Forum menu
Flat bars and a pair of RaceKings on mine and it flew round the King Alfred’s Way back in August.
Has anyone stuck 27.5 plus wheels in their's and got pictures?
Thanks Eddiethegent, I might give it a try.
My Whippet is full off-road at the moment, but I'm thinking of sticking some Halo Twin Rails or Vittoria Mezcals on along with the flat bars. Basically I want a fun bike, a big-boys-bmx.
@zippykona Mine has now settled as a rigid 27.5+
Also gone 2x10 as of yesterday, so really not with the times any more 🤣
Will take a few pics and expand on thoughts etc later today, although in a nutshell it’s great.
@twonks ,that will be excellent.
I’ve got too many bikes ,the whippet will replace my fatty and my skinny bike.
@zippykona Apologies for the longer than anticipated delay - we've had family round all day.
Pics are attached below, although they are not the best either in composition or subject presentation.
I've had the Whippet in fully rigid SS, 1x10 front suss, 1x10 rigid with 30mm wide 29" rims, and what it is now, 27.5+ with NN 2.8" tyres.
One of the biggest regrets I have was selling the On one full fat bike that I converted to 2x10 with a wide range cassette. It had so much grip and such a low gear that it used to fall over backwards before I lost grip or power when climbing. Was hilarious trying to find something to winch up, but I didn't really use the bike too much at all, so it was sold on.
I didn't especially like the Whippet as a rigid 29" bike, although it was a bit of a flying machine. It was just too harsh for my aging (50) body.
I'd also upgraded the main HT to a set of carbon wheels, so put it's old ones on the Whippet just to see how it felt. (un) Surprisingly it is great. There is so much traction, more give in the tyres and the overall ride quality is a lot better than the 29" rigid.
However it is not forgiving at all over typical trail centre well rutted paths with braking bumps.
I get fed up quickly over such terrain without front suspension, so it doesn't go there. Around local woods and forestry type loam trails, it is awesome and very fast.
As of yesterday I made the front 2X with some ebay rings and a £6 mech on offer from Merlin. Have yet to finish the install but am hoping to gain some of the winch type fun that the old fatty used to give, whilst allowing a higher gear or two for fast spins.
As said, sorry for the crap pics and yes I know it needs a wash and he chain some oil - damn Christmas getting in the way of bike faffing.
For info, the wheels are ARC40 rims on Pro4 hubs and the bike as in the pic weighs 10.4KG
If you want to know anything more specific please let me know either here or by PM. I'll be happy to discuss.
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/R6CQS4mX/IMG-3788.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/R6CQS4mX/IMG-3788.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/ftH7kpTZ/IMG-3789.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/ftH7kpTZ/IMG-3789.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/wtQQY3C1/IMG-3790.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/wtQQY3C1/IMG-3790.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/ZvC8NHCN/IMG-3791.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/ZvC8NHCN/IMG-3791.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/PLjQ71RG/IMG-3792.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/PLjQ71RG/IMG-3792.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/ZW3LjwjF/IMG-3793.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/ZW3LjwjF/IMG-3793.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
What size tyres are they? There's some 40 mm rims with 3.0 tyres on eBay that are tempting me.
2.8" Nobby Nics
Do you think 3.0 nics would fit in the back?
Been out to finish the 2x up front - which works a treat, front mechs seem to have progressed no end since the last time I used one.
Rear tyre clearance, I wouldn't run any bigger than 2.8" - especially in the winter slop.
In theory if it is only 0.2" difference then 3" should be ok as there is 6 to 7 mm per side at the closest point (chainstays), but it is pushing it a bit if the tyre deflects when cornering and mud build up etc.
what cranks are they? struggling to understand what spec I need to be to clear the chainstays!
I’ve had X01 dub boost 12 sp cranks with 30t ring and now XTR M9020 2x10 and never had any problems with crank arms anywhere near the chain stays.
I'm still loving the Whippet, it's a good, fun bike.
I've just stuck Halo Twin Rails on as I wasn't getting on with the supplied Rubans - they seemed to stop rolling the instant I stopped pedalling. I've only had a quick ride-around on the new tyres as we're in the middle of storm Eunice, but they are loads faster and seem to grip well enough for my non-gnar riding style.
Has anyone tried putting flat bars on their Whippet? Something feels not-quite-right and I think it might be the riser bars.
What do people use their whippets for? How good is it on technical terrain? I have a 130mm 29er which I am beginning to feel is too much, but not sure if a whippet is too much of a step down...
Any recommendations on size. I'm 5"10 so right between medium and large.
I'm 5'7" on a medium. Reckon you'd need a large.
Cheers I might bung planet X an email.
6/2 on an XL here. They are pretty big bikes IMO.
I'm 5 9 on a large.
I'm 5' 11" with short legs and ride a large - pictured above, setup as I ride it.
I'd say large if you want to ride XC type and don't want a cramped chuckable bike.
Thanks for the info.
Two KS could I ask you to measure the standover height in the middle of top tube and post it here? Would be much appreciated. It's not quoted on website, I guess due to differences in tyres.
I'm 5'8" and have a medium. In a perfect world it would be a teensy bit smaller, but it fits me well enough.
