from Crust -- just too good not to repost here

[Jeffrey Kane]

The Romanceür pre-sale has commenced:

http://journal.crustbikes.com/post/145361038071/the-romance%C3%BCr-is-a-swashbuckling-tender-heart-of-a

[Chris Cullum]

Are there any photos of said bike?

On Jun 3, 2016 13:36, "Jeffrey Kane" <jsk_o...@mac.com> wrote:

The Romanceür pre-sale has commenced:

http://journal.crustbikes.com/post/145361038071/the-romance%C3%BCr-is-a-swashbuckling-tender-heart-of-a

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[rcnute]

WTF is this about anyway?  SO CONFUSED.

Ryan

[Chris Cullum]

It's like something BSNYC would come up with.

--

[Jeffrey Kane]

Sadly though, the Snob's just not that passionate about his rides anymore -- or at least he doesn't show it. What you're reading there feels sincere, and funny and actually inspiring.

[Andrew Fatseas]

The prose is a bit pretentious, but the frame is actually pretty interesting - low trail, lightweight steel, fits huge tyres, disc brakes, 1" threaded steerer....

[Murray Love]

Hey, this is tempting. As always, I'm wondering: OS or non-OS? Tubing gauges?

Murray

Victoria, BC

[Jeffrey Kane]

Yeah Murray, I'm with you there. For some reason they saw fit to skip over those details, which, makes me a little nuts considering the interested party circle. It just doesn't seem like a minor omission.

[Andrew Fatseas]

The prototype looks like standard diameter, lugs, dog leg fork.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-4pmMUJ40v/?taken-by=ultraromance&hl=en

On Sat, Jun 4, 2016 at 10:49 AM, Jeffrey Kane <jsk_o...@mac.com> wrote:

Yeah Murray, I'm with you there. For some reason they saw fit to skip over those details, which, makes me a little nuts considering the interested party circle. It just doesn't seem like a minor omission.

[Greg Achtem]

Is t the default now OS? Spirit For Lugs. Peggorichie. You have to go out of your way to find skinny tubes, no?

> On Jun 3, 2016, at 18:49, Jeffrey Kane <jsk_o...@mac.com> wrote:
>
> Yeah Murray, I'm with you there. For some reason they saw fit to skip over those details, which, makes me a little nuts considering the interested party circle. It just doesn't seem like a minor omission.
>

[Steve Chan]

On Fri, Jun 3, 2016 at 3:49 PM, rcnute <rcn...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> WTF is this about anyway? SO CONFUSED.
>

Its kind of as if Jan Heine's Freudian "id" was somehow ironically
repackaged as a gibbering version of Bridgestone era Grant Petersen
marketing copy.

So, I fed it through the Google Translate setting for gibbering BQ
Rando id, and sounds like its the the original Rawland Ravn, but with
fancy lugs and a threaded steerer.

Looks cool, but I'm thinking that a SOMA Wolverine + custom fork
would be less expensive. I don't like lugs enough to pay a premium for
them. And I like threadless steerers. Is this a MUSA bike? Keeping
jobs in the USA would rate the higher price.

--
"Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a
habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny." - Samuel
Smiles

[Mike Schiller]

I'm guessing it's OS tubing.  The Nova biplane crown shown only comes in 28.6 steerer unless they made a special batch.   And I'm pretty sure these are from Taiwan.  I've seen the Crust guy over there on his IG feed. 

Priced similar to a Taiwan built Riv Hillborne, but the Romanceur has much  better geometry and design IMO.

~mike

Carlsbad Ca

On Friday, June 3, 2016 at 1:36:47 PM UTC-7, Jeffrey Kane wrote:

[Paul Sherman]

I've been watching this project with interest for a while, as it seems like it'll be the first real "Enduro Allroad" bike to hit the market. Overall it looks like they've gotten a lot right with this one, but I still have some unanswered questions.

- Where is it made?
My guess is Taiwan given the combination of quality tubes/lugs/pricepoint. That's not a mark against the bike since tons of great bikes come out of Taiwan, but at this price you're only a couple hundred shy of a MUSA Elephant NFE. I understand that this isn't going to outweigh the Elephant's ~8 month waiting list for most people though. However, I'd personally take the NFE for it's tested design and better aesthetics (IMO).

