Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)
  • Pompino Road Sport – style over substance?
  • peterfile
    Free Member

    I’m currently off the bikes for a wee while thanks to bouncing off the floor doing a bit of DH and snapping a few bones.

    My fitness is suffering because I’m spending quite a lot of time away from my bikes these days due to work commitments and injuries (ride a monster Cove Shocker for DH, and a long travel mmmbop for everything else).

    I hate gyms. I’m a member of a David Lloyd, but only use it when i’m REALLY bored, and even then I only go so that I can use the steam room etc.

    I want to keep my bike fitness up so that I can enjoy my limited time on my “proper” bikes more, and get a bit of fresh air on nice summer evenings after work. I’ve tried a bit of commuting/pottering around on the mmmbop, but it’s just not much fun.

    Sooooooooo, I was thinking about getting the Pompino Road Sport to get some road miles under my belt. I used to ride proper road, but it’s a bit like MTB, I don’t just sling on a helmet and pop out for a run, felt like I needed to be kitted up (which takes more effort than I can muster right now when i get home from work).

    I want something I can just jump on a get a few speedy miles under my belt, leaving a smile on my face at the end of the run.

    But. Everyone I ever see on a Pompino looks like they have bought it because it compliments their designer spectacles and courier bag.

    Would an SS Pompino be a GOOD (not fashionable, purist, or retro) choice for getting some nice, trouble free and easy road miles, or am I best just picking up a proper road bike again?

    Despite what it may look like, this isn’t a thinly disguised attack on Pompino riders. I do actually really want one, but never having ridden one (and not knowing anyone who does), I don’t want to buy a bike that is effectively an extension to a trendy image.

    brassneck
    Full Member

    If it’s the ‘racing’ look of normal road bikes that are making you think Pompino, there are similar geared bikes that might be a bit more versatile and a bit better for building fitness steadily rather than coughing a lung every time the road goes up – Genesis doa steel tubed geared bike for around a grand that looks suitably relaxed but not quite Thorn territory.. or an Enigma steel build?
    fixed would get you fit but might be a bit more brutal and sort of missing the advantage of a road bike – steady, measurable, controllable effort.

    Don’t have a Pompino, do have mtb ss, wouldn’t want it as my only bike as I don’t ride enough to crackout 50 miles on it without thinking hard about it.

    D0NK
    Full Member

    I got one to be used and abused on commuter duties, something that can be thrown about and neglected. It’s good for that and you can ride big-ish miles and big hills on it but for getting in some proper road miles I’d look at something lighter with gears.
    If you do want ss/fixie langsters are a lot lighter but probably more delicate.

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    peterfile
    Free Member

    thanks brassneck.

    i’ve just spotted this Day One Alfine which seems pretty good, steel, drop bars and some gears and disc brakes.

    It’s almost twice the price of the Pompino though. Is it worth it?

    EDIT: i’m more likely to be out for 10 mile blasts rather than 50 mile epic rides. I’m in Yorkshire atm so there are one or two hills 😀

    samuri
    Free Member

    Pompino would be a great bike for what you want to do with it. Strong, cheap, reliable. Splendid.

    But. Everyone I ever see on a Pompino looks like they have bought it because it compliments their designer spectacles and courier bag.

    Really? All the people I know with one buy it because it’s fairly ‘agricultural’. See the above points. You’d have to be an arty farty ladyboy to do one up dead smart, like this.

    [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/53067724@N00/3805020476/]pompino 1[/url] by Jon Wyatt, on Flickr

    Look at that! He probably works in marketing or graphic design.

