Always rather liked the look of Pipedream stuff and think they deserve a plug on here. Anyway new bike, all very STW…

http://www.pipedreamcycles.com/shop/a-l-i-c-e-adventure-bike/
https://www.bikerumor.com/2017/02/21/new-pipedream-cycles-l-c-e-adventure-bike-lets-get-lost-gravel-wonderland/

It does look really nice but £1800 seems a bit expensive

600 quid for frame and fork, which I thought sounded reasonably reasonable for a new product given the sliding pound.

Frame and Fork for 600 with those sliding dropouts feels abut right.

I like that, but I have something similar (Jamis Renegade) already.

Needs MOAR skinwall, but otherwise, yum.

Makes my Sequoia Elite look good value, put it that way… 🙂

It’s a more than a Cotic Escapade frameset (£400) but less than a Salsa Vaya frameset (£750) (both bikes I’ve been looking at) so not outrageous. Looking at 2017 prices, everything is going up or you get less bike for your money to hit a price point.

I like it, it’s pretty much exactly what I’m looking for. Too expensive though.

Looks great, if I ever had the money to replace my PX Londond Road I think this would be it, £600 for a frame and fork doesn’t seem too bad.

Thier new Sirius 4G hardtail looks pretty smart too!

Has anybody tested or bought the A.L.I.C.E. yet?

Seems very quiet on that front…I can’t find any reviews, only the Feb press release regurgitated a few times. Stumbled across this blog, there is the odd shot of the bike but it seems more about the journey and definitely not a review;

http://www.slowlens.com/torinonicebike/ (also Athens cycle tour)

I’m not up with my geometry and angles, but I did read a couple of comments on one of the press releases querying the slack angles and very high BB, and noting that if you use a standard CX fork the geometry returns to a more traditional setup. Does this matter…I don’t know. I imagine slacker angles would suit a laden tourer, but I thought adventure bikes benefited from a lower, not higher BB.

I remember trying to buy a Pipedream Brewmaster years ago… despite paying a deposit, the frame never materialised and I have never ever seen or heard of one! I did get my money back… but still wonder if the whole episode was a figment of my imagination

I’ve emailed to see if they have different dropouts that will take a solid axle Alfine (standard is a 142×12 bolt thru) so it will be interesting to see if I get a reply…

They replied (quite promptly) and said they have had a few requests for solid axle dropouts, and are speaking to the factory about it.

However, I find the complete lack of independent reviews a bit off putting, along with the BB being significantly higher which makes me think it might feel quite tall and perched on top of the bike rather than with it, and not very good when loaded up with panniers/bags.

Its a lovely bike, but I think I’m out… (partly as I think I’m dropping the Alfine idea which options up non-slidy/EBB frames of which there are plenty)

I imagine slacker angles would suit a laden tourer, but I thought adventure bikes benefited from a lower, not higher BB.

Slacker isn’t a issue in itself but if that means long trail, maybe – longer trail geometries feel bad on loaded bikes ime. Long trail = steering flop that becomes exacerbated by the weight in the bags. Stability is about loads more than slacker geometry.

Lower BB, maybe – doesn’t make that much difference in reality though. I prefer them low but only so I can have lower bars for a given saddle to bar drop, ie I’m lower overall, not just the BB height. They state 70mm drop with a std CX fork, that’s about right. The new Genesis wth the Open UP style CS is 65mm drop. Some bikes are 75mm. +/-5mm, nothing major.

True but why run a CX fork and turn it into a bike that can’t take the bigger tyres. From what I’ve read, 55mm drop seems very high, which would suggest the bike isn’t designed for the fork. And with bigger tyres, that BB gets even higher.

Just suspicious demo bikes presumably haven’t been sent out to the media for reviewing, perhaps because they know it won’t do well.

True but why run a CX fork and turn it into a bike that can’t take the bigger tyres.

You may not need bigger tyres if 70mm BB drop is preferable – or, why have big tyres for off-road needs with a really low BB that may snag pedals?

55mm BB drop is where many sagged 29er bikes are, ~12.5″ height, it’s not that high. You could go lower on a rigid fork with no compression but I guess what they’re offering is a range of options in one bike. If you want optimisation at the extremes you won’t get such a range of tyres or forks etc w/o issues. An EBB could have been a good idea here if that’s the aim, but not really needed by the look of it.

Having realised who I’m debating with, I will conclude that you know what you are talking about 🙂

But as you mention above, a low BB means you sit lower on the bike with lower bars and saddle, and thats my concern with the ALICE. Every other bike I’ve looked at, it is between 69 and 76mm. (Wilier, Sonder, Genesis, Niner, Arkose, Cotic, Salsa, Charge, Merida, Orange)

All those bikes are within a range of just 7mm, the ALICE being within that range with a CX fork, but with the ‘gravel’ fork its way higher. Doesn’t sound like much but I put a 20mm longer fork onto a 140mm travel full suss and it certainly made an impact on how the bike rode!

It’s just opinions though : )

Sounds like you’re after a gravel bike with big tyres, the Alice looks like it’s big tyres as a drop bar 29er, 40-45mm tyres with a gavel/CX geometry.