- What size is the tubing?
I haven't seen this answered yet, but it looks like single oversize to me. A quick look at the torch & file website seems to confirm this, as the smallest 853 TT I could find was 28.6. This is all fine and dandy, but why bother with the threaded fork then? IMO 1 1/8 threadless looks just fine when matched with OS tubing and is nominally stronger to boot. Either way the tubes specced on this look much nicer than what ended up being used on the (prototype) Ravn and could be slightly lighter than those used on the NFE.

Overall this bike is a really nice alternative to the NFE/Ravn. If Crust can really deliver on their promised August shipping date, I can definitely see them eating Rawland's cake when it comes to the market for a production Enduro Allroad bike. Now if I could just get past that dog leg fork...

[Brad]

Thank you for curating that marvelous piece of vocabulary expansion, or is that expansive vocabulary. 

[Jeffrey Kane]

I'm curious: does the dog leg thing matter much if the fork is disc-built anyway -- I mean, aesthetics aside ...

[Marc Pfister]

On Friday, June 3, 2016 at 8:53:05 PM UTC-6, Paul Sherman wrote:

I haven't seen this answered yet, but it looks like single oversize to me. A quick look at the torch & file website seems to confirm this, as the smallest 853 TT I could find was 28.6.

Torch and File lists two 853 25.4 top tubes - AX2000 and AX2005. But from photos I'd agree that it's single OS.

- Marc

[Paul Sherman]

As long as the fork is properly reinforced, I would think it doesn't make a difference.

[Paul Sherman]

Thanks for catching that, I stand corrected. My quick search didn't take me past than the first page.

Paul

[rcnute]

And they want all the money up front to boot?  Ha ha.

Ryan

[Mark Bulgier]

On the Instagram, didja notice someone used the hashtag "ranboneur"?  Made my day.

The gratuitous ü "mit umlaut" in Romanceür is off-putting for me.  "This is Spinal Tap" already satirized the Motörhead-style extra umlauts thing, so this is well-covered ground.  Or maybe it needs to be resurrected for a new generation of kids too young to have seen Spinal Tap?  But in a French word, it looks too ugly for the minimal humor payoff.

I "like-like" the pump behind the seat tube.  Such a perfectly correct place for a pump, and it only requires an extra cm or two in the chainstay length compared to most bikes, so why not?

The slight bend in the struts on the front rack is a pet peeve of mine.  To me, it's like a quiz in a freshman level engineering class, and he failed.  There's usually no need to carry an entire human body on a handlebar bag rack, but it's not hard to get that level of strength.  I can sit on mine no prob, and I am a very big boy.  The only secret is don't curve the damn struts!  They are compression columns, until they start to deviate from completely straight, then they fold like origami.  And if you're willing to give up massive amounts of strength for an eye-pleasing curve, then you'd damn well better make it eye-pleasing!  Example: Peter Weigle = nice looking.  This one, just dumb looking (to my jaded, Dilbert-like eye.)  Yes these struts are strong enough for the loads they are likely to carry in real life, and I could make myself get over it if I had to. More or less.  Not a deal-breaker.

Velocity Dually rims the best ever, really?  I'm not saying they aren't, I'm pretty ignorant about the whole extra-wide rim phenomenon.  I haven't noticed them getting much love here, what do you guys think?  Used to be, I'd never consider an almost 700 gram rim, but it's true I am caring less and less about weight as the decades go by...  I used to race XC on full balloon tires on 20 mm rims (e.g. Bontrager cut-downs), but I did see the ugliness that happens when you let the air pressure get too low.   When the tire totally flops over to the side while cornering, it can be quite scary.  Never had it cause a crash, for me personally, but I could see how it might. Have I got that right, low pressure bliss is the payoff for using these very wide (and heavy) rims?

