Hello,
I’ve just been let down by the bike shop I’ve had a Genisis Croix de Fer ordered with, so I’m looking for something similar.

The Planet X Kaffenback looks near but I have a couple of questions I’m hoping current owners can answer.

I want the bike for light touring (rear rack and panniers, and cross style riding in my local forests) set up with disc brakes, sram Rival and DT 540 wheels.

Idealy i’d like to run 37mm tyres with guards for touring, I can see it states up to 32mm with guards, I could compromise on this, Do 32mm fit comfortably with guards?

Would the bike fit 37mm Cross Tyres without guards?

Thanks

G

Tea time bump, to try again..

Drop this guy a mail through his blog

http://yeahyeahyeahyeah-yeah.blogspot.co.uk/

Only got an old Kaff so can’t help directly

I’ve got an older non disc one that I think is identical apart from the disc mounts.
I’d say 32mm with gaurds would be fine I run 28’s at the moment but have had bigger on in the past.
37mm no chance for road or cross tyres, I’ve just been and measure roughly and the rear really is a 32mm limit

I have the older non disc one. I run 32mm touring tyres with guards and it’s fine – close-ish though, not sure you could go much bigger.

I do ride mine off-road too on gravel/grassy tracks and even the odd bit of vaguely rocky singletrack – you get bumped around a lot but nothing’s broken yet and I do weigh plenty. 🙂

I had a Pompetamine which looked more or less the same, 37mm would have just been OK IIRC.

I chatted to a dude at a cross race with a kaffenback. 32mm knoblies were a real tight fit.

One of my mates also has one and whilst it’s ideal for light touring it really isn’t a crosser. If you want to ride cross then get a specific crosser.

How is it not a crosser?

My Pomp was fine off road.

I believe these are Schwalbe CX Comp Wired Tyre 700 x 30c

Bags of room, never tried MGs though.

How is it not a crosser?

Clearances. The one I saw only just had room for 32mm knobblies and virtually no mud clearance at that. I’m not saying you can’t ride it off road just that if you want a crosser buy a crosser. It will be better.

Are you sure the pompetamine has the same clearance?

Thanks lads that’s helped.

I want it for pretty similar to Grum, light touring 1 pannier and a bar bag, if I can get away with it and local bike rides which take in fire roads which will inevitably lead into the odd singletrack section.

I have read the new swap out frames have a bit more clearance, it would be good to hear from someone with experience of these.

Thanks for your time especially Coopersport for the measure up.

G

I can’t be sure but I compared the 2 from pics and angles and am pretty sure they looked identical bar the dropout, cable guides etc.

You wouldn’t notice that kind of difference from a pic it’s just mm.

37mm is pretty fat why do you want such porky tyres for touring ?

I have owned and raced cross in the past, I wont be racing , it will be used mostly for winter roads, touring and off road the least but I still want it capable off road and I know it will be fine with 32’s.

The Croix de Fer seamed to fit the bill but I’m told there no longer available in 2012. And the Kaff looks good and will build a better spec bike for the money.

For what you describe it will be good. That’s pretty much what my mate uses his for.

Edric,
I have always ridden 23mm and 25mm tyres on the road, (I’m now trying to leave the racer in me behind and just enjoy riding) The 32mm will be fine for the road but would like to have some 37mm knobbleys for off road rides, as I wont have a mountain bike for a while.

Would like a steel do it all bike to fill the gap.

Cotic X?

I have looked at the Cotic X, it’s the lack of rack mount braze on’s that put me off this one.

Propper braze on’s for the rack are a must, the seatclamp bracket thing you can use, I don’t like.

They are nice though!

Surly Crosscheck? Heavy and overpriced I reckon but ticks the boxes.

Been there too Spin.

They have a small headtube for the frame size I’d use, which would mean loads of spacers to get the stack height. Which is a strange set up for a bike built to do it all with comfort.

Out of all the steel frames I’ve looked at the Croix and the Kaff fit. I had a Croix on order since April and have been let down yesterday I think a trip to Rotherham is in order when they get the disc forks back in.

