[Closed] Calibre Dune Owners Club (tightfisted Northerners)

I've had mine for 3 months, ridden it a couple of times a week in some pretty grim conditions.I bought it to dip my toes into the world of fat bikes while I freshened up my full suspension bike over winter -when they were on sale for £499 .
I've always liked the look of fat bikes but didn't want to spend a fortune on one in case I never got on with them. Northwind and co on the cheap fat bike thread made it impossible to resist the dune for that money!
Anyway,I really like riding it,I started collecting parts for it straight away,new bars and stem,1x10 parts new mech etc but I haven't actually felt the need to change anything yet!Still got the standard mechanical disks and Kenda juggernaut tyres(ghetto tubeless), nothing has broken or fell off, bearings still smooth etc.I had a few problems with chain suck when it was new but that seems to have cured itself.
So far it's been the cheapest but most fun mountain bike I have bought!(I expect it to fall apart immediately now I have written this).
Sorry I can't help with your hub size,etc questions,I shall be keeping an eye on this thread though for when the time comes!

Mug boo would that be Garreth ? with the freewheel issues

It would indeed Rich

He was not a happy chappy lugging the fattie up Hellvelyn and having to freewheel down 🙂 with no front brake he had a good beer day waiting for us.
Friend in our club that has broken 2 dunes gave up on them in the end

Was it that or Collins taking the pee!!

What did your mate replace it with?

Had mine a few months now. Totally love it!
Will probably get some Blutos eventually but it's very capable at the moment.
I've gone 1x11 (11-46T) on mine, carbon bars and a Reverb.

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The tales of snapping frames worries me a bit but so far so good... 😕

mm93 - I blame Northwind too!

I swapped all the good bits off my hardtail before I even rode it. Just the cranks left to swap when the BB dies.
1x10, reverb, short stem, knuckle ball bars, etc.

Great news on the bearings and stuff, can't believe you are staying upright on those Juggernauts!

I had the have the freehub serviced quite quickly - it wasn't sealed well from new and filled up with mud etc, but no problems since, and it cured the chain suck but I went 1x anyway.

I've not heard of anyone else cracking frames, but they do encourage some looney behaviour!

I managed to bend my seat post, but haven't broken anything else.

Haven't found them too bad to be honest, I've ridden with people with buds/Nate's ,45s etc and it's gone everywhere they've gone.
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Where have the frames been breaking?

Replaced it with a speech stump jumper semi fat

Welding on top tube seat post side and bottom bracket chainring side.

I've had mine for over a year now.
Two new freehubs and two sets of cranks under warranty. Gave up on the shite cranks n BB and went with raceface stuff.

Only standard bits left are wheels and stem.

It's running some 100mm bluto's they have really changed the way the bike rides much much prefer it with the Blutos. Those standard forks really don't have much give.

Nickgti - I imagine it would move a step closer to being my main bike with a Bluto, at the moment I'm practising bunnyhopping and staying loose..

I still can't imagine choosing it for the Peaks or Lakes but for Calderdale its ace.

Bought mine for one purpose, dirty muddy blast up local hills in the winter, no issues with hubs as yet but heard their problemactic,looking forward to getting it back out.

[img][url= https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/730/23125722804_c8af380f14_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/730/23125722804_c8af380f14_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/BexnGG ]dune[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/49017178@N04/ ]Doubledunter[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Mugboo- at the moment it is my only bike, used it all through "summer" all over from moor crossings to bike park stuff.
I'm looking for a new full sus, but at the moment I'm not not having fun on the fat bike to finally push and buy another bike

I haven't ridden my FS since buying it. I've got a few hours to kill on the 23rd while Vamoose fit us a poptop, let's see how it deals a wintery Wharncliffe

Hi there,
Is there a sram 11 speed xd freehub driver available to fit the calibre KT hub?
Thanks

I was too tight fisted to splash out big money on a Dune......