For the record, I was never a believer in  "The Church of the Rotating Mass", the idea that weight on the rims and tires was felt so much more than on the frame, saddle etc.  In most situations, bikes just don't accelerate enough for it to become an issue.  The one exception is climbing technical single track, where we lunge the bike frequently to get it up little "problems" that crop up, like rock ledges, waterbars, fallen tree trunks across the trail etc. that you can't just pedal over.  You have to leap.  Without any measurements, just armchair theorizing, I believe those accelerations are an order of magnitude greater than anything seen in a sprint, even on the track.  That's why I always thought MTB rims should be ALAP (as light as possible), and I put up with the tires flopping over if the pressure got too low.

Clearly this bike is not optimized for technical singletrack, but I think an ALL road bike shouldn't give up on that completely.  But maybe the extra low pressure possible more than pays for the increase in rim weight?  Anyone here who's experienced 'em?  Or maybe I'd be happier with a middle ground like the Blunt SS, 2/3 as wide but over a half-pound lighter EACH.

Oh well pretty theoretical since I still like rim brakes, so I don't get to try any of these new wide rims.  Just curious.

Mark Bulgier
Seattle

[Mark Bulgier]

From this photo https://www.instagram.com/p/BGNWxy8p467/
I think I can say inch TT, 9/8" DT with a small degree of confidence (i.e. NOT sure).
Unless it is thick wall, it will probably not be great with a large rear load. Luckily it's low trail, and front loaders don't much care if the TT is wiggly.

-Mark

[Steve Palincsar]

The author's all of 21.  What do you expect?  That prose is so luridly over the top it makes me gag.  "Gibbering" is colorfully close, but it's really nothing at all like BQ. 

However, where did you all find photos?

[Steve Palincsar]

The bend in that rack support looks to me like a case of PTFPTM (Pound to Fit, Paint to Match) rather than any kind of aesthetic design choice.

-

[David Banzer]

Pretty sure the rack is a Nitto 32f.

[Alex Wetmore]

The photo is here:

https://www.crustbikes.com/products/the-romanceur-presale

I personally don't care for the level top tube, I do like some standover on my big tire bikes since I ride them offroad.  Otherwise it looks like a nice addition.  I'd rather it was a bit cheaper and TIG vs lugged, because lugged Taiwanese frames typically aren't thinned and usually don't look that great anyway.

The chainstays could be 2cm shorter if he put the pump on the seatstay instead of the back of the seattube.

alex

---

From: 65...@googlegroups.com <65...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Steve Palincsar <pali...@his.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 4, 2016 3:50:16 AM
To: 65...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [650B] Re: from Crust -- just too good not to repost here

 

[Philip Kim]

I had been keeping up with this project since it was announced. It seems like a great idea, but a 53cm square would be perfect for me. Smallest they have is a 55cm.

Benedict is also in his 30s I think? So I think him being 21 is a joke cause he definitely doesn't look 21. I love his humor and hes a pretty practical fellow despite his old aesthetic tendencies.

Hes a big proponent of rigid forks for off roading, couples with wide tires/wide rims.

I love everything about this bike but the sizing!

[Fred Blasdel]

On Saturday, June 4, 2016, Philip Kim <phili...@gmail.com> wrote:

I had been keeping up with this project since it was announced. It seems like a great idea, but a 53cm square would be perfect for me. Smallest they have is a 55cm.

But with a 72 degree STA, the actual reach is comparable to most other 52/53 frames on the market that are a lot steeper

[Murray Love]

Looks like 3x 28.6 tubes. So an OS top tube.

On Jun 4, 2016 9:53 AM, "al lin" <vari...@gmail.com> wrote:

And check more on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/romanceur/?hl=en

On Friday, June 3, 2016 at 3:06:20 PM UTC-7, Chris Cullum wrote:

Are there any photos of said bike?

On Jun 3, 2016 13:36, "Jeffrey Kane" <jsk_o...@mac.com> wrote:

The Romanceür pre-sale has commenced:

http://journal.crustbikes.com/post/145361038071/the-romance%C3%BCr-is-a-swashbuckling-tender-heart-of-a

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[Mike Schiller]

Bene is 37 this year.. 

