Plushness is in the butt of the beholder.

So to speak.

Interesting post by GT has me scratching my head.

He is wrapping up the diSSent test period and says that he thinks the diSSent is a pretty smooth riding frame:

"First off, if you are thinking the typical “aluminum is harsh” thing, the diSSent isn’t that at all. I would put it on par with the stiffer steel frames I have ridden."

Huh.

Captain Bob said, when he wrote about the diSSent:

"I would have to call this frame set steel with the looks of aluminum. Yes, it is aluminum but the feel is all steel. In fact it’s better than most steel frames I have owned or ridden."

Well I will be dipped! How can that be? I just built the Monkey back up with the same parts I had on the diSSent and it is certainly a bit smoother overall and the KM has a rep for being a bit of a rough riding steel bike.

If the steel frame that I was told is coming my way turns out to be vaporware, I may just try it again. I think I would run a 90mm stem to get my weight back a bit, go back to the Easton carbon h-bars and pick up a Ti seat post from Erikson. What did I miss? Both of them have ridden more 29er hardtails than I have so I appreciate their perspective.

I do miss the handling and the pedaling performance that the diSSent offered. I wonder if I miss it enough to try it again?

So long DiSSent

Well, it was a short romance, this grand adventure called a DiSSent. I plan on moving the frame onto another owner as soon as one pops up. So what happened? Did it suck?

Not at all. In fact, it is an excellent product, especially for the money, but it is not for me. Remember that this was a bit of an experiment to try some things I had wondered about for a while. To follow the whole thread, just clicky on the tag DiSSent, left column of the blog page. I was very interested to see how the aluminum thing was going to treat me, how the longer TT length would feel, and if there was to be a compromise in ride quality over pedaling perfomance, would it be worth it?

This is what I found:

• Oversize aluminum is what it is. There is little magic going on to make it supernaturally behave other than its nature suggests. The Dissent is a mixed bag of emotions when you point it into the bumpies. The back end is surprisingly smooth, in fact I would not be surprised if it is smoother than the KM is or at least pretty darn close. The front end of the bike is very stout and therin lies the rub...I have not figured out how to ride only on the back wheel for every bump. Until I do, the DiSSent shows its oversize, gusseted nature quite plainly here. It may not be 'harsh', but it is certainly 'abrupt'.
  
• It is a fine handling bike. Not only does it crush the KM in overall handling prowess (except in one area), it is a better handling bike than my Lenz FS. Here I am sure the resolute frame is working for me. It turns, holds the line, and just is unfazed by whatever I can hang on through.
  
• The longer TT length is a mixed bag. I went from a 24.25" TT on the Karate Monkey to a 25.25" TT on the DiSSent, pulled back the cockpit 1/2" with a shorter stem, leaving me one half inch more to stretch out into. It feels great when I stand to pedal, really great. But I needed to move the saddle forward a bit, maybe another 1/2" to get the feel right when seated, so what was the point? To run a shorter stem? That is about all I really changed, that and having a longer wheelbase. What I did lose was a bit of playfulness. The 19" DiSSent I rode was not this way, so I feel that, at least for this bike and set up, the extra length needs to come from something other than frame length. However, it still turns like a guided missle, despite the size of it and I bet for a slightly taller person than I it would be killer.
• Pedaling perfomance Vs. Ride quality. So, I had a theory: Does the high demand for pedaling performance on an SS, and by that I mean the ability of a frame to take the high pedaling loads and transfer that into forward motion, does that allow for compromise on ride quality, what we call 'suppleness' or smoothness' or what have you? At this price level, steel is often less than fabulous in that if it rides very smoothly, it will likely be flexy at the BB. If it is stiffer, like the KM, it likely will not be all that nice of a ride. And, cheap steel is heavy. Result? I think the DiSSent is absolutely worth the tradeoff with one proviso...can you take the beating that will result? The DiSSent is simply fabulous when it comes to surging forward under hard pedaling, steep climbs, fast charges, etc. It rocks. But, it 'rocks' me in other ways that, at my age and level of frailty, is just too much to enjoy over a long trail day. But, if you are not too concerned with that and are more bulletproof than I (not too hard), then the DiSSent, for the money, is 'Da Bomb. It would be a fabulous race bike for XC duty.
  

That begs the question, "What is next?". Not sure. But whatever it is it will be living in the shadow of the DiSSent, a flat black shadow of a mean and fast bike that does what it does very well indeed.

Getting to know the DiSSent

I have three rides on the new SS scoot so far, two with some changes to the handlebars (Groovy Luv Bars...more on that coming up) and another seat post and I am getting a pretty good feel for the little aluminum warrior.

