Tripster ATR finally built up - lush!

Andy..can you mail me pictures and ££ please!
Ta!

Just been out on a quick lunchtime blast between clinics - just voer 20 miles of South Downs road and off-road... i chuffing love this bike!!

DrP

Would silver Open Pros look silly?
I'm thinking it NEEDS black rims...........

Are you having a dig at my bike? Open Pros working really well for me, light, strong and built a lot faster than your Jones wheels!

Anyone [b]NOT[/b] using a Crossmax wheelset? If so, what? Thanks. 🙂

Interesting times currently. 8)

For reference:
51cm
Std Kinesis build kit
Shimano DX SPD pedals

19lbs dead on the digital bathroom scales

Well, that's one less reason not to buy one. I could sell the road bike and the utility bike - wouldn't make much money but one less bike in the garage.

Guess it'd get down to 18ish with (eventual) pimpy wheels and 25mm road tyres?

I've just replaced my open pros with the kinesis cx disc wheelset.. Can't actually notice much difference except the 28c tyre sits much better on the wider rim and new wheels are obviously faster

Thanks cloudnine. 🙂

No Matt. I've got silver rims in the shed but think black looks better.

Ive just bought a frameset and will have 2 sets of wheels :-

- Archetypes on shimano cx75 centre lock hubs bought off here.
- chinese carbon rims built onto novatec hubs probably running tubeless
schwable ones if i can get them on the bloody rim!

@ hummerlicious - where did you get those 42c tyres from? I can't find information on them anywhere?

thx

Brassneck - mine was under 18lbs with a few carbon bits on it and 25c tyres, ultegra 6700 - nothing way over the top.

CG - the Kinesis CX Discs are super wheels. Very light and seem to be holding up well. I've run 25 - 40mm tyres on them quite happily.

Well impressed with the kinesis cx wheels here too so far. Hit lots of rocks , forest paths and asphalt without issue so far....

No problem with 40c on the Open Pros, only used them cause I had no money and got them rebuilt with new hubs, but glad I did.

Thought it was about time to add mine in....

[URL= http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/jenga101/2014-07-23200317_zps4692aa83.jp g" target="_blank">http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc310/jenga101/2014-07-23200317_zps4692aa83.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

right you tripster owners, i am gonna ask you a question, and i want a proper honest answer, and i mean proper honest.

if you were suffering from a illness that curtailed your riding to a very sedate pace, not much over 13mph, and you could only climb hills at a snails pace in a very easy gear, and the chance of you getting the illness sorted was very slim, then would you invest in your tripster, or stick with your very nice touring bike?

Its not really a racing snakes bike.. its a light weight, bump flattner cruiser of a go nearly anywhere multi trick pony. Why would it matter how fast / slow you go? Its an ace bike and just a pure joy to ride.. so much so..I havent actually ridden my mountain bike for 3 months.
The tripster is pretty light which may also help on climbs?
What bike have you got and what dont you like about it?

got a surly lht. i love it, it is comfy and covers all the bases i need at present.
but i just have a itch... 😀

but i just have a itch...

i am gonna ask you a question, and i want a proper honest answer

In my experience the answer is no. On road it has not really any meaningful advantage over your tourer. I used it as a winter trainer with 25mm slicks and mudguards. But it's off-road with the 32mm cx tyres where this bike excels, it's just brillant fun. I find myself constantly beasting it, through neccessity as much as choice. 30-28 is my easiest gear (triple and big cassette) but even at that it's higher geared and therefore tougher than exactly the same trails on my mtb. The payoff is that it's much more efficient, so for your extra effort you do absolutely fly.

The vast majority of the trails around me are pretty hilly, but if you live in an area with lots of flat trails then the answer might be different.

Hope this helps!

I just got some of the 42mm tires from Ribble... £22 a wheel..

DrP

DrP - only conti cx tyres I can see on Ribble are 35mm?

ton,

My average pace/speed according to my gps is 11.3mph and any run over 40 miles is a struggle, when i get back home i struggle to walk more than a few yards at a time. 23 years ago i broke my spine in a few places and messed up my spinal cord and other stuff, i never had any real problems till 5 years ago as i noticed my power output start to drop and my ability to turn the pedals got worse - i dropped from being able to lap the full red/black Kirroughtree 7stanes course in under 2 hours on my SS, and i could quite easily do three consecutive laps without stopping in under 7 hours, fast forward to a few weeks ago when i tried to do a lap of the red on my Cove Hummer, i gave up halfway round as i couldn't even get the strength using gears to climb the piddling hills, and once i'm off the bike i can't walk more than a few yards at a time so i thought **** it.

That's why the tripster is great, i can sit and just pootle away on paths, trails and roads - i can explore anywhere and my my £4K+ build of a hummer is relegated to dog walking duties. Don't think you need to be able to sustain a 18mph average to justify a Tripster, if you want one….buy one, It's your money and you can spend it however you like.

