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Chumba Sendero

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jchan417

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Whose got one?

It's high up on my list for my next SS build.

Looking for some first-hand feedback on the bike. I had a 2015 SIR 9 and loved it - recently sold it to fund my trail bike build, and starting the search for my SS replacement.

Anyone know the approximate weight of the Sendero frame?
 
#2 ·
I don't own one, but I think you're going to have a hard time finding any negative reviews on any of Chumbas frames. Everything I have ever read about them and the few people I've talked to that were riding one gave glowing reviews.

I highly recommend you listen to the Bikes or Death podcast episode with one of the owners of Chumba. Just listening to the guy talk about bikes and company is enough to make you want to buy one. They are the epitome of small business in America, doing what they love. They put a ton of effort into their stuff and are very down to earth.

I almost bought a Sendero but the wait time was a little longer than I wanted to sit without a bike. I chatted with them a bit about a few different things and they were super responsive and willing to talk about any questions I had. I'm sure you could email them asking for frame weights and such and you'd get a quick response.
 
#3 ·
I know a few people who have them. Chumbas are made a few miles from my house, so it's not hard to find fans here. a few riders recently switched from Vassago Verhauens and Chumba Stellas and they really like the Sendero in comparison. shorter chainstays, longer reach. it's a nod to all that new school stuff with going overboard. it's still a XC bike IMO, but it seems more playful and capable in the chunky stuff. I ride with a guy who rides his with a rigid fork, flat pedals, and a dropper seatpost and nothing is holding him back.
 
#4 ·
Like Mack, I’m also in Austin.

If you really want the scoop I suggest you join the Austin Single Speeders Facebook group. Off the top of my head I can count at least seven folks here in ATX running Senderos as singlespeeds. And they’re all in the A*S*S group, and they’d all be happy to post pix and share their experiences.

I rode with one of the owners and two other guys yesterday, and all three of them were on SSenderos.

Agree that it’s a killer company going above and beyond with their production/semi-custom builds.

Finally you should check out some of the industry reviews. Dirt Rag did one before they folded. The Radavist did one. Ride Along is doing one, and they’re about to have a big feature in an industry mag. You won’t find much but unanimous praise.
 
#5 ·
CCSS said:
Finally you should check out some of the industry reviews. Dirt Rag did one before they folded. The Radavist did one. Ride Along is doing one, and they're about to have a big feature in an industry mag. You won't find much but unanimous praise.
Click to expand...
Not sure if its still the case, but the owner in the podcast I listened to said that they never pay for reviews. Paying for reviews is pretty much industry standard these days, which is why there really aren't any bad ones out there.

Its nice to know that they at least don't pay. Might make the reviews more reliable.
 
#6 ·
timely thread. I was recently just looking at Chumbas as well. do they make a Ti Sendero?

i'm on the last interation jabber with a Ti fork. geometry is different than a sendero but not by much. i love the way my jabber rides and handles my 210lb carcass. that said, i'm completely smitten with a Sendero.
 
#7 ·
I've asked about a titanium Sendero. I don't think they have said anything specific about it but I am sure it's on their mind right now.

The Jabber is fairly long and low (although no so much by today's standards). some people prefer that. Chumba's pedigree is central Texas chunk, which often works better on a bike with less bottom bracket drop.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
A TI sendero would be pretty sweet, although I believe their TI bikes are no longer made in-house, which is slightly less appealing. I like the thought of supporting a smaller company like Chumba, especially if they're fabricating in-house, and I believe only their steel models are made in-house now.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
mack_turtle said:
I missed this part: were they making titanium stuff in-house? last thing I heard, they have Lynskey making their titanium frames. yes, steel stuff is made in Austin.
Click to expand...
I'm not 100% sure that they were making TI stuff in house, but only made the assumption since their website describes their TI bikes as 'Still made in the USA!' - So I took that to mean they used to fab TI bikes in house, but have since outsourced. Total assumption on my part though.
 
#11 ·
this comment is two year old:

Chumba owner Vince said:
Yes, Lynskey fabricates our titanium bikes in the USA for us out of Tennessee, we fabricate all 6 models of our steel bikes in-