Tripster ATR finally built up – lush!

takeiteasy, slackboy, no pressure… but… PICTURES! 😆

Just got it back from the bike shop last night. It’s lovely. Pictures after I’ve ridden it 🙂

here you go.

built up with 105 and R685 hydraulic brakes with crosslight wheels and 28mm gatorskins for now. I might get some wider tyres later

‘Tis a good looking thing!

Is that a 57cm? Inevitable question – sorry – how tall are you and is it a good fit? Any toe overlap?

Cheers.

Its a 57cm and I’m just over 6ft. No toe overlap but therre isn’t much standover height. Nice and comfy though

I’d be fine on a 55.5 as well I think

Hi all, some more Tripster porn for you…

Flickr link to album:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskvL9kj9

(I’d insert the pics, but can’t work out how to do it – anyone explain? Ta)

My baby’s just one week old. So far just a daily commute in and out of town, but from the 90 miles I’ve done I’m in heaven. Coming from a hardcore stiff unforgiving aluminium racer I wanted comfort above all, but this has surpassed all my expectations. Like I’m floating on the road in comparison. Oh so happy with it.

Intending to fit 28 Conti 4000s II tyres with road pedals in the coming weeks – as I’ve little off road near me. But started with Challenge Gravel Grinder 38mm 120tpi tyres to make sure the guards are fitting right for when I do venture further afield… literally 😉

One disconcerting thing though is that I do have toe overlap with the guards (not without). Just affects me going very slowly, but in and out of traffic or balancing at lights has become a scary no no. Concerned that when on a trail, especially up hill this will mean me stepping off. Anyone else had this? Or tips for riding?

Thanks

Nice photos. I’m beginning to think toe overlap is a bit inevitable with this type of bike, big tyres and big feet. I get it a little on my escapade with 41c tyres. You just ride around it in the end – got used to it on my fixed gear commuting to work a few years back.

Tips? Heel down helps and is good technique…

L1000516 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000523 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000517 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000519 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000514 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000520 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000521 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000522 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000526 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000525 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr
L1000513 by Lanny Lucas-Stone[/url], on Flickr

And a huge thank you to all the many pieces of advice, words of wisdom and brilliant pictures on this Tripster lovefest that enabled me to create my dream machine!

root-n-5th – reassuring to hear. Thx.

slackboy – a beaut – wish I had the countryside near me. Lucky man.

Very nice takeiteasy

Take-it-easy: superb camera! Took some excellent photos. Looks like countryside at first glance until you see the graffiti on the tree.

Cracking pics takeiteasy – not phone pics then 😀 , nice to see the Tubus airy ti rack on yet another tripster – it seems a shame to fit anything but an Airy to such a bike as the Tripster.

Nice to see someone else has that “anal attention” to detail such as you shown us in the 6th pic down of the head tube where the gear cables are perfectly symmetrical – yep…i made sure of that as well 😀

Regarding the toe overlap with 40mm tyres and mudguards, i get very slight contact when using my Northwave Arctic boots but if i’m wearing my Fzik M5B Umo or my Sidi Epics then it’s not a problem but i do run 165mm Middleburn cranks and i’ve only got size 8 feet.

Viva la tripster love in 🙂

About to start building my 54cm Tripster 😀 Hoping the size is OK, I’m just over 5’7″ and I have a 54cm Salsa Vaya.
Have gone for Merlin wheels: Hope / Mavic TN719. I got Ultegra brifters very cheap from Rose and hoping to use with a mountain bike gear setup similar to my Vaya (as I am old & overweight). Do I definitely need a 9 speed rear derailleur for a 10 speed XT setup? Buying the front derailleur was also very confusing, what is right for 48-36-26?

Have ordered a Cowchipper bar to see what it’s like compared with the Cowbell on my Vaya, but it won’t be here for ages so will need to make do with something else meanwhile.

I’m looking at selling my size 54 tripster, I’ve put an ad in the for sale section. full custom build. for those who fancy one, drop me a line and i’ll send details and pics over.

@takeiteasy – looks like you make it onto the Kinesis UK facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/KinesisUK

Thanks everyone. Really chuffed with it. Swapped tyres yesterday for the GP4000s. (Broke 2 tyre levers in the process! Not looking forward to dealing with a flat on the roadside with these on!) Anyway,it’s turned the Tripster into yet another beast – a proper road warrior – really agile, yet oh so comfortable and stable.

