is a staple of professional road cycling, but has nothing to do with "tubeless" mountain bike wheels or rims. The fact that tubulars have now begun a gradual creep into the consciousness of the average mountain-biker, is a sign that we're truly in for some strange days.
Neither system involves the use of a traditional "inner tube," but the similarities end there. A tubular requires that your tire be glued to your rim. Yes, believe it or not, when you're enduring Al Trautwig's insights at this year's Tour, the riders you see grazing guardrails overhanging cliffs at 60mph are nearly all riding tires that have been glued to their rims.
It's good glue.
This particular Reynolds wheel is among the early adopters category, and seeks to introduce this classic technology to the mountain bike worlds. Expect Edge Composites' new tubular 29er wheelset to be the most successful attempt tubulars ever make at entering the mountain bike world, because they're very light. All tubulars are very light.
What they aren't, though, are traditional "tubeless" mountain bike rims, which still basically hook a tire in place without requiring that the tire be glued on. For killer tubeless mountain wheel options, check out the Fulcrums and all of the Mavic Crosssmax models, such as the SL.
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Posted by bill on 05/05/08 |
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FIRST RIDE: NEW SANTA CRUZ BLUR LT
I have been a fan of Santa Cruz products since 1988 when I got a Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso toybox skateboard. I wish I wouldn't have thrashed that board since mint Grosso's are worth $1600 right now.
The new Santa Cruz Blur LT is one of the most anticipated frames of 2008. Santa Cruz's VPP suspension is tough to beat. It has 140mm of travel and is designed to balance different forces to eliminate unwanted compression while pedaling, but not limiting bump absorption. Basically, it works with your movements not against you in all types of terrain.
It was a nice way to end a Friday with Chris and Jeremy asking me to test ride our new demo. Heck yeah!! The demo is set up with the following parts spec:
2008 Large Santa Cruz Blur LT Skidmark Anodized with Fox RP23
2008 Rock Shox Pike thru axle
Hope Headset
Thomson 110mm 10 degree stem
Easton Havoc wheels
Schwalbe Fat Albert tires
Easton Havoc handlebars
Sram X9 shifters
Sram X9 front derailleur
Sram XO rear derailleur
Sram PG 990 cassette
Sram PC 991 chain
SDG Seatpost
SDG seat
Avid Juicy Carbon brakes
Shimano XT Cranks
I started out from home for a nice 10 mile road ride to the trails. The Blur was really nice to pedal and I even forgot I was on a dual suspension. This frame works so well that there is no need for a lockout on the rear shock. Fox's RP23 was a nice addition to a very efficient frame. Santa Cruz really did their homework. Once I got to Wolf's Rocks, I completed the loop twice. This is something I never do because I'm usually on a hardtail 29er or fully rigid singlespeed 29er. The new Pike also peformed really well. I'm a loyal Fox customer, but would love to have one of the new Pikes if I decide to build a bike like this. This bike was able to eat up gnarly rock gardens at high speeds. It really seems to work with you. The ride continued through every rocky trail on Laurel Mountain and even some dirt roads and snowmobile trails. Climbing was way better than expected. Again, I forgot I was on a dualie and technical, steep uphills is where this bike excels as well. I can't wait until my next ride on the new Blur LT.
I forgot to mention that the new Blur lt is the best bunny hopping dual suspension I've ever used. It was able to spring over high logs that I normally only feel comfortable crossing on a 29er. I'm used to my 2006 Heckler which doesn't even compare to the Blur's efficiency. Granted, my old Heckler is still a great bike, but it's truly amazing to experience new suspension technology and compare it to older technolgy.
Honestly, I didn't find any flaws but then again, I'm a pretty optimistic person. The only thing I would change from our demo bike is to add a 180mm rotor. I would also buy a medium frame if I had the coin and was in the market for a new bike right now. Man, if I only had my old skate decks to sell to buy one of these. Stay tuned for some ride shots and a review of the new Blur's peformance at a natural "freeride" area in the PA backwoods.
