Possible WTT 48cm Hunqapillar for AHH

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dstein

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Dec 27, 2015, 3:26:59 PM12/27/15
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I have a year and a half old green Hunqapillar, 48cm, with a bit of beausage and touch up paint (from waterford). I have sed this as my primary mountain bike (hence the beausage) and camping bike but have recently gotten another mountain bike and this is being used primarily for all rounder duties. I love love love this bike. But I'm thinking an AHH would make for a better bike since I primarily keep to roads with some light trails (if anyone has both and feels differently please feel free to correct me). 

I am 5'7" with a 79-80 PBH. I was on the fence b/w a 48cm and 51cm Hunq and went with 48cm for better standover for trail riding and glad I did. 

Hoping someone here might have an AHH and looking to get into more trail riding with a Hunq ;)

Please reply privately if so. 

Zach Duval

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Dec 27, 2015, 4:00:20 PM12/27/15
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I don't have an AHH to trade, and I couldn't currently afford to buy a Hunq, but could you post some picks so I can drool anyway?

ted

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Dec 27, 2015, 4:24:02 PM12/27/15
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Good luck tracking down a used AHH, I think you would really enjoy one.
Sort of OT but I am curious what has replaced your Hunqapillar as your main off road ride and what motivated the change. Could you elaborate?

davec...@gmail.com

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Dec 27, 2015, 4:51:41 PM12/27/15
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Yeah I figure it's a long shot, I almost never see used ones pop up ;)

I got a Jones Plus. I kept crashing on the hunq and looking for a more stable, confident ride on technical single track. Was smitten with all the words on the internet around the jones and after calling and talking to Jeff I was handing over my card by the end of the call. 

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davec...@gmail.com

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Dec 27, 2015, 5:10:14 PM12/27/15
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I realize that is not a ringing endorsement for the hunq, the bike is fine, the rider was the issue there ;)

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Shoji Takahashi

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Dec 27, 2015, 10:14:09 PM12/27/15
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Hi,
I'm also 5'7" and nearly 81 PBH. I have a 48cm Hunqapillar and 56cm AHH.

I love them both! I, too, have been looking at the Jones+. Maybe a future bday present. (Glad I haven't called yet!)

The Hunqapillar serves great duty as a kid hauler and grocery getter. It is an occasional mountain bike-- wish I could do more trails with it. I have it sharing commuting duties with AHH.

AHH is definitely a faster bike-- for how I have them set up. (Hunqapillar is typically front+rear racks, sometimes front kid seat or rear Burley piccolo or rear trailer. Wears albatross, usually, though I swap out for bullmoose or mustache when I'm in the mood and don't have to haul the front seat.) AHH is set up with Noodles and saddlesack. It's a perfect, fast commuter. Probably great all rounder, though I haven't tested those boundaries as much as I'd like.

I'm not sure how the Jones would fit in my stable... but maybe that's reason enough to try.

(BTW: 54cm would probably fit a bit better, but 56cm is fine when I'm riding.)

Good luck in your search! AHH is a wonderful bike (as is the Hunqapillar).

shoji

David Stein

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Dec 28, 2015, 9:52:41 AM12/28/15
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Shoji, that helps a lot hearing that the AHH is noticeably the 'faster' bike. That is what I'm looking for, something that serves as an errand bike, bike camping bike, and is faster than my hunq on road rides which would be 70% of the rides on it. 

The Jones plus is unbelievably fantastic, but I have it setup with 3" treaded tires at 10 psi for technical trail riding. It is slower going up hill than the Hunq, but much cushier and more comfortable of a ride on technical trails than the Hunq which I desparately needed. It handles surprisingly well. And I was just as fast on it as I was on a Trek Fuel 9.9 (top of the line) demo ride I did. Some people get a 2nd wheelset for this with slick tires and higher psi for road riding and swear buy it, maybe I will one day but since the front wheel needs a 135mm hub, it's not something I can just go buy and Jones wheelbuilder price on their site has it at $1K for a wheelset, maybe another time.


dstein

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Dec 28, 2015, 4:06:24 PM12/28/15
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Definitely have some interest in people wanting to buy a 48cm Hunq. Anyone have a 52cm AHH they're willing to sell (frame/fork preferred but also open to complete)? 

