Not so much "Wow" bling as "Wow that's clever", my RaceFace Turbine seatpost. Being able to adjust the tilt and the fore and aft position of the saddle independently is just a really good idea.
Largely superseded now we are all on droppers though.
For me, anything that feels hand made always enhances the wow factor.
In terms of mass produced kit, I do think that the SRAM machined cassettes (Red, XO1. XX1) take some beating compared to the stamped/riveted alternatives.
It is sometimes easy to take mass produced kit for granted, but I do find the likes of Deore and SLX to have a wow factor having been into mountain biking since the early days. That level of performance at that price is amazing.
In terms of the bits that I have personally bought, EE Wings and Trickstuff brakes are incredible in as much as they look amazing, but they have performance to match and justify the price premium over mass produced alternatives.
The Middleburn Uno crankset on my Sanderson Soloist. The organic look of the cranks goes perfectly with the sinuous stays of the Soloist. And, they're Middleburns, with all the history that comes with that.
@tomhoward they look great. Cool that we've been working on a similar project. It's also taken me 18 months to get here. I started off thinking I would have a functional prototype in time for summer 2019...
Interestingly we are at comparable weights. My non-drive, including the opposing bolts, comes in at 148g on my kitchen scale.
Does it have to be visual impact? For some reason I happened across a video of the explanation of a Nuvinci(?) Internal CVT hub. The scale of just how left field that hubs designer was made me go wow.
Also love the gates belt drive and its see through drive sprocket.
Auto watches, auto gearboxes, quirky engineering, i love all that.
@edd
What is the 3d printing process for those ti cranks? Do they have a grain structure as such, or are they more akin to a cast or sintered structure? Not knocking them, i think they're class, just interested in how they would compare to ,say, a forged crankset.
Beautiful work though.
my kinesis sync ti frame.
had wanted a titanium bike since the early 90's and finally got the sync 2 years ago.
still love looking at it (and riding it even more).
My custom Nic Helius always makes me smile, as others have said there are tiny details in there that just make perfect sense. It is paired with a Royce BB and Middleburn cranks. Over a decade old now it has never failed helping this old bloke get up, down and through my local S Wales trails and bikeparks, Scottish out there bothy stuff, Iceland and a whole load of Alps and Spainish trips.
It is brown and unassuming, built to obsolete standards and just the most wonderful machine I have 🙂
johnnymarone
Free Member@edd
What is the 3d printing process for those ti cranks? Do they have a grain structure as such, or are they more akin to a cast or sintered structure? Not knocking them, i think they’re class, just interested in how they would compare to ,say, a forged crankset.
IANE, but, that's a Renishaws job so probably the same powder bed as the Empire bike and Atherton stuff, there's some good case studies on their website.
For looks my soul mk5 frame is stunning but for functionality i treated myself to an AXS seat Post on C2W and it is absolutely superb.
One day, I'll have a nicolai.
I used to get wowed out by the lovely buzz of a Chris King hub, sadly now moved on, but get something similar from a ceramic Campag hub on the road bike. In motion, it's better to enjoy sounds.
Last 'wow' was the other day with a DT Swiss 180 EXP rear hub, just seemed impossibly light and really nicely made.
My lust is for a set of White Industries cranks. The freewheels are a thing of beauty, too. But I don't have a set of hubs that suit a freewheel, yet.
*Actually! I do have a set of Surly wheels that are going on the comuter / town bike, but that's suppose to be a very budget build.
The last component that I bought that had the 'Wow' factor was my Hope carbon bars. The finish on them is just superb, inside and out. I did a bit of composite work when in uni and it's easy to see where other manufacturers have skipped little details to save money without compromising functionality (fillers, mismatched herringbone patterns, internal surfaces being rough etc) but the Hope bars are very, very high quality. Same on their frames but I don't own one.
EE Wings and Trickstuff brakes are incredible in as much as they look amazing, but they have performance to match and justify the price premium over mass produced alternatives
curious to know why you think that. functionally those ee wing cranks do the same job as my SLX cranks so the performance is the same - same goes for the brakes.
That light is amazingly bright stevied!
curious to know why you think that. functionally those ee wing cranks do the same job as my SLX cranks so the performance is the same – same goes for the brakes.
The Eewings are significantly lighter/stiffer than SLX, and trickstuff brakes are more a different sport than different league to SLX brakes.
For me it’s my Chris king hubs. Not just for the red anodising and machined internals, but that they run so smooth. And have done so for 15 years!
Industry 9 hubs are a beautiful thing to look at, ride and hear. Chromag Dagga pedals are also have you looking in awe/terror.
These. Hot.
How do the chromag daggas ride?
I'm a cheapskate, I'd love to have the extra cash to splash it on some trick mtb stuff. The last bike I bought was pre-loved, a boardman fspro. It has pike forks, guide brakes and sram gx 11 drive train.
I have just ordered the oneup edc tool which as about premium as I'll get.
As someone said above, when you have teenagers in the household spare cash to splash is a rare thing indeed.
The £5.68 Wake 35mm stem that came from China in a week.
The Eewings are significantly lighter/stiffer than SLX, and trickstuff brakes are more a different sport than different league to SLX brakes
I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in stiffness TBH as one reviewer put it "you literally cannot feel the difference" and what do you mean a different sport for the brakes?
The cranks are only about 115g lighter for £900 more - that isn't what I would call worth it plus you can buy lighter cranks for a lot less. They look like unfinished prototypes as well.
I'm sold on the One EDC gear. I started with the 70cc pump & tool.
Now the tool is in the steerer with the plug kit & pliers & the pump has got a CO2. & they all work like they should.