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Posted by Jim on 05/04/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 05/03/08 |
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NEW SITE
You might have noticed the new web look. A few cleaner, simpler layouts, more features, and a fresh new focus on what really matters: riding. You'll find more images and easier access to our gallery of recent builds, our CAD-based fit system, and of course the blog.
But the changes aren't just skin deep. We've added a much better catalog menu system that lets you get right to the specific sub-category of stuff you're looking for, instead of loading an entire page of parts and then sorting through it all. Shopping with us has never been faster.
We've also developed this puppy to play nice in a far wider array of browsers (ironically, our new site is even more backwards-compatible with older browsers than our old site was). Any problem we've even only vaguely heard of occurring has been addressed, and more updates will keep on happening.
We've organized things logically, too. Now when you want to shop for a bike--anything from a pre-assembled bike to something completely custom--you simply go to "bikes" in our catalog and choose the type you want. Choosing a custom bike will automatically launch the Bike Lab, and no longer in a second window. Ordering a complete custom Speedgoat creation is now as easy as picking up a new pair of socks.
Under "Frames & Framesets" you'll find the link to our new Featured Brand pages--our new brand-specific information hubs that feature frames and bikes by our top brands, all organized according to how you ride.
Oddly enough, this new look is only temporary, and only the tip of the iceberg of what we're up to.
The changes we've made are pretty comprehensive, though, and as always we appreciate any time you make to offer feedback or bug reporting. Please let us know if you encounter any problems with the site, or have any recommendations or ideas. There are handy error reporting links at the bottom of most pages, or you can always contact us directly at: mail@speedgoat.com.
Oh, and we actually got new Blur LT frames in, so if you had your pre-orders in place early, you'll be the first kid on the block to ride what some are calling the best bike Santa Cruz has ever made.
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Posted by Jeremy on 05/01/08 |
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Posted by Dave on 04/30/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 04/30/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: I am having trouble deciding which fork to run. Yes, I know and love the Fox forks but from what info I could find on them, they are only making the F29 with a quick release. The Reba on the hand with come with the new Maxle Lite. Is there that much of a handling difference between a QR and a 20 mm axle? Also with all things being equal how does the Reba stand up to the Fox? And with the Fox having an offset of 44mm, is the new 2009 Reba offset going to be 47mm? Would a mere mortal notice the 3mm difference?
A: Performance of the Reba 29 with the through-axle remains to be seen, though I think all Rebas work great. I like the F29 fork a whole lot, but 29er life as we know it would have continued happily even if nobody else ever built a 29er fork. I've not ridden 44mm rake 29er forks back to back with 47mm rake forks on the same bike, but I suspect the handling differences will not be extremely apparent to a lot of people. The difference between an original Reba and the through-axle model's increased rake should be pretty noticeable. Regarding the through-axle, there's a bit of validity to the added stiffness of the through-axle, though I suspect there's also a considerable placebo effect going on. When I think about it, I've ridden 20mm through-axle 29er forks about as much as I've ridden quick-release ones. I've ridden 20mm White Brothers 29er forks a fair amount, and both of the Maverick forks (which I found to be pretty darn flexy--particularly horizontally, like most inverted forks). My original "custom" 29er fork back before there were any good 29er fork choices was based on a Marzocchi Shiver SC through-axle fork, too. Thing is, I tended to also have heavier wheels on those bikes back then (36-hole Rhyno Lite rims), so wheels may be an under represented part of the equation. Was talking with Jeff Jones recently about his new custom Paul 135mm spaced front hub and steel fork, and based on what he was describing, that increased flange width seemed to be the key to stiffness in a larger 29er wheel--more than a 20mm through axle. I think a lot of flex in a 29er wheel comes from the wheel itself, not the hub. A really stiff set of 29er wheels definitely changes the ride of the bike.
So me, I'm not really interested in going through-axle, though I like that the option is out there.
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Posted by Jeremy on 04/30/08 |
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Posted by Jeremy on 04/29/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 04/29/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: Uh, apparently you cant ship a frame to MN. Not cool. Just wanted to see what it would cost to ship a Big Dummy to MN.
