Not posted a new bike in here for a very long time.... Here's one I just blogged on the shop website so sorry for cut and paste.
Årslev where I live is sufficiently close to what is turning out to be a rather good little trail in our local woods that you don't need to ride very much on tarmac to get there - so you don't need your full range of gears. THis bike - my current favourite ride - was built very much with that trail in mind - but also the current trend in Denmark of getting maximum fun out of minimum space and altitude. This involves a lot of snaky singletrack.
The Cotic Bfe you can see here was built as a demo bike with cheaper parts and blew me away with how well it handled - so it sort of became my main bike by accident - so most of the parts on it now came off my 130mm full-suspension bike. It's not an all-day bike. It pushes you to ride over your threshold and will drain you of energy faster than something less motivating. Neither is it a bike for the beginner. But for most of the riding a busy bike shop owner gets to do, then it doesn't get much better than this. It is also the cheapest frame I have owned in over 15 years......
Here it is..
So what's on it? And why?
Drivetrain is Shimano XT Rear mech and shifter on an XT cassette modded with a Hope 40T sprocket. Because it works. It fits my current system. And it doesn't use a stupid 10T sprocket. It's geared low. Most people take their 17T sprocket out in these setups. I took out the 11. 1X11 is fine if you need the heavier gear. I don't right now. And I really don't like the idea of 10T sprockets. In case you missed it the first time.
Chainset is a Middleburn RS-X type with the brand new 30T Narrow-wide profiled Hardcote chainring/spider. Middleburn do what I consider to be the nicest crankset available right now. Bearing preload is adjustable, They are strong. And they are not really that expensive. Set up like this one would run in around 2000kr. Arms are 170mm because 175s give me sore knees. It turns on a Pace bottom bracket. It's serviceable with a grease gun. And smoother than a standard unit.
Pedals are Gusset Slim Jims.... Cheap and cheerful. But they work. I also run Look S-Track Race with Enduro Cage on this bike when it's too muddy for my Five Ten shoes. Chain is a connex. I like them. They're noisier than Shimano and SRAM. And don't seem to be harder wearing. But they do stay looking nice for longer and I've never seen one snap.
http://cykelposten.dk/WebRoot/StoreDK/S ... _1_93_.jpg[/img]
Hubs are gold Hope Pro IIs. I've had these since 2007 and you can't get them anymore. Brake is Hope Tech E4 four-piston with braided hoses. Braided hoses are nice - but if I was buying today I'd skip them. There are harder to work with and plastic hoses are plenty strong enough. Spokes are SILVER. Yes you can still get them. DT Revolution. Rims are Mavic 819UST - IMHO the best MTB rim ever. And I'm running proper UST tyres,. They don't "burp" like modern tubeless can do - but they are heavier. A lot heavier. If I was buying wheels today it would be the Hope Enduro rims.
Up front we have a Hope 70mm stem, 3T carbon bars (yes I do use carbon for stuff where it is actually a good idea to do so). Headset is also a Hope unit. You're supposed to run an external 1.5" cup on these frames - but this fork is low enough at the rebound dial that it won't hit the down tube so I didn't. You probably shouldn't..
Cables are Ashima Reaction plus. In 5mm housing. Ashima are the best cables I've ever used. And not that much more expensive than standard ones so they're also what I use on a lot of repairs. Only reason not to choose them is because you want black.... You can use the 5mm housing with cable-actived disc brakes and they will nearly feel like hydraulics as it doesn't compress or crimp.
Fork is a 2005 Pace RC40 XCAM adjustable steel spring fork (100mm to 130mm travel). Like me - it's from Yorkshire. It works. And no - you can't get them anymore. I also run a 150mm RC41 air fork on this frame - but it needs a new topout damper at the moment. I've been using Pace forks since i started riding in the 90s. It's a Yorkshire thing. You won't understand. It's also why we're one of the only places in Denmark that will service DT forks. DT bought the Pace design in 2008. And I panic bought Pace forks!
Latest addition is the Thomson dropper seatpost routed through a brand new Hope dropper-specific clamp.Clamp is a detail. Post is essential. Why? Because I was stupid enough to try a dropper post and afterwards could not live without one. Most dropper posts seem to have recurring problems of some kind. This one doesn't. Warning. Do not try a dropper post unless you are ready to buy one.
