Whitehead anticipated that Ultra Romance's influence on Instagram and social media would help sell bikes. Dropped down to 26" wheels for winter and added a dynamo. You'll be a bit more upright/head up, with an 18mm taller stack. The Rear brake is I.S. Crust Evasion Lite 56 cm // Extra Medium Crust Shaka Bars (the widest ones, cant remember) Still, theres eyelets on the downtube and the fork, as well as rack eyelets, so its definitely a frameset that has bikepacking potential. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. If youre planning to experiment with wheel and tire sizes, be aware of the potential impact on bottom bracket height, which will affect pedal clearance. No rocker dropouts on this one, in efforts to shave weight. Normal wear from bike touring. These were honest-to-goodness cold calls. Pay up front in full for a 50 discount. We will always stop for a photo, or to hit a jump. Lastly, plus size tires lend themselves very well to tubeless setups. As with our other Gear Indexes, we took quite a bit of time to gather a comprehensive selection of rigid steel off-road touring bikes for this list. We love the geometry too; its a little slacker than some, so suits big mountain descents, and sports a steepish seat angle that really helps with climbing. Thanks to the folks at Dream Cycle in Vancouver, BC for building my wheels! Leave it better, even. Do you want the possibility of running suspension, or more framebag space? 29 x 2.6 (or 27.5+ tires) are its sweet spot, although with a 70mm BB-drop, it can run just about anything, including 27.5 x 2.1. Crankset/Bottom Bracket: White Industries Sugino retro cranks // WolfTooth 94bcd chainring // Shimano 73mm. Note that the spec is good for the price but a bit limited for bikepacking, given its 1x drivetrain with a modest 11-36T cassette, matted to a 32T crankset. Remember, were all ambassadors for cycling, so be polite on the road and the trails and observe the leave no trace principles. Category Off-road Touring. As shown here, La Roca is offered with a 120mm suspension-corrected biplane fork with 2x Anything cage mounts (4 total on the frame). Its great to see such a broad variety of fully rigid, steel plus bike on the market. 26 x 3.0 fits in the front and 26 x 2.8 is the max for the rear. Takes a MOUNTAIN crank. The Great Basin region of the western US stretches from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Wasatch range, and from the Columbia Plateau all the way down to the Mojave Desert. Angelica Cheech Casaverde. And its probably wrong to call it a team, because it goes way beyond that. are all fair game here. As youd expect from a company enamoured by bikepacking (see the Hunt 1000) event that they put on across the Australian Alps), theres no shortage of bag and water bottle mounts. Is this a little bit, maybe, alternative? Last updated over 4 years ago. There are a few things to note about our list of rigid steel plus bikes. If you need aseat post clamp we have some HERE! The Evasion frame was ordered from Crust Bikes on November 17th, 2020: the day they became available. Find details on the three most recent issues below, join the Bikepacking Collective to get it in the mail (anywhere in the world), or click here to find a collection of selected stories in digital format. Basic spec and stock colour starts at 3890. However, there are probably a few that we missed. Granted, theres not as many fork barnacles as the likes of the Ogre, Troll, and ECR. Priced below with truss fork. The latest iteration features some tweaks; theres now provision for a rear rack and the rear hub is Boost-spaced (rather than 135QR), which helps clearances with 1x drivetrains and wider plus tires. Theyre the updated essence of the original 80s mountain bikes, and like their forebears, are robust enough to still be around 20 years from now. Theres revamped angles too, including a super slack 66 degree HA and an increased fork offset (to 80mm), as well as an EBB that will lend it the capability to run the full gamut of wheel sizes, from 27.5+ to 29+, with 292.6 in between. Check out some of the parts I swapped and upgraded to make. 561. reach. We believe travel by bicycle has the power to encourage conservation, inclusivity, and respect for all people and cultures. QR Code Link to This Post. How is it similar or different to the Bombora? From