A: Because the Big Dummy ain't your average bike frame, please notice that we include shipping right there in the price. It's true. All you have to do is order it, and if you're in the Continental U.S. we pick up your shipping out of that price. If you're in Minnesota, that means your Big Dummy ships to you without any sneaky extra shipping fees, at least until Canada takes you over, and the border fees kick in.
Because there is no shipping charge for you on this frameset, trying to calculate a shipping charge on a something that has zero shipping charge simply created a rift in the space-time continuum akin to trying to give yourself a wedgie, or recording the sound of one hand clapping in the woods near a falling tree.
So have at the Big Dummy, and we'll send it home to MN at no additional shipping charge for you. They're selling like crazy, and some sizes are already sold out at Surly for the next month or so.
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Posted by Jeremy on 04/28/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 04/28/08 |
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Posted by Jim on 04/27/08 |
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Posted by Jeremy on 04/25/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 04/21/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: so if I wanted a "level" with the ground stem, would I be looking for a 90*.. reason I ask is didnt the old quill stems they use to have a -17* in order to be level?
A: Quill or new threadless--it doesn't matter. All stem angle measurements are currently taken in relation to the part of the stem that clamps around the steerer tube and attaches the stem to your bicycle. When you think about it, there's really no other way a stem manufacturer could record this measurement for one simple reason: head tube angles are different on different bikes.
Depending on style, model, and brand, head tube angles on a bike can vary by several degrees. Because it's not really possible for the stem manufacturer to build thousands of different stems for every single bike--and because most riders aren't as concerned about have a stem that's mathematically perfectly parallel to the ground--what you get are 90-degree stems (also known as "0-degree" because they have no rise or drop), a few odd 100-degree models (also known as 10-degree), and then some 15-degree or 17-degree models. Consider that most (but not all) stems can be run flipped up to achieve rise or down to achieve drop, that pretty much covers everywhere anyone would want his hands positioned on a bike.
But if you want your stem parallel with the horizontal (ground), you would need to get a stem that angled downward. How much? Depends on your frame's head tube angle. Think about it this way. If your bike has a 71-degree head tube angle, and you put a 90/0-degree stem on there, your stem is actually sitting at a 71-degree rise, relative to the ground. To get it level with the ground, you have to cancel out that 71-degree number by using a stem with negative rise. Think about your bike's front fork as a hand on a clock, with your front axle as the fixed center point. Your fork isn't aiming straight up at 90-degrees; it's only at 71-degrees, or about the 11:00 positon. If you purchase a stem with a 17-degree drop, that's like rotating your fork another 17-degrees, leaving you at 88-degrees or nearly level with the ground. Seems counter-intuitive, but a stem with negative rise gets its number added to your head tube angle (not subtracted).
Use that basic idea, and you'll be able to choose a stem that'll be very close to perfectly parallel with the ground.
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Posted by Dave on 04/20/08 |
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THE VILLAGE IDIOT
My bike riding has been limited recently (due to an increase in unicycle riding). The bulk of the bicycle riding I have been doing has been on a 26 inch wheeled GEARED bike. For those that know me that sentence pretty much confirms that the eccentric on the street corner wearing the sandwich board emblazoned with "THE END IS NEAR!" is a genius and there's no better time than the present to buy up a whole bunch of freeze dried food, high powered weapons (and ammunition), and relocate to a yurt in Saskatchewan. Hang on partner, don't get too trigger happy just yet. Let me explain.
(Failed campaigns make great fenders 4/5/08)
(Looted the farmer's market, then harvested materials to build a bike rack 4/20/08)
I've had a BOB trailer for about 10 years. About 3 years ago I started using it to replace my car as much as possible. About 2 years and 11 months ago I started the "I need an Xtracycle" sales pitch to my wife. About 2 months ago I finally got the Xtracycle. Let me qualify that last statement. She never said "No."; I was the one who couldn't decide whether I needed an Xtracycle or the much anticipated "Surly Big Dummy".