• It is a much better, and by better, I mean stiffer, responsive, resolute, snappy, etc, pedaling bike then the Karate Monkey (KM). The KM was not a dog, but when you hit those very steep grades or times when you were really reefing on the bars and barely turning the cranks over, the Km would just kinda go "uuuunhhggg" and slow down like a tired dog looking for shade. It would keep moving, but it did not feel all excited about it. The Dissent looks at the hill and dares you to turn the cranks over and hammer, cuz it knows you will give up before it does. It is very stout and racy feeling. That is good.
• It is a fair amount more abusive then the KM as far as overall ride quality. It is not crazy beat-you-down stiff, in fact the rear end feels very smooth but that big, oversize and gusseted front triangle, the one that makes the BB seem so rock steady...it will let you know in no uncertain terms that it is no luxury liner, sit back and float over the trail, ride.
  
• It is a very good handling bike. It is more stable then the KM when things get fast and rutted...the KM would push the 'tighten sphincter' button real fast, but the DiSSent just runs through with very little fuss. So, it is more stable and it is a bigger bike then the KM, longer wheelbase, etc. So why does it turn so much better too? Very nicely done. If I danced through the woods more and bounded over ruts and rocks less, I would go for the 19" frame, but the XL supertanker version is still easy to move down the trail. It is harder to get the front end up then the KM was, despite the same CS length.

Time will tell about if I can live with the fair beat down it gives out. It may be relatively smooth riding for an oversize aluminum frame, but it is not magical and it cannot defy the nature of the beast. Also, keep in mind that I am an older guy with crummy wrists and a worn out back. YMMV. Steel may be real, faithful, and true like the Lone Ranger or Clark Kent, but oversize aluminum is the guy with lots of ink and a few scars from battle. Think cage fighting.

One thing I would hate to lose is the fabulous response that the frame gives to hard pedaling efforts. I will keep riding it and tweaking things for a while and see what happens. If it is not for me, I will move it to another buyer and take what I learned to the next bike choice. What will that be? Dunno. I still have to finish up some work with a custom builder I know and if I could blend some of the qualities of this frame into a steel one and gain some cush in the overall ride, that could be the holy grail.

Of course, the grail is just a myth. Maybe the perfect bike is too.

Junkyard Dog

Wrenches are turning in a frenzied effort.

Last night me and about 256 moths were busy building up the DiSSent by porch and floodlight just outside my front door. All I need to do is run the cables to the BB7s and set them up, something I thought I would do with daylight and a fresh brain, so I am 95% there.

I am very anal when it comes to cable housing length, prepping the cable ends with a sanding/grinding wheel, etc. And, I guess that there is a certain process to getting the BB7s to be the best that they can be.

So, about an hour or so of routing, cutting, adjusting and fretting remains till I can ride and tweak things into something that can be taken into the hills.

Hee heeeee!

Countdown to one.

One gear, that is. Hopefully this week with bring me the parts I need to complete the DiSSent build and then I have a pretty big loop planned to break it in properly, likely the single biggest ride on an SS to date.

I really do miss the SS. I had to back off of the riding after the crash to let my wrist heal. I could not have been riding SS anyway till recently since I could not stand and pull on the bars. I thought I would have lost a lot of fitness, but I am still riding pretty strong.

But there is geared strong and single speed strong. I have a feeling that I may find out that I am one but not the other, kinda like this Singlespeed Mystery.

I bet I will have a few mystery moments ahead of me.

Anarchy and Single Speeds: the new ride

I spell SS, DiSSent. It is more fun that way. I hope.


From the dark recesses of the Evil Empire (with the strains of Oh Canada playing softly in the background) I bring you my new singlespeed ride to be. I brought this bad-boy-in-flat-black DiSSent frame back from Sea Otter the other day where Lord Peter graciously allowed me to wrest it out of the hands of the folks at Likin Bikin, a great group of on-line retailers. Check 'em out.

Size biggie, the longer TT should get me where I want to be...I hope. This bike is a bit of an experiment. One, I never have, well, pretty much never, had an aluminum hardtail. I have 'Steel Is Real' tattooed on the underside of my left eyelid so it is a constant reminder of my credo. But, I have a theory discussed here that I want to prove out to myself. Also, at 25.25" eff, it is the longest TT by 3/4s of an inch over anything I have ever owned before. Will I like the stretch? The ride? The pedaling mojo? I am hoping for 6061 grade, harmonious joy, so we shall see. I weighed it, and bare, no seat collar, etc, it was 4lbs 13oz. Not too bad for the asking price of under 400 clams. They use various bi-valves as currency in Canada ever since beaver got all protected and such. Imagine...all that and socialized medicine too.



Parts are being chosen and collated as we speak. I hope to feature the build on the cyclist site.
Budget temperature set to low will be the standard, but I will not go too cheesy. Eventually I want to change a few things over the SS Monkey...lose the Thudbuster, maybe some alternative bars with a nifty hand position, and disc brakes for sure. I expect it will be somewhat lighter than the KM was, but how much? We shall see. Some of those changes will happen right away and some over time so I will carry quite a few parts over at first.

DiSSent. Anarchy. Skulls. Rebellion. Makes me feel like stickin' it to the man! Except at my age, I probably am the man.