Zach Duval

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Dec 28, 2015, 6:08:23 PM12/28/15
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What's the actual tire clearance for the 48 Hunqs?

davec...@gmail.com

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Dec 28, 2015, 6:37:07 PM12/28/15
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I think 2.25", maybe 2.3". I have 2.1 in the rear and 2.25 in the front. Smart sam's.

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> On Dec 28, 2015, at 5:08 PM, Zach Duval <zrd...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> What's the actual tire clearance for the 48 Hunqs?
>

Clayton.sf

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Dec 28, 2015, 10:57:24 PM12/28/15
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Get some compass tires for your hunq- it will be much faster. If you want really fast, look into skinny flexy tubing or some vintage 531 and compass tires. The AHH likely won't be that huge of an upgrade.

Clayton Scott
SF, CA

David Stein

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Dec 29, 2015, 8:09:20 AM12/29/15
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I actually do have compass tires on there now ;)  And that is my fear. I felt the hunq and sam rode the same honestly and since i liked the hunq more i sold the sam. And I've heard the sam and ahh ride the same (grant's words).

Clayton.sf

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Dec 29, 2015, 11:37:04 AM12/29/15
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These bikes are all very similar.

I don't think switching to an AHH will be a huge Chang and what you give up in return might not be worth it.

Ebay for some 531 bike or going with a Boulder or Lyon might be more what you are after.

Clayton
SF, CA

ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 12:58:02 PM12/29/15
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What would he be giving up that wouldn't be worth it? Sounds like you are very familiar with both models, have you owned both?

As to "Ebay for some 531 bike or going with a Boulder or Lyon might be more what you are after" it might, or it might not be. Really it depends on what dstein likes. Me, I have a late 70's Nobilette 531 frame that I basically stopped using when I got my hands on a stiffer more responsive frame. Of course now I hardly ever ride that frame either, and mostly ride my AHH. There is no one right answer for all people and all situations.

ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 12:58:17 PM12/29/15
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dstein,

If you think the Hunqapillar and the Sam Hillborne ride the same you will likely think the Sam and the Hilsen ride the same too.
As you pointed out Grant has said the Sam and Hilsen are functionally interchangeable, though there are differences between them.

I haven't ridden a Hunqapillar much, but I do have a first generation Bombadil and an AHH. For riding mostly roads I prefer the AHH. I think they ride differently, with the AHH being more responsive and the Bombadil being more stable. But it's possible that in a blind (if that were possible) test with the same components and position on each frame I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. 

How would you like your next bike to seem different than your Hunqapillar? What attributes would make a "better bike" seem better to you? 

I think you live in the east bay, in which case it could be well worth your while to bop over to RBW and test ride Hunqapillar, Hillborne, Hilsen, Roadeo back to back to ....

Btw what tires do you have? Earlier you posted there were Smart Sams on there, now Compass. Are your Compass tires Rat Trap Pass or a smaller size?

Surlyprof

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Dec 29, 2015, 1:12:17 PM12/29/15
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Dave,

Have you seen this one on CL? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/5378131226.html  Relatively close to you.  Not cheap but appears to be a nice build with low mileage.

John


On Sunday, December 27, 2015 at 12:26:59 PM UTC-8, dstein wrote:

RJM

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Dec 29, 2015, 1:19:58 PM12/29/15
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Wheel size will make a difference with how the bikes feel. Going from the Hunq to the Hilsen, he will be going from 26" to 650b. That is a change I can usually feel and on the road I think the 650b feels faster.

ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 1:43:23 PM12/29/15
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Dave,

John is right. Drop everything and go look at (and test ride) that bike immediately. It should help clarify your options more than any amount of internet advice. You may go meh, you may catch a case of lust, but either way I bet it helps settle what you want (including what size is best for you).

ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 1:46:02 PM12/29/15
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I think his Sam was 650B too, so if he thought his Sam and his Hunqapillar rode the same the wheel size probably doesn't matter to him.

davec...@gmail.com

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Dec 29, 2015, 1:58:22 PM12/29/15
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All good questions! I actually have some 650b wheels left over from a Sam I briefly owned and have been running those on the hunq, outfitted with compass 42mm tires. I ran smart sam's on there for a long time and still have them.