I settled on the Xtracycle (over the Big Dummy) for several reasons: 1. 1/3 the price. 2. The Surly Big Dummy only does 26in wheels. I can make the Xtracycle attachment work with 700c wheels. I initially wanted a touring bike (Long Haul Trucker), but decided that an Xtracycle can haul a whole lot more. 3. I already had a frame/ fork around to do the conversion and the greener side of me said, "Do I really need another bike?". (For the record, I'll never turn down an IF or a Moots, but realistically, I'm not worthy).
The Big Dummy's awesomeness was demonstrated at the Punk Bike Enduro last winter. It is much stiffer than an Xtracycle conversion and has very dialed geometry. It will survive a lot better if you look to trail ride a lot with it. It looks mighty fine.
I still settled on the Xtracycle since I mainly plan on sticking to the road. The Xtracycle does flex a bit under load, but my BOB had more flex going on than a week in the weight room at the local YMCA.
The Xtracycle meets my needs almost perfectly. It's not a Big Dummy, but it sure makes me look like the Village Idiot.
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Posted by Chris on 04/18/08 |
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NEW PIVOT 429
Yes, Virginia, there is a Pivot 29er, and we have ridden it, and it has set a new standard for all 29ers, let alone full-suspension frames. I was fortunate enough to ride the prototype of this bike some months ago, and if ever a suspension was tailor-made for the advantages of the 29" wheel, this incarnation of the DW-link is it.
Here, I demonstrate the mad wattage generated by a pasty East Coaster who's suddenly forced to come out of hibernation and go ride in the desert. For my first ride off rollers and without a television, Arizona did not disappoint. Gorgeous roller-coaster trails with some serious rattling rock sections tested me and the new 429. Sensibly, I let the bike do all the work, and it didn't take long to realize I could count on this bike to do most of the work while I just acted like the tourist I am.
The new 429 is a bit of an engineering marvel. Managing to fit big (and wide--this thing accepts a 2.5" WTB) tires, a front derailleur, and a genuine 100mm of travel, is not an easy thing to do on a 29er.
I've always known Chris Cocalis could design one hell of a bike, but this thing is on a whole other level. How this bike manages to convey feedback from the trail while at the same time smoothing out absolutely everything in its path, I have no idea. It doesn't seem possible that a full-suspension bicycle could ride as well as the 429. Like all the Pivot frames, the 429 features a wider 92mm bottom-bracket shell with Shimano's ultralight pressed bearing system, and a direct mount front derailleur. On a lot of new frames, this is a cute gimmick; on the Pivot, it's critical to the suspension. You just can't get your pivot points where you need them to be for this bike to ride as well as it does without finding a workaround for "the derailleur issue." Accomplishing that is no small feat, even on a smaller-wheeled bike, but Cocalis has done it on the 29er.
Geometry is very straightforward: the Small frame has a 23" effective top tube; Medium has a 24" E.T.T., and Large had a 25" E.T.T. The two side-by-side 429s above are a Large (left) and Medium (right). At a hair over 6-feet tall myself, I found the 25" E.T.T. Large frame to be tolerable, but the Medium was incredible. Granted, I'm pretty used to the feel of a 29er, but even I was surprised at how agile the Medium was. A well-executed DW-link bike does not wallow--run a little more sag if you want--and that translates into acceleration not normally found on any other full-suspension 29er.
The first major workout my legs had this season was hiking up this little slope again and again while Cocalis figured out how to work my camera. Between the "super-candyass," "medium-candyass," and "not-so-candyass" lines here, I opted for the medium. I was on the Large frame, which was already showing a few battle scars from a bout of shite-eatin' the Pivot sales manager put on it weeks before, and as I age my "trail negotiating" skills decrease exponentially. Zero fear here, though (particularly after the fourth time rolling over this lip), thanks to the 429. There are those bikes you feel you've been riding for years. This was one of those bikes. Shortly after this I switched to the Medium frame, and that felt like the bike I wished I'd been riding my whole life. I can't wait to get the first shipment, and I'm not alone. I think we have five of these frames sold already--and that's just among Speedgoat staff. Full spec information and pre-ordering is available here. Stay tuned.
