Breezer Twister (The Funky 16.5" Flavor)
- Thread starter Mr. Zero
- Start date
Mr. Zero
Senior Retro Guru
Thanks for all the positive feedback.
Conceptually I was never a big fan of the Sweet Spot or URTs in general. However, after speaking with John Castellano a few years back and getting his take on the synergy between the Sweet Spot and the TL5 I was keen to give it a try. I had already acquired the TL5 and, considering my particular tastes, the Breezer was the clear frame choice to marry it with. (I also considered the Bow Ti, but I've got more than a few reasons, that I won't go into here, that wasn't going to happen.)
I have to admit that I did not expect that the elastomer-based compression dampening of the fork to be as smooth nor the rear suspension to be as plush as it all is. When it comes to suspension I'm typically a fan of lightweight short-travel XC designs, specifically those that are AMP derived and use the Horst Link. And though the Sweet Spot qualifies as a XC design, it has to be the plushest longer-travel retro XC FS bike that, when setup correctly, suffers no biopacing, and sprints and climbs like a hardtail.
I corresponded with John Castellano again just before building this bike up and he was kind enough to offer a few very specific setup recommendations that so far seem to be largely responsible for my favorable impression of it's ride. It seems to speak to the point that though there are a few designs out there that are ill-conceived that there are even more that are simply misunderstood and poorly setup by the rider.
Conceptually I was never a big fan of the Sweet Spot or URTs in general. However, after speaking with John Castellano a few years back and getting his take on the synergy between the Sweet Spot and the TL5 I was keen to give it a try. I had already acquired the TL5 and, considering my particular tastes, the Breezer was the clear frame choice to marry it with. (I also considered the Bow Ti, but I've got more than a few reasons, that I won't go into here, that wasn't going to happen.)
I have to admit that I did not expect that the elastomer-based compression dampening of the fork to be as smooth nor the rear suspension to be as plush as it all is. When it comes to suspension I'm typically a fan of lightweight short-travel XC designs, specifically those that are AMP derived and use the Horst Link. And though the Sweet Spot qualifies as a XC design, it has to be the plushest longer-travel retro XC FS bike that, when setup correctly, suffers no biopacing, and sprints and climbs like a hardtail.
I corresponded with John Castellano again just before building this bike up and he was kind enough to offer a few very specific setup recommendations that so far seem to be largely responsible for my favorable impression of it's ride. It seems to speak to the point that though there are a few designs out there that are ill-conceived that there are even more that are simply misunderstood and poorly setup by the rider.
Mr. Zero
Senior Retro Guru
The brakes are a bit of a mystery. I've always been a fan of Avid, having early on (and still do) run Tri-Align IIs and then the Tri-Align III v-brakes. As far as I was aware the Single Digit variants were the next design in the evolution, but then I came across these on eBay.
Design-wise they seem to fall somewhere between the Tri-Align III and the modern Single Digit brakes. They have improved independent plane adjustment over the Tri-Align III (though not the elegance of design), but a shape that seems to suggest a move toward the modern Single Digit. They have full Ti hardware and weigh in at a respectable 155g per wheel.
If anyone has more info on these please let me know.
Design-wise they seem to fall somewhere between the Tri-Align III and the modern Single Digit brakes. They have improved independent plane adjustment over the Tri-Align III (though not the elegance of design), but a shape that seems to suggest a move toward the modern Single Digit. They have full Ti hardware and weigh in at a respectable 155g per wheel.
If anyone has more info on these please let me know.
Mr. Zero
Senior Retro Guru
24pouces":q1ne9bdc said:
The Interloc fork performs very nicely. The action is smooth and beyond the anti-dive functionality of the design it also counters any potential loading of the Sweet-spot rear end and is why Castellano paired the 2.
magas":q1ne9bdc said:
I've not been lurking on the forum all that much these days and must have missed it :?. Next time
!
