Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-04 Thread Ginz
How much does 'light and responsive' matter once you'd put a handlebar bag 
on a bike and loaded it with food and gear?  I understand a light wheelset. 
 But, if you want a light bike for gravel roads, why the disc brakes (more 
of a rhetorical question.  I know why).  Nice, but my Hunqapillar does 
that...doesn't it?

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-04 Thread Philip Kim
In the meantime,  you can try Kojaks. Very nice tire, and same size as the 
Compass tires will be.

I've been thinking of getting an NFE, but after riding my Sam last night, 
that feeling diminished a little : )

I just wish the Sam had a few mm of clearance, but limited mostly due to 
the Paul racers.

The versatility of different tire sizing for the NFE still has me 
interested. Anyone ride a Sam and NFE and can shed some light on the ride 
differences? Do disc brakes really make a difference? I'm about 150lb, and 
Paul Racers stopped on a dime last night when a car unexpected merged into 
the bike lane to park on a downhill.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-03 Thread Justin August
On the latest blog they predicted end of August. Knowing how customs, 
shipping, et al work, I'd estimate end of September. Not a shot at them, 
more at the offloading, customs, processing process for imported goods.

-J

On Monday, August 3, 2015 at 8:14:32 AM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Rat traps are not yet available.  Check with Compass for info. I really 
 don't know whether they will fit with fenders nor do I know if 60mm 
 Berthouds will fit.  I would siggest contacting elephant.  The photo does 
 suggest lots and lots of clearance. 

 It would make a great commuter, I'm sure  

 On Monday, August 3, 2015 at 2:47:14 AM UTC-4, Carl Otto Wollin wrote:

 Sounds Good 

 Are the Rat Traps available?

 Thanks for the pics looks like good clearence in the rear 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/19620023613/in/album-72157656605491545/

 Is it enough to use the Rat Traps with a pair of fenders, is it possible 
 to fit a pair of 60 mm Berthoud on the NFE. 

 It looks like a very nice rig to use as a commuter.

 Carl W
  

 --
 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2015 19:21:10 -0700
 From: mikey...@rocketmail.com
 To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

 John, one of the guys behind the stock NFE's is running the Rat Trap pass 
 tires on his NFE.  Looks like they fit just fine and are the same diameter 
 as a 650B x 42 mm wheel.

 ~mike

 On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 2:49:39 PM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Carl,

 I cannot see why not. The disc brakes  would allow for 26 wheels I 
 imagine. In fact, I might have read somewhere on the Internet of someone 
 riding a prototype of those tires on the NFE--but it could have been the 
 also forthcoming 650x48 Compass tires. I'm eager to get the Rat Traps on my 
 LHT. 

 The Cowbells and Cowchippers are more similar than either are to the 
 Woodchippers. 

 Riv content: I bought by Cambium from Riv. 

 Christian 
 
 From my phone. Apologies for typos and brevity. 

 On Aug 2, 2015, at 3:26 AM, Carl Otto Wollin carlott...@hotmail.com 
 wrote:

 Hi Christian 

 Looking good. 

 Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat 
 Trap Pass tires 
 https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/

 and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 

 As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 

 Regards

 Carl Otto Wollin 

 --
 Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
 From: christian@gmail.com
 To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
 CC: christian@gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great 
 so far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP 
 dynohub/Hope Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville 

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
 for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy

RE: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-03 Thread Carl Otto Wollin
Sounds Good 
Are the Rat Traps available?
Thanks for the pics looks like good clearence in the rear 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/19620023613/in/album-72157656605491545/
Is it enough to use the Rat Traps with a pair of fenders, is it possible to fit 
a pair of 60 mm Berthoud on the NFE. 
It looks like a very nice rig to use as a commuter.
Carl W 

Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2015 19:21:10 -0700
From: mikeybi...@rocketmail.com
To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

John, one of the guys behind the stock NFE's is running the Rat Trap pass tires 
on his NFE.  Looks like they fit just fine and are the same diameter as a 650B 
x 42 mm wheel.
~mike

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 2:49:39 PM UTC-7, Christian wrote:Carl,
I cannot see why not. The disc brakes  would allow for 26 wheels I imagine. In 
fact, I might have read somewhere on the Internet of someone riding a prototype 
of those tires on the NFE--but it could have been the also forthcoming 650x48 
Compass tires. I'm eager to get the Rat Traps on my LHT. 
The Cowbells and Cowchippers are more similar than either are to the 
Woodchippers. 
Riv content: I bought by Cambium from Riv. 

Christian From my phone. Apologies for typos and 
brevity. 
On Aug 2, 2015, at 3:26 AM, Carl Otto Wollin carlott...@hotmail.com wrote:




Hi Christian 
Looking good. 
Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat Trap 
Pass tires https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/
and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 
As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 
Regards
Carl Otto Wollin 
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
From: christian@gmail.com
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
CC: christian@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

Hi everyone,
Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so far!
Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545
WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope Evo 
Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)DRIVETRAIN: White 
Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and CX 70 fdRACK etc: 
Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a Berthoud decaleur for 
5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. But I decided to try the 
much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so is the Berthoud) and works 
well.  Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I 
had around--too much reach to the breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers 
on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide Stem--so far awesome.
Did I miss anything? 

Best wishes,
Christian in Charlottesville 
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:Hi All, 
Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to make 
this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked the Hunq, 
but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to compare, but 
for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it mostly for singletrack 
and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's an exceptional bike. But 
it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike was saying this explicitly) 
so I don't think I'd choose one or the other for similar purposes.   
So, I will have both. 
I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. I'd 
become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I made 
plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling point for me. 
After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers ago (to which I 
credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know there's been lots of 
discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME there's no contest. BB7s 
are incredibly simple to set up and are far superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the 
Paul Toring cantis I had on the Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 
Deore V brakes on my LHT are better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know 
some will disagree and that's fine. 
I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used the 
Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. And if I 
return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the Jones is best 
left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a capable all arounder 
with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat front. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/  
One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out of the 
sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was some sort of 
magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here and there, listen 
to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how tall I am, whether or I 
wanted to sit up

Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-03 Thread Christian
Rat traps are not yet available.  Check with Compass for info. I really 
don't know whether they will fit with fenders nor do I know if 60mm 
Berthouds will fit.  I would siggest contacting elephant.  The photo does 
suggest lots and lots of clearance. 

It would make a great commuter, I'm sure  

On Monday, August 3, 2015 at 2:47:14 AM UTC-4, Carl Otto Wollin wrote:

 Sounds Good 

 Are the Rat Traps available?

 Thanks for the pics looks like good clearence in the rear 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/19620023613/in/album-72157656605491545/

 Is it enough to use the Rat Traps with a pair of fenders, is it possible 
 to fit a pair of 60 mm Berthoud on the NFE. 

 It looks like a very nice rig to use as a commuter.

 Carl W
  

 --
 Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2015 19:21:10 -0700
 From: mikey...@rocketmail.com javascript:
 To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com javascript:
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

 John, one of the guys behind the stock NFE's is running the Rat Trap pass 
 tires on his NFE.  Looks like they fit just fine and are the same diameter 
 as a 650B x 42 mm wheel.

 ~mike

 On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 2:49:39 PM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Carl,

 I cannot see why not. The disc brakes  would allow for 26 wheels I 
 imagine. In fact, I might have read somewhere on the Internet of someone 
 riding a prototype of those tires on the NFE--but it could have been the 
 also forthcoming 650x48 Compass tires. I'm eager to get the Rat Traps on my 
 LHT. 

