I have a perfectly decent bike (853 Pipedream Sirius) and really don’t need to change anything, but I’m really liking the look of the Pace RC104 and have been wondering about a frame transplant.

As part of my internet research I came across an old Singletrack thread which gives Pace a bit of a hard time. Granted the frames in question aren’t the RC104 but Pace do get a fair old drubbing about their warranties and customer service so I was wondering what folk felt about the quality of Pace frame and their customer service? Any views on the RC104 in particular would be helpful too.

Funny, I saw the thread title and my first thought was regarding their (lack of) customer service. I have a 305 which I really like the ride of, but they’ll never get any of my money ever again.

I love my 405 and I’ve never had need to call on their customer service so can’t possibly comment!

I’ve an RC104 – run it singlespeed over winter for local loops. Love it, super comfy, looks great, rides nice, only thing if anything – its a little heavy.

A 104 is possibly the only frame I’d change my Curtis S1 for. My dealings with Pace have never been anything but a pleasure. Really nice bunch of people to deal with.

I really enjoyed mine.

If I had the space I would have one again.

Not big bikes by any stretch.

I’m 6’3″ ish and had the XL it was by no means massive.

This is the thread I posted on mine when new

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-build-once-you-go-black-2012-pace-104

letmetalktomark, I never thought I’d find someone who’d had both a Pipedream Sirius and an RC104 but I’m pretty sure I remember you having a Sirius a while back. How does the RC104 compare with the Sirius; do you reckon that swapping the Sirius for a 104 would give a nicer ride? It sounds like the RC104 might be a bit heavy but the Sirius is too. I’d be interested to hear what you think.

RC200 here, just for silly nostalic reasons; but as far as customer service is concerned, both occasions I’ve rung, they were very helpful. Straight through to one of the founders; his name escapes me.

Thats a very old thread, there have been plenty since that have given pants sorry i mean pace a slating.
my RC200 was great never went wrong and as far as i know is still going.
My 303 was great, then it broke……………………………….

I’ve still got 2 pairs rc40’s but i wouldn’t let pace touch them.
Fork English only.

I thought the 104 was a suppler ride than the Sirius.

Weight wise there wasn’t a great deal in it.

If I had the option again and both were the same price I would take the 104.

That said it was a little “quirky” …..

The rear disc routing on the XL requires a really long hose/cable. I ended up needing to swap out the factory hose on my Maguras for a longer one!

The gear routing is a little odd too. With anything but the supplest cable the cable rests on the fork crown which causes rub.

These are easily fixed but slightly frustrating especially given the frames RRP.

All in though they are a nice riding aesthetically pleasing frame.

If you need a 30.0 layback Thomson just say 😉

Thanks, that’s useful to know. Supple is good, but I’m never sure for a chubster like myself when supple becomes noodley. I rode an 853 Inbred before the Sirius and this was a suppler frame but, despite the extra weight, the Sirius does seem to feel less sapping on climbs.

No need to rush a decision though.

I’m no lightweight either 🙂

I had an RC303 and then bought a 631 Sirius. Appears there ARE some people here with impecable taste!

I had a 303 but that’s a totally different beast. A lot of them cracked. Mine was a fantastic ride though.

I nearly bought the 29er version (RC129 ?), but saw a SIR.9 on offer so went for that. The Pace looked gorgeous though, but there were reports on it being quite heavy & stiff. If it were a bit lighter I’d have probably gone for it, especially in that gorgeous cream colour with the matching bar & stem combo. The other thing I didn’t like was the rigid steel fork, as it looked like that god awful On-One steel fork.

My mate had a simillar dilemma over the 104 but went for one on the last Simple’s.

I’m no lightweight at 95-100kg, & my Niner is very flexy, but that’s what I love about it. To me, nothing beats the feel of a nice steel hardtail.

There’s always a risk in going for something new (because it looks good) that it doesn’t turn out to be significantly, or any, better that what you’re already riding.

My 853 Sirius isn’t that supple or light but it is a good ride and also has the advantage of being able to get 650b wheels if the supply of 26″ dries up anytime; that said the RC104s do seem to be going for more affordable prices at the moment.

You could always Demo one…

These frames are so cool. My brother has one at the moment in blue and its a rwally nice bike. He is selling the frame now though as he i just going to keep a full suspension. It is a small or medium i think. Nice thing is they are very versatile, they were a bit too expensive when new in my opinion but a steal second hand.

Yeah really like the new Sirius’s and the Skookum but I’ve not long bought some 719s and XT hubs so have no plan on switching to niche wheel sizes just yet. I am thinking of ditching the Rev’s and getting some carbon forks

My experience of warranty and service support on my RC36 Pro-Class 11s has put me off Pace for life.
So no, I wouldn’t.