Tripster ATR finally built up – lush!

With regard to tyres, some of your intended uses place very different stresses on the tyres.

Rubber that will stand up to riding on loose surfaces with a child seat on the back is going to be pretty wooden for daily riding.

Something that could do it all may be the Marathon Almotion tubeless. They’re supposed to have a very low rolling resistance, and they have a reasonable tread pattern for some light off-road use. But you may find that a soft rubber block tread like that wears in the centre quite quickly on mainly tarmac and under a heavier rider.

I would probably run something like Marathon Supreme 35 for general road use and then have some Marathon Originals or Dureme for tracks / loaded use.

Worth checking if the Ultegra groupsets are still on sale at Merlin for c.£650. Then you could splash out on two sets of Hunt wheels – one with cheaper tyres for abuse, and one with S-Ones for winter training.

I’ve only reached page 57 of this forum – it makes lovely reading with understanding and support all round – a real sense of community – and I’m ready to make my first forum post with the arrival yesterday of my size 51 frame. I’m about 168cm tall with an unfeasibly long back. I’m having a delightful fret over components so I hope it’s OK to present my proposed build. I’d be happy to hear any views.

I’m looking to run a double with low gears for off road use – maybe the odd cross race and some longer day rides or offish road tours.

I’m thinking of going 10 speed Shimano shifter wise so I can slot in 9 speed MTB mech if I need to.

30x 46 up front from the likes of Sugino OX901D or TA Carmina as the only solutions I can find other than converting a triple.
11-34 out back with a road mech or possibly an 11-36 or Praxis 11-40 with 9 speed XT and possibly a Praxis 32×48 chainset.

Has anyone had chainline difficulties because of the 135 rear end (somewhere I’ve seen mention of spacing out bottom brackets with sturmy spacers) or issues with the crank too close to the chainstay? (I’m a bit duck footed and have large feet for my height)

Front mech wise I’m hoping a CX mech will be the right shape and clear the frame.

Wheels wise I’ll maybe build some Stans Grails on Hope hubs eventually and buy a set of the Kinesis wheels to get me rolling in the meantime although I’m not keen on alloy nipples.

I’d like nice fat tyres with a grippy compound and chunky enough tread for all off road eventualities and comfort to run tubeless as I’m used to MTB tyres and encounter slippy clay / chalk combinations here in the south east but could try the WTB Nanos as they seem highly rated.

Thanks everyone!

beingktb – you can get a 46.36 crank in Ultegra, that would give you a low range double?

Kinesys wheels seem very good value for the money, low weight and come with hub adaptors for “all the standards”.

Anyone heard anymore on the V2 version of the frame Kinesis put in their catalogue at the start of the summer? Waiting for Bike Show at the end of the month I guess to announce?

I’m thinking of going 10 speed Shimano shifter wise so I can slot in 9 speed MTB mech if I need to.

30x 46 up front from the likes of Sugino OX901D or TA Carmina as the only solutions I can find other than converting a triple.

It’s a shame Middleburn just went under. They did a small BCD crank that was just what you’re looking for.

If you can wait a bit, then Rotor just announced a 30/46 one-piece ring that bolts directly to their crank.

EB16: Rotor expands oval Qarbon Q-rings & teases noQ 46/30 one-piece Spidering for gravel grinding

I’m de-CX-ing my Tripster: making it a purer training/commuting/touring machine.

I was finding the 1×11 (42 up front, 11-32 out back) a bit limited on the road – spinning out on long fast descents particularly – and thought it would be nice to have a lower gear or two when heavily laden… soooo:
The CX1 groupset is coming off and an Ultegra Hydro 2×11 is going on. Went for 36-52 up front and will continue with 11-32 out back.

It’s a good excuse to get another (CX) bike 🙂

I currently run Nano 40c on Pacenti rims. I was wondering if the 2.1″ would possibly fit, could anyone provide guidance? http://www.wtb.com/products/nano

The CX1 groupset is coming off and an Ultegra Hydro 2×11 is going on. Went for 36-52 up front and will continue with 11-32 out back.