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#teamwazoo

Had mine for a few months & love it.changed the brakes to hydraulic's I had taken off my hybrid,big difference.
Fitted xt 10 speed shifter,cassette,rear mech & went 1 x 10 with a 40 tooth rear cog & a narrow wide chainring.
I runs very good but can't pedal backwards in 40 tooth cog,which you get used to quite easily.
Was thinking of fitting the sram gx eagle gpx 12 speed when it's available, if I can get a freehub driver to fit the
Kt hub.

Haven't ridden mine for a bit as I've been crocked but it's got its 4.8 JJs back on so should be a bit quicker up the hills than with the minions! Probably my most ridden bike.

Mine is now only Dune framewise, love the big daft yellow thing, still tweaking my new to me 26" Rocket but once that's done I'm back on it!

Picked up a like new pair of Hope/BR710's with Ground Controls, tubeless with fatty strippers for £350 🙂

Of the budget end Fat bike club, has anyone tried the Mongoose Argus Sport?

Interested in how it compares to the Dune or Wazoo.

Nice looking bike that Mongoose.

Off to Go Outdoors tomorrow morning to finally throw my leg over a dune and have every intention on buying one. just wanted to know if you guys still have yours? still enjoying it? still think its a worthwhile choice?

I still have mine. It's the bike I ride for all my local xc and it's brilliant.

I went 1x11 on mine, wider carbon bars and a reverb. Great bike, and I think you'll love it.

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4155/33884957610_478ea2bd50_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4155/33884957610_478ea2bd50_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/TCign5 ]IMG_20170416_090651955-01[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]Kayak23[/url], on Flickr

Still got mine, ridden it in all conditions and it's still got all the standard bits and it's still going strong.Great bikes for the money.

Mine is going to annoy me on saturday- ChrisL can't put it on his roofrack so I'll need to drive to COmrie, gah! Other than that it is still awesome.

Like kayak23, I've still got mine, gone 1x, wide carbon bars, Jumbo Jims for the dry and Nates every time else - the latter are so good they might just stay on once I've got the FattyStrippers set up to go tubeless - punctures are the only downside.

It's brilliant fun, puts a smile on my face whatever the weather and whatever the route.

Still got mine, although truth be known its now so heavily upgraded that the only Dune thing about it is the frame. That's the beauty of it though, apart from the weight difference and brake performance after all the upgrades, it still rides the same because Go Outdoors got the design right in the first place.
If anybody needs to replace the original cranks, BB or saddle by now I have all mine sat in a box, the saddle is unused I think.

Aye, that sums it up nicely. There's 2 ways to make a bike on a tight budget- you can make literally everything equally cheaply and get something that rides as well as something that price can when it comes out of the box (Halfords are absolute geniuses at this, look at a £400 carrera, there's usually no strong or weak spots anywhere in the build, just perfect balance). It's great if you want to just ride it but actually very hard to improve on because of the lack of weaknesses which would be quick easy hits. You end up having to replace everything to get an upgrade.

Or the other way is make something with potential then stick whatever you can to it to make it cheap. That's the Dune (and also lots of big manufacturer's basic models, where you get an awesome frame that's the same as the high end model). It's how I'd do it too, if I was building from scratch on a tight budget. Not as good when it comes out of the box but you can easily take off the rough edges.

Neither's better- if I was going to recommend a fatbike for a non-bikey colleague I'd say get the Voodoo because they won't want to mess with it. If I was going to recommend it for an enthusiast I'd say the Dune.

If you sneaked a Salsa logo onto our upgraded Dunes nobody'd bat an eyelid and they wouldn't expect to get the frame and fork for much less than a grand.

Thanks guys... took the plunge today and have one on order! Had a try on a few other bikes whilst in store an none gave me the feeling this did. It feels a whole lot of fun! Cannot wait to get out on it!!!

To those who have gone 1x, could you be as kind as to list what parts you have fitted?

I swapped the front rings for a narrow-wide and tried for super-budget 1x8 and the chain suck was awful. Obviously a decent clutch mech is probably needed but there are loads to choose from.

Nothing to add at this point but I have just picked one up 2nd hand. Everything is standard on mine apart from a Deore rear mech.
Lots of fun so far but the self steer from the Juggernaut front is horrendous.
Need to try some different pressures I think and looking for different tyres.

Any one tried Minions ?

I'm a tight fisted Southerner 😆

Thought it was time for an update.

Still in love with the Dune. Its wearing a 4.8 Minion front and Ground Control rear and so far so good this winter gripwise. Frame shows no sign of issues and still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it (and most people I meet!) 😀

It will never replace my enduro bike for summer fun and big days but has definitely ousted my winter hardtail.

Similar here; 3.8 Nates went on a couple of weeks ago, a Brand X dropper a little before that, and its a hoot. I had a quick spin on a mates Surly ICT today, and while the 4.8 Bud and Lou's were cool in the snow and slop it felt remarkably similar. I'm not changing it until the frame breaks...

Still loving mine for any kind of riding, but usually the local stuff, xc and suchlike.

It was great to be able to take it out in actual snow recently. It was brilliant.

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I'm still running the juggernauts and there's nothing bad enough about them to convince me to slap £60-100-odd each end down for a change.. They're fine.

Slx based 1x11, Sunrace 11-46 out back which is fantastic.

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Not had any frame issues yet fingers crossed and I'm not gentle with it.
I was originally going to go Bluto on it eventually but you know what? Nah... It's brilliant how it is.
😀

Downshift - I've come to the same conclusion framewise and even then if I saw another Dune frame cheap I might buy it.

Kayak - Great photo's, still not had any snow here in Brighouse, its looking like a possibility for Friday but I'm working 😥 .

My first frame cracked by the BB just outside the warranty. Go outdoors didn't want to know, but Calibre were brilliant & had a new one sent out to me in just over a week.

Changed the brakes, bars, saddle, gone 1x10, changed to JJ's for the summer or Floaters in the gloop, put a dropper on it & some Bluto's ...
Biggest game changers for me were the dropper seatpost & the JJ's...Totally transformed the way the bike road... The Bluto, not so much, in fact if On One hadn't been selling them so cheap I wouldn't have bothered getting one. Went back to the rigid fork last month & it's still a blast 🙂

Go outdoors didn't want to know, but Calibre were brilliant & had a new one sent out to me in just over a week.

Interesting.
Do you have direct contact to Calibre bikes?

Is there an direct e-mail to Calibre?
GoOutdoors isn't good in answering...

Messaged Calibre on their FB page, they replied very quickly.

Messaged Calibre on their FB page, they replied very quickly.

Still loving mine. Haven't got round to changing over to the winter tyres yet.

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Mike Sanderson from Calibre bikes was really helpful getting me mine on the original thread. Not sure if he still visits the forum.

Like the picture.

The dog likes the Dune as well...
Great.
😉

I contacted Mike Sanderson directly via his email and he was brilliant at sorting me out when I had my frame issue.
I found a FBF made a huge difference on the front. Lost all of the self steer and gained loads of grip.

I must admit I've just taken delivery of a Kona Wo.....

@ sniff
Nothing to add to the thread other than saying how much I like that picture. Great stuff.

😀

We are in the process of adopting the dog so just getting him used to being out on the bike. He's definitely a keeper.

He looks a mighty fine hound.

Would it be worth me considering picking up a 2nd hand Dune then?
Is it likely that the ones that might have broken will now have done so?

Would it be worth me considering picking up a 2nd hand Dune then?

Most definitely worth getting one. Best fun ive had in years on mine.
Best check the chainstay / BB weld as this seems to be the problem area, caused by chain suck generally I believe.
Thats where mine went.

Cheers Splash-man, could well be another +1 for the garage if I can find one to do up.

I've still got the broken frame in the garage as a starting point !

Nice blast out on the Dune today. Pretty hard going with trodden slush turned to ice and started going slushy again.

