And today I did......

[dyna-ti]

Acoustic :? Aye,i'd say most of my bikes are acoustically tuned, In fact I think theres an orchestra going on down there somewhere with it's rattles and clanks :shock:


Oh Jamie, the Bullitt is the lower choice, down to length and storage. Lists at 2.4m, and my bikes are about 1.8m. Could be a 9 point turn in the house to get it backed in or out of the bike room. Top choice for looks, stability with the lower center of gravity.
I need to get out more, and have further range so i can find a cheaper workshop rent. Glasgow is way too expensive..
Tern would be just as good tooing and froing but I'd rather carry something like my dewalt slide saw low down, than sitting higher up on the tern.

Just a little concerned on turning circle, and I'd likely have to replan my routes, as im more the crows fly one point to another over hill,dale,park and pavement. Not possible maybe on something longer and a bit wider. Lots of considerations.
I would, or should I think opt to ride an 'acoustic' cargo like the bullitt before trying the same powered.

Serious cash all the same, hence my sell of of accumulated Hope bits(Take A look gents, more to list RB discounts

This is another small, but important point - SPEC
MTB's now, E or whatever seem to have favoured 148mm. Bound to be down to a generic frames following the trend, so we've mostly stuck with it.
Every hub I own, new or used built or 'fresh' (another for you History Man ) is 135mm.
135mm can be 142mm but not 148mm without a shed load of faffing about, dishing and lord knows what else.
Buying an E anything, unless you spend loads you get Alivio, Tektro and M200 shimano. Mostly though the motor is latest gen, latest software, but the rest is shit.
I think we can list the Decathalon Stilus as currently the best EMTB on the planet for spec and retail cost. Be mad not to grab one, fit your own fork, brakes,bars. All in all wow for £2600.
The tern will likely be about 4 1/2, and the bullit is about the same, give or take a couple of hundred.
Spec on the tern is pants, compared to what im use to. BUT, the important downside is I cannot use any of my wheels(new pro 4) as they are 26" 135mm I dont expect the wheels on either to be pro4 on 517(fine @2.25") more likely joytech or such ano'd black and unbranded. Brakes will be reasonable, but I hear more niggles out of stw, here et all about bleeding issues of srams, or anything not shimano or Hope.

The Bullitt is 135mm 26" rear. FAB Allows all the matching Hope purple stuff to go onto it, no new wheel building or outlay or put up with whatever.
Easier to build my own kit and sell the new bits on it to recoup a little. I cant do that with the tern or any other except the bullitt.

 

[epicyclo]

Acoustic - I've heard that in Oz for pushies.

 

[velomaniac]

Re:

Not up on the latest ebikes but do like them and have been reading up on ebike conversion kits. Mid drive or rear drive is the way to go. I was once ahead of the game, at least 15 years ago I commuted five miles to work on an early ebike with the then heavy lead acid gel batteries. My ride was a Powabike with front wheel drive and it was great for the hills of Midlothian. Also had a front wheel drive conversion about 7 years back but l-ion battery did not have enough amp hours for my needs. E bikes are great but bloody heavy if the juice gives out.
Currently trying to get fit so ebike feels a cop-out for me at the moment but got my eye on a basic rear wheel drive kit to retro fit to my tandem wired up to two mobility scooter batteries I have. Heavy but has potential for a few winter runs about Edinburgh when the wind gets up.

 

[clubby]

Dyna, that Decathlon is absolutely the worst of your listed choices for you. It’s a proper off road MTB and using it for anything else is pointless. No load carrying capability at all. If you still want to be able to ride off-road, a hardtail eMTB would be a good compromise. Fit a rack and panniers for a bit of load carrying and you still have a normal handling bike. Adding a trailer is another option. Earlier in the year I looked at the same choices as you. I was looking at ways of hauling the wee man around with me. In the end I discounted the cargo bikes, as I didn’t need the carrying capacity all the time. I went for a trailer. Easy to fit and disconnect for a normal bike and not too bad to haul around. Have also recently bought a Whyte e150RS MTB, but haven’t used it with the trailer yet.
As for your Hope parts. This isn’t meant in a nasty way, but forget about using them for this. Standards have changed, get over it. Keep them for a build that suits them. Put them aside for now and wait for a suitable frame to put them on. Much better plan than compromising your other choices.
Cargo bikes spending their life on grimy streets don’t need fancy expensive parts.
If you really want to use them then why not look at the e conversions on eBay.