 The Cowbells and Cowchippers are more similar than either are to the 
 Woodchippers. 

 Riv content: I bought by Cambium from Riv. 

 Christian 
 
 From my phone. Apologies for typos and brevity. 

 On Aug 2, 2015, at 3:26 AM, Carl Otto Wollin carlott...@hotmail.com 
 wrote:

 Hi Christian 

 Looking good. 

 Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat 
 Trap Pass tires 
 https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/

 and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 

 As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 

 Regards

 Carl Otto Wollin 

 --
 Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
 From: christian@gmail.com
 To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
 CC: christian@gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so 
 far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope 
 Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville 

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
 for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and 
 that's fine. 

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used 
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. 
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too

RE: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-02 Thread Carl Otto Wollin
Hi Christian 
Looking good. 
Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat Trap 
Pass tires https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/
and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 
As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 
Regards
Carl Otto Wollin 
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
From: christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com
To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
CC: christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

Hi everyone,
Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so far!
Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545
WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope Evo 
Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)DRIVETRAIN: White 
Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and CX 70 fdRACK etc: 
Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a Berthoud decaleur for 
5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. But I decided to try the 
much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so is the Berthoud) and works 
well.  Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I 
had around--too much reach to the breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers 
on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide Stem--so far awesome.
Did I miss anything? 

Best wishes,
Christian in Charlottesville 
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:Hi All, 
Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to make 
this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked the Hunq, 
but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to compare, but 
for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it mostly for singletrack 
and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's an exceptional bike. But 
it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike was saying this explicitly) 
so I don't think I'd choose one or the other for similar purposes.   
So, I will have both. 
I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. I'd 
become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I made 
plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling point for me. 
After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers ago (to which I 
credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know there's been lots of 
discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME there's no contest. BB7s 
are incredibly simple to set up and are far superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the 
Paul Toring cantis I had on the Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 
Deore V brakes on my LHT are better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know 
some will disagree and that's fine. 
I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used the 
Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. And if I 
return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the Jones is best 
left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a capable all arounder 
with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat front. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/  
One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out of the 
sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was some sort of 
magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here and there, listen 
to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how tall I am, whether or I 
wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive position. He then told me what 
stem he thought I should get. That was it. Bike fits fantastically.
Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!
Christian 




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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-02 Thread Christian McMillen
Carl,

I cannot see why not. The disc brakes  would allow for 26 wheels I imagine. In 
fact, I might have read somewhere on the Internet of someone riding a prototype 
of those tires on the NFE--but it could have been the also forthcoming 650x48 
Compass tires. I'm eager to get the Rat Traps on my LHT. 

The Cowbells and Cowchippers are more similar than either are to the 
Woodchippers. 

Riv content: I bought by Cambium from Riv. 

Christian 

From my phone. Apologies for typos and brevity. 

 On Aug 2, 2015, at 3:26 AM, Carl Otto Wollin carlottowol...@hotmail.com 
 wrote:
 
 Hi Christian 
 
 Looking good. 
 
 Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat 
 Trap Pass tires 
 https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/
 
 and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 
 
 As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 
 
 Regards
 
 Carl Otto Wollin 
 
 Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
 From: christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com
 To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
 CC: christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer
 
 Hi everyone,
 
 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so 
 far!
 
 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545
 
 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope 
 Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and CX 
 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a Berthoud 
 decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. But I decided 
 to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so is the 
 Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.
 
 Did I miss anything? 
 
 
 Best wishes,
 
 Christian in Charlottesville 
 
 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:
 Hi All, 
 
 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it mostly 
 for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's an 
 exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike was 
 saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other for 
 similar purposes.   
 
 So, I will have both. 
 
 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. I'd 
 become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I made 
 plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling point for 
 me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers ago (to which 
 I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know there's been 
 lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME there's no 
 contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far superior--IN MY 
 EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the Terreferma (to be honest, 
 the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are better than the 
 Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and that's fine. 
 
 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used the 
 Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. And if 
 I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the Jones is best 
 left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a capable all 
 arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat front. 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/  
 
 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out of 
 the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was some 
 sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here and 
 there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how tall I 
 am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive position. 
 He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it. Bike fits 
 fantastically.
 
 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!
 
 Christian 
 
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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-02 Thread Mike Schiller
John, one of the guys behind the stock NFE's is running the Rat Trap pass 
tires on his NFE.  Looks like they fit just fine and are the same diameter 
as a 650B x 42 mm wheel.

~mike

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 2:49:39 PM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Carl,

 I cannot see why not. The disc brakes  would allow for 26 wheels I 
 imagine. In fact, I might have read somewhere on the Internet of someone 
 riding a prototype of those tires on the NFE--but it could have been the 
 also forthcoming 650x48 Compass tires. I'm eager to get the Rat Traps on my 
 LHT. 

 The Cowbells and Cowchippers are more similar than either are to the 
 Woodchippers. 

 Riv content: I bought by Cambium from Riv. 

 Christian 
 
 From my phone. Apologies for typos and brevity. 

 On Aug 2, 2015, at 3:26 AM, Carl Otto Wollin carlott...@hotmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Hi Christian 

 Looking good. 

 Is it possible to use this frame with 26 inch wheels, with the coming Rat 
 Trap Pass tires 
 https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-enduro-allroad-bike/

 and you have better availability of studded winter tires. 

 As a commuter and a compliment to my low trail Randonneur bikes. 

 Regards

 Carl Otto Wollin 

 --
 Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:38:47 -0700
 From: christian@gmail.com javascript:
 To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com javascript:
 CC: christian@gmail.com javascript:
 Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so 
 far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope 
 Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville 

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
 for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and 
 that's fine. 

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used 
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. 
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the 
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a 
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat 
 front. 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/
   

 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out 
 of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was 
 some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here 
 and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how 
 tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive 
 position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it. 
 Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian 


 -- 
 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
 RBW Owners Bunch group

Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-01 Thread Christian McMillen
I love the Cowchippers so far.  Hardly any fussing with them. I rode them on 
singletrack the other day--a pic or two in the Flickr--and really like the 
shallow drop, width (46cm) and flare when it came to cranking uphill.  But then 
today I did a four hour road ride and they were great there too.  Sounds to me 
like the woodchippers need to go! 



 On Aug 1, 2015, at 1:49 AM, cyclotourist cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 Hi Christian, I'm half-way kicking myself for not getting one of these
 from the last round. Might have messed up there...
 
 Anyway, Cowchippers are currently in my Jenson cart, although trying
 to make Woodchippers work. I'm wonding how you find the feel of the
 CCs singletrack? The WCs are great(!) there, but not so great
 everywhere else. I'm playing around with stem, tilt, height combos
 trying to get them to work, but thinking that CCs are in my future...
 
 
 Them
 On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM, Christian
 christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com wrote:
 Jeff
 
 The bars are measured center to center from the hoods. I really like them so
 far.  The hooks were nice yesterday while cranking up some steep trails. The
 frame is a medium--equivalent to a 56cm effective top tube.  Here's the info
 page with the geometry chart from Elephant:
 http://www.elephantbikes.com/stock/
 
 On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 3:04:53 PM UTC-4, Jeff wrote:
 
 Great looking bike and build. Those cowchippers look like a compelling
 design - where is the 46cm measured - across the top of the bar or at the
 flared ends of the drops? What size frame is that?
 