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Posted by Chris on 04/18/08 |
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Posted by Chris on 04/16/08 |
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TECH QUESTION OF THE DAY
Q: How do you figure out what the chain line is? White industries says there crank with a 113 mm bottom bracket will give you a 47.5mm chain line. How does that apply to my bike? How do you measure the chain line?
A: This is one of those really common questions that people often get backwards and tend to overcomplicate. Frankly, "chainline" is a pretty crappy way to describe the reality of the situation. What we're talking about here is simply how far your chainring sits away from your frame. Specifically, how far away from the middle of your frame your middle chainring (or only ring, if on a single-speed) sits. As a general rule, you want your crankset to sit in as tight to your bike as possible, but you're limited by two things:
1) where your gear or gears are out back at the rear wheel--'cause that chain has to line up nice and even with the rear cog, or middle of your cassette
2) your frame's chainstays--move the ring in too far and it grinds into your frame
Let's look at the first one there. So proper "chainline" depends on where your gear or gears are in the back. These days, more people are using "cassette-style" single-speed hubs like the DT, Chris King, Hope, and Industry 9, instead of the traditional "BMX-style" thread-on variety. The thread-on ones had a set position that was under 50mm out from the centerline of the bike, but the new-school "cassette" ones let you slip a cog and spacers on there, and often let you adjust that thing back and forth 10mm or so. So if you have one of those kinds of hubs, what's your chainline? It's actually adjustable. You have a range that'll work.
That other thing's important, too, though--ring size. How large a ring or rings you're running up front will limit how tight you can go. Most 32-tooth middle rings will let you run a very tight chainline because a 32-tooth ring won't hit even pretty fat chainstays (that part of your frame just behind the bottom-bracket shell, and heading back to your rear axle), but go to a 38-tooth or something, and suddenly a "recommended chainline" is about as useful as a spork in a knife fight.
Normally, we don't have an issue here. You buy a new bike with a crankset already installed or your install a geared crankset and it automatically just fits in the proper place because Shimano, FSA, Campy, and TruVativ realized all that thinking about things was only leading to confusion, so they took all the guesswork (and personality) out of the process: your new geared crankset is either installed to the factory-specific chainline, or you misread the instructions. Mostly, they limited options on this so that their front derailleurs would work. Who can blame them?
But single-speeders are an independent lot--usually hearty and all DIY and such. Yet a lot of people seem to be trying to apply a Shimano-esque "just tell me the number" mentality to the world of single-speed custom modification half-assery. That way madness lies. If there were instructions, it really wouldn't be worth doing, right? When you're doing something like installing a White Industries' crankset, "chainline" isn't a magic number that, once found, will make your bike work. "Chainline" is an idea. It varies depending on what you're doing--what rear hub style you have and what size ring you intend to use.
For this reason, there is not "easy answer" here short of having you describe absolutely everything on the bike or bringing it in (or to a shop near you that understands what we're talking about here and has time for possibly requisite experimentation). When all else fails, try to find an old bottom-bracket to use as a tester, or go with a 113mm model, which is usually the closest thing to a safe bet. Phil Wood and other "adjustable" bottom-brackets are helpful here, too, but are usually pretty expensive.
Otherwise, to truly know if a 113mm bottom-bracket will work, you'd have to have your intended chainring, get it positioned exactly in place on the centerline of your bottom-bracket shell, then position it 47.5mm away from the middle of your frame's seat tube, then make sure the ring didn't hit your chainstay. Then you'd have to run a chain or string from the middle of your ring to the middle of your rear cog and make sure that lines up nicely. If everything looks good, a 113mm bottom-bracket will work. As you might imagine, for this reason, we keep old "spacing test" bottom-brackets in stock to use when building up a custom single-speed configuration.
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Posted by Chris on 04/16/08 |
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