 

[dyna-ti]

Dyna, that Decathlon is absolutely the worst of your listed choices for you. It’s a proper off road MTB and using it for anything else is pointless. No load carrying capability at all. If you still want to be able to ride off-road, a hardtail eMTB would be a good compromise. Fit a rack and panniers for a bit of load carrying and you still have a normal handling bike. Adding a trailer is another option. Earlier in the year I looked at the same choices as you. I was looking at ways of hauling the wee man around with me. In the end I discounted the cargo bikes, as I didn’t need the carrying capacity all the time. I went for a trailer. Easy to fit and disconnect for a normal bike and not too bad to haul around. Have also recently bought a Whyte e150RS MTB, but haven’t used it with the trailer yet.
As for your Hope parts. This isn’t meant in a nasty way, but forget about using them for this. Standards have changed, get over it. Keep them for a build that suits them. Put them aside for now and wait for a suitable frame to put them on. Much better plan than compromising your other choices.
Cargo bikes spending their life on grimy streets don’t need fancy expensive parts.
If you really want to use them then why not look at the e conversions on eBay.

OK, hear what youre saying. I know its no carrying capacity, but its not just that, its also about having the impetus to get out.
Buying the stilus also meant buying a conversion kit for the only other bike I could convert,the already 40lb Claud Butler That was a given.
But im effectively flogging off the 135mm kit, just for the sake of the 29er.
Logically, you look to utilize the assets you already own. and one of my options allows for it-Bullitt

I've no income. I've worked years to accumulate the higher end kit on unemployment benefit. I cannot afford to have 2 Hope kit bikes, plus an emtb, plus an eshopper. The good kit would effectively have to go at a loss- again all for the sake of a 29er play bike.
Unlikely I'll be able to afford any upgrades beyond what is here at home, and only some of it suitable.

It kind of breaks down into 3 logical choices I an envision.
1. Stilus+Conversion = 3-4 bikes Cove and Ti likely need to go, only a couple of parts can be swopped
2. Tern = 2 bikes One a short cargo(Same length as normal mtb)+Cove or Ti
3. Bullitt = 2 bikes Long cargo+ cove or Ti. But much of the ti parts can transfer over. Way Hay a saving - Sweet fanny adams income remember.

Other considerations on using Epower.
Shopping.

Converting the Claud allows for light/medium shopping, but not a lot beyond that, and certainly no bags of sand,timber etc Carrying limited tools, handtools. Transporting the dewalt slide saw cant happen.
The tern is the same length as standard, so effectively using the 20" wheel to gain some space the cockpit is compacted- I'm 6'3" Compact cockpits are not me.
Also the terns center of gravity is considerably higher. Plus the weight is mostly concentrated over the back wheel. Experience of a packed rear is its wobbly. Again unlikely to be able to carry anything joinery related, mainly due to the high center.
(The tern has a better seat tube angle, more height means it sits further back)

I need to get out, to get into a workspace, and its likely that could be a distance away as rents are cheaper, and with that I'd be transporting timber/tools/boatbuilding kit etc. Mostly heavy stuff you dont want wobbling about on the rear.


The Bullit is wholly different. It's moving away from the popular must be this shape to one more suited to carrying loads,and tried and tested for a long time. Tern, and many others are trying to emulate that, but retaining the design shape the public favour. Might be a reason theres no Kirks out there What you get is yes it carries a load, but the downside- high center and compacting the rider space to fit it all in seems to me too busy.

Standards have changed, get over it.

Er.... Retrobike

Standards. Standards are one thing but common sense,logic and utilizing what you have is something else.
How many standard changes have we seen on RB. I mean I've a boxes of 'Standards' . IS or PM, not its 29, last it was 27.5, How about 26"F24"R That was the kit then and who flew against fashion. Or everything is Boost, although guess what ? Seems 'boost' is less favourable these days
Lets drop the front mech, the extra gears claiming a more compact, and such nonsense about mirroring gears doubling up etc.
Clearly that wasnt enough easy peddling, so more and more cogs, now we've changed the rear to accommodate our loss of a front mech. Chains thinner,weaker we go on and on and the standards have changed it to a flimsy disposable item.
People whine on about the latest damper, like they can really tel the difference as it slams into a rock. :? Yeah really

This has developed into a rant

Probably be the Bullitt, due to low center, capacity and It utilizes that I already own. Keep the cove as the manual, thats as capable as any, 'cept maybe the rider.


There you go. Big Sunday post. Feel free to share your own musings.

 

[clubby]

There you go. Big Sunday post. Feel free to share your own musings.

Ok thanks I will

For the carrying you’re describing, only the Bullitt makes sense. That’s why I can’t believe you keep mentioning the Decathlon bike. How often will you be likely to need to shift big things though? I know you don’t have a car, but do you have a driving license? Lots of car share schemes in cities where you can get a car cheaply for a couple of hours. Obviously not an option if you can’t drive.
Completely appreciate you are on a budget. However be careful thinking you’ll get much for new parts taken of a build. In a lot of cases you’ll get more for decent retro bits. I know as well you’ve got a lot of sentimental value attached to the Hope stuff, but unfortunately it might not translate to monetary value to someone else.
Definitely keep on of the retro’s. Utilise what you can from the other, but don’t get hung up on trying to use stuff that just won’t work.