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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-01 Thread Justin August
Flickr link?

-J

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-08-01 Thread cyclotourist
Thanks, Christian. I figure some will end on my Gryphon sooner rather
than later! I have some Cowbells on my Salsa, and really like those a
lot BTW.

Justin: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/19956632478/in/datetaken/

On Sat, Aug 1, 2015 at 9:14 PM, Christian McMillen
christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com wrote:
 I love the Cowchippers so far.  Hardly any fussing with them. I rode them on 
 singletrack the other day--a pic or two in the Flickr--and really like the 
 shallow drop, width (46cm) and flare when it came to cranking uphill.  But 
 then today I did a four hour road ride and they were great there too.  Sounds 
 to me like the woodchippers need to go!



 On Aug 1, 2015, at 1:49 AM, cyclotourist cyclotour...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hi Christian, I'm half-way kicking myself for not getting one of these
 from the last round. Might have messed up there...

 Anyway, Cowchippers are currently in my Jenson cart, although trying
 to make Woodchippers work. I'm wonding how you find the feel of the
 CCs singletrack? The WCs are great(!) there, but not so great
 everywhere else. I'm playing around with stem, tilt, height combos
 trying to get them to work, but thinking that CCs are in my future...


 Them
 On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM, Christian
 christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com wrote:
 Jeff

 The bars are measured center to center from the hoods. I really like them so
 far.  The hooks were nice yesterday while cranking up some steep trails. The
 frame is a medium--equivalent to a 56cm effective top tube.  Here's the info
 page with the geometry chart from Elephant:
 http://www.elephantbikes.com/stock/

 On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 3:04:53 PM UTC-4, Jeff wrote:

 Great looking bike and build. Those cowchippers look like a compelling
 design - where is the 46cm measured - across the top of the bar or at the
 flared ends of the drops? What size frame is that?

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread cyclotourist
Hi Christian, I'm half-way kicking myself for not getting one of these
from the last round. Might have messed up there...

Anyway, Cowchippers are currently in my Jenson cart, although trying
to make Woodchippers work. I'm wonding how you find the feel of the
CCs singletrack? The WCs are great(!) there, but not so great
everywhere else. I'm playing around with stem, tilt, height combos
trying to get them to work, but thinking that CCs are in my future...



On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:17 PM, Christian
christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com wrote:
 Jeff

 The bars are measured center to center from the hoods. I really like them so
 far.  The hooks were nice yesterday while cranking up some steep trails. The
 frame is a medium--equivalent to a 56cm effective top tube.  Here's the info
 page with the geometry chart from Elephant:
 http://www.elephantbikes.com/stock/

 On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 3:04:53 PM UTC-4, Jeff wrote:

 Great looking bike and build. Those cowchippers look like a compelling
 design - where is the 46cm measured - across the top of the bar or at the
 flared ends of the drops? What size frame is that?


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Christian
Hi everyone,

Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so 
far!

Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope 
Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
CX 70 fd
RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a Berthoud 
decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. But I 
decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so is 
the Berthoud) and works well.  
Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
Stem--so far awesome.

Did I miss anything? 


Best wishes,

Christian in Charlottesville 

On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
 for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and 
 that's fine. 

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used 
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. 
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the 
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a 
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat 
 front. 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/
   

 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out 
 of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was 
 some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here 
 and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how 
 tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive 
 position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it. 
 Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian 


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Steve Palincsar



On 07/31/2015 02:38 PM, Christian wrote:

Hi everyone,

Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been 
great so far!


Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545


WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP 
dynohub/Hope Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got 
lazy)
DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd 
and CX 70 fd
RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was 
great. But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy 
to set up (so is the Berthoud) and works well.

Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17
COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to 
the breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 
degree/8cm Guide Stem--so far awesome.


Did I miss anything?




Could you be more specific about the derailleurs  the cassette?  E.g. - 
is this an 8, 9, 10 or 11 speed drivetrain? Also, I'm sure I'm not the 
only one who would like to hear more, with more detail, about the nature 
of the greatness you've been experiencing.


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Patrick Moore
Good to see that you're having success going tubeless with Compass EL
tires. I want to try that myself.

Purty bike, BTW.

On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:38 PM, Christian christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com
wrote:

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so
 far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here:
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope
 Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great.
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so
 is the Berthoud) and works well.
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything?


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All,

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other
 for similar purposes.

 So, I will have both.

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off.
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and
 that's fine.

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides.
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat
 front.
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/


 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out
 of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was
 some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here
 and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how
 tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive
 position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it.
 Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Jeff Lesperance
Great looking bike and build. Those cowchippers look like a compelling
design - where is the 46cm measured - across the top of the bar or at the
flared ends of the drops? What size frame is that?

On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 2:44 PM, Patrick Moore bertin...@gmail.com wrote:

 Good to see that you're having success going tubeless with Compass EL
 tires. I want to try that myself.

 Purty bike, BTW.

 On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:38 PM, Christian 
 christian.w.mcmil...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great
 so far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here:
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP
 dynohub/Hope Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great.
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so
 is the Berthoud) and works well.
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything?


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All,

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently
 to make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really
 liked the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really
 fair to compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use
 it mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it.
 It's an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that
 Mike was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the
 other for similar purposes.

 So, I will have both.

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off.
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and
 that's fine.

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides.
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat
 front.
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/


 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out
 of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was
 some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here
 and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how
 tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive
 position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it.
 Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Christian
BTW: The Radavist has a great review of the 
NFE: 
http://theradavist.com/2015/07/elephant-bikes-national-forest-explorer-with-gevenalle-shifting/#1

On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 2:56:57 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Steve,

 Happy to oblige. It's a 10 speed with a 10-36 cassette and XT long cage, 
 clutchless mtn RD shifted by 10 speed Dura Ace bar end shifters.  Shifts 
 great.  The CX70 shifts flawlessly b/w the 26-42. 

 On the nature of greatness: Well, it's as zippy my Terraferma ever 
 was--climbs amazingly, descends beautifully, rides well with a front load 
 or without.  

 The Compass tires feel fantastic on and off pavement and, Patrick, they 
 were pretty simple to set up tubeless. With my Trek Flash Charger pump (a 
 VERY cool item) the bead popped right on. They hold air very well. 

 Any other questions, ask away!   

 On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 2:44:19 PM UTC-4, Steve Palincsar wrote:



 On 07/31/2015 02:38 PM, Christian wrote:

 Hi everyone, 

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great 
 so far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP 
 dynohub/Hope Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 



 Could you be more specific about the derailleurs  the cassette?  E.g. - 
 is this an 8, 9, 10 or 11 speed drivetrain?   Also, I'm sure I'm not the 
 only one who would like to hear more, with more detail, about the nature of 
 the greatness you've been experiencing.



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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Steve Palincsar
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by nice easy-going stability but I 
like what Alex Wetmore had to say on the subject 5 years ago on the iBOB 
list:


Archive-URL:http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=internet-bob.11001.0138.eml
From: Alex Wetmore alex(AT)phred.org
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 15:44:33 +
Subject:Re: [BOB] More Handling Terms Thoughts  
http://search.bikelist.org/query.asp?SearchString=%22More+Handling+Terms+Thoughts%22SearchPrefix=%40msgsubjectSortBy=MsgDate%5Ba%5D

From: Mann, Dave [damann(AT)mitre.org]

I (perhaps incorrectly) tend to think of this stuff
in terms of how we talk about skis.


