Prince Albert – Good All Rounder??

Can people on here tell me essentially what the dialled bikes prince albert is intended for nowadays and where it fits in with other brands bikes. Is it still strong enough for a good all round uk hardtail, e.g. all day rides through to alps riding through to the odd downhill day? Can only have 1 bike and needs to be as versatile as possible.

That’s what I used mine for. Had it 9 speed with u turn pikes. Used it for all day xc rides, uplift days and a week in the alps.

Great bike. If I was after another hardtail I’d probably have another.

Thanks! Any one else with advice?

had the mk1 with Z1 then u turn pikes true all rounder, great value for money and tough, enjoy 😀

I’m on my 2nd PA. Here’s the first (mk2 520 frame, 140mm dual air Revs, GD post, 2×9):

Capable of a bit of everything. Even moreso once I learned to ride with flats again. I got the itch for a FS as and bought a Trance, but then felt like it was making my technique lazy and built this beast up (mk1 520 frame, P2 fork and 29″ front wheel, 2×10):

A dropper post is on it’s way for the 69er, they just add a little more flow to a session.

If you get your hands on a new ltd 853 frame I think you’ll have one incredible frame. The 520 is great, the 725 will be a smidge lighter and the 853 even betterer.

Functionally, it’s burly but still has some give. The heavier 520 climbs fine and the shape gives you a lot of room to move for tech riding. The Cotic Soul is not as burly, the BFe may be more comparable. I gather that Blue Pigs are probably about the same level of intended use, but they have had production issues at times.

I suggest a dropper post, double chainring and mid length stem for all roundness. They still handle nicely with a 70mm stem, having tried both rigid and 140mm travel I reckon U-turn or Talas may be the way ahead. Then again 140 is very fun, you may never feel the need to shorten it!

DO IT!

Cool. Sounds like a good option.

They are doing an 853 version to be called Prince Albert Classic, drop them an email and see if you can get in on the pre-order for July if you’re interested. There is a thread here on the project.

Any other views before I buy!!

Personally if was doing dh and alps riding i’d be looking at the Dialled Alpine as well as the PA.

Personally if was doing dh and alps riding i’d be looking at the Dialled Alpine as well as the PA

+1

Love mine, it’s my only bike so is used for; day rides in the Cheviots, short local rides, trail centres – haven’t done dh\alps…

Here’s a picture of it:

MOD: Image removed due to malware

looks nice!

Alps would be one week a year. DH days perhaps 2/3 times a year? Would an alpine be restrictive to my general riding though?

Trans Provence 2009 `nuff said…

@lovetoride – I think the answer is no, it wouldn’t be restrictive, in fact that’s what the bike is designed for. If you were more DH/Alps orientated then as prior poster says an Alpine (used by Trail Addiction guides in Les Arcs) or another tough slack angle HT would be better.

I have an 853 on order and it’s intended use is as you say with the caveat that I have a FS which is too burley for most of my riding (it’s good for DH type and Alps) and so I wanted a bike to complement it. Having started on a cheap hardtail, Ive been riding 160mm FS for 5 years and now I’m going for the two bike option. I will see how I find this over the course of the year. I will be riding a BFe before the PA arrives. At the end of the year I intend to decide whether to keep the HT/FS combo and/or update FS too.

how long after getting a PA would you wait before jumping it? just gentle rides for the first couple of weeks? would protection help?

17″ PA with the tiniest of dings in the seat stay going cheap here:

http://www.dialledbikes.bigcartel.com

I’ve had my PA for 3 years and other than having it re – powder coated once it was looking a bit tired it’s been great! I’ve got it set up with 140mm revelations and 3 x 9 so it’s very much a UK trail centre set up. This is the most XC orientated hardtail I’ve owned having previously had a Brooklyn park bike and a 24 bicycles le toy.

Although it’s always a compromise between a hardcore hardtail and a bike you can do big rides on, this is the best match I’ve found. Stick the saddle up and I’ve been out for big days in Wales, wack it down and it’s slack enough when you point it downhill to have fun.
The major plus point with Dialled Bikes is Mike who runs it though, he’s always been mega helpful and no question is too stupid or too much hassle to answer.

Here’s my Albert with 145mm RTWD coil Manitou Nixons. It’s a fantastically capable hardtail which handles the rough techy stuff with ease yet once the forks are wound down a smidge will deal with fast XC stuff just as well. A great all-rounder.

Yes, you definitely need a Dialled alpine.
Step this way sir!!
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-dialled-apline-frame