    Duffer
    Free Member

    This is a better example, i’d say! 😉

    From what i can gather, they are ridden because of all the reasons above (strong, reliable, cheap, etc). I don’t have one, but may very well be getting one quite soon…

    Saccades
    Free Member

    I’m about as far from being your description of a Pompino rider as you can get – use mine to commute into the wicklow mtns, although I’ve alfined now to save myself 5-10mins as I was either grinding or spinning out.

    brassneck
    Full Member

    If you can get up Yorkshire hills 42:16 and don’t have time pressures then the Pompino would be fun,cheap and far from poseurish (imho). I tend to assume anyone I meet on a fixie is nails, if they’re riding it somewhere other than central London.
    I’d like one myself to commute on, but my route involves a hill I might make it over one way (wouldn’t the other I doubt) then a long flat bit where the gearing would be too low to do it in a reasonable time – I have an offroad shortcut option that I’ve done 32:16 and had the same problem. But for bombing about for an hour in the evening it’s hard to beat for fun and the workout. All I ever do to it is charge the lights and pump the tyres when I remember too.

    It’s almost twice the price of the Pompino though. Is it worth it?

    I think that’s pretty good for Alfine, though the one I was thinking of had 105 9 speed and was review in C+ sometime. It was a grand all in.
    Charge do some eclectic builds that are similar too, but I think would be a bit more.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I think the Pompino is very un-poseurish – use mine as a commuter / town bike and with a rack and mudguards it looks very ordinary – especially with the ‘easy rust’ hub axle nuts setting it off nicely as a scruffy bike.

    firestarter
    Free Member

    mine in mid ride multi puncture mode


    and looking shiney 😉

    disco_stu
    Free Member

    I wish my pompino wasn’t cluttered up with a rack and mudguards, they just look so much nicer though it would be a lot less conveinient to commute through a winter on it.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    i love my pompino, currently running CX tyres and a freewheel but have had it with slicks and fixed for a long time before. mine gets used and abused on the commute and has done some fairly big days out too.

    as a SS roady it does the job. it’s not flash but for what you want you don’t need a fancy light bike.

    _tom_
    Free Member

    If you want something similar but probably a bit lighter (aluminium instead of steel) you can’t go wrong with a Langster 😀 Loved mine and didn’t feel like a “hipster ****” on it!

    partyboy
    Free Member

    A SS with STIs, WTF????

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    peterfile – Member
    …Everyone I ever see on a Pompino looks like they have bought it because it compliments their designer spectacles and courier bag…

    That just shows how versatile they are. Even the posers like them (probably took the name too literally). All you need are the specs and bag.

    Or you could be like the rest of the Pompino owners and be out and about abusing it. Immensely capable bike – 100 miles, no problem; bit of offroad, no problem; singletrack, with care. There’s been a few on here who have done long tours on theirs.

    At the price you can afford to abuse it, it’s not some poncy bike made of superfragilinium.

    It’s the perfect “road” bike for a mtber.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    if it were to be exclusively used on the road. road brakes would be much better than cantis.

    Stoner
    Free Member

    as above, I find my pompino the perfect road bike for this mtb’er.

    Ive done many, many road touring miles on it. Now I use it to go to the pub, or even time-trialing (48:16) at local club days. I have a 10mile route I like to just jump on the bike and ride flat out or at a pootle. Even occasionally to an 80 mile sunday roll.

    Ive even tarted mine up this week with some carbon forks, new front caliper and some new bars and levers as a treat. I decided to pimp the pomp rather than get a road bike as I reckoned Id still ride the pompino more than a new road bike anyway.

    Whilst working on it I noticed that the paint job is starting to show its age (5yrs?) and miles (4,000+) so next treat might well be a trip to the motor shop.

    peterfile
    Free Member

    thanks for all the helpful input guys.

    exactly what i was hoping to hear, something that i can hammer around on without a care in the world 😀

    stever
    Free Member

    I think you were overthinking it. Essence of no fuss riding. Mine’s done road, commutes, triathlon, shopping, cx. I don’t wear spectacles though.

    firestarter
    Free Member

    partyboy – Member

    A SS with STIs, WTF????

    they were all i had at the time and i like the shape so altho i now have some normal brake levers i cant be ar5ed changing them. whats the problem has it upset your poor tummy 😉

    Duffer
    Free Member

    Some shiny new pictures on the On-One website. People grumble about the look of the stays, but i think they look rad/gnar/mint/smashing:

Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)

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