Yo rilla, I've set one up at the shop. Seemed like a well done product. Welds looked good, paint good. I only gave it the customary test ride after wrenching, so I can't say much more. And as usual, I definitely can't comment on how it'll hold up for someone who weighs twice as much as me.
You could give someone your size a piggyback ride on it! Take some whoops, cruise some loose gravel, attack some hills... You and your buddy could be an honorary clydesdale for a day! Thanks! Non-owner feedback is purer.
Yes. Just walked in the door after a 724 mile bicycle tour. I'm sold. Too bad it's so damn time consuming.
If you're a BIG guy, I'd probably look for another answer. It's not a cheap answer, but there are several builders who will make a frame with S&S couplers... Check out the site for "CO-Motion" bicycles out of Oregon. They even do a frame specifically for BIG riders. Good luck. RW
I put down a deposit on a leftover 2008 Roubaix Comp last night. About a week ago I got serious about getting a proper road bike and started doing test rides. I tried the Roubaix, a Trek Madone, and a race-oriented Cannondale something-or-other. The Roubaix was the clear winner in terms of fit. Not as light, snappy, or sharp-handling as the Madone or Cannondale, but it also didn't beat me up nearly as badly on the patchy potholey roads around here. I haven't done any long road rides recently, but I'd like to get back to that, and there's no doubt which of those 3 bikes I'd rather be on after 70 miles of nasty New England asphalt. The most surprising part came when I got back on my cross bike to go home and think things over, after trying the Roubaix yesterday afternoon. I immediately noticed that my bike didn't fit as well as the Roubaix, and that the ride over bad asphalt was harsher. I was expecting the Roubaix to be lighter and to respond more sharply when I stomped the pedals (and it met both of those expectations). I wasn't expecting it to be so clearly more comfortable. I got back home, checked out a few things online, went and did a short mountain bike ride, and then went back to the shop to put down my deposit. They're tuning it up today and I'll probably pick it up in a little while. Since the bike is a leftover 2008 I'm getting a pretty good deal. But I wish my shop had one of those punch-card loyalty programs like coffee shops do. I'd be about due for a free bike.
I have a Tikit, not particularly a travel bike that fits in a suitcase, but a commuter bike that easily fold and wheels along while you walk on and off public transportation. Designs of their machines are well thought out, little details that reminds me of custom bikes that have special alternative purpose like bottle opener or pump peg that doubles as grocery bag holder. For a bike with small 16" wheels, the handling character is very similar to a larger wheeled bike, power transfer is very efficient, ride quality is good with its comfort seat to compensate the stiff small wheels. Don't know your weight, but smaller wheels are likely to handle more weight if built properly.
Good deal, glad you found a roadie About the punch card... you have to hang out long enough for them to let you "work" one night a week. DAMHIK.
I think I'm on the "rack of the month club" program now. Just ordered a rack for my MTB. LBS Guy: "So which bikes do you have that don't have racks yet?" I figured, if touring=awesome and bike racing=awesome, riding to the bike race next weekend, and then riding back home afterward must be superawesome. Gonna try my hand at some lightweight offroad bikepacking.
I'm right there with you Askel. I just picked this up and I'm ready to do an overnighter on it. I've got a Surly LHT set up for commuting and road tours, but the Fargo is more like my KTM. Major difference though is that I haven't ridden the KTM since I broke my leg back in December. The bikes seem to be more fun now. Funny how an accident can change your outlook.
Fargos have been calling my name for a while now, my current strategy of resistance is to outfit my single speed 29er with a internally geared hub this winter and use that for some bikepacking next year... Still, it's just a matter of which bike I get drunk and order from some online retailer first- Fargo or Pugsley. Hmmm... Still have a couple beers left...
