Pinnacle Arkose Three (jameso to the forum please)

First of all sorry for this question I have searched as best I can! Sizing…. Will be sitting on one before I order but…. To help curtail my excitement for my impending order please would you be so kind as to help me! I am 5 ft 10, inseam 32 inches (no shoes). I ride a 19 inch mtb with long 100 mm stem. Obviously I am slap bang between medium and large. Bike will mainly be used for commuting and longer rides. Would I be best going for medium or large do you think! Sorry again. 🙂 cheers

Just had a spin on the current Arkose 3 to get an idea of sizing. Strange position compared to my Allez which made me feel I needed the XL but the L was recommended (6’2″)

Looking forward to picking up the four next month.

Don – tricky, I’d go for the L and take 10mm off the stem rather than go for the M and add 10mm but it’s so hard to say what’s right for people remotely. There’s reach and stack figures on the site if that helps. FWIW I ride a L at just over 6′ and would probably find most 19″ MTBs with 100mm stems on the long side, but ok.
cgreggers – It’s not a trad road bike position but at 6’2″ you could go for the XL if you wanted a longer reach, front will be higher than the L tho and it may be that’s what feels odd compared to the allez? BB drop is similar so it’s not a ‘perched on top’ CX race bike fit.

@Jameso – It almost felt like the reach reach was shorter than my Allez but that may not be a bad thing with it being more a commuter for me than race. 88cm leg suggested a 57cm frame which is XL if I’m not mistaken. I guess I’ll test both when they’re released to be sure but what would you suggest?

It’s described as ‘adventure road’, does that mean it’s not a cross bike? My commute’s a mix of really deep muddy farm tracks, and gravel farm tracks. I was hoping a disk braked crosser with big 65mm SKS guards (cut to clear the stays/fork) would just about be ideal.

I’m waiting for the ‘evo’ gravel racer version with dirt drops……..in lurid splatter paint, none of this subtlety.

I’m waiting for the ‘evo’ gravel racer version with dirt drops….

The what now?

They have flared drops already. Ones where you can use the hoods as normal rather than those ‘hooks only’ types. That’s a whole new sort of bike..

it’s not a cross bike

It’s not if you’re pedantic and ‘cross means Belgians, mud and zones 4-5 : ) It is if cross means those cross-over, do-most stuff drop bar bikes that I’ve always been a fan of. Daft definitions keep changing though even if the bikes are very similar. It has a lower BB and a front end geo that’s not the same as a CX race bike.

cgreggers, best to try one as it sounds like you’re borderline but more XL than L perhaps.

Jameso cheers…. What’s the stock stem length for the medium and large out of interest?

Thanks

S/M – 80mm, L- 90mm, XL – 100mm

Cheers James. Did you say front mudguards will need tweaking to fit on the 2015 range? Would SKS’s fit?

SKS will fit but the upright section of the L-bracket needs taking off and a 5mm hole drilling in the remaining section, or remove it entirely (carefully drill out the rivets) and drill a hole wherever lines them up best. A flat-headed M5 screw then goes directly into the crown through the guard.
I did see some Bontrager guards in an Evans store that looked more likely to fit directly as they used a different bracket, need to look them up.

Ah I see, so basically the mudguard mounts directly with the underside of the crown.

Couldn’t see a Bontrager on the Evans site. Wonder if they’ll release more mudguards which mount this way.

I’ll get actual weights from production coming in this week/next. Very close to 2014 for similar specs on the Arkose 3. The hydros on the 4 don’t add anything that I’m aware of. The SS, I didn’t weigh it .. sorry. Rims are 470-490g for the 3-5 and SS with wider TLR sections.

Any news on the weights? Particularly interested in frame weight, fork weight and the overall weight of the Arkose 4.

It has a lower BB and a front end geo that’s not the same as a CX race bike.

Oddly I looked at the geometry after asking the question and it’s nearly identical to the Spesh Crux, just longer (L/57 Arkose with a 74 seat angle, is within mm’s of a 58cm Crux).

Now I’m back to wanting one and can’t decide between a medium and a large! I’m 6ft and ride a 56cm cannondale CAAD, but the size guide recomends a large which is nearer a normal 58?

The Crux does vary in geo between sizes but fit / reach etc could well be similar on some sizes. The 58cm Crux is effectively 10mm shorter in reach than the L Arkose due to the seat angle difference. The longer F-C on the Arkose makes it less CX-race and more ‘off-road without OTBs’. Helps with toe room for 40C tyres.
L Arkose suits me well at 6′, just under 400mm reach with a 90mm stem. Here’s my Arkose 2 set up comfortably, aside from the almost inline post I tried out that I’m not 100% happy with. Approx 770mm BB-saddle top.

Yes we’re ranging frame and fork sets this year – not all colours and aside from the splatter paint SS and Arkose 5 frames I’d need to check – the 3 or 4 I think. May have some 2014 frames in also, we hold onto them for warranty use but generally sell them by the time new model frame spare stock arrives.

I’m torn between buying a Arkose 4 or building up something to my exact spec using the Arkose frameset.

Is there any word on when the 2015 frame and forks would be available to buy and how much they would cost? Oh, and most importantly, can you get the frameset in green or blue?!