Anyway…mini-rant over…here's some more Tripster pics as i've finally finished fitting the TRP Spyres along with the Yokozuma brake/gear housings, still waiting on my Tubeless Schwalbe one road tyres though (not in stock till end of the month). So that's it finally done, There's absolutely nowt left to upgrade on it or that i could wish to change about it, i may just have to ride it now 😀

PS : it gets ridden every single day, somedays further than others but i don't care - it's all riding and it's all good!

Go-on…buy one, who gives a flying **** if you climb at a snails pace?, my mother who is 61 (I'm 42) can climb just as fast as me on her Halfords Carrera and she's not a cyclist - didn't stop me from buying one as it makes me want to get out and ride at my own pace - it's just a fun bike to ride that makes me happy and makes me smile when i'm out on it…nuff said.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

PSS : I was lying when i said there is nothing left to upgrade, There is……I want a set of the new Paul Component 25th anniversary wheel skewers but i'm waiting on more stock of the black type arriving at [url= http://www.avt.bike/WebStore/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=PAUL-QR-SKEWERS ]Aspire Velo Tech[/url] before i order them…or perhaps the silver would look good as well?, perhaps i should just get a set of each colour for my two sets of Kinesis CX wheels.

😉

Hi all!
First post guys and girls so go easy on me 🙂

Have been reading this thread with interest for some months now, and finally decided to take the plunge the other week and order a Tripster frameset and the CX wheels ready for a Campag build (excited isn't the word!).... funnily enough I've ordered some SLC's too - great pictures and words again Soma, cheers!

Loving the fact that my dear LBS (who I've been a customer of for over twenty years) happens to be a Kinesis dealer, the wheels and frameset were ordered in and I went to collect...

Still in its sealed box, I gladly unravelled the frameset in the store (like it was Christmas morning), only to find that the right rear dropout was protruding through the stapled section of the box and had scraped/pierced through it during transit! The frame was firmly wedged as a result and poorly protected in terms of packaging which surprised me, and thankfully the shop agreed to return it. I took home the wheels (which incidentally the secondary packaging inside was damaged and they had 'come together' but I couldn't see any issues luckily so haven't mentioned it and kept them.

I then received the good news that the replacement frameset was in, and hastily headed to the shop 🙂 On being presented with the frame, the elation soon turned to disappointment again as there was a small gouge/scrape on the side of the seat tube down by the bottle bosses!

Closer inspection revealed it went slightly into the material and must have been quite a clash with something else, so I reluctantly and awkwardly told the guys in the shop (I really do love 'em and knew it wouldn't be their fault etc etc) but now this lack of quality control and/or 'proper' protective packaging has not only given me some doubts about the product but put an awkward strain on a very long term relationship as due to this small gouge the shop are now going to have to try to replace the frame AGAIN for me because two framesets have now reached them in substandard condition, which of course is also going to be awkward for them when they call the distributor I guess!

So, after blathering on a bit to give you the background, I guess my question is if any of you guys have had any snagging/quality issues with your frames or bikes? I'm thinking it's just sod's law and I've got the only two lemons given Kinesis' excellent reputation, but I'm just sincerely worried now that I'm spending over 1k on a frameset that my dear LBS are now attempting to return for the second time, it's a hassle for them and a worry for me when I've been dying to build up one of these babies for ages now! All I want is a frameset that's right 🙂

Loving the bike, loving the thread and all the happy times, just not loving what's happening at the moment!

Would like to say though that A) I hope it gets remedied and B) that I look forward to sharing more with you on this thread on the build/ride/experience in the near future! I'll keep you updated on how it goes (here's to positivity!), cheers all, and nighty night (had to wait for four hours to post as I had always just read the forums before and never signed up to actually contribute! 🙂

Welcome to STW mistergrizzly

I think you've just had the most unfortunate run of luck possible, Dom and his crew at Kinesis/Upgrade bikes are brilliant to deal with, i used to work in a bike shop and nothing was too much hassle for them so i guess you're just gonna have to be patient but you're quite right in not accepting a frame set unless you are 100% happy with the condition of it - especially given the price of the Tripster.

We always had quite sympathetic carriers who delivered our frames to the shop and they took great care in ensuring the bike/frame boxes were secured and protected but i guess not all carriers/drivers are quite as caring about the goods they deliver - I'm sure it will all be good in the end but i imagine you're chomping at the bit to get it built and head out in this fine summer we're having, not to mention joining in the [i]tripster love in[/i] on this thread wi pics and tales of rides.

Cheers somafunk, much appreciated 🙂

Fingers crossed it all goes swimmingly...!

ton - mine has been ridden everyday since i got it 3 weeks ago. mostly commutinhg. but commuting with a difference , both on road, b-roads, gravel paths and forest roads.

the weather this week has encouraged me to up the distances in and home and the bike is soooo comfy, forgiving and brilliant, i'm like the rest - recommending one !

i'm not out for a race, i'm out for a ride and to see, smell and appreciate all the emotion of cycling - the tripster is the vehicle of choice !

Nice write up Sumafunk, love the build, did you get that seatpost in the UK?, (assumes Kent Eriksen)

There will be a few cheapish tripster framesets on the upgrade bikes outlet shortly..
I bought mine from there and also arrived with one of the dropouts poking out through the box.. Luckily was OK

As well as gearing, another reason I find myself having no choice but to give it full beans on the Tripster is that due to the skinny tyres and no-suss, the only way to get over obstacles is to monster it. An mtb with a triple would offer much more scope to enjoy a relaxed pace, admire the scenery etc.