Crust: The Evasion, often imitated, never duplicated. On a 2019 Evasion, Extra-Medium, I am 5'10", 30.5 inseam, on Jones bars with a 40mm stem. Brodies Torque is designed to do a bit of everything be it city riding or trail riding, at a price that will appeal to many. Click each list item to expand the details and see a larger photo. And, should you want to run front suspension, a 120mm fork with 25% sag keeps the geometry the same. The original Crust. Note that the Beyond+ Adv isnt available in the US. Bought new in July 2018. Having had some time with this bike in the French Alps, we can vouch for its singletrack prowess and its build quality. We should point out that the bike featured in our review isnt quite current; new frames no longer feature canti studs, making the bike disc-specific and more plus-size friendly, as its easier to install and remove wheels. I built it up in late 2017 around an older (but well serviced) Rohloff hub to do some bikepacking and . Designed around a 26x3" wheel and tire combo and thats its max 26" size. Above all, Crust bikes dont make you feel like you have to measure up to a stereotype thats born out of racing, a ubiquitous influence on most bike designs. Build Notes. The steel plate on the drive side has been axed, you guessed it, save weight. If you need a brake kit we've got Palm Oils for the Evasion Lite. Upper and lower bearing dimensions are 42mm with a 45 degree taper. Based in the UK and manufactured in small batches in Taiwan, Stooge offers a growing range of rigid-specific, slack geo hardtails, with a mixture of unicrown, truss, and biplane forks. Added almost 5 years ago by chipmartens. Crust began small, with a sample size run of 10 Evasion frames in 2015. There are pros and cons to each wheel size. This expansive, high elevation desert has a nickname, the Sagebrush Sea, and I live right on . I had never ridden a drop-bar bike with tires that were like these balloons for tires, you know? Also note that the complete build, down to $1,450 from its original price of $1,750, now has a more limiting, single chainring gear range (32T x 11-42T), which could be restrictive for heavy duty off-road touring, without modifying it with a smaller front chainring or larger rear cassette. Velo Orange obviously did their homework in designing this classy machine which will certainly stand out from the rest of the herd. The large fits me well with 6 spacers / 120mm Stem / A pretty seatpost size. Whitehead anticipated that Ultra Romances influence on Instagram and social media would help sell bikes. The fork hadn't even been cut down to size yet. Geez, you're lucky! The first Crust Evasion Lite to leave the stable, this rig is packed with goodies from SimWorks and White Industries. SRAM Apex 1x11Walmer extra wide bars with the rainbow tape. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. After publishing our Indexes ofDrop-bar 29ers and 650B Gravel Plus bikes, weve added dozens of options; we expect this one will grow as well. They built what they wanted, what their friends wanted. Hey, I almost bought this bike! We dont know too much about the Veloheld Iron, but from what we can discern from the German website, it looks like a very capable bikepacking rig. At the time of writing, the largest availability of tires is in the 27.5 size, which will likely suit most riders. Actually struggling to decide if I keep my Large Crust Evasion, or if I switch for an XL one. Lists are displayed in alphabetical order, with bikes weve tested grouped at top (represented with a hexagonal T icon): We tested the Beyond+ 2 and were impressed; its a light, sharp handling, fully rigid hardtail with all the bikepacking touches youd expect from a company thats passionate about exploration. Size is medium. For sale is my "adventure townie" Crust Evasion. Coming from the mountain bike world, Im pretty sure that I will be running some sort of backswept flat bar (Jones Loop, Crust Jungle Runners, Fairweather Bullmoose). Pedals: The rougher the riding, the more benefit large volume tires will be. The speedball is offered in one size only: 23.5 ETT and 18 seat tube for anyone between 58 and 61. The this, is fun, practical, comfortable, durable bikes (and clothes) that bring more people into the fold. Once I sell my previous bike ( a 2017 Marin Muirwoods ) I'm going to dump some money into