@anagallis_arvensis Take it you mean me.
As it is in the pictures above, with the carbon forks and 27.5 x 2.8" tyres, it is 80cm to the top of the top tube around mid way along. Slopes quite severely so this measurement may not mean much.
As another guide, the dropper in my bike is 150mm.
I take a 30 inch leg jeans and have quite a bit of seat post showing in my picture above.
If that helps.
Thanks, I'll have to measure my bike see how it compares, I'm still
Just purchased some plus wheels for my whippet.
Compared to gravel tyres they feel really slow but I'm loving the amazing grip from the minions. Searching out the muddiest places to exploit them.
Nice @zippykona I found that the plus tyres do roll well once up to speed and as soon as the going is less tarmac/gravel they come into their own.
If you have time and the desire to make things really different, put a granny ring on the front and leave everything else the same.
To test you could do without mech etc, just drop it onto the small ring and go find some techy steep climbs. The grip and low gearing is addictive, even if there is no downhill to enjoy on the other side.
Not quite as much fun as doing the same with a full on fatty, but not far off and much more versatile as a general trail bike.
Tried to fit a granny ,mainly to stop from damage when the chain drops but it fouled the chain stay. Non standard crank will need a wider BB.
Anyone know the weight of the Selcof MTB fork?
Anyone know if the Alex rims that some with the whippet are tubeless ready, I presume tyres are not!
Not sure but I'll find out soon enough...just ordered a large gx model instead of the scandal as I want a more xc lightweight rig...
I've got those Alex rims on my Titus Silk Road. First thing I did was swap the wired tyres to a Bonty XR2 and XR3. Just fitted tubeless tape and valves (think Nukeproof and Lifeline respectively, as they were the cheapest at the time). Went up no problem, and have stayed up...
I'm looking for lighter wheels now though, seem tough but hefty. Also restricted to 11-50 Eagle cassetteas shimano freehub (as I found out post-purchase). Think moving to 10-52 needs a new wheelset, with XD hub. And finding the cassettes in stock.
Otherwise those wheels have been pretty good, tbf
My Alex rims went tubeless really easily.
Also restricted to 11-50 Eagle cassetteas shimano freehub (as I found out post-purchase). Think moving to 10-52 needs a new wheelset, with XD hub. And finding the cassettes in stock.
Have a look at Sunrace cassettes. They fit Shimano HG freehubs and work pretty well.
As for wheels, I got some WTB KOM light i29 on DT350 hubs. Not super light at 1850g but much lighter than the stock wheels. And wide enough to run a 2.6 ikon on the front.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it's ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
I've been trying to justify to myself that I can pull the trigger and let my better half use my lumpy ~21 month old Voodoo Marasa as a turbo bike to help her recover from Long Covid, while I get a new lightweight playful commuter and South Downs lane toy...
But then I wonder if a gravel bike like the Free Ranger or the ADV 9.0 (if it ever comes back in stock) might be a better choice for me. Or try and find a more racey road bike bargain than my aero brick Cube Attain GTC with its horrendous 610mm stack... There can be only one (n+1)!
Buy buy buy! I use mine for commutes, southdowns xc, flat bridleway bashing, and everything in between. I just couldn't bring myself to buy a drop bar gravel bike, so this is the perfect compromise.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it’s ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
The only only issue I found with SX parts was the cassette. Only the largest 4 or 5 were pinned together, so the next largest started cutting into the freehub body after 2 rides. A Sunrace cassette sorted this.
I think 36t is the max you can squeeze on there. I have a 34t and there's not much space.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it’s ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
I bought the SX one last time they were £800 and would recommend spending extra on the GX as I have real trouble keeping the indexing correct. Smooth shifting at the top of the range means slipping at the lower and vice versa. SX kit isn't very nice really so I will upgrade at some point.
I also need to change the chainring as it spins out in no time so is hopeless on road.
Apart from that though, it's a great bike.
Have a look at Sunrace cassettes. They fit Shimano HG freehubs and work pretty well.
Just had a look but their cassettes giving 10-52 still look to require an XD driver...
https://www.sunrace.com/en/products/mz-12-speed
Useful alternative to actual GX Eagle though by the looks of it, but may still need a new rear / wheel set. Anyone know if you can change the freehub on the Alex Rims wheels being supplied by PX?
They do an 11 to 50 for Shimano HG too.
They do an 11 to 50 for Shimano HG too.
Id really want the 10-52 range, I find I spin out on the flat with the 11t
PX kindly came back to me on via their chat function, where I asked if replacement xd freehubs were available for the Formula hubs that come on their OE AlexRim EXR30 wheels:
Specialized Formula XD S192100006 freehub body LordGun online bike store (lordgunbicycles.co.uk)
New bike arrived today 😄😄😄😄👍👍👍😄😄
Opened box to find it cracked around bb. Looks like DPD dropped a tree on it!
Oh no.
I assume you know this already, but get clear photos as quick as possible - while still in the packaging if you can - and get onto PX straight away.
To be fair to Planet X one email with pics at 5pm and by 5.30 they had organised DPD to come and pick it up tomorrow