Årslev where I live is sufficiently close to what is turning out to be a rather good little trail in our local woods that you don't need to ride very much on tarmac to get there - so you don't need your full range of gears. THis bike - my current favourite ride - was built very much with that trail in mind - but also the current trend in Denmark of getting maximum fun out of minimum space and altitude. This involves a lot of snaky singletrack.
The Cotic Bfe you can see here was built as a demo bike with cheaper parts and blew me away with how well it handled - so it sort of became my main bike by accident - so most of the parts on it now came off my 130mm full-suspension bike. It's not an all-day bike. It pushes you to ride over your threshold and will drain you of energy faster than something less motivating. Neither is it a bike for the beginner. But for most of the riding a busy bike shop owner gets to do, then it doesn't get much better than this. It is also the cheapest frame I have owned in over 15 years......
Here it is..
So what's on it? And why?
Drivetrain is Shimano XT Rear mech and shifter on an XT cassette modded with a Hope 40T sprocket. Because it works. It fits my current system. And it doesn't use a stupid 10T sprocket. It's geared low. Most people take their 17T sprocket out in these setups. I took out the 11. 1X11 is fine if you need the heavier gear. I don't right now. And I really don't like the idea of 10T sprockets. In case you missed it the first time.
Chainset is a Middleburn RS-X type with the brand new 30T Narrow-wide profiled Hardcote chainring/spider. Middleburn do what I consider to be the nicest crankset available right now. Bearing preload is adjustable, They are strong. And they are not really that expensive. Set up like this one would run in around 2000kr. Arms are 170mm because 175s give me sore knees. It turns on a Pace bottom bracket. It's serviceable with a grease gun. And smoother than a standard unit.
Pedals are Gusset Slim Jims.... Cheap and cheerful. But they work. I also run Look S-Track Race with Enduro Cage on this bike when it's too muddy for my Five Ten shoes. Chain is a connex. I like them. They're noisier than Shimano and SRAM. And don't seem to be harder wearing. But they do stay looking nice for longer and I've never seen one snap.
http://cykelposten.dk/WebRoot/StoreDK/S ... _1_93_.jpg[/img]
Hubs are gold Hope Pro IIs. I've had these since 2007 and you can't get them anymore. Brake is Hope Tech E4 four-piston with braided hoses. Braided hoses are nice - but if I was buying today I'd skip them. There are harder to work with and plastic hoses are plenty strong enough. Spokes are SILVER. Yes you can still get them. DT Revolution. Rims are Mavic 819UST - IMHO the best MTB rim ever. And I'm running proper UST tyres,. They don't "burp" like modern tubeless can do - but they are heavier. A lot heavier. If I was buying wheels today it would be the Hope Enduro rims.
Up front we have a Hope 70mm stem, 3T carbon bars (yes I do use carbon for stuff where it is actually a good idea to do so). Headset is also a Hope unit. You're supposed to run an external 1.5" cup on these frames - but this fork is low enough at the rebound dial that it won't hit the down tube so I didn't. You probably shouldn't..
Cables are Ashima Reaction plus. In 5mm housing. Ashima are the best cables I've ever used. And not that much more expensive than standard ones so they're also what I use on a lot of repairs. Only reason not to choose them is because you want black.... You can use the 5mm housing with cable-actived disc brakes and they will nearly feel like hydraulics as it doesn't compress or crimp.
Fork is a 2005 Pace RC40 XCAM adjustable steel spring fork (100mm to 130mm travel). Like me - it's from Yorkshire. It works. And no - you can't get them anymore. I also run a 150mm RC41 air fork on this frame - but it needs a new topout damper at the moment. I've been using Pace forks since i started riding in the 90s. It's a Yorkshire thing. You won't understand. It's also why we're one of the only places in Denmark that will service DT forks. DT bought the Pace design in 2008. And I panic bought Pace forks!
Latest addition is the Thomson dropper seatpost routed through a brand new Hope dropper-specific clamp.Clamp is a detail. Post is essential. Why? Because I was stupid enough to try a dropper post and afterwards could not live without one. Most dropper posts seem to have recurring problems of some kind. This one doesn't. Warning. Do not try a dropper post unless you are ready to buy one.