I run 11sp 50/36 + 11-32 on mine as a commuting/training setup. I think this provides a decent spread of gears.

I was wondering if the 2.1″ would possibly fit, could anyone provide guidance?

I would say that In the fork, yes. In the chainstays, no. Even though the 2.1s supposedly are only about 2.0.

you can get a 46.36 crank in Ultegra

you can change the inner ring to a 34 quite cheaply – the outer ring is a lot more.

You should also look at those Lindarets adapters rather than a mtb mech :

http://shop.18bikes.co.uk/m9b0s599p2460/LINDARETS-Roadlink-2015

I run an XTR mech for a 36 cassette but I think you could get away with a road mech with a smaller cage with a lindarets.

Definitely no 2.1 inches in the rear! 😆

Tried a Schwable and it got nowhere near fitting.

This is the best forum thread ever! Thanks everyone for tips and suggestions. It’s a big help.

Whitecitadel – I’ve got a standard 36/46 set up on my cross bike at the moment and I’m definitely keen to widen things up front a bit on the Tripster.

Yes, the Kinesis wheels are good value but I’m not keen on alloy nipples… although I could just try upping my maintenance regime a bit 🙂

Matts – yes, it was the Middleburn one that would have done the trick but that rotor ringset looks superb.

Turnerguy – I’ve been looking at Lindarets and Wolf and Goat and whatnot (as an aside from cursing Shimano’s lack of road / MTB compatibility) and I can see me using them for events when I need extra low gears but I’m trying to start with getting as wide a range as possible first.

These are due in the country in a couple of weeks (assuming everything isn’t stuck in a bankrupt container ship out at sea)so if the narrow chainline isn’t a problem with 135 rear spacing I may take them as my starting point. I’d get a 32-48 and I like the look of them 🙂

https://www.praxiscycles.com/product/zayante-m30-build/

A Shimano GS rear mech will take a 36 sprocket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9q4WpaqwgI

I’m de-CX-ing my Tripster: making it a purer training/commuting/touring machine.

I was finding the 1×11 (42 up front, 11-32 out back) a bit limited on the road – spinning out on long fast descents particularly – and thought it would be nice to have a lower gear or two when heavily laden… soooo:
The CX1 groupset is coming off and an Ultegra Hydro 2×11 is going on. Went for 36-52 up front and will continue with 11-32 out back.

I’ve been thinking of doing similar to use it as more of a training bike through the winter.
I’m toying with the idea of fitting it with Ultegra Di2 that way, from what I understand, it would be pretty much a case of plugging in the front mech and attaching it so it’s ready to go then unplug and remove the mech when I want to go back to 1×11.
It’s a kind of expensive way of doing it though compared to a new gear cable each time 😆

Thanks Matts, that’s an interesting video. More potential that you’d think!

Whitecitadel – I’ve got a standard 36/46 set up on my cross bike at the moment and I’m definitely keen to widen things up front a bit on the Tripster.

Yes, the Kinesis wheels are good value but I’m not keen on alloy nipples… although I could just try upping my maintenance regime a bit

Matts – yes, it was the Middleburn one that would have done the trick but that rotor ringset looks superb.

I am planning 46/36 with the small ring swapped to make 46/34 as turnerguy also commented. I went wide when I built my MTB with 38/24 and 11-36 but later put an 11-32 on and now to be honest should have gone 11-28, depends how big a hill you plan to hit I suppose!

Run alloy nipples on my MTB, just had to re-tension and slightly true the rear wheel after a flat last week and had no problems. I did build wheel myself with dt Swiss rims, spokes and nipples, you can destroy the nipples if you over-tension (don’t ask how I know) I can’t see why not to use them if correctly assembled.

That rotor ring though does look the business… (Goes to investigate…)

of a training bike through the winter.
I’m toying with the idea of fitting it with Ultegra Di2 that way, from what I understand, it would be pretty much a case of plugging in the front mech and attaching it so it’s ready to go then unplug and remove the mech when I want to go back to 1×11.

Di2 is increasingly interesting prospect as you can mix road and MTB components and still use drop bars hydraulic shifters with XTR for example, even a triple.