Regardless of this, some of your assumptions of newer tech range from missing the point to just plain wrong.
For taller riders bigger wheels are just better and significantly so. Boost isn’t falling out of favour, with the exception of entry level bikes all mtbs are boost spaced. The misconception of boost is that it’s just wider hubs. The difference is the extra width is in between the flanges rather than just at the ends. This allows wider spoke spacing and a stronger wheel. On the front it’s 10mm wider and on the rear it’s 6mm. Doesn’t sound much but as a percentage it’s a decent increase. Boost also spaces chainring out allowing more clearance for wider tyres/ mud clearance.
1x drivetrains make perfect sense to me for off-road riding. One button up, one button down. Main reason it took of was it allows suspension designers a lot more freedom where pivots and tubes go without having to compromise design to fit a front mech. Suspension performance is affected by distance of the pivot to chain. With only one chainring this can be optimised to pedal well all the time. With two or three chainrings you had to compromise performance in one or more of the rings. My STS pedals well in the middle and big rings but bobs like mad when climbing in the granny ring.
Modern chains are stronger and last longer than older designs.

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-bes ... 1-12-speed

Not to say 9 speed couldn’t be better than it is using modern materials but no one is. Used to forever be snapping chains. Have never had an issue with an 11 or 12 speed chain.

Yes you can tell the difference between shocks if they are set up correctly for you. Have Pikes and Yaris and the Pikes are noticeably more controlled when riding hard.

Finally, yes this is Retrobike, but I like my retro stuff on retro frames. Don’t think there’s any place for it on a modern build. Just my opinion.

 

[dyna-ti]

Cannot drive.


No need to pen all that, I though the point on how many changes the industry has made in the last 10 years is astounding. Just really pointing that out, it has been talked about previously. Justifications not required

The decathlon was in the running as well as alongside converting the old shopper. Rather 2 ebikes than one. The decathlon i liked was down to the spec more than any consideration, i thought if i must have one that i can play on, if actually i do so, and the last 4 years is a not, then its best bang for buck.
Plus, ive never ridden a full sus seriously. Been HT and rigid all these years.
But when summing up, the old shopper even converted wasnt going to fill the needs of getting out, mostly carrying gear. So the stilus practical point wasnt really an option.

I know as well you’ve got a lot of sentimental value attached to the Hope stuff

Well tbh thats been ebay'd, Hopefully £4K, before thinking of stripping the ti or the cove.
Huge decision for me, and I am taking everyones info and thoughts on it, even if it doesnt seem that way all info is good info.

A trailer was suggested, and I like that notion too, especially when put into the Tern equation. The tern is shorter, easier to store and ride being the same length as the usual, but add the trailer for the heavier loads, and when it comes to them theres considerably more choice than the old bob or one of the £40 ebay affairs. Longer, lighter more specialized.
But put it away in the shed/room and ride the Tern as normal.
So i do take on the info and bandy options about.

I suppose option 4 is buy the tern, a trailer, then sell the cove and the ti as parts and hope to make enough to get a modern embt(probably the decathlon) after maybe another year of scrimping.

 

[clubby]

No need to pen all that, I though the point on how many changes the industry has made in the last 10 years is astounding.

Been at home all day with a very awake toddler. A bit of debate is a nice change from reading the Wonky Donkey yet again!

Last ten years is no different to any other. Look at 88-98. Cantilevers and u-brakes to v brakes to hydraulic discs. Bolt on hydraulic mounts to Hayes specific mounts to IS mounts. 5 bolt vs 6 bolt rotors. Rigid to suspension forks, and even full suspension. 6 speed screw on to 8 speed cassettes. Riser bars to flat bars and back to riser bars. Mountain biking starting to fracture into xc and dh.

 

[jimo746]

Re: Re:

Next spring thinking about getting a gravel bike but until then the breezer is my grab bike if I just want an hours burl.

I picked up a cheap Marin Muirwoods, stuck on some flared drops and a higher stem, and it's my go-to bike for a quick local ride. A newer gravel bike would be a few lbs lighter, and have better brakes mind you, but I'm quite enjoying the Marin at the moment for its simplicity.
Looking forward to getting to some big hills to do some actual "mountain" biking though, this year has been a bit crap in that department.

 

[Mr Panda]

Re:

1988 - 1998

For me that was:

Ford Escort - Volvo estate, VW Beetle and VW Camper
No kids - 3 kids :shock:
House in Kent - House in London
Puch Cavalier roadie - Peugeot Puma and BSA TDF
Posting letters 2nd class as it was cheaper - instant email
A copy of 40+ Housewives - Internet porn :roll:
My old student stereo - Pukka Brit and French Hifi
Chinese cuisine - Italian Cuisine
1, maybe 2, motorbikes - 3, maybe 4, motorbikes
Svelte 20 something youngster - Slightly less svelte 30 something, very soon to hit the big Four O
Happy to be in the Home Counties - Fixated on leaving the Home Counties

such is progress :xmas-big-grin: