Here my review on Franks XIPI conversion kit that I have had now for 2 weeks and fitted myself.
My bike is a Giant XTC2 which I’ve had since 2005.
First of all delivery was quick, ordered the kit on a Thursday and it arrived the following Wednesday. My Dad ordered his kit from Japan and it took nearly 3 months to come. Mine turned up before his which he was jealous about.
On arrival: I opened the box to inspect the kit. It was well packaged and there were lots of different size bolts and spacers so it should work with most bikes and disc brakes.
The day of the fitting: I phoned Frank for help on fitting as there was no manual. Frank is in the process of making one up but in all fairness it wasn’t really necessary once I had spoken to Frank as he can easily explain over the phone what to do.
It took me most the day to fit as I wanted to get it right so i took my time.
The hardest bit was cutting the torque bracket/bar to size, as the kit come with quite a large triangular shaped piece of steel to accommodate most bike frames which needs to be cut to size. I used an angle grinder but if you’re not confidant in one then a hacksaw will do the job. I also spayed the bracket black as it thought it would look better but that’s personal choice. Aligning the brake disc was quite simple, which pleased me as I thought that would be the hardest bit, but I used the spacer provided and all was good.
If I ever did it again I think I could do it in about 3 hours, which would include spraying the torque bracket.
The fun bit: First I had a test ride to check all was well, my test ride ended up being about 10 miles long as I was having so much fun I got carried away. It rides up hills so well only needing the lightest of pedals for the real steep hills and I weigh 19 stone so am very pleased/surprised how well it goes.
I use it to and from work (11 miles each way in central London) with no problems and it now cuts my travel time down considerably, plus the saving on train fares means it will pay for itself in about 6 months.
I’ve also tried it out de restricted on private land and WOW it’s quick, does 30mph, it’s crazy. But best keep that power to off road and keep it restricted for road use.
I highly recommend the kit, especially if you can use it on private land de restricted like I can.
Here are some pictures; I’ll put more up when I get a chance to take more.
My bike is a Giant XTC2 which I’ve had since 2005.
First of all delivery was quick, ordered the kit on a Thursday and it arrived the following Wednesday. My Dad ordered his kit from Japan and it took nearly 3 months to come. Mine turned up before his which he was jealous about.
On arrival: I opened the box to inspect the kit. It was well packaged and there were lots of different size bolts and spacers so it should work with most bikes and disc brakes.
The day of the fitting: I phoned Frank for help on fitting as there was no manual. Frank is in the process of making one up but in all fairness it wasn’t really necessary once I had spoken to Frank as he can easily explain over the phone what to do.
It took me most the day to fit as I wanted to get it right so i took my time.
The hardest bit was cutting the torque bracket/bar to size, as the kit come with quite a large triangular shaped piece of steel to accommodate most bike frames which needs to be cut to size. I used an angle grinder but if you’re not confidant in one then a hacksaw will do the job. I also spayed the bracket black as it thought it would look better but that’s personal choice. Aligning the brake disc was quite simple, which pleased me as I thought that would be the hardest bit, but I used the spacer provided and all was good.
If I ever did it again I think I could do it in about 3 hours, which would include spraying the torque bracket.
The fun bit: First I had a test ride to check all was well, my test ride ended up being about 10 miles long as I was having so much fun I got carried away. It rides up hills so well only needing the lightest of pedals for the real steep hills and I weigh 19 stone so am very pleased/surprised how well it goes.
I use it to and from work (11 miles each way in central London) with no problems and it now cuts my travel time down considerably, plus the saving on train fares means it will pay for itself in about 6 months.
I’ve also tried it out de restricted on private land and WOW it’s quick, does 30mph, it’s crazy. But best keep that power to off road and keep it restricted for road use.
I highly recommend the kit, especially if you can use it on private land de restricted like I can.
Here are some pictures; I’ll put more up when I get a chance to take more.