Geo doesn't work for me.. top tube is too short on the medium for me and seat tube is too tall on the large.  I like the bike, esp with the disc brakes that allow multiple wheel sizes like this one with 2.2" nobbies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPNTHVxgnb/?taken-by=ultraromance_mach2

But for ~$500 more you can get a custom from a number of less well known builders.  

~mike

Carlsbad Ca.

[Philip Kim]

I have a soma San Marcos, the 51cm is 55cm sloped top tube with 71 degrees. I have to use a 70mm stem and bring it up high. I have a fused lower spine, so it's hard for me to bend over that far

[Steve Palincsar]

On 06/04/2016 09:07 AM, Alex Wetmore wrote:

The photo is here:

https://www.crustbikes.com/products/the-romanceur-presale

Thanks. 

The word definitely looks better without the umlaut.

I personally don't care for the level top tube, I do like some standover on my big tire bikes since I ride them offroad.  Otherwise it looks like a nice addition.  I'd rather it was a bit cheaper and TIG vs lugged, because lugged Taiwanese frames typically aren't thinned and usually don't look that great anyway.

The chainstays could be 2cm shorter if he put the pump on the seatstay instead of the back of the seattube.

Would that be a good thing, do you think?

[Steven Frederick]

Yeah, I was pretty curious til I got to the ST angle-I know 72-degrees
works for many, especially those who use a Brooks B-17 or similar, but
73 is as shallow as I care to go...

[Chris Cullum]

On Jun 6, 2016 4:50 AM, "Steven Frederick" <stl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yeah, I was pretty curious til I got to the ST angle-I know 72-degrees
> works for many, especially those who use a Brooks B-17 or similar, but
> 73 is as shallow as I care to go...

Wouldn't a zero offset post take care of that?

[Evan Baird]

I'm really pumped on this bike. Crust is really shaking things up right now. Just what the industry needs IMO. It seems like such a no brainier.

[Daniel Jackson]

Sweet bike - what so many people are having made custom right now for at least 2x the cost. Looking forward to a second run on this when (if) they offer bigger (and smaller) sizes. 

[Andrew]

Does it have lowrider mounts and enough fork tip holes? I can't quite see from the photo I was looking at, but what are they doing to keep the front wheel in under disk forces - flipped dropouts?

It seems fairly fully priced for what looks like a Taiwanese frame. 1

[Nick Favicchio]

Not for 2x the cost per se. There are quality builders out there who build frames for $1500 or less. I seem to recall pictures recently of a green Matthews road for dirt bike that cost less than the Romanceur.

The Crust bikes look cool for sure.

[Igor Belopolsky]

I agree. Pricey and well..taking advantage of the 'hype'

[Brian Campbell]

Given the propensity of list members to upgrade/change bikes I would buy a Crust bike before I bought a custom frame. Unless there is some physical aberration on the part of the rider (really tall, really long legs, short torso etc.) most production bikes can be made to fit without much issue. Re-sale of a known brand is easier and generally more lucrative IME. I regular see custom bikes on this list and others going for well less than half of their purchase cost, whereas a known small batch production bike like Rivendell, etc. do a much better job of retaining their value. The Crust bike is cool and people know or will know the brand. That means something for future value. The one-off custom is harder to sell in the future for when 700c comes back into vogue.....

[Jeffrey Kane]

I would respectfully disagree with "pricey" and "taking advantage of the hype" and I don't mean to single out Igor here specifically (so please, no offense intended, Igor and all). It's just that this is still pretty fringe stuff and a $1200.00 per frameset pre-sale is hardly going to make anyone close to fat (read The Big Red S, etc.). I run a small business in a field that I love (or maybe loved more when I was younger) ... and I'm glad I made it as far as I have but it's a grind, every day. In this case, without someone sticking their neck(s) out ... well, then ... what are we all waiting for (read The Big Red S)?

Similarly, regarding custom frame builders: anyone welding away in his garage alone, or with an employee, or in a rented shop with employees, etc. that is moving $2500.00 custom frames (or more?) with all the subsequent non-building customer interface that comes with the territory isn't getting rich or taking advantage of anyone or anything either -- not that anyone suggested that -- but I use that inverse example as a way of suggesting that expecting this type of frame from a custom builder at a lower price point seems almost like taking advantage of the craftsmen himself.