a dynamo lighting setup before winter hits, and fit the bike with some 2.8" WTB Rangers and possibly some Sim Works Flat 65 fenders, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it's current state.I might replace the Wolverine with a Romanceur yet, but we'll wait and see. From our review by Lee Vilinsky: Velo Oranges Piolet is truly a modern classic: though 26 wheels and rim brakes still win for being the most widely available component choices, the benefits of larger wheels and discs are an overwhelming advantage. When she met Whitehead, she was running away from a boring desk job in corporate fashion in New York City. An unplanned, three-week, 15,000km ride would have killed most people. Wheel Size: 27.5 x 2.8 27.5 x 2.8 27.5 x 2.8 . This fork will work with the following Crust models: Wombat, Both Evasions, Both Bomboras (need an adapter for ENVE), Florida Man. He was right. Rear tire was mounted to a Stans Sentry rim and the front an Enve G27. Fork is a non-tapered steerer 1 1/8" Crust Carbon Fork with internal dynamo and brake cable routing. Road Plus tires, generally defined as voluminous road-oriented tires that are 650B x 47-50mm wide, offer a plush platform that's still fast and efficient on pavement. The fork hadn't even been cut down to size yet. Like all good bikepacking rigs, provision for fork bags and rear racks are all accounted for. The best analogy is that its comparable to being a big kid on a grown up BMX bike, one that can plow over anything. The Troll doesnt come set up as a plus bike. Ideally 1x with a maximum ~40 tooth chainring. A few sandier bikepacking routes arguably require such setups, like the popular Baja Divide, the Camino del Diablo, or the epic Ruta de Los Seis Miles, whilst areas with extended stints on cobbled surfaces, like the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route, will also benefit greatly, as you can run lower tire pressures than you might be able to to otherwise. Cunningham, a legendary bike designer and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer, is disabled due to a bike crash in 2015. July 3, 2020. And though he admits some people retrofit vintage mountain bikes to get a similar set-up, the modern details and geometry of a new Crust frame appeal to a lot of people. You can set it up 2x, for all double set up configurations please contact Zach at bike insights. The Troll is available as both a complete build and a frameset, and has a BB drop of 40mm, so take that into account when swapping out wheels. The max tire size there is going to be 27.5x2.8". The Radavist is a group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors. With more of a touring-oriented geometry, the Piolet is a fantastic interpretation of what a rough stuff touring bike should be. They embodied all of the things that make Crust special. All of which makes for a very versatile bike, one that Tumbleweed promotes as a rugged, adaptable, backcountry explorer, as well as a fun rig to spin around the local trails. No rocker dropouts on this one, in efforts to shave weight. Recently picked up this gently used Crust Evasion build. The Chumba URSA 29plus Backcountry was one of the first production, bikepacking-specific 29+ rigs on the market. The SimWorks Doppo MTB is made from Tange Chromoly Steel tubing and can be setup rigid with the included steel fork or with your favourite 120mm travel suspension fork. Whatever he is, Benedict Wheeler tries not to take it too seriously. Heres our complete reference list. Given the opportunity to do another round-the-world journey by bike, there is no question that this is the one I would take. Also, be sure to check out Paos Piolet (shown here). Because you're not going to get the same result that I'm giving you from a boardroom full of white people that are forcing it, she said. Be sure to scroll below the lineup of fully rigid plus bikes, for our breakdown of which wheel size will work best for your needs. On a bike tour in Nepal, Matt Whitehead got desperate. Please, pack it in and pack it out. Size medium, 54cm Matte raw Wheels WTB ASYM i29 27.5" TCS 32H rims Schmidt SON 28 12mm thru disc 6-bolt Dynamo, 32 H, Black anodized on the front Sapim Strong 294mm spokes, 13/14g, black White Industries XMR+ 148mmX12mm thru black 32 hole, Shimano body on the rear Sapim Race DB (long butt) 310mm spokes, 14/15g, black