As for the perfectionist in me, somafunk – yes, very true – can’t help myself. Though all credit really to the bike shop for their attention to detail in the final build.

it is now definitely up for sale

Be good if it were one or two sizes bigger! Funny thing is, it’s got the same stack and reach as my medium escapade which is on the small side of just right for off road. Hmmmmmm…

Wow amazed this thread is still going, bit of an update on my Tripster. Owned it for coming up to two years now and covered about 12,000 miles, absolutely love riding it still.

I dont really use it for what is was originally designed for but i find it just about perfect for my 44 mile round trip commute on roads, tracks and bumpy cycle paths.

Its set up for a road. but i find it handles just fine on the rougher stuff still.

-17 Stem and 5mm top cap, tried to get it lower.
35mm Light bicycle rims on Hope hubs, 32/28. 28mm Michelin Pro4 endurance
Tubus airy Ti rack.
105 ll speed but with ultegra shifters.
P35 guards.
TRP spyres but want to change to 685s soon.

Took the tripster on the transpennine trail over woodhead pass to Sheffield today. Hydro brakes are a revelation and I’m much happier descending at speed on this bike, feels much more stable.

Woodhead pass off road was fun, 28mm gatorskins were predictably rubbish on the muddy climbs but did better than I had any right to expect.

What a great bike!

After a bit of help/advice, if anyone has done it!

Looking to fit a front rack to the tripster, but seems to be a very limited (and it is new to me)
looks like I can’t fit a low rider type rack, so what else is there?
Bar type rack?

any other ideas would be great, Pics would be even better.

Yeah. It’s more common to run strap-on bags on a Tripster as they tend to rattle and clunk less when riding off-road.

Something like the Apidura: https://www.apidura.com/product/handlebar-pack-regular/

@jimmy can I ask where you heard May for v2? (Read the same on twitter, see above).

Late coming back to this, it was off the back of Kinesis’s tweet of your pictures I asked about the date. No, wait, a previous tweet from maybe Road.cc. Anyway, the answer came from kinesis.

Thanks Matts, that looks good, the sort of thing I am looking at.

Right, new headset bearings time.

LBS is suggesting a new £70 headset, but without a great deal of conviction. Can that be right? Really don’t want to shell out that much every time the bearings go.

What’s the collective wisdom?

Contact upgrade bikes as they may stock the bearings..

Superstar do a cheap one, I used that last time

this is the headset installed as standard – FSA no. 42 , costs around £44 from planet x (rrp £65 ish) so £70 (installed?) is not too far off

tech docs

tech docs suggest bearing part no M121 for top and and MR110 for bottom

quick search gives:

MR121 top bearning £8.99

mantel also have a replacement bearings

mantel FSA bearings

so, about £16 for a set of bearings

Yes as above,, cartridge bearings, £10 to £15 depending on size,
just need to replace them (if the rest of the headset is OK) as the headtube as the “cups” machined into it for the bearings to sit
I be starting a custom ATR build today so I take note of the bearings if you like, I prob got some in stock if you get stuck. drop me a email if you do.

@MTB Rob @matts I have an Apidura saddle bag for clothes, and I found a Altura Transit Lite Bar Bag which has more of an aero shape for stuff I need to hand (like batteries and food).

Unfortunately it takes up a lot of bar space and I’m not sure it’ll work with aerobars, so I will probably switch to a top tube bag (like a fuel tank) or something else for multi-day stuff.

Bearings ordered. Thanks for the help guys. 😀

My Tripster is finally built…. Nearly.

Now I have to fit the Sks mudguards and a rack, which quite frankly I’m nervous about.

First questions, am I right I’ll need an overlong bolt for the fork crown fitting?
And the rear seat stay fixing looks like it needs bolting in from below (facing the tyre) where my CdF used the Sks bracket to bolt on from above (facing behind the bike). Any clues what I’m meant to do?