Price aside it bugs me though on a Tripster that you need battery power to shift, and if you were on a serious distance always be worried to have a problem that then needed a laptop to resolve….

Price aside it bugs me though on a Tripster that you need battery power to shift, and if you were on a serious distance always be worried to have a problem that then needed a laptop to resolve….

I can see your point totally but at the same time Mike Hall won the Tour Divide running XTR Di2 and Josh Ibbot was running it on his Mason for the Trans Continental and from things I’ve read they both seemed to find it very reliable.

To the poster above who commented on the alloy nipples on the kinesis wheels – I agree. I just spent an hour replacing two spokes and all the nipples (with black brass) on my front cross light after two nipples sheared in quick succession. That’s two years of riding though in crappy conditions so they were all very corroded… I’ll have to do the rear too.

NB as a note to others they are 14mm nipples and the only place I could find black brass 14mm nipples ONLINE without going to US was a seller on eBay in Poland.

dc2.0 Thanks for that feedback – that’s what I was worried about. I’m pleased to see they do now make a 3 cross version with brass nipples.

Maybe spoke supplies are stuck in transit, too!

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/product-news/price-spikes-stock-shortages-possible-major-shipping-firm-goes-bankrupt-282123

Yeah my crosslights lasted one winter of commuting before the alloy nipples started shearing in half.

Price aside it bugs me though on a Tripster that you need battery power to shift, and if you were on a serious distance always be worried to have a problem that then needed a laptop to resolve….

I can see your point totally but at the same time Mike Hall won the Tour Divide running XTR Di2 and Josh Ibbot was running it on his Mason for the Trans Continental and from things I’ve read they both seemed to find it very reliable
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Agreed, in fact I just watched Mike Hall in the Race Across America on “BIKE” TV channel recently (2014) and he was also running Di then as less wear on fingers for monster distances every day for weeks.

As I said its interesting option as I have seen people running triples as well which is possible with Di2 and mixing road/MTB – I have nothing against it other than the “purity” of the idea of mechanical (oh, and the cost!)

NB as a note to others they are 14mm nipples and the only place I could find black brass 14mm nipples ONLINE without going to US was a seller on eBay in Poland.

“bikestacjia” or something? they are good used them before, but did bike.de or bike-discount.de, rosebikes.co.uk or someone not have them? The german shops seem to really carry the full range of sizes and catalogue I find compared to the UK stores.

Trying to find a 142×12 DT Swiss rear hub with centerlock and 11spd shimano freebody, either 350 or 240s if the price was right, proving near impossible! (realise tripster is QR, building for tripster v2… when it comes… or Mason Bokeh if it doesn’t)

At 181cm (5’11.5″) would I be better going for. 55.5cm or a 57cm?

55.5 I’d say.
I’m 5’11” and the 55.5 is perfect. I think the 57 would be a bit too long.

I’m 5″11 “and a bit” (about 182cm I think) and contrary to the above I’m very happy on the 57cm. Now I’ve got fairly long legs for the height (34″) and my use case is pretty much “all weather riding on crappy tarmac” so not much off-road but with a 90cm stem it’s perfect for me and with a 70cm stem I’d be pretty happy off-road too. One advantage of the larger frame is the taller headtube. Also, I’d have 90’s style MTB seat post showing if I was on the 55.5cm…

At 181cm (5’11.5″) would I be better going for. 55.5cm or a 57cm?

You’d be better off sticking with the on one……Someone on here has had both and rated the on one much better.

THe kinesis geometry is all over the place “designed for use with shorter stem lengths” which sounds like you’d probably want to size up a bit? But then you look at the stack heights and they’re about 50mm+ than a road bike, so you’d struggle to get the bars low enough.

Have you looked at Enigma? Think they’re a similar price.

Just to pick up on a few posts.

Re size, I’m 180cm and ride the 57 which I felt fitted me much better. I’ve just cycled through France this summer with rack and panniers on 32mm Continental 4 Seasons fitted to Hut 4 seasons – an excellent wheel. We did a mix of road and gravel and they were brilliant.