Just my opinion, of course. :)

On Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 8:46:29 AM UTC-4, Igor Belopolsky wrote:

[Igor Belopolsky]

I dont disagree with this, either :)

[Harry Major]

I've ordered one. I'd been looking forward to ordering one, but was expecting a $800 frame. Was surprised at the actual price, until I was it was 853. I'd of preferred an a-head fork so I could fine the sinewave stem cap USB charger that I love. But it wasn't a deal breaker. The quill works fine and looks nice.

Love the aesthetic and the fact it will take switchback hills and fenders. Cant wait to get it. Hopefully August.

[Nick Favicchio]

I have a physical aberration :). I'm built like a fat Sailor Moon, long skinny legs and... yea. Burritos and beer and pizza are dope.

I can't help but to be for some reason annoyed by how this is EXACTLY what I just got built for me by Zak Hinderyckx. Except with a 56.5cm tt b/c of my physically aberrant form. Same tube angles, same rake, same chainstays.

I should really be designing bikes :).

https://flic.kr/s/aHskwPW96s

[Peter Turskovitch]

Looks like they're here! I think it turned out amazing, looking forward to hear the ride reports.

[Jeffrey Kane]

and it turns out they're HQ'd out of my new favorite (not so local) lbs: Belmar Bicycles. I do spend a lot of time between NYC and Toms River, NJ though -- and Belmar is in between the two. The guys there are on-point with exactly the particulars of this kind of bike conversation (and much more) -- if you're reasonably within the area and have been looking for a shop with contemprary-bob(ish) sensibilities (if that's even a thing) then stop in and have a chat with Kyle or whoever else happens to be standing around ... it's a good place.

Full disclosure: I am not associated with Belmar Bicycles (or Crust Bikes) in any way other than being grateful that they exist ....

[Paul Sherman]

Wow! Those do look really, really good. Props to Crust for bringing these to market before the Ravn.

Paul

[mitch....@gmail.com]

On Monday, September 19, 2016 at 2:42:58 AM UTC-6, Peter Turskovitch wrote:

Looks like they're here! I think it turned out amazing, looking forward to hear the ride reports.

Nice! 

Wonder what rack that is?  

And I wonder with that rack attachment position whether it would take the VO Rando rack? It looks too low for the VO rack.

Curious because I ordered the 58 and tracking # tells me it will arrive thursday. 

Anyone recognize those tires?

I'm using 26" and RTP ELs on my first wheelset for this bike but it's nice to know what fits.

--Mitch 

[Jeffrey Kane]

That rack is also by Crust: I saw a prototype at the shop. It's got an approx 8 x 10 (ish) (?) platform with a tombstone. It's adjustable for fit and position and has low rider mounts that fasten to a mid-blade braze-on -- also adjustable for varying positions.

[Justin Hughes]

They sure look like 3" tires to me. 

-Justin

[mitch....@gmail.com]

On Monday, September 19, 2016 at 12:51:56 PM UTC-6, Jeffrey Kane wrote:

That rack is also by Crust: I saw a prototype at the shop. It's got an approx 8 x 10 (ish) (?) platform with a tombstone. It's adjustable for fit and position and has low rider mounts that fasten to a mid-blade braze-on -- also adjustable for varying positions.

Thanks. I will watch for it to be eventually offered on the Crust site. 

--Mitch 

[Austin ^]

Tires look like specialized renegade. 

My tracking also shows thursday for a romantic west coast delivery. 

[Paulo Dias]

not a fan of that specific build but the frameset looks good, definitely awesome that they were able to get these frames out so fast, and they look really well built. 

[Zach]

 I agree that it looks lower than the standard mid-fork eyelet which fits nitto 32F, etc...

[Tony DeFilippo]

The 'give us your money' link to the pre-order page shows all sizes sold out...  so I guess enough people liked it. Love the copy, great looking bike all around!