Have they moved away from the NVO stem then? I need a 90mm 10 degree stem for my Expede and so far finding one is proving impossible!

I quite like the system, it’s a shame the stems aren’t available.

NVO stems haven’t been on the bikes for a good few years, was before my time at Pinnacle anyway. Jamis do still use them and Evans stock Jamis bikes, so store staff may have access to them. I don’t have access to the stock system from here to check though, sorry.
The Bonty guards that I saw seem to have vanished, maybe an old model.

Thanks, will probably switch to a standard stem set-up then.

Jameso – Whilst you’re here and showing off your Arkose 2….I’m looking to change the crank on mine from the standard Truvativ. As far as I can tell from interwebz the E-400 is an xc mountainbike product rather than road specific as a lot of cx bikes seem to be. Does that mean I need to replace the crank with a standard mtb single ring crank rather than a road? Thought process here is that it is my understanding that the Q factors are different and therefore you can’t mix and match without gear changing issues…..but this could be a massive misunderstanding on my behalf.

Great bike to ride by the way, having loads of fun exploring on it, just getting upgrade-itis!

Gotama, for a single-ring either an MTB in middle-ring position or a road in outer position works fine, aiming for 45-50mm chainline. The rear end is 135mm so if it works on an MTB it works on an Arkose. Q-factor is personal so if you prefer a narrower pedal position just use a road crank. A 39T inner ring on the outer position of a 5-arm trad road chainset works well.

Great, thank you.

Is there any word on when the 2015 frame and forks would be available to buy and how much they would cost? Oh, and most importantly, can you get the frameset in green or blue?!

Mid Dec based on current schedules. Cyan blue Arkose 4 frame and forks, or Arkose SS in camo-splatter. RRP not set but ‘good value’ I expect.

The Bonty guards that I saw seem to have vanished, maybe an old model.

That’s a shame..so, if I understood, to get (SKS) bolt-on guards to fit involves drilling / modifying the guards 🙁 ?

It does – but it means we have a nicer fork with a better geometry (handles noticeably better imo) than the others that were available with the brake-hole type crown eyelets and conventional geometry. It’s a simple job, I’ve done it to fit a set to another bike. Just take care that the drill doesn’t put too much heat into the plastic that’s all.

I just looked up a tip one of the mechanics sent over. The Bonty NCS guards were the ones I saw, they have a crown L-bracket that unscrews rather than using rivets. This can then be zip-tied quite neatly in place for a temporary fit, or perhaps bolted through using the same holes. http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bontrager/ncs-road-mudguards-ec026714

That’s a shame..so, if I understood, to get (SKS) bolt-on guards to fit involves drilling / modifying the guards ?

I dunno about the arkose, but my salsa has anoying bridge mounts that are drilled the wrong way, just bend the tabs on the SKS fitings and use a counter sunk machine screw, then slide the guard into the mounts (rather than putting the mount on the guard then offering the whole thing up to the bike). Assuming it’s similar it’s obvious how to fit/bodge it when you’ve got the bits in front of you.

Assuming it’s similar it’s obvious how to fit/bodge it when you’ve got the bits in front of you.

Ha, I’ll (probably) see…or see if the branch is happy to fit

Just been asked for a recommendation for a sub £1K on/off cross type bike, and thought of this thread.

What’s the biggest tyre that you can sensibly get in there without guards?

And have I understood correctly that the fork on the 2015 model has more clearance?

Good stuff, thank you.

Ha, I’ll (probably) see…or see if the branch is happy to fit

Depends how happy they are bodgeing (and whether they have a drill), Jameso’s method of drilling through the guard would get you even more tyre clerance under the guard as it removes the need for the metal guides the SKS guards use.

just bend the tabs on the SKS fitings

That’s a simple way to do it that may also fill the gap between crown and 28C sized tyres quite well, rather than use a bolt and spacer. ‘Why didn’t I think of that’ etc.. 😀

What’s the biggest tyre that you can sensibly get in there without guards?

40C Nanos on 19mm internal rims on the bike above. Not a lot of side-room in the fork with those tyres in but a decent amount above, a bit more than the previous version overall. Loads out back.

other than the saddle is there mich difference between the mens & womens arkose?

I prefer the blue of the womens and would be changing the saddle anyway

Spanner in the works. Arkose 4 looks like it’s delayed until November. Stock issue James?

Either that, or first wave of imports have been allocated for pre-orders.

Damn, reckon I could pre-order one in store under C2W with potential they’ll get them in before? Thanks

I believe there is a slight buffer built into the delivery dates, but it can go both ways.

Mr Olsen will know for sure, but I think he is busy at the mo.

They are very good value for money, I’m in the market for a CX bike as a treat to myself when I’m ready to ride again after ACL surgery.

Was looking to build one up myself though as a wee project to keep me busy and motivated. I shall be keeping an eye out for the Akrose frame and fork price.

Current favourite is the Planet X London road frameset at £300, so hopefully it will be of simaliar price.

Arkose 4 looks like it’s delayed until November. Stock issue James?

Sorry, asked about this then forgot to update here. Some Arkose 4s arrive this week. November may have been a cautious date after some delays from Shimano, we have got some but not all of the planned delivery so the rest will be towards the end of the year.

@ Jameso … any chance of your email please so i can pm you ….