I'm not much of a skier (although I'm probably going skiing today), but it
seems like the dynamics of skis are different enough that the language
might not cross over.  Doesn't the side cut on skis give them an optimal
turning radius that basically matches that side cut?

A longer bicycle may not make sharp turns as easily as a shorter bicycle,
but it isn't like a bicycle is designed to only turn a 20' radius and the
tires are scrubbing if you make a tighter or more open turn.

I think your terms are closer to the ones used for sea kayaking, where
stability is almost always described (even by manufacturers) in terms of
primary and secondary stability.  Primary stability is how stable does the
kayak feel in the water, do small body movements easily rotate it.
Secondary stability is how easily does the boat actually flip over when
you are near the lean limits.  Kayaks such as my Mariner Max are designed
with low or moderate primary stability because you use the lean to steer
the kayak.  The secondary stability is high to make them resistant to
rolling when you didn't intend in.  In contrast our tandem kayak has high
primary and secondary stability because almost all tandems are steered
more with the rudder than with leaning (and are often used by
inexperienced paddlers too).  Kayaks for beginners often have moderate to
high primary stability because inexperienced paddlers think that tippy
kayaks (even though they might have high secondary stability and don't
easily go over) are more likely to roll.  River or play kayaks may have
low primary and secondary stability to make it easier to roll them.

I think of my low trail bikes as having similar characteristics to a low
primary stability, high secondary stability kayak.  The handlebars turn
easily and have a light feel to them, but the bike is very stable and easy
to ride no hands.  A high trail bicycle is more like a kayak with high
primary and secondary stability.  I think that your proposed vocabulary
encompasses this (and I like that the terms are similar to the ones used
for kayaks).

One difference with bicycles compared to kayaks is that speed is larger
factor in bicycle stability than kayak stability.  A kayak doesn't fall
over just because you aren't moving, but a bicycle does.  A high trail
bicycle which has high primary and secondary stabililty at riding speeds
(say 15mph) can be very unstable at lower speeds.  We've all seen that
when watching a newer cyclist climbing a hill at low speed and weaving all
over the road.  The same bikes can have that riding on rails feeling
when descending at 40mph down a hill.  I don't see this represented in the
vocabulary.

I've been thinking about this recently because I'm considering rebuilding
the front triangle of my wife's bicycle.  I'm trying to consider what the
best geometry is for it.  Right now her bike has a high trail geometry
(26 wheels, around 71 degree HTA, around 45mm fork offset, for a trail of
~65mm.  When she is climbing or riding at slow speeds the bike tends to
weave around.  I'd love to put her onto a low trail bike and see if the
same is true, but there aren't production low trail bikes in her size.
I'll just have to build one.

alex
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On 07/31/2015 04:42 PM, Daniel D. wrote:
Nice looking bike. Seems to tick off a lot of boxes on my list. But 
reading this part of the NFE blurb gave me pause, for experienced 
riders who prefer nimble handling and light steering input.  Sounds 
like it may not have the nice easy going stability I'm seeking.


On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 11:56:57 AM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

Steve,


On the nature of greatness: Well, it's as zippy my Terraferma ever
was--climbs amazingly, descends beautifully, rides well with a
front load or without.

The Compass tires feel fantastic on and off pavement and, Patrick,
they were pretty simple to set up tubeless. With my Trek Flash
Charger pump (a VERY cool item) the bead popped right on. They
hold air very well.

Any other questions, ask away!



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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Christian
Jeff 

The bars are measured center to center from the hoods. I really like them 
so far.  The hooks were nice yesterday while cranking up some steep trails. 
The frame is a medium--equivalent to a 56cm effective top tube.  Here's the 
info page with the geometry chart from Elephant: 
 http://www.elephantbikes.com/stock/

On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 3:04:53 PM UTC-4, Jeff wrote:

 Great looking bike and build. Those cowchippers look like a compelling 
 design - where is the 46cm measured - across the top of the bar or at the 
 flared ends of the drops? What size frame is that?

 On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 2:44 PM, Patrick Moore bert...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Good to see that you're having success going tubeless with Compass EL 
 tires. I want to try that myself.

 Purty bike, BTW.

 On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 12:38 PM, Christian christian@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Hi everyone,

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great 
 so far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP 
 dynohub/Hope Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd 
 and CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 


 Best wishes,

 Christian in Charlottesville 

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 4:12:18 PM UTC-4, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently 
 to make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really 
 liked the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really 
 fair to compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use 
 it mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. 
 It's an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that 
 Mike was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the 
 other for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and 
 that's fine. 

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used 
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. 
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the 
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a 
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat 
 front. 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/
   

 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind 
 out of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit 
 was some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak 
 here and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me 
 how tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more 
 agressive position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. 
 That 
 was it. Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Daniel D.
Nice looking bike. Seems to tick off a lot of boxes on my list. But reading 
this part of the NFE blurb gave me pause, for experienced riders who 
prefer nimble handling and light steering input.  Sounds like it may not 
have the nice easy going stability I'm seeking.

On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 11:56:57 AM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Steve,


 On the nature of greatness: Well, it's as zippy my Terraferma ever 
 was--climbs amazingly, descends beautifully, rides well with a front load 
 or without.  

 The Compass tires feel fantastic on and off pavement and, Patrick, they 
 were pretty simple to set up tubeless. With my Trek Flash Charger pump (a 
 VERY cool item) the bead popped right on. They hold air very well. 

 Any other questions, ask away!   


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Christian
Steve,

Happy to oblige. It's a 10 speed with a 10-36 cassette and XT long cage, 
clutchless mtn RD shifted by 10 speed Dura Ace bar end shifters.  Shifts 
great.  The CX70 shifts flawlessly b/w the 26-42. 

On the nature of greatness: Well, it's as zippy my Terraferma ever 
was--climbs amazingly, descends beautifully, rides well with a front load 
or without.  

The Compass tires feel fantastic on and off pavement and, Patrick, they 
were pretty simple to set up tubeless. With my Trek Flash Charger pump (a 
VERY cool item) the bead popped right on. They hold air very well. 

Any other questions, ask away!   

On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 2:44:19 PM UTC-4, Steve Palincsar wrote:



 On 07/31/2015 02:38 PM, Christian wrote:

 Hi everyone, 

 Reporting back now that I have had the NFE for a week.  It's been great so 
 far!

 Thought I'd share my build and a few pics here: 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/sets/72157656605491545

 WHEELS: WTB KOM i25 rims/Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tubeless/SP dynohub/Hope 
 Evo Pro 2/VO Noir 650B fenders (only front installed; got lazy)
 DRIVETRAIN: White Industries VBC crank 42x26/11-36 XT casssette/XT rd and 
 CX 70 fd
 RACK etc: Haulin Colin for NFE/VO decaleur/Berthoud GB28. I used a 
 Berthoud decaleur for 5 years on my Terraferma and thought it was great. 
 But I decided to try the much cheaper VO decaleur.  It's easy to set up (so 
 is the Berthoud) and works well.  
 Eriksen Ti Sweetpost/Brooks C17 
 COCKPIT: started with VO rando bars I had around--too much reach to the 
 breakes, for me; now 46cm Salsa Cowchippers on a Salsa 25 degree/8cm Guide 
 Stem--so far awesome.

 Did I miss anything? 



 Could you be more specific about the derailleurs  the cassette?  E.g. - 
 is this an 8, 9, 10 or 11 speed drivetrain?   Also, I'm sure I'm not the 
 only one who would like to hear more, with more detail, about the nature of 
 the greatness you've been experiencing.