Also quite impressed with the new Deore 11 speed 11-51 cassette. Not exactly bling but a nicely made bit of steel.
plus you can buy lighter cranks for a lot less.
How many of them come with a 10 year warranty? IIRC, the only ones lighter are raceface next SL G4s, (about 25g lighter) which are hardly the last word in durability.
As for the brakes, there’s no direct comparison from SLX, but XT vs Direttissima, the XTs made 78nm max braking force vs the DRT 114nm, and went from 45kph-0 in 9.3secs Vs the DRT in 6.2. Using the same pads too, and the trickstuff brakes are 140g lighter.
Only the customer can decide if that’s worth it, but to say there is no difference seems a little off the mark.
My Intend Edge fork is a beautiful piece of kit too stare at.
How many of them come with a 10 year warranty
How many slx cranks can I buy for the 900 quid saved though, on the very rare chance it may break?
Have to agree with poah, unless you are the fatest of fat you won't notice the flex in an slx crank set. You are basically paying 900 quid more for 140 odd grammes of saving and the look (Which Imo isn't even particularly nice)
Only really lusting after the EXT shock and the pink Helm here.
And the EXT is mainly because of it's reputed performance TBH.
I'm aware this won't be universal - and I'm not sure if a frame counts as a component - but I really, really like the fluting on my Stage 6...
the EXT is mainly because of it’s reputed performance TBH.
The performance is what attracted me to it but when you get to see the detail and craftsmanship with its construction it becomes a bonus.
Also the length they go to to get you set up right is outstanding.
Revalve and a few different spring swaps until I was happy were all included in the price.
Advice on setup is also just a phone call or visit to them away.
How many slx cranks can I buy for the 900 quid saved though, on the very rare chance it may break?
Would you agree that this is a completely pointless argument when you've deliberately joined a thread about aesthetically pleasing bike parts?
I could have bought 10 Carrera's for the price of my Geometron but I didn't.
Would you agree that this is a completely pointless argument when you’ve deliberately joined a thread about aesthetically pleasing bike parts
Not really in the context of someone claiming one of the benefits is a 10 year guarantee.
I’m aware this won’t be universal – and I’m not sure if a frame counts as a component – but I really, really like the fluting on my Stage 6…
Me too. But I’m a Four owner so might be a bit biased.
Recently put some XT trail pedals on it to replace the PD520 pedals it had before. They look quite bling, to my eyes anyway.
Not really in the context of someone claiming one of the benefits is a 10 year guarantee.
But that was against a lighter (but not by much) crank. The point is they're expensive because they’re light and durable. Cheaper ones are one or the other. Light, strong, cheap. Pick two.
As previous, if that is worth it is up to the customer, but to say they are the same is not accurate.
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seb84
Full MemberHow do the chromag daggas ride?
Posted 8 hours ago
Really well, loads of support. They are wide though.
No wow factor on the stage 6, apart from wow that's a terrible chainstay protector 😁
My Gradient has two of these on it. It's another thing that doesn't do anything particularly better than one costing 1/3 of the price. But if you have a beautiful titanium bike, would you really put a plastic bottle cage on it in preference to a handmade titanium cage?
<Edit> took a while to find a link to an image that was Https - it appears that http is no longer acceptable. </Edit>
I totally agree with Tom H’s last two posts.
Though I kinda get what Poah is getting at.
We don’t all pay rrp remember 😜
The cable routing on that Stage 6 can’t be right....... can it??
I always remember the “wow” factor of Monster Ts when they first came out. Possibly for different reasons than being discussed here though
Poah - let’s talk about 3 principles:
1) The emotional element of the ‘wow’ factor.
2) The principle of diminishing returns.
3) The principle of marginal gains.
You cannot rationalise the wow factor. For me as I said it has an element of hand made being part of it. It is also about something being relatively rare.
Both EE Wings and Trickstuff perform better than SLX objectively. Both are stronger, stiffer, lighter and made to much tighter tolerances. That is indisputable. Not until you live with these products do you truly appreciate just how amazing they are. Your point really relates to my second point of diminishing returns. Is the price per frame saving ‘worth it’? Are they 10 times ‘better’? Well, that’s where your own personal means and value judgement come in. If both were the same price as SLX, And you could get lighter, stronger, better made products for the same price which would you choose?
It is true that the principles of diminishing returns and marginal gains apply. But the thread is about the ‘wow’ factor, not the ‘rational’ factor. I did mention how amazing SLX is for the money these days compared to early components, but you couldn’t reAlly describe it as lustworthy or having the wow factor. How many of us as little boys has a picture of an Austin Allegro on their walls because rationally it performed the exact same task as a Lamborghini Countach?
Affordability is a big factor. Strong, Light, Cheap and all that.
In answer to your questions about why both products have the wow factor:
1) Materials. Better quality materials = lighter, stronger, longer lasting, better finished.
2) Manufacturing tolerances. Hand made products can be made to tighter tolerances = more reliable performance, lighter weight, greater efficiency.
3) Exclusivity contributes to the ‘wow’ factor. That’s a totally emotional response.
SLX is good stuff. Perfectly functional, reliable, readily available and good value. Nobody is arguing that. For me, it just doesn’t have the ‘wow’ factor.
And yes, my response is full of grammatical errors! Bleedin’ phone ran out of battery before I could edit! If only Trickstuff made phone batteries!!!!!
2) Manufacturing tolerances. Hand made products can be made to tighter tolerances = more reliable performance, lighter weight, greater efficiency.
Are you really sure that the human hand is capable of more accurate work than a machine? Most humans struggle with microns
solarider- what if the allegro was a vanden plas model?
