DJR Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 A unicycle!I saw the jealousy in your eyes when they went past at Tokai a few weeks back. I've been shocked to discover that The Crow owns a road bike, and that means ANYTHING is possible! Even a Unicycle!
Steven Knoetze (sk27) Posted January 18, 2014 Posted January 18, 2014 Chatted briefly with a local racer here who rides mostly XC and XCO and he has recently gone from a hardtail SL Momsen to the VIPA. In his opinion is faster, smoother, more comfartable and his new race bike from this season.Seems like a real do-it-all kind of machine.
Iwan Kemp Posted January 20, 2014 Author Posted January 20, 2014 Chatted briefly with a local racer here who rides mostly XC and XCO and he has recently gone from a hardtail SL Momsen to the VIPA. In his opinion is faster, smoother, more comfartable and his new race bike from this season.Seems like a real do-it-all kind of machine. It is indeed
ScottCM Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 I think it's left of field enough to make the wager... NS Bikes Eccentric
Iwan Kemp Posted January 20, 2014 Author Posted January 20, 2014 NS Bikes Eccentric Dit was nie verlede week nie, maar damn, na vandag se vids is ek baie tempted! Was nog altyd 'n NS fan. En wou nog altyd 'n LT hardtail opgebou het.
Iwan Kemp Posted January 20, 2014 Author Posted January 20, 2014 Time for some more feedback on the VIPA...it's been 4 months to the day since I've started this thread and lots have happened since then. Was in the fortunate position to ride it back to back with (amongst others) an Ibis Ripley and a Spez Epic. Will share some thoughts on the Ripley first. First, Ripley build:Reba 120mmXX1 drivetrainFormula The One BrakesKS LevAM Classic Tubeless 29 Wheelset with Rocket Ron front and Racing Ralph rear. Same wheels and tyres as me, similar fork, dropper post and same cockpit. In terms of weight the Ripley is a cool 500g lighter than the Vipa. Pretty much all of that in the drivetrain. For the usual stuff, Jeep Track and just riding along, there isn't much in it. Both pedal well and have just about no BOB. Same goes for traction under heavy load and when climbing lose sections. For the most part the biggest limiting factor here is the Racing Ralph rear tyre. Ripley has a healthy 120mm worth of rear travel (vs the Vipa's 80mm) and that does make a difference when hitting single track with some jumps, rooty sections and a couple of technical obstacles thrown in. Hell, 80mm is still only 80mm and I ain't no featherweight any more. But the Vipa does keep up more than what I would've thought. Coming down Mamba, Cobra and Boomslang the Vipa can and will do everything the Ripley does. Only when you get to Vasbyt does the Vipa start to show it's lack of travel in the rear. Ripley is a little bit more plush through the rough stuff, but it was designed to be. For a ST XC bike the Vipa does remarkably well to keep up...and in some cases pull ahead! Steering the Vipa is a joy. It rails and corners like a bike with smaller wheels. I'm sure the short stem, wide bar and 51mm off set fork helps, but still...this is a 29er! It's not suppose to be this good! Dammit! What was obvious with the Ripley was that it needs bigger, better, fatter tyres. Chasing down the best of Jonkershoek the tyres were stretched beyond their comfort zone and curb the fun quite a bit. Ordered some proper trail / Enduro tires which was suppose to make it on time for the test period, but alas, the local agents just can't seem to get the basics right. Now I'm only going to say this once. The VIPA is the better looking bike. It's lines just work. Paint job is subjective, but there's something there that makes it a looker. Looks quite mean and purposeful in the flesh. Makes you wanna ride!!! In terms of finish they are on par with each other. Would love to have been able to ride the Ripley with proper trail tires and to try a 51mm off set fork on it as Ibis put quite a lot of emphasis on the fact the it's been designed around one. Not sure what it would be like with the tyres I wanted, but when pushed hard the Ripley made me wish I was on my HDR. And maybe the biggest compliment for the Vipa is this: not once did I wish I was rather on the HDR whilst riding the Momsen. I had one of the most fun, enjoyable rides riding Tokai with Mark and Ben10. We were basically coasting down, but I could hit the jumps, rail the berms and enjoy the good life - all on board the Vipa. With crappy pedals! And that makes me happy. I have two bikes with just about no overlap in terms of intended use, but I still get to have two bikes that are a hoot on the trails. What more can one ask for?* * twist ending...
ScottCM Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Dit was nie verlede week nie, maar damn, na vandag se vids is ek baie tempted! Was nog altyd 'n NS fan. En wou nog altyd 'n LT hardtail opgebou het. Those NS bike do look like something quite unique.
Hairy Posted January 20, 2014 Posted January 20, 2014 Dit was nie verlede week nie, maar damn, na vandag se vids is ek baie tempted! Was nog altyd 'n NS fan. En wou nog altyd 'n LT hardtail opgebou het.what about a little Ti in your life .... and the good type, not the type that will love all night long type! I happen to know of a certain Ti HT LT frame that was said to be the best LT HT Ti frame a certain review site had ever ridden. Just saying, but then we are talking 26'er and you are probably thinking 650?
Iwan Kemp Posted January 20, 2014 Author Posted January 20, 2014 Those NS bike do look like something quite unique. I want to have it's babies!http://ride.io/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NS-Bikes-DH-Prototype.jpg
ScottCM Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 I want to have it's babies!http://ride.io/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NS-Bikes-DH-Prototype.jpg i never saw this one, only LT HT, but damn this DS really is eye candy. if you do go for it let me know as i would definitely want to follow that review thread.
stringbean Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 I think the real test to see if the Vipa is any good is to watch and see if Crow manages to keep it for longer than a year lol.
DJR Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 I think the real test to see if the Vipa is any good is to watch and see if Crow manages to keep it for longer than a year lol. The mere fact that he rides it often while his dream Ibis build is also at hand and ready to roll, should tell you a lot!
stringbean Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 Or he's become a full convert to 29er and doesn't even know yet.
Iwan Kemp Posted January 21, 2014 Author Posted January 21, 2014 what about a little Ti in your life .... and the good type, not the type that will love all night long type! I happen to know of a certain Ti HT LT frame that was said to be the best LT HT Ti frame a certain review site had ever ridden. Just saying, but then we are talking 26'er and you are probably thinking 650? I think the real test to see if the Vipa is any good is to watch and see if Crow manages to keep it for longer than a year lol.Think we should rather judge it on how often I ride it! The mere fact that he rides it often while his dream Ibis build is also at hand and ready to roll, should tell you a lot! Exactly! Or he's become a full convert to 29er and doesn't even know yet.
Iwan Kemp Posted January 24, 2014 Author Posted January 24, 2014 I've been shocked to discover that The Crow owns a road bike, and that means ANYTHING is possible! Even a Unicycle! Anything other than owning a road bike, that is! what about a little Ti in your life .... and the good type, not the type that will love all night long type! I happen to know of a certain Ti HT LT frame that was said to be the best LT HT Ti frame a certain review site had ever ridden. Just saying, but then we are talking 26'er and you are probably thinking 650?Sooooo, soooooo tempting. But alas, it will probably be 650b
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.