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4637/39351669711_6006fe35aa_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4637/39351669711_6006fe35aa_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/22XnApZ ]Ice ice baby. December 2017[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]Kayak23[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4596/39322293792_f73ce15a34_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4596/39322293792_f73ce15a34_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/22UM2YC ]Ice ice baby. December 2017[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]Kayak23[/url], on Flickr

It turns out that sheet ice laying on top of gravel can be quite slippy...
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4687/25483018798_1a11061dba_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4687/25483018798_1a11061dba_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/EPR8F5 ]Ice ice baby. December 2017[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]Kayak23[/url], on Flickr

bloody machine.
Such a Dune...

Is this SUNSHINE / blue sky on these pictures?

Last sunshine was - let me think - 2012?

The standard Dune chainrings seem to cause an issue with chainsuck which leads to gouges which may lead to the problem. I swapped mine to 1x before riding so fingers crossed.

Tried one of these at the weekend in the Ipswich store, I will now be buying one as soon as I can. Turns out Go Outdoors at 10% off full price items till Thursday, so currently ~£522 is you get the ~£580 in store discount card price.

You won't regret it but budget for new tyres, some deore brakes and change the chainrings or go 1x before you ride it. They are easily bent and those gouges from chainsuck can cause problems later.

If you know a Scout Leader /Assistant, you can get 15% off. 😉

@Mugboo thanks for the tips, although I fear that finances wont stretch to all of that before I even ride the thing. I was looking at upgrading to the Clark M3 hydraulic brakes a month after buying the bike. The month after that, would probably be the start of the x1 upgrade, might take a few months to get all the money together though. I have no idea about what x1 systems are compatible, or what tyres are good for byways and bridleways, so lots of reading going on...

@takisawa2 I do know a couple of Scout leaders (I was one myself in the dim distant past), but probably not well enough to cadge their discount card...

Swapping the chain ring is the single most important thing as far as I'm concerned.
The rings supplied cause chain suck which in turn damages the chain-stay leading to the potential crack issues.

The brakes can wait unless you going to the Alps, but you look to be in East Anglia !

The tyres aren't bad either unless you are in really deep mud.

Enjoy 🙂

@Splash-man I am indeed in East Angular, but live in one of the highest villages in South Cambridgeshire; the altitude can be debilitating at times...

For some reason, the rest of that post, didn't post. Does this forum not like emojis...?

So I should sort out the front chainset first then? OK, given that I've just found out my Sister-in-law has a Scout Leader Go Outdoors discount card, that's doable. What do people recommend? Does any old chainset fit, or do I need a fat specific one? Will I need to get a clutch rear derailleur? Time to do a bit more reading...

Just put a 30t N/W chainring on it, and take the front mech off if you're worried about the chain suck issue.

I've left mine 2x and the chain suck has stopped now (about 200 km on the bike). Got to admit, now I've got 4.8 minions front and back, that 22t granny ring is a god send around here!

Amazon is good for cheap tyres, think the FBF and FBR I'm running where £45 each. They made the bike handle like a normal bike too, and where a big improvement over the juggernauts for me.

Awesome bike, enjoy it!

@grenosteve it had crossed my mind to stick a NW on the inside, a bash guard on the outside, and a k-edge chain catcher on the derailleur mount. I'm sure that would be cheapest and keep me going until I could afford to replace it all when it wears out. Thanks for the tip on the tyres, was shocked how expensive some of them were...

I think you could just swap the existing chain rings for shimano ones and keep the standard cranks. Do you want me to have a hunt round the garage and see what rings I have?

mugbooatgmaildotcom

Leave the brakes for the moment and swap the tyres if you have problems. I knew I would be selling the tyres so didn't want to ride them. And join Uk Fat Bike Club on Facebook

@Mugboo thanks for the offer, but I have a big box of bits in the shed, and the hardtail will be retiring, so bits shouldn't be an issue. I don't do Facebook, but tried to sign up to some UK Fat Bike forum thing, assuming it's dead though, as I didn't hear anything.

I slogged through all 60 pages of the [i]Would you buy a (new) fatbike for ~£1k?[/i] thread, tempted to wait for the mythical [i]Dune V2[/i] now...

