Cheaper bike

[Deleted member 4366]

You can change the handlebars, stem and tyres on any MTB, then add mudguards and lights to convert it it into a commuter/touring bike. The whole lot can be done for about £60, which is nothing when you're spending £1000 on the bike. In fact if you sell the bits you remove, you should get most of the £60 back. Get a bike with the right power system, then make the bike how you want it.

 

[denwyn]

You can change the handlebars, stem and tyres on any MTB, then add mudguards and lights to convert it it into a commuter/touring bike. The whole lot can be done for about £60, which is nothing when you're spending £1000 on the bike. In fact if you sell the bits you remove, you should get most of the £60 back. Get a bike with the right power system, then make the bike how you want it.

I did think of this, but surley it would invalidate any warranty.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Get their permission before you change. Why should it invalidate the warranty. Loads of people change the tyres, add mudgusrds and lights. What's that got to do with warranty?

 

[dmsims]

A budget crank drive is an absolute liability if you live in a hilly area. That's ironic given the marketing blurb.

 

[D8ve]

dmsims

That's a strong statement. Why do you say so?

 

[dmsims]

For many reasons rather like the Porsche 911 it is a fundamentally flawed design and needs to be aborted.

In contrasting the Woosh Santana CD and Big bear in our hilly environment:

It is extremely unpleasant to ride a budget crank drive due to the following factors:

Hills are NOT a constant gradient

the CD will NOT go up 15% hills on throttle

Changing gear on a CD uphill involves coming to a standstill

A CD is slower up hills

Budget crank drives are DEAD long live the BPM hub

 

[dmsims]

My wife's response is illustrative (she uses the bike to commute)

How was the new bike (Big Bear LS) ?
Much better

How was the gearchange?
Much, much better

 

[trex]

Woosh make better and better bikes, the Woosh CDs arrived about a year before the Big Bear and were much better than the Sirocco 2 (that preceded them) in terms of climbing power, which was better than the Sirocco 1 introduced 3 years ago etc - and the Big Bear LS is the most recent one, it delivers about 42% more power than the CDs. Just wait until the next Woosh CD (Krieger) this autumn.

 

[Jimod]

My wife's response is illustrative (she uses the bike to commute)

How was the new bike (Big Bear LS) ?
Much better

How was the gearchange?
Much, much better

The big bear being better doesn't make the Santana Cd bad. I've tried the Cd uphill as I reported on here. Whilst it didn't match my Kudos Typhoon uphill it wasn't bad.

I don't understand the bit about a CD NOT going up a 15% hill on throttle alone. Does the big bear do it?

 

[dmsims]

The big bear being better doesn't make the Santana Cd bad. I've tried the Cd uphill as I reported on here. Whilst it didn't match my Kudos Typhoon uphill it wasn't bad.

I don't understand the bit about a CD NOT going up a 15% hill on throttle alone. Does the big bear do it?

My point about the CD not doing steep gradients is twofold

1. People have stated that it will - this is a lie

2. One of the strategies promulgated to mitigate the awful gearchange is to use the throttle but see point 1

No the Big Bear won't do it either but it doesn't matter because you can change gear(s) at will without any issues

 

[trex]

the 15% gradient on throttle claim is with rider (75) + bike (25) = 100kg.
Do you weigh more than that?

 

[Jimod]

My point about the CD not doing steep gradients is twofold

1. People have stated that it will - this is a lie

2. One of the strategies promulgated to mitigate the awful gearchange is to use the throttle but see point 1

No the Big Bear won't do it either but it doesn't matter because you can change gear(s) at will without any issues

In my post about the Woosh Santana Cd I mentioned being in gear 5 as the hill steepened. It was too high a gear deliberately as I wanted to check the gear changing. It clunked from 5 to 4, then from 4 to 3 less of a clunk. From 3 to 2 it was OK and from 2 to 1 it was seamless. If I had just been out playing instead of trying to see how the gear change went, I'd not have been in such a high gear.

I'm prepared to bet I can get up the same road with no gear change problems. I'd be in the correct gear for the gradient at each point.

I'm not claiming a CD or a hub is best, I've posted plenty of times for people to see my bike adventures but I wouldn't claim a CD is rubbish and should be abandoned.

Horses for courses.

 

[trex]

the Woosh CDs have 14A controllers, the Bears have 20A controllers.
That explains the difference in power. But the table will turn with the forthcoming Krieger CD.

 

[dmsims]

the 15% gradient on throttle claim is with rider (75) + bike (25) = 100kg.
Do you weigh more than that?

I do but my wife doesn't and it wouldn't for either of us

 

[hoppy]

the Woosh CDs have 14A controllers, the Bears have 20A controllers.
That explains the difference in power. But the table will turn with the forthcoming Krieger CD.

Krieger sounds good,trex.What gears will it have?

 

[trex]

Sounds good,trex.What gearswill it have?

8-speed derailleur with gear cable sensor.

 

[JohnCade]

In my post about the Woosh Santana Cd I mentioned being in gear 5 as the hill steepened. It was too high a gear deliberately as I wanted to check the gear changing. It clunked from 5 to 4, then from 4 to 3 less of a clunk. From 3 to 2 it was OK and from 2 to 1 it was seamless. If I had just been out playing instead of trying to see how the gear change went, I'd not have been in such a high gear.

I'm prepared to bet I can get up the same road with no gear change problems. I'd be in the correct gear for the gradient at each point.

I'm not claiming a CD or a hub is best, I've posted plenty of times for people to see my bike adventures but I wouldn't claim a CD is rubbish and should be abandoned.

Horses for courses.

Not sure what you're writing there. Do you mean you were in a higher gear, that is a taller gear to begin with and then changed down? That is went to a shorter gear, a bigger back sprocket from a smaller one? Because you seem to be describing going up the gears not down.

Or are you saying that the change from the second shortest gear to the shortest was the easiest? Because that change is the hardest to do smoothly with power on since the mech has to lift the chain the furthest.

 

[hoppy]

8-speed derailleur with gear cable sensor.

That will be interesting. I suppose it works like touching a brake lever to momentarily cut power. Could be the answer for those too inept to manage cd derailleurs at present!

 

[JohnCade]

That will be interesting. I suppose it works like touching a brake lever to momentarily cut power. Could be the answer for those too inept to manage cd derailleurs at present!

It's pretty easy to change down smoothly with this rather crude system by momentarily killing the power. But up changes are clunky too in full power mode unless you do the same.

Quite easy to do really but a pain in the arse nevertheless. A bit like double declutching on an old crash box where up changes take longer than down ones which can just be slipped in much more quickly with a blip of the throttle.

 

[dmsims]

That will be interesting. I suppose it works like touching a brake lever to momentarily cut power. Could be the answer for those too inept to manage cd derailleurs at present!

You are a gear changing god and I bow down to you