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Hi,
Really interested in buying one. If I did it would be used for regular short and medium rides from the house along with long distance (full day and very occasionally multi-day) rides where I'll be looking to keep off main roads as much as possible.
What are your feelings on it? Is it just as good for long rides as it is for nipping out for a couple of hours unloaded etc.
How does it handle offroad?
Cheers for any help.
I've got one and its brilliant!
Use it for everything from commuting to canal towpaths and longer rides, going to be doing 120 miles on it next week on mixed terrain. It's perfect for a short razz, frame is very 'steel' in its feel, quite spritely. Though the bigger (42c) tyres might have something to do with that.
Mines the elite, with a cobble gobbler added and it's really comfy. Really like the shape of the bars too (though not tried any other flared ones)
Off road it's a lot like a classic rigid MTB, stock tyres are great for dry trails, but maybe go a bit more aggressive if you're gonna use it in the slop/depths of winter
Love it! It is heavy, particularly with the stock wheels but they are designed for off-road touring; very wide rims, simple cup and cone hubs and the same length spokes both sided front and rear. They go up tubeless very well with the Sawtooth tyres as long you put some tape across the join in the rim.
Best thing I did was buy a second set of wheels that took several hundred grams off the weight of the bike but don't use them for anything too rugged.
Yeah, the bars are very 'Marmite' but I find them immensely comfortable combined with the extended hoods that the hydraulic brakes offer. Plan on putting some softer tape on sometime too.
What's the sizing like?
I've read they are quite long and low but also read they size up normally, e.g. if you have a 56 get the 56 etc.
I have one, a 56, for sale. It's a great bike but just not my thing. The frame is excellent I reckon, really well designed.
I found it quite long and stretched out, but I like a fairly upright seating position on my MTBs.
I have the base model in black and really like it, but it does have some things worth mentioning. It's heavy, no doubt, but only if you relate it to a road bike....mine weighs right around 29lbs, tubeless with pedals. This is fine for me though, as I have a mental block about the 30lb barrier, and this falls under it!
The stock wheels, while being sturdy, are not the best. The cup and cone hubs came with very nearly zero grease in, and I've had to have the front replaced under warranty, as the cups were knackered. I've broken a couple of spokes in the rear too, which is unusual for me. As it is 12mm bolt through both ends, it's trickier finding some reasonably priced replacements....I'm looking at getting some 650b wheels, so I can fit some mud tyres for the winter...the sawtooth are really good in the dry dust or gravelly stuff, but are not designed for mud, obviously! I have trial fitted a pair of maxxis beavers in 2.0 flavour, but while they fitted, the front was almost touching the fork bridge.
I've also had to drill a small hole in the bottom bracket (well, I got the shop to do it, for warranty reasons!) to drain any water that finds its way in, due to early BB failure as it was full of water and rust....really not good! I have sorted it now though, and everything is good as I will be including that area in routine maintenance.
Other than those bits, the rest of the components are better than the component level would suggest!
I want spesh to make the carbon fork on the higher end models available to buy aftermarket though....while I wanted steel, the fork swap would lose a flip load of weight easily. They also don't sell the gumwall sawtooth separately, apparently, which I want for aesthetic reasons!
As for the ride though, it is very comfortable, with all the rack mounts and braze ons you could want. I've just ridden the dunwich Dynamo and back, 175 miles, and have no aches and pains.
Phew, full review!! Hope this helps a bit!
A good review - I've got the Elite. Glad I got it when I did as it has gone up to £1750 now from the original £1500. Got mine on bike2work and even got a surprise discount from the LBS.
The cup and cone hubs came with very nearly zero grease in...
Will check on that - thanks for the 'heads up'.
As it is 12mm bolt through both ends, it's trickier finding some reasonably priced replacements...
Yeah. there's not many out there that have the 12mm at the front; I've got the DT Swiss R24 Spline DB and they can be found for around £200. Transformed the bike!
Re sizing, I have a racey 58cm road bike, have a 56cm Sequoia, feels much more relaxed and comfortable for rougher roads/longer distances
I was looking at those wheels....so far, birthdays and anniversaries have got in the way! I've just been out in the fettling shed, replacing a broken spoke from the dunwich Dynamo...it's tricky when tubeless!