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Steve Palincsar



On 07/31/2015 05:27 PM, Jim Bronson wrote:

Daniel,

The Elephant NFE is a low trail bike, meaning it is meant to have a 
load in the front.  Unloaded in the front, the steering will be 
somewhat light depending on the exact amount of trail it has in 
millimeters.  Jan Heine has done some testing on the handling 
characteristics of various amounts of (low) trail.  35mm trail is said 
to be best with a 5-10 lb weight in front.  Not sure exactly what the 
NFE has, as their site does not give an exact number on the amount of 
trail.




Perhaps that might be better worded 35mm trail is said to be best with 
a front load of no more than 5-10 lb, and no less of a load than a bag 
and contents of 2-3 lb.


When I went to the LBS to pick up my 1st gen Kogswell P/R I went for a 
little ride around the parking lot.  Handling felt shockingly /weird/ -- 
strange enough to make me exclaim out loud.  Next time I rode the bike I 
had a bag with a wallet, keys, I think a small bag of tools with an 
allen wrench set and some tire levers, a couple of tubes -- total with 
the bag and the stuff in it probably no more than 2 lb -- and handling 
was totally /normal/ feeling.  Yes, light; yes easily steered; no lock 
in on a line while cornering.  But /unexceptional./ Just normal.  No 
need to go up to 5-10 lb for it to feel right, a bag with nearly 
nothing in it was enough.


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-07-31 Thread Jim Bronson
Daniel,

The Elephant NFE is a low trail bike, meaning it is meant to have a load in
the front.  Unloaded in the front, the steering will be somewhat light
depending on the exact amount of trail it has in millimeters.  Jan Heine
has done some testing on the handling characteristics of various amounts of
(low) trail.  35mm trail is said to be best with a 5-10 lb weight in
front.  Not sure exactly what the NFE has, as their site does not give an
exact number on the amount of trail.

On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 3:42 PM, Daniel D. dddon...@gmail.com wrote:

 Nice looking bike. Seems to tick off a lot of boxes on my list. But
 reading this part of the NFE blurb gave me pause, for experienced riders
 who prefer nimble handling and light steering input.  Sounds like it may
 not have the nice easy going stability I'm seeking.

 On Friday, July 31, 2015 at 11:56:57 AM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Steve,


 On the nature of greatness: Well, it's as zippy my Terraferma ever
 was--climbs amazingly, descends beautifully, rides well with a front load
 or without.

 The Compass tires feel fantastic on and off pavement and, Patrick, they
 were pretty simple to set up tubeless. With my Trek Flash Charger pump (a
 VERY cool item) the bead popped right on. They hold air very well.

 Any other questions, ask away!

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 You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
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RE: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-06 Thread Carl Otto Wollin
Is it possible to run the Rat Trap Pass with 26 x 2.35 with fenders?
What is the max tires with fenders to squeeze in the rear and front of the NFE. 
The NFE looks lika an interesting rig as a commuter for all round use with 
studded winter tires and fat pair of slicks. 
One rig to mention in this debate are Joshua Bryants new NFD 
http://www.cyclesjbryant.com/
http://bicycletimesmag.com/spotlight-cycles-j-bryant-nfd-bikepacking-bike/ as 
an alternative to the Jones with 650 B plus tires.


From: marknrei...@gmail.com
To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit I was 
envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front panniers, rando 
boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, or 42 slicks with 
fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I definitely wanted their 
disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with kool stop salmon and they were 
all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with wet rims. The finish on them is 
very good, and they're very light. I'm actually planning on buying one next 
season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real heavy lifting. 

On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:I absolutely 
love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my weight, uses, and riding 
style. The fork is more supple than my previous rawland rsogn and my simpleone, 
but all things aren't equal so it's pretty hard to say with certainty. As I 
understand it, it's possible to make a supple disc fork, but very difficult in 
a production setting. Glen had special mounts machined locally to keep the fork 
as compliant as possible. All I really know is that the bike rides wonderfully 
and was a killer value for a domestically made frame. Highly recommend. 



Hudson in atx. 




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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-06 Thread Joe Broach
Hi Carl,

Obviously no one has the tires yet, but the Rat Trap pass should be a good
fit on the NFE. Clearances are set for 650bx42 + fenders, and the RTPs are
supposed to be the same diameter. There aren't a ton of fender options wide
enough, but there are a few from Honjo and others. I'm definitely planning
to pick up a set of 559 wheels so I can try them out.

Best,
joe broach
pdx or

On Sat, Jun 6, 2015 at 1:05 PM, Carl Otto Wollin carlottowol...@hotmail.com
 wrote:

 Is it possible to run the Rat Trap Pass with 26 x 2.35 with fenders?

 What is the max tires with fenders to squeeze in the rear and front of the
 NFE.

 The NFE looks lika an interesting rig as a commuter for all round use with
 studded winter tires and fat pair of slicks.

 One rig to mention in this debate are Joshua Bryants new NFD
 http://www.cyclesjbryant.com/

 http://bicycletimesmag.com/spotlight-cycles-j-bryant-nfd-bikepacking-bike/ as
 an alternative to the Jones with 650 B plus tires.



 From: marknrei...@gmail.com
 To: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com
 Subject: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer


 There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit I
 was envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front panniers,
 rando boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, or 42 slicks
 with fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I definitely wanted
 their disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with kool stop salmon and
 they were all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with wet rims. The
 finish on them is very good, and they're very light. I'm actually planning
 on buying one next season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real heavy
 lifting.

 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:

 I absolutely love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my weight,
 uses, and riding style. The fork is more supple than my previous rawland
 rsogn and my simpleone, but all things aren't equal so it's pretty hard to
 say with certainty. As I understand it, it's possible to make a supple disc
 fork, but very difficult in a production setting. Glen had special mounts
 machined locally to keep the fork as compliant as possible. All I really
 know is that the bike rides wonderfully and was a killer value for a
 domestically made frame. Highly recommend.

 Hudson in atx.


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-05 Thread Daniel Jackson
FYI Folks:

No more custom frames from Glen for at least a year. I inquired recently 
and got the big negative. 


On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 2:56:47 PM UTC-6, joe b. wrote:

 Hi Luke,

 Funny, my daily rider has been a 63 canti-Rom for years, and I'm looking 
 forward to trying out my XL stock NFE.

 Didn't mean to imply that tubing was identical between stock NFE and Rom. 
 Both are 8-5-8 OS though. The non-stock NFE's like yours might be different.

 My main motivation was more tire clearance and a chance to ride all these 
 650B tires.

 Best,
 joe broach
 pdx or

 Caveat lector. Sent from a phone.
 On Jun 3, 2015 7:36 AM, lukeheller helle...@gmail.com javascript: 
 wrote:

 I have had my NFE for 2 years and many happy miles. It replaced my 63cm 
 Romulus as my primary brevet bike and everyday bike. Well, I still have the 
 Romulus but somedays can't figure out why when I typically just ride the 
 Elephant anyhow.

 My NFE is for 700c wheels and canti-brakes. I got it on the NFE before 
 Glen started the stock run of the NFEs. I needed custom geometry anyhow; my 
 NFE has a 71.5 STA. Makes my heart smile.

 I primarily run 700x35's + fenders and a front rando bag.
 I took it on an 8 day tour down the pacific coast hwy. Handled well 
 though not a sure footed when loaded as a dedicated stout touring rig.
 And I run BG Rock ,n Roads on it every now and again.