Can see that now 37mm for off road as well .I ride my crosser with 35mm landcruisers and they are an ok tyre for most stuff not the grippiest off road but not to draggy on road either

Sounds as if you don’t intend to race it CX but the legal limit is 30mm now I think. My Kaff is used for commuting/touring/winter training duties (£110 frame/fork in th sale before the new one was introduced).
IMO the Kaff is way too heavy for actual CX racing anyway, and as above the clearance is nothing compared to my Kona Jake the Snake

Just been back in the garage and can confirm a Kona Jake the Snake will defianately take a 37mm (maybe more) and has all the rack mounts you’ll need.

However they don’t do a disc ready one yet (well they didn’t last time I looked)

FWIW, here’s my older/non-disc Kaff with Vavert guards and Schwalbe CX Comp 700x30c tyres. I have tried 32c Conti Twisters (without guards) before, but they scraped the chainstays so I reckon clearance is pretty much limited to 32c for non-knobbly/road tyres or 30c for knobbly/CX tyres.

Cheers Tony, that’s a definitive answer, I guess I could manage with that.

I’d still like confirmation that the new swap out ones are the same, if anyone knows for sure.

Thanks
G

coopersport1 – Member
I’ve got an older non disc one that I think is identical apart from the disc mounts.

I’ve got an old one too but I don’t think they are the same

See here

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/placid_casual/5381651587/

My 32C tyres are these btw – no nobbles but a bit of tread. They work surprisingly well off road but I’ve never tried them in proper mud.

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p51641/Schwalbe-Delta-Cruiser-700c-Hybrid-Tyre-With-GumWall-Sidewalls.aspx

Tiger your link seems a bit wonky!? Mine’s the same as Tony’s but dont think this is helping GMan

Sorry on a mobile, change the m. To www. In the link

Schwalbe CX pro are a cheap and super skinny cross tyre. Should* fit in a kaff.

*but might not as I don’t have one to check 😉 Deff narrower than conti 32’s though.

I wouldn’t rely on the old one as a guide to the new. here’s a link to a thread when they were first announced.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mk-2-kaffenback

and a pic from a link within.(from placid_casual)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/placid_casual/5492158869/

Mines a brown one as well! 32 mm knobblies leave no room for guards unless you chop bits off and thats leaves room for much to get past onto the rear mech. I also found that a decent width guard fits everywhere but by the front mech which fould the guard. This is with a Campag triple mech. Maybe other combos won’t touch but be carefull.
I also have 37mm Conti road tyres which spend most of their time on my Cotic X. They will not go into the Kaff.
On another not I stuck a rack on my X by using what was in effect and thick plastic P clip around the mono stay bit.Bomb proof. However its not a good tourer. Only one set of eyes at the rear, the twin down tube bottle cages don’t allow you to use big bottles and a third mounted on the seat tube is equally limited.
The hole in the BB shell for guard mounting is exactly where the front mech cable runs. and on mine, an early one it isn’t even threaded and as there is no chainstay bridge mounting a gaurd there is fiddly. My advce. Get a Kaff and 32 mm tyres

Got a Croix in yesterday. 58cm if it’s any good to you.

My early K’back is a tight squeeze at the seat tube for 28mm tyres and sks chromoplastics.

I’m of the opinion that you don’t need massive tyres for touring. I tour lots on these tyres. Off on tour tomorrow!

Soma Double Cross

How about a Soma Double Cross? they do a disc and a non-disc version, think the clearance is more than a kaff. I had one a few years ago, very nice bike. Although I’m not sure if anyone is importing them anymore?

My Kaffy has 37mm continental contact sports on it, they fit fine with guards in the frame, however I can’t speak for the fork as I am using the original off my old tricross which has plenty of room for fat tyres.

I’ve got one of the new ones and I’m running 35mm tyres (no mudguards). The rear tyre is a bit close to the front mech clamp…. you wouldn’t want to run anything much bigger or knobblier…