B+ Mid-Fat Bikes Coming Online at NAHBS

Wow, check out this trio of Nor-Cal beauties:

http://theradavist.com/2016/02/2016-nahbs-retrotec-27-5-hardtail/#16

http://theradavist.com/2016/02/2015-nahbs-soulcraft-27-5-29r-hardtail/#14

http://theradavist.com/2016/02/2016-nahbs-black-cat-holy-mountain-hardtail/#1

All either B+ or 29er with B+ capacity. If I was in the market for a new bike at the moment, I'd be hard-pressed to find something better!

 

That retrotec is Beautiful.

 

Yep... The hardest part is deciding which wheels and tires to run on any given day. I am going to look for another el Mariachi frame this year, so I can keep one 29er and one + all the time...

 

Would you keep both SS?

 

For now... I haven't had the urge to switch back yet.

 

I have always loved Retrotec's designs. Moonmen also makes beautiful bikes. Pricey but beautiful.

www.moonmenbikes.com

 

I met Curtis Inglis last year, really good guy. If I was going to give someone money to make me a bike, I'd be hard pressed to find a better recipient than him!

 

That black cat is gorgeous. Vintage campy lever for the remote, nice touch.

As cool as these are, I think the swap-able dropout system is the way to go. Yea, I know it's ugly. I'll be interested to see Salsa and Carver's take on 27+/29, cuz you know it's gonna happen. There are already rumblings about discontinuing the El Mariachi, and you know Salsa couldn't live without a non-fat mountain HT in the line.

 

I always liked Retrotec but this one is pure "bike porn".

 

Pretty sure my next bike will be a hardtail 27.5+ to alternate from my Process 111. Just waiting for them to become a bit more mainstream, and thus have the price premium drop.

 

All three are just perfect. I think the Retrotec speaks to me the most if I was going to put up or shut up. There are a LOT of interesting B+ bikes coming out of the UK right now. Trail geo, Reynolds 853 tubing, Boost spacing... hitting all my points, that's for sure!

 

Titanium is still my choice when my lottery numbers come in...

http://www.chargebikes.com/cooker-5/

 

Yeah, Ti is pretty much my dream-bike as well... Love to have me a Moots some day.

http://moots.com/bike/mountaineer/

 

Is 27.5+ basically the 28.25" tweener size between 27.5 and 29er? Some say it's mid-fat, whatever that's supposed to mean, but others are treating it like a trail bike option, like on the Ibis Mojo 3, Santa Cruz Hightower... both say the 27.5+ tire is significantly smaller (circumference-wise) than a 29er.

 

"Significantly" is relative... if I stand the 27.5+ Trailblazer next to my 29 Mountain King, the Mountain King mounted up is about 3/8 of an inch taller. The similarity in height is why I can switch back and forth so easily...

The thing to realize with the + tires is that the increase in volume comes from increased sidewall height, not necessarily width. The Trailblazers are comparable in width to a 2.4 Ardent, but with the higher sidewalls, I can easily run them at 15 psi, and I'm not exactly petite...

One thing to watch on the new frames is the tires they ship with... If it comes with a Trailblazer, watch the frame clearance carefully, because that may be the only + size tire that fits easily... I fear the Charge bike I linked to above may be one of these. It's the most conservative + tire on the market...

 

So you're saying that's one of the smallest 27.5+ tires, and that many other 27.5+ tires are going to be even bigger. What about "sag" at riding pressures and the resulting roll-out measurement? Are there even any good tire options? I seen some interesting Maxxis options, like the Rekon and Ikon+.

 

The Trailblazer in 2.8 is the smallest + tire out there... My Salsa will handle a 3 inch, like the Vee, but I would have to go to the rigid fork up front.

As far as good options, the Vee Trax fatty has a really large following among early adopters, and is what Bernie runs up front in 3.25 (I believe). I'm sure we'll see more this year, like the Ikon. That's one I would like to try when it becomes available.

I'll leave sag and suspension questions to the others... When I run the fat tire, I really could do without the fork...

 

I mean, the sag of the tires. Its measurements are diff with only the weight of the bike on it, than with a rider on it.

 

Ah... You're going to have me in the garage measuring this. I'm a little curious now.

And I'll have to measure it fully fat and 1/2 fat, which is the setup I really like...

 

I have read in several places that the 2.8" Trailblazer is actually closer to 2.5".
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There is a lot of variation in what is claimed and what tires really are. The Specialized Fuse 6Fattie tires (supposedly 3.0") are easily seen to be narrower and of less volume than the 3.0" Chupacabra tires on my Stache 9. The rims on the Fuse are narrower, and that could explain some of it, but I don't think it explains away all of it.

Nice looking bikes in the OP. And not something you'll see often in the wild like the relatively more common Trek, Specialized or Giant. That Soulcraft looks great to me.

That said, I have a feeling that frame material is of less importance on plus bikes (with 3" tires) than it is on bikes running 2.3" or smaller, especially those with suspension of one type or another. You're running 15 psi, in a large volume tire. How much are you going to feel the difference in frame material?

When it comes to a plus bike, I think I'd rather invest in excellent geometry, wheels, good tires for local conditions, excellent brakes, quality carbon bars, fork, and maybe a versatile 1x drive train that would allow me to change gearing (chainrings) easily. Just my seat of the pants humble opinion.

 

Un mas: http://theradavist.com/2016/02/2016-nahbs-breadwinner-goodwater-27-5-hardtail/#1