 For a moment, I wished I had gotten it with discs so I could try out 650b 
 wheels. That moment passed.


 That's interesting that Joe B said the NFE and Romulus have the same 
 tubing... those have been my 2 primary bikes for 4 years or so now. I'll 
 say that I still much prefer the ride of my NFE but I don't know that it's 
 due to tubing... I can't really say I notice any difference there. What I 
 notice is...
 The Romulus has toe overlap with fenders -the NFE has 0 toe overlap 
 with my size 13 hooves and fenders
 The Romulus has more twitchy handling -   +1 for the NFE, stable 
 handling, love it

 Glen really dialed in the geometry perfectly on my 700c NFE. No toe 
 overlap. No pedal strike. STA is perfect, may ass sits right where it wants 
 too (Rom is slightly too far forward). 

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 12:10:32 PM UTC-4, Jim Bronson wrote:

 I don't know what the XL standover is but the Elephant folks did offer 
 to work with me on a full custom NFE frame since the stock sizes in their 
 production run will not fit me.  I promised not to divulge any specifics so 
 I won't, but I would recommend calling or emailing them and talking to them 
 about it.

 I didn't end up getting the frame built, but it wasn't due to a lack of 
 want - the reasons were primarily financial on my side.  I ended up buying 
 that 68 Redwood that was on eBay a while ago - but the Redwood is 
 definitely more of a compromise for the intended task than the NFE would 
 have been.

 I would contact them and see if they will work with you, if you don't 
 think the stock XL would fit.  Nice folks.

 On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 9:20 PM, Daniel Jackson daniel.se...@gmail.com 
 wrote:

 Anybody out there have an XL Elephant? If so, might you report the 
 standover?

 Thanks much,
 D.


 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6:40:14 PM UTC-6, Mark Reimer wrote:

 There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit 
 I was envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front 
 panniers, rando boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, 
 or 
 42 slicks with fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I 
 definitely wanted their disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with 
 kool 
 stop salmon and they were all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with 
 wet 
 rims. The finish on them is very good, and they're very light. I'm 
 actually 
 planning on buying one next season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real 
 heavy lifting. 

 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:

 I absolutely love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my 
 weight, uses, and riding style. The fork is more supple than my previous 
 rawland rsogn and my simpleone, but all things aren't equal so it's 
 pretty 
 hard to say with certainty. As I understand it, it's possible to make a 
 supple disc fork, but very difficult in a production setting. Glen had 
 special mounts machined locally to keep the fork as compliant as 
 possible. 
 All I really know is that the bike rides wonderfully and was a killer 
 value 
 for a domestically made frame. Highly recommend. 

 Hudson in atx. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-03 Thread Joe Broach
Hi Luke,

Funny, my daily rider has been a 63 canti-Rom for years, and I'm looking
forward to trying out my XL stock NFE.

Didn't mean to imply that tubing was identical between stock NFE and Rom.
Both are 8-5-8 OS though. The non-stock NFE's like yours might be different.

My main motivation was more tire clearance and a chance to ride all these
650B tires.

Best,
joe broach
pdx or

Caveat lector. Sent from a phone.
On Jun 3, 2015 7:36 AM, lukeheller heller.l...@gmail.com wrote:

 I have had my NFE for 2 years and many happy miles. It replaced my 63cm
 Romulus as my primary brevet bike and everyday bike. Well, I still have the
 Romulus but somedays can't figure out why when I typically just ride the
 Elephant anyhow.

 My NFE is for 700c wheels and canti-brakes. I got it on the NFE before
 Glen started the stock run of the NFEs. I needed custom geometry anyhow; my
 NFE has a 71.5 STA. Makes my heart smile.

 I primarily run 700x35's + fenders and a front rando bag.
 I took it on an 8 day tour down the pacific coast hwy. Handled well though
 not a sure footed when loaded as a dedicated stout touring rig.
 And I run BG Rock ,n Roads on it every now and again.

 For a moment, I wished I had gotten it with discs so I could try out 650b
 wheels. That moment passed.


 That's interesting that Joe B said the NFE and Romulus have the same
 tubing... those have been my 2 primary bikes for 4 years or so now. I'll
 say that I still much prefer the ride of my NFE but I don't know that it's
 due to tubing... I can't really say I notice any difference there. What I
 notice is...
 The Romulus has toe overlap with fenders -the NFE has 0 toe overlap
 with my size 13 hooves and fenders
 The Romulus has more twitchy handling -   +1 for the NFE, stable
 handling, love it

 Glen really dialed in the geometry perfectly on my 700c NFE. No toe
 overlap. No pedal strike. STA is perfect, may ass sits right where it wants
 too (Rom is slightly too far forward).

 On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 12:10:32 PM UTC-4, Jim Bronson wrote:

 I don't know what the XL standover is but the Elephant folks did offer to
 work with me on a full custom NFE frame since the stock sizes in their
 production run will not fit me.  I promised not to divulge any specifics so
 I won't, but I would recommend calling or emailing them and talking to them
 about it.

 I didn't end up getting the frame built, but it wasn't due to a lack of
 want - the reasons were primarily financial on my side.  I ended up buying
 that 68 Redwood that was on eBay a while ago - but the Redwood is
 definitely more of a compromise for the intended task than the NFE would
 have been.

 I would contact them and see if they will work with you, if you don't
 think the stock XL would fit.  Nice folks.

 On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 9:20 PM, Daniel Jackson daniel.se...@gmail.com
 wrote:

 Anybody out there have an XL Elephant? If so, might you report the
 standover?

 Thanks much,
 D.


 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6:40:14 PM UTC-6, Mark Reimer wrote:

 There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit I
 was envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front panniers,
 rando boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, or 42 slicks
 with fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I definitely wanted
 their disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with kool stop salmon and
 they were all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with wet rims. The
 finish on them is very good, and they're very light. I'm actually planning
 on buying one next season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real heavy
 lifting.

 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:

 I absolutely love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my
 weight, uses, and riding style. The fork is more supple than my previous
 rawland rsogn and my simpleone, but all things aren't equal so it's pretty
 hard to say with certainty. As I understand it, it's possible to make a
 supple disc fork, but very difficult in a production setting. Glen had
 special mounts machined locally to keep the fork as compliant as possible.
 All I really know is that the bike rides wonderfully and was a killer 
 value
 for a domestically made frame. Highly recommend.

 Hudson in atx.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-03 Thread Mark Reimer
Depends what you consider 'better'. I'm 160 LBS and ride my Atlantis on
100+ mile rides and enjoy it. However, I agree it is way more bike than you
need for something like that. I want a NFE because I have a fair bit of
trouble staying with my riding buddies when I'm on the Atlantis. These are
people I can easily ride with when I'm on my CX or road bike. I love my
Atlantis, but it's more of a pontoon boat - built for cruising around and
enjoying the sites. I know a few guys with NFE's now and they all say the
bike hauls. Maybe it's the lower weight, more compliant tubing, who knows.
I think it would be a great bike for fast rides on mixed terrain where you
still want a somewhat upright position and the capability to carry a light
load.


On Wed, Jun 3, 2015 at 11:40 AM, 'Tony McG' via RBW Owners Bunch 
rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com wrote:

 Would the NFE make a better 100+ mile gravel grinder than my Atlantis?  At
 170 lbs, I really don't need such a stout bike, and I would probably be in
 better shape at the end of the day on something lighter and sportier. The
 geometry is different, but it looks like I would be able to get the
 handlebars level with my 79 cm seat height on a stock x-large.