I think the FB group has probably killed the forum.

Now that there are less companies selling fat bikes I can't see Go Outdoors rushing to knock out a MK2 as there is very little competition.

If your're not bothered about new just keep your eye out for a 2nd hand one. My mate recently bought an On One Fatty for £400, it was mint and well specced.

Or a Fatty Trail if you fancy a Bluto?

Certainly £500 second hand buys you a decent fatbike but a mate on FB might help.

@Mugboo judging by the stock levels showing on the website, I doubt they're going to run out anytime soon, just wishful thinking. I've been keeping a beady eye out on Gumtree and what not, but most bikes listed are too big for me. Hoping to be in a position to actually buy one in the middle of February...

The forum is still active. It needs a mod to authorise so may be try again. The forum is quieter than when I first joined but it still has active members.

Also being able to search some of the historic threads is very useful imho.

The on one fatty was a right deal clean and tidy frame with carbon forks reverb nice wide bars short stem and the rest is standard stuff and all for £411 on eBay .I love it .I go looking for mud to find just to climb up stuff including never ride this time of year .
I'm getting quicker on it and no plans to change the carbon forks for suspension .
There is some cracking fattys on eBay for circa 600 just make sure you view it first if you can

2 fantastic rides at the weekend on mine. It's making some sort of crunching noise which is either me neglecting the drivetrain, or the frame cracking, so I'm ignoring it 😆

Weirdly the 4.8 JJ seems to be grippier in pisted snow than the 4.8 minion fbf, did not expect that- I know neither is really a snow tyre but in every other unsticky situtaion the FBF is massively grippier. Maybe it's the littler knobs biting harder

Hi,

I'm considering a fat bike in my stable as I ride Dalby and the North York moors all year round and the winter is slowly killing by canyon strive. The Dune looks like an excellent starting point (as I would want to make it 1x, add a dropper and eventually a Bluto). Could anybody tell me if the freehub on the dune witt accept a 10 or 11 speed cassette. And also has anybody on here got one for sale (although I think they are a bargain new, just would feel bad about swapping out so many new components). Thanks in advance.

*cough* if you’re going to be swapping a load of bits anyway....

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/fs-fat-frame-and-bits-job-lot-bluto/

So it appears that I'm finally allowed to cash the Xmas cheque, so a Dune will finally be mine! Shame this didn't happen last month so I could've ridden it in the recent snow, anyway... I was considering one of these BLACK by Absoluteblack Narrow Wide Oval Single Chainrings (104mm 32t), to convert it immediately to x1, unless there's a better option?

The PX/OO narrow wides are currently £15, plus there is 20% off Superstar (who have oval n/w) ones, making them a few squids under 30.

@n0b0dy0ftheg0at Thanks for the heads up! I'm not so wedded to idea of an oval, that I don't want to save £15...

Had some good fun over the winter on my Dune wearing Maxxis Colossus, but now it's allegedly coming into the less-wet season I thought I'd speed it up by putting a pair of JJ 4.8s on. Are any of you running these in the newer Addix speedgrip version? At 7psi in the back I have a baw hairs worth of clearance to the daft knob on the seatstay bridge, after removing the bolt. Do the older versions have more clearance? Do I need to go softer (170lbs ish in riding gear)? Should I just skid it up a bit to wear the centre knobs down :)?

Finally!

Took it out for its first proper ride this morning, I can see this will take a bit of getting used to, the Q Factor is bonkers, for starters. The pedals are shit, the grips are shit, the brakes are at least better than the v-brakes on my old hardtail, so that's a plus. I think I can definitely run the tyres at a lower pressure and will try and convert the rear to tubeless this evening.

The list of upgrade is getting quite long... 🤣

That's a great picture.

Have a good play around with the tyre pressures. It was good fun when I first got a fat bike.

Yo. Does anyone know if you can get a replacement bottom bracket like for like?

Mines creaking like a mofo but I can't afford to replace the whole crankset just now.