I'm looking for something lighter that climbs better than the hunq. My litmus test are a few climbs in Oakland including tunnel road. It is noticeably slower on the hunq than on my go fast road bike (Gunnar), which would be expected. However, given that the hunq was bought to be my primary mountain bike, and is no longer serving that purpose, and is in fact seeing way more road miles, my hope is that a more road oriented Rivendell would make more sense. The hunqapillar is fine as it is, and if there is not going to be noticeably faster than I may just stay with that. 

But my initial thought process is that an AHH is comparable in price and resale value to my hunq (while having all the fixings for racks, fenders, kick stands, etc.), and being lighter and hopefully a little faster, would be a good trade if there was one to be had. And I also have a 650b  wheel set with 2 nice sets of tires that would fit it nicely. I'm also not really looking to spend any money, hence the trade aspect of it.

I feel like I've struck out on finding a 52 or 54 ahh at RBW to test, maybe I need to go back and see what is there. This isn't an urgent thing and I'm happy riding the hunq and keeping it a long time. But I am very AHH curious ;)

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davec...@gmail.com

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Dec 29, 2015, 2:03:10 PM12/29/15
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Ha! I saw that yesterday. The price is high and I think I'd want a 52, but I may go check it out. I'm actually traveling and it'll be a while before I can check it out but funny timing since I almost never see AHH's for sale

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ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 2:46:32 PM12/29/15
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Did your brakes have enough range of adjustment for the change from 26" to 650B?

I'm actually a bit surprised that you are "noticeably slower on the hunq than on my go fast road bike" going up say Tunnel road. Do you notice the difference just by feel on your own, by timing it, by comparison with a regular riding partner? Is your position the same on both bikes? Same style bars? Same pedals? How many pounds lighter is the Gunnar comparing ready to ride bikes? How much do you and the bike ready to roll out the drive weigh? How much more stuff is on the Hunqapillar? What is your time up Tunnel road?

Getting from the Hunqapillar to an AHH is probably going to cost you some $$, at least as temporary outlay with some risk of permanence. The one near Alameda may be as good a fit as you see in some time. Complete bikes tend to be better bargains, by selling off all the extra parts after merging between your Hunqapillar and the AHH and selling the Hunqapillar as a frame fork and headset you might get close to breaking even. If your ambivalent about changing, it's likely not worth the trouble.

Joe Bernard

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Dec 29, 2015, 2:51:16 PM12/29/15
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You should check it out. We're similar PBH and I would be on a 48 Hunq. I owned a 54 AHH which I never should have sold (cash crunch at the time). It fit great with Alba bars, and rode like the wind. They never come up in that size used, so get thee hence!

David Stein

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Dec 29, 2015, 2:58:08 PM12/29/15
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Ted - My ambivalence starts when a lot of money and time get invested into it. I realize its a long shot to get an exact trade (or close to it, ideally for just a frame and fork trade). Could be worth it in the long run. I'd have to  put some thought into it. 

I do about 33-35 minutes up on the Gunnar at my fastest and closer to 45 minutes up on the Hunq. Different setups. Gunnar has a mark's rack and small trunksack and drop bars, it also has a pretty lightweight wheelset. The Hunq has albastaches and also a front rack, sometimes with a basket and things. With my regular riding buddies I can keep up on the gunnar but definintely fall behind on the Hunq.

No issues with the brakes, they're the cx70's. It takes a few minutes to adjust them up and down when i change out the wheelsets but otherwise works pretty well, and the outside diameter is pretty similar between the 26 2.1 smart sams and the 650b 42mm babyshoe pass tires.

ted

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Dec 29, 2015, 8:31:42 PM12/29/15
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Wow Dave, that is a lot. Like 25 or 30 percent slower eh? To put that all down to weight difference would mean like 40 pounds wouldn't it? Is your Gunnar 10s of pounds lighter than your Hunqapillar?
I suspect a lot of your difference is down to position on the bike, whats on the bike (i.e. racks, fenders, bags, gear, kickstands etc), and effort. On the Atlantis product page it says the AHH is about a pound lighter, so I don't see how a Hunqapillar can be more than a few pounds heavier than an AHH.
I doubt very much that just swapping frames is going to make a big dent in that sort of a time difference.
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