Thanks…

argh, can’t believe work got in the way of the last two weeks of tripster dreaming 😆

slackboy & takeiteasy looking good, takeiteasy Kinesys put your pics up on twitter and facebook I noticed, 500+ views on flickr now! You built it as I plan to, right down to rack and guards, thanks for the vision of my vision! 😀

@jimmy yeah I think they changed their plans, they answered on twitter than they have more v1 frames coming in – and when I called upgrade long while back they told me they would launch v2 in September with the bike show in Birmingham. Some frame sizes are on +4 weeks back order (if you look at upgrade or Kinesis website).

I have read in multiple places the v2 frame will be:
(a) more expensive
(b) available without a fork for more options (so costing more overall)

I am still sitting on the fence, I want the 142×12 axle on the rear and inboard rear brake location with internal routing of the v2… but not enough to pay a heavy premium so may just go v1. I quite fancy a 15mm front fork as it would mean I don’t need yet another overpriced adapter for my thule roof carrier, but I just found out how much a 15mm axle hub dynamo is and may have gone off that idea!

Hows everyone doing with that 50/34 compact gearing? I think a triple like others have used is the ideal for a touring machine, but no shimano left hydraulic brake lever with triple shifter support at the moment 🙁

I know the older Ultegra had a triple crank… or you have lots good MTB options but don’t want to go cable brakes just to get a triple crank.

I wish the whole v1/v2 thing was clearer, keeping money in the wallet for now as don’t have time to build up and I don’t need it till “summer” but not willing to wait for winter for v2.

Oh, and takeiteasy did you need to “adjust” (aka bend) the Tubus to miss the brake caliper, or does the compact hydraulic not foul like the larker TRP cable brakes shown earlier in the thread?

Hows everyone doing with that 50/34 compact gearing? I think a triple like others have used is the ideal for a touring machine, but no shimano left hydraulic brake lever with triple shifter support at the moment

Having done a couple of ‘arse I forgot to bring all my clothes and towels and computers’ commutes with panniers on compact with 11/32 out back, I think I’d want a triple to minimise pushing time on a full tour.
It’s OK on road (a bit of 1/5 on my commute – short enough to gasp through) but off road climbs with a bit of mud were hard work with a lighter load than I’d take for a long weekend. Possibly just the Small Block 8s?

That said I did pack in about 30 seconds so it’s probably me!

Couple of pics from the Transpennine Trail Woodhead pass. Note completely inappropriate tyre choice!

Hows everyone doing with that 50/34 compact gearing?

It did the SDW with seat pack, frame bag, and small backpack on a 50/36 + 11-28. I would definitely go for an 11-32 or possibly an 11-36 for future longer rides.

While there’s no reason you couldn’t pile stuff on, I think the Tripster excels at bike-packing and light touring, so I’m not sure I would personally want a triple.

One option you could look at is running a Middleburn crank with one of their smaller spiders (like Somafunk has on his Tripster). That way you can also run a much smaller inner ring.

http://www.middleburn.co.uk/products/spiders/road

I was using10 speed 34/50 with 11-28 out back and have just switched to 11-34 with a 9 speed mech. Much happier with the wider range and works well and think I will pop an 11-36 on there until my fitness improves.

@Whitecitadel – No bending required on the Tubus other than the two for the seat stays. I have Swift Cycles to thank for the lovely job on that. (I didn’t think myself sufficiently skilled to attempt getting both perfectly parallel to each other!)

As to the build, yes I’m beyond happy with it – from a fit POV (Swift to thank again for that), ride, cosmetics – the lot. But if triple had been available I would have gone for it as I’m quite unfit-and although that’ll change with my new keenness to ride, I’m only getting older! Already when I’ve packed both panniers full returning from a day’s work I make use of the 32 rear and 34 chainring – with cadence at points droping down to 40! That’s up one of London’s steepest hills – but even so, I’d fear touring any known long and hilly routes if fully laden!

Rode my first love for old time’s sake yesterday. As brilliant as it is, it turned out to be a farewell ride! https://flic.kr/s/aHskwBoQCd Offers welcome!! 😉

I’ve done a couple of road tours with 34/50 and been fine with two laden panniers. That was before swapping from the cdf, too. But all depends on roads and fitness – there were only a couple of climbs I’d call seriously steep and nothing steeper than my commute, so was “trained” for it.

I was tempted to hold off for v2 for inboard discs particularly but I’d have been paying around 500 for it. Nah.