wooo.
Finally...she lives ! After 7 weeks in my wet garage, I was finally able to ride yesterday (technically 2 days ago :D ) thanks to the awesome guys at Tartybikes. I rode in Worthing with the locals, along with mister Chai, Simon the Frenchman and his BT buddy Ben. I’ve decided to write a short review for the frame, fork and Onza parts. but as it was only my first real ride on it, I’ll write a full, in depth review in a month or so.
Frame - KOT MS2 £TBA
The frame is the lightest stock I've owned to date. At 1800g (around 3.9lbs) the flick-ability of the bike is made very obvious. The reaction of the bike to each tiny adjustment is hugely increased , thus adding to the feeling of control over the bike. The wheelbase (1099mm officially) measures at 1105mm on mine, which believe it or not, is perfect for me. This is only made possible by the 383mm chainstays and the + 30mm BB height, making the bike feel more like a 1060 than a 1100+ monster. As far as reliability goes, I can only comment on the down tube strength. I put a few nice scratches on the downtube during the ride, but scratches is all. I came down hard on it a few times, with nothing much to show for it. The biggest advantage I noticed over previous frames, apart from the wheelbase was the BB rise. Having your pedals up that extra 20mm or so makes a world of difference for cleaner (more uci orientated) riding. Also mentally, your riding position being higher, although less exaggerated than a Vinco / Onza -Tartybikes prototype, gives you greater confidence went attempting larger objects.
http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....cmd=si&img=6741
Fork - KOT £TBA
At first I was very sceptical about using a 415mm fork. I figured all it could do is make wheel swapping moves more awkward. How wrong I was. It’s only when you actually try the Kot fork you realise the frame was designed specifically for use with this particular fork. The fork is full aluminium, meaning it has an aluminium steerer, proven stronger, because there is no weak joint between alu and steel. Although very light, I’m not sure on the exact weight of the fork, though I will enquire. Despite the lightweight however , the fork remains reassuringly stiff, which can make all the difference when going for big gaps to front. With regards to taps/bumps/slaps/touches etc…The longer fork comes into its own. As I previously found with the BT F4 fork (420mm) Taps are made infinitely easier. Something to do with the positioning of the front wheel, in correlation to the bars, gives a far smoother tapping motion especially at high speeds. I often found when bumping with koxx (400mm) forks that the bike would just slam into a wall unless I put in total commitment and aimed low. The forks are available in both disc and V-brake mounts.
http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....cmd=si&img=6743
Wheels - ONZA Hog rear £34 (747g ,47mm, drilled) and Hog front £33 (39mm, stamped out hedgehog and drilled sidewalls) ONZA front disc hub £37 (217g)
I’m genuinely shocked. I picked up the my new front wheel on Saturday night and cringed. It was stupidly light. And having ridden with a rear rim on the front previously I was dubious as to how long it would last. However…Its amazing the difference a professional wheel build can make, I had no problems with the front wheel the whole day. I thought to myself, if this rim is going to die, then I’ll try to make it sooner than later, to avoid folding it in France. So I really pushed it, and hit some pretty harsh taps and gaps to the front. All with no visible effect. The front hub is the same as the try-all one I believe. Does its job well, keeps weight relatively low, and is very smooth. Not much more I can say really. The rear rim is the same a Try-all or Viz, Which I’ve been using for a while now. As with the front Hog, I can’t fault it when built properly and run at decent pressures. However the Viz rim I had before died a h/core dead due to me (at the time) being Mr 15psi. I now run between 20-25psi , and I can’t see me ever having a problem with it, unless I decide to drop my tyre pressures again. In which case, I may start running a Ronnie, to avoid dents. Although I may miss the crazy amount of grip you get from a 47mm wide rim with a 2.5 Maxxis Minion, wooo. :D
http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....cmd=si&img=6742
Pedals - ONZA Hognesium £43 (374g , Magnesium)
Woah ! By far the pimpest pedals I’ve owned to date. First things first… The weight ! At 374g they are incredible. They also offer an amazing about of grip, the replaceable pins stick to your shoes, and your shins like nothing I’ve ridden with before. Be warned however, these in my personal opinion are strictly UCI pedals. Still an amazing way to shed some weight and keep awesome performing pedals.
Bars - ONZA Carbon fibre riser £53 (263g , 710mm (28‘’) wide)
Ah…I’m hooked. I seriously don’t think I could go back to another bar. The feeling of control is so unique to anything else I’ve used. I was really looking forward to trying a riser bar, as the recent boom in their use has made me consider the possibilities for sidehops in particular, and also seeing the amazing control that both Ben Slinger and Danny Butler have over their bikes, all leads to one answer…riser bars must be the way forward, and I think that may be true. At a crazy low weight, its shocking that these bars could be so stiff and beefy, so despite the carbon fibre, you find an overwhelming confidence in them. The angle at which you have the bars is very important to the feel you get from them. I have set up mine tilted quite far back as this makes it easier for a small rider, such as myself to pull the front wheel up. I would recommend however that people play around with the angles they have them, as the slightest adjustment can make a huge difference.
http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....cmd=si&img=6744
Stem - ONZA PZ31 £27 (197g -70mm, 210g -100mm)
I’m currently running the 100mm, 12 degree rise stem. I find the length perfect for use with the carbon bars. At a reasonably low weight and very low price, I can’t find anything to fault this stem on.
Cranks - Tensile ISIS £114 (468g 170mm bare cranks, bash guards 33g-16T, 50g-18T, 67g -20T)
I’ve wanted these cranks for a while now, pretty much since I saw the Coustellier / Onza team guys started using them (yes I’m sad.) The first thing I noticed was the incredible stiffness you get from them, it really gives you a sense of ‘nothing is happening to these cranks’. This is also enforced with the replaceable pedal threads. I’ve never been so terrified to scratch something in my life, the mirror effect you get from the polished arms makes them look great. I’m using the UCI versions which come with 3 types of bashrings for covering 16, 18 and 20 tooth rings.
EDIT: Holy shit ! Its 4:56 ! I hope some of you can be bothered to read this (N)