The average speed comparison depends on what route you're riding. My effort last night was 11.5mph over 25m, a third on road, two thirds off-road. It was a huge effort. I was obliged to go much harder and thus went much faster than I ever did on my mtb.

For flat off-roading I'd be inclined to stick with the nice tourer and perhaps change tyres if needs be. Of course you could change out to a Tripster, but I suspect (though may be wrong) that as you already have a nice tourer you'd experience more of a marginal gain than most posters on here who are coming from more distant niches.

I find myself getting the 'orn over one of these, but already have a Fargo and a roadbike

heeeelllpp...............

Brassneck - mine was under 18lbs with a few carbon bits on it and 25c tyres, ultegra 6700 - nothing way over the top.

FFS stop it!!

So eventually (I appreciate the Freeborn build will probably be heavier, anyone got an out of the box weight?) it could be at least comparable with a Planet X or Ribble low end carbon? As thats what I would mostlikely replace the Giant OCR1 with, and look for a CdF on Bike2Work if it ever gets approved .. but a little weight penalty for 1 less bike and Ti I can handle..
Do Freeborn do credit or am I looking for a 0% card 🙂

Thanks to pryally, gonetothehills and birdage for answering my q. 8)

Thanks also to cloudnine for his pic and it does look good. Can I ask what width 4 Seasons you're running and is that an alloy seat post?

Many thanks to somafunk for an updated pic of his gorgeous Tripster. Another one wanting to know about the Ti seat post, what make is it and where from?

CG.. 28c 4season and a Crank Bros cobalt 3 seatpost from CRC as it was the cheapest i could find as id spent all my money on the frameset.

Got my eye on a Ti seatpost from taiwan for £40 but as i dont have much seatpost showing im not sure how much difference it will make

Brassneck mine was a 51cm frame, full kinesis build kit and shimano downhill SPDs and it weighed 19lb dead

Brassneck mine was a 51cm frame, full knees is build kit and shimano downhill SPDs and it weighed 19lb dead

Perfect, appreciated. Room for improvement if desired then.
Looks like I'll be ordering on my return from holiday.

Anyone 6' 5" running a 60 ? Can you get the bars and saddle at the same height ?

First weeks commuting completed. 260km of road, gravel and forest roads on the panarCer gravel kings and 34/50 11-28 gearing. Nothing higher would cope with my commuting roads. My knees are feeling it tonight.
The tyres are great. Fast on road, fast on gravel, secure on the dry guard pack. They don't work on or in mud I font think.
Frame and fork are simply superb. Perfect geometry, comfy and just about perfect.
Eccentric gage brakes are great.
Weekend off the tripster, up to aviemore on the carbon road racer, roll on Monday !

Another one wanting to know about the Ti seat post, what make is it and where from?

I'd lie to say it's a Kent Eriksen sweetpost but it's not, although i seriously did consider buying one, It's a Lynskey Ti inline post with an integral ENVE seat clamp, The clamp is a total fit n' forget item and i'm very happy with it.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

One thing i'm not happy about is my wheels 🙁 I've just realised i have a set of last years Kinesis CX crosslight wheels V2, and the new wheels i bought are Kinesis CX crosslight V3 - there is a slight discrepancy between the hubs on the two models so my dreams of being able to swap wheels in a flash have come to nothing as the discs rub when swapping between versions so i guess i'm gonna sell the V2 from last year and buy another set of V3 - bugger!.

I thought about keeping them but it's a hassle to set up the disc clearance every time i swap from my slick shod wheel set to my off-road tyre wheel set as fiddling with disc clearance kinda defeats the purpose of having two sets of wheels.

Anyone want a very good condition set of V2 CX disc Wheels? for £150 - i'll include skewers and two new TRP Spyre 160mm discs, still got the box that my V3 wheels came in two days ago so they'll be well packaged up…Ho-hum…...off to the classifieds now.

[img] [/img]

Bugger about the wheels...

I've been playing around with mine - fitted 42mm tyres, but not yet ridden as plagued with a migraine today 🙁

Spent a bit of time sewing a partial frame bag - should just about fit my lunch for those longer rides!!

[img] [/img]

DrP

Neat looking frame bag, but i guess you've had plenty of practice when stitching folk up 😀 , If that will just about hold your lunch i imagine you are talking about a continental style 3 hr lunch/feast?.

He carries a lot of food! But then he goes so bloody quick he needs to keep the fuel topped up...

BTW I got the 42C continental tyres off Madison as I work in the trade

somafunk - thanks for answering my q and am sorry to hear about your wheelset, what a pita.

Your welcome C-G, the wheels are a bit of an arse but another set have just been ordered from freeborn (don't want to miss out at that price) - hopefully the V2's will sell quickly on the classifieds otherwise i'm eating boiled rice for breakfast/lunch/tea for the next few weeks 😀

How can you tell the difference between the V2 and V3 wheelsets ?