On another note, I am also running tubeless 650b Mavic Crossmax XL wheels with Maxis Pace tyres at 1.95 or Panaracer Gravel Kings at 1.75. The hub was 10 speed but I fitted an Edco Monblock on which converts it into 11 speed.

The 650b wheels and tyres are a hoot and just add another dimension to what is a very versatile bike. I commute, tour, do dirt rides and sportives and the bike soaks it up. I now ride it so much that I’m having a clear out of my other bikes.

I am 5ft 10 on a 54 – the 55.5 wasn’t around initially I think.

Fit is OK with a 110 stem but I don’t think the tripster is suppossed to run a stem that long.

Hence the steering was a bit slack and it wasn’t until I put 40c tyres on that I felt OK with it, now I revel in its stableness offroad.

So as long as the standover is OK go for a bigger size than you think as you are going to want to run the shorter stem probably.

I was in the enviable position of owning both…

There’s remarkably little difference between the 55.5 Tripster and the 56 Pickenflick.

The Tripster is about 15mm higher at the front, but I was running 20mm of spacers under the stem on the Pickenflick. ETT at my saddle position is within 5mm, the build quality on the Tripster is better, but some of the details on the Pickenflick are nicer.

The Pickenflick is stiffer on the move, but less comfortable. The Tripster is prettier, but less understated…the Tripster is lighter…but the Pickenflick has a stiffer fork with more clearance…

Swings and roundabouts…

I’m 180cm, but with fairly wonky body-geometry.

I was very happy with my 55.5cm Tripster until yesterday, when I built up my 54cm Planet-X XLS… which just feels a bit more right for me (shorter top tube, near identical reach)… it probably warrants a few long spins to really draw a fair comparison. But out of interest …

LONG SHOT: Would anyone be interested in swapping a 54 Tripster frame for my 55.5???

Try Turnerguy above.

Hah, just seen this – I have been tried.

I think I can accomodate this but I have a question for everyone.

I see that the seat tube angle slackens a bit as you go from the 54 to the 55.5. and upwards.

http://www.kinesisbikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Models/Adventure/Tripster-ATR

The means that the reach of the 55.5 is less than that of the 54.

Although the effective TT has lengthed when going to the 55.5, I would have a smaller cockpit as I need to be in the same place in relation to the BB when set up correctly, ie.e shove the saddle forward a bit.

So I would now actually need a longer stem to keep the same cockpit size, which isn’t what I want, and Paul would actually be getting a longer reach on a 54, which isn’t what he wants either I think.

Am I right, or am I right ?

whitecitadel: di2 on a tripster is also great because you can add shifters too the ends of your aerobars. Great for long-distance bike packing.

I’d fit MTB gears if starting from scratch. 30/32 is too high for repeated 20% hills and a fully loaded bike unless you are *very* fit.

I’m just thinking of setting my tripster up 1×11 for CX racing… I have a spare set of XT cranks which were originally 2x.
Do MTB cranks work ok?

Those figures are weird (at first glance) – a slacker seat angle, surely moves the saddle back?
The head angle is the same, the top tube is longer (9mm), but the reach is now nearly 5mm shorter?
Don’t get it – although the “reach” according to that pic doesn’t really mean the reach – its some arbitrary measurement from the bb to the headtube. Pretty meaningless if you ask me!

Which is why I don’t think Reach (especially on its own) works.

Looking at the above: A 42cm difference in rider height can be accommodated by 23mm increase in frame size.

Reach (the proper measurement) is massively effected by the number of spacers under your stem.

(i edited Daffy, so agree with what you’ve said) 🙂 – (but i think you mean 42mm)

(thanks to http://www.bikegeo.net)

This is the 55.5 vs the 54.

Seattube-length/toptube-angle is not modelled, effective top tube is.

As you can see the 55.5 is “longer”: the seattube is relatively further backward.
If you keep the stem the same real height, the reach is identical.

But will I not now be sitting further behind the BB, as it were, or if I sit over the BB in the same position, the reach will be shorter.

I am thinking of the classic kneecap over the pedal axle position, which will be the same on both frame sizes, so accounting for the lesser reach number.

Yup: if you achieve the same seated position over the BB the size difference disappears.