 I am currently riding a 61 cm Atlantis.
 http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr7/WFRTony/RivAtlantis0520015.jpg

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-03 Thread 'hangtownmatt' via RBW Owners Bunch
Speed kills!!  I was in a racy mood comming home from work today and damm 
near rear ended a car stopped where it had no business being stopped.  I 
like your comment built for crusing and enjoying the sites, but you 
young'ins have a hard time with this and I understand. Some old guys do too.

Matt

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 9:56:15 AM UTC-7, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Depends what you consider 'better'. I'm 160 LBS and ride my Atlantis on 
 100+ mile rides and enjoy it. However, I agree it is way more bike than you 
 need for something like that. I want a NFE because I have a fair bit of 
 trouble staying with my riding buddies when I'm on the Atlantis. These are 
 people I can easily ride with when I'm on my CX or road bike. I love my 
 Atlantis, but it's more of a pontoon boat - built for cruising around and 
 enjoying the sites. I know a few guys with NFE's now and they all say the 
 bike hauls. Maybe it's the lower weight, more compliant tubing, who knows. 
 I think it would be a great bike for fast rides on mixed terrain where you 
 still want a somewhat upright position and the capability to carry a light 
 load. 


 On Wed, Jun 3, 2015 at 11:40 AM, 'Tony McG' via RBW Owners Bunch 
 rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com javascript: wrote:

 Would the NFE make a better 100+ mile gravel grinder than my Atlantis?  
 At 170 lbs, I really don't need such a stout bike, and I would probably be 
 in better shape at the end of the day on something lighter and sportier. 
 The geometry is different, but it looks like I would be able to get the 
 handlebars level with my 79 cm seat height on a stock x-large.

 I am currently riding a 61 cm Atlantis.
 http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr7/WFRTony/RivAtlantis0520015.jpg

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Anne Paulson
In the pics the Jones Plus looks huge, but the standover height for
the smaller model is 31, which is barely bigger than the standover
height for my Surly Krampus in size small.

On Tue, Jun 2, 2015 at 10:32 AM, Mike Shaljian mikeshalj...@gmail.com wrote:
 I consulted a friend of mine who is 5'6.5 and she is very happy with the 
 Jones Plus. To my surprise, she even maxxed out the 250mm seatpost I 
 recommended (and she's running a 70mm, 0º rise stem, as per Jeff's recc.). 
 She hasn't ridden it with 29+ tires yet, but on Super Motos she is more than 
 comfortable with the standover height, and I expect she'll be fine with 3 
 tires. It seems like 5'6 is the lower height limit, depending on proportions.

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It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Clayton.sf
I have a standard steel Jones Diamond. It is nothing short of amazing. 
Would love to have a plus too.

On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 11:23:42 AM UTC-7, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 Yeah, I think one of the big features of Jeff's geometry is that the 24 
 or 25 ETT models can fit basically anyone from 5'6 - 6'6, given different 
 seatpost/stem combinations. He also makes a point that the 24 Plus starts 
 with the same reach as a small (I think) ECR, and you just go from there 
 with changing the components to optimize fit. I can't conceive of a more 
 versatile and fun bike, the hype you see about Jones bikes on the web is 
 very real in practice. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Mike Shaljian
Yeah, I think one of the big features of Jeff's geometry is that the 24 or 25 
ETT models can fit basically anyone from 5'6 - 6'6, given different 
seatpost/stem combinations. He also makes a point that the 24 Plus starts with 
the same reach as a small (I think) ECR, and you just go from there with 
changing the components to optimize fit. I can't conceive of a more versatile 
and fun bike, the hype you see about Jones bikes on the web is very real in 
practice. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Christian
Hi All, 

Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
for similar purposes.   

So, I will have both. 

I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. I'd 
become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I made 
plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling point for 
me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers ago (to 
which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know there's 
been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME there's 
no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far superior--IN 
MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the Terreferma (to be 
honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are better than the 
Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and that's fine. 

I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used the 
Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. And 
if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the Jones is 
best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a capable all 
arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat front. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/  

One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out of 
the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was some 
sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here and 
there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how tall I 
am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive position. 
He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it. Bike fits 
fantastically.

Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

Christian 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread cyclotour...@gmail.com
Great review and insight into your thought process, Christian! NFE and 
Jones both look like great bikes!

On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 1:12:18 PM UTC-7, Christian wrote:

 Hi All, 

 Let's see if I can link the NFE, the Jones, and Rivendell sufficiently to 
 make this on topic. I sold my Hunqapillar to fund my Jones. I really liked 
 the Hunq, but I love the Jones. Very different bikes so not really fair to 
 compare, but for my purposes the Jones is the better option. I use it 
 mostly for singletrack and have put in up to 9 hour trail rides on it. It's 
 an exceptional bike. But it's not the same thing as the NFE (not that Mike 
 was saying this explicitly) so I don't think I'd choose one or the other 
 for similar purposes.   

 So, I will have both. 

 I really loved my Terraferma, but always felt the fit was slightly off. 
 I'd become a convert to 650B, however, and so when I learned of the NFE I 
 made plans to sell my Terraferma. The disc brakes were a major selling 
 point for me. After getting back into mountain biking a couple of summers 
 ago (to which I credit the Hunq) and trying discs I was blown away. I know 
 there's been lots of discussion here about the merits of cantis but FOR ME 
 there's no contest. BB7s are incredibly simple to set up and are far 
 superior--IN MY EXPERIENCE--to the Paul Toring cantis I had on the 
 Terreferma (to be honest, the 15 year old $10 Deore V brakes on my LHT are 
 better than the Pauls--heresy, perhaps). I know some will disagree and 
 that's fine. 

 I'll use the NFE (should be here in a few weeks) in the same way I used 
 the Terraferma: for mixed terrain road riding as well as paved only rides. 
 And if I return to randonneuring I'll use it for that too. For me, the 
 Jones is best left as a mountain bike. But it for sure could be set as a 
 capable all arounder with different wheels. For now it's set up as a fat 
 front. 
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwmcmillen/16710535399/in/dateposted-public/
   

 One thing that's neat about the Jones is that it takes a little wind out 
 of the sails of those--like me, for a time--committed to thinking fit was 
 some sort of magic. After all, they only come in one size! Just tweak here 
 and there, listen to Jeff's advice, and you're all set. He asked me how 
 tall I am, whether or I wanted to sit up a bit or be in a more agressive 
 position. He then told me what stem he thought I should get. That was it. 
 Bike fits fantastically.

 Anyway, hope all the Riv folks don't mind the digression!

 Christian 


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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Christian
Thanks cyclotourist!

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Mike Shaljian
Thanks for your insight, Christian, and very well said. I apologize if I've 
hijacked threads off-topic this time around and in the past with some Jones 
gushing, but I am, in fact, still a Rivendell owner! 

However, my Sam Hillborne no longer serves the kind of riding I prefer to do, 
which tends to consist now of singletrack, rough gravel, dirt and indeed a 
decent amount of pavement. When I lived in a sprawling east coast city, the 
Hillborne served me well for 10,000+ miles of fun road riding (mostly 
commuting). Now that I find myself in more adventurous terrain in Eastern 
Washington  surrounding, I kept wanting to push the limits of what was 
possible for an All-Rounder, and finally arrived at it after a few long 
conversations with Jeff Jones. I had very seriously considered a Hunqapillar, 
but decided that the 29+ platform was just too damn enchanting to pass up, and 
I'm glad I went that way, especially given my underdeveloped technical 
proficiency as a new mountain biker (rolling over pretty much everything with 
aplomb is great!). 

The thing I love about the Jones is the versatility and how it never seems like 
a compromise bike (in the way a Hillborne with Rock N' Roads might be). I'm 
about to get a second wheelset to go along with my 3 tires, which will be 
running tubeless Super Motos. It is pretty amazing to me how the Jones 
transforms from super capable mountain bike to very damn fast All-Road bike 
with just a wheelset swap (rode tubed Motos when I first got the bike). I 
should point out that I've never been especially go fast in my riding, as 
indicated by my love for my Sam (which I know many on here find sluggish on the 
road). I'm more of a rambler who likes to go hard in waves, and never in a 
competitive sense (e.g. rando rides). I guess the point I was trying to make is 
that if you can afford two (or three) beautiful bikes, that's great! The NFE 
and a Jones obviously are best suited to different goals. But if you had to 
choose one bike to tackle the greatest diversity of exploration, I can just say 
that I've been amazed at the fun and confidence a Jeff Jones bicycle inspires 
in a bunch of settings. 

+1 on what Christian said about the fit mystery also. It really is very, very 
damn simple with Jeff. Call him up, discuss some basic proportions and what you 
want to do, and he'll set you up right. 

-- Mike

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Jim Bronson
I don't know what the XL standover is but the Elephant folks did offer to
work with me on a full custom NFE frame since the stock sizes in their
production run will not fit me.  I promised not to divulge any specifics so
I won't, but I would recommend calling or emailing them and talking to them
about it.

I didn't end up getting the frame built, but it wasn't due to a lack of
want - the reasons were primarily financial on my side.  I ended up buying
that 68 Redwood that was on eBay a while ago - but the Redwood is
definitely more of a compromise for the intended task than the NFE would
have been.

I would contact them and see if they will work with you, if you don't think
the stock XL would fit.  Nice folks.

On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 9:20 PM, Daniel Jackson 
daniel.seth.jack...@gmail.com wrote:

 Anybody out there have an XL Elephant? If so, might you report the
 standover?

 Thanks much,
 D.


 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6:40:14 PM UTC-6, Mark Reimer wrote:

 There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit I
 was envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front panniers,
 rando boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, or 42 slicks
 with fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I definitely wanted
 their disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with kool stop salmon and
 they were all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with wet rims. The
 finish on them is very good, and they're very light. I'm actually planning
 on buying one next season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real heavy
 lifting.

 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:

 I absolutely love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my
 weight, uses, and riding style. The fork is more supple than my previous
 rawland rsogn and my simpleone, but all things aren't equal so it's pretty
 hard to say with certainty. As I understand it, it's possible to make a
 supple disc fork, but very difficult in a production setting. Glen had
 special mounts machined locally to keep the fork as compliant as possible.
 All I really know is that the bike rides wonderfully and was a killer value
 for a domestically made frame. Highly recommend.

 Hudson in atx.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Dan
I'd be interested in folks' experience with the XL size too. This frame is 
really really close to my ideal; recently I've even come to think discs are 
a good idea on this type of bike.  At this point my biggest hesitation is 
the wheel size, even though I thought the wheels on my 29er felt TOO big, 
650B still scares me for some reason. 

Dan

On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 11:10:32 AM UTC-5, Jim Bronson wrote:

 I don't know what the XL standover is but the Elephant folks did offer to 
 work with me on a full custom NFE frame since the stock sizes in their 
 production run will not fit me.  I promised not to divulge any specifics so 
 I won't, but I would recommend calling or emailing them and talking to them 
 about it.

 I didn't end up getting the frame built, but it wasn't due to a lack of 
 want - the reasons were primarily financial on my side.  I ended up buying 
 that 68 Redwood that was on eBay a while ago - but the Redwood is 
 definitely more of a compromise for the intended task than the NFE would 
 have been.

 I would contact them and see if they will work with you, if you don't 
 think the stock XL would fit.  Nice folks.

 On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 9:20 PM, Daniel Jackson daniel.se...@gmail.com 
 javascript: wrote:

 Anybody out there have an XL Elephant? If so, might you report the 
 standover?

 Thanks much,
 D.


 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 6:40:14 PM UTC-6, Mark Reimer wrote:

 There were a ton of the NFE on the Oregon Outback and I have to admit I 
 was envious. Many were setup just like I had my Atlantis - front panniers, 
 rando boxy bag, and a saddle bag. They can fit 2.35 knobbies, or 42 slicks 
 with fenders. On the wet descents with the loaded bike, I definitely wanted 
 their disc brakes. I have Paul touring canti's with kool stop salmon and 
 they were all but useless when we got up to 70km/h with wet rims. The 
 finish on them is very good, and they're very light. I'm actually planning 
 on buying one next season, but keeping the Atlantis for the real heavy 
 lifting. 

 On Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:10:55 PM UTC-5, Hudson Doerge wrote:

 I absolutely love my first batch NFE. The tubing is perfect for my 
 weight, uses, and riding style. The fork is more supple than my previous 
 rawland rsogn and my simpleone, but all things aren't equal so it's pretty 
 hard to say with certainty. As I understand it, it's possible to make a 
 supple disc fork, but very difficult in a production setting. Glen had 
 special mounts machined locally to keep the fork as compliant as possible. 
 All I really know is that the bike rides wonderfully and was a killer 
 value 
 for a domestically made frame. Highly recommend. 

 Hudson in atx. 

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 Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down!
  

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Steve Palincsar

On 06/02/2015 12:56 PM, Dan wrote:
I'd be interested in folks' experience with the XL size too. This 
frame is really really close to my ideal; recently I've even come to 
think discs are a good idea on this type of bike.  At this point my 
biggest hesitation is the wheel size, even though I thought the wheels 
on my 29er felt TOO big, 650B still scares me for some reason.


You should try to figure out what exactly frightens you about 650B. 
Perhaps trying to enumerate them might help you decide one way or the other.



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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Mike Shaljian
For this price you can get more bike than you'd ever know what to do with in 
the Jones Plus. 2.1 max tire seems awfully limiting to me when 3 tires give 
you the ability to do real mountain biking and fly down loose gravel descents 
with confidence. Pretty MUSA bike though! 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Anne Paulson
Speaking of the Jones Plus, how short can a person be and still fit
it? It looks like a big for tall people, even in the smaller size.

On Tue, Jun 2, 2015 at 10:15 AM, Mike Shaljian mikeshalj...@gmail.com wrote:
 For this price you can get more bike than you'd ever know what to do with in 
 the Jones Plus. 2.1 max tire seems awfully limiting to me when 3 tires give 
 you the ability to do real mountain biking and fly down loose gravel descents 
 with confidence. Pretty MUSA bike though!

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-- Anne Paulson

It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride.

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Re: [RBW] Re: Elephant National Park Explorer

2015-06-02 Thread Mike Shaljian
I consulted a friend of mine who is 5'6.5 and she is very happy with the Jones 
Plus. To my surprise, she even maxxed out the 250mm seatpost I recommended (and 
she's running a 70mm, 0º rise stem, as per Jeff's recc.). She hasn't ridden it 
with 29+ tires yet, but on Super Motos she is more than comfortable with the 
standover height, and I expect she'll be fine with 3 tires. It seems like 5'6 
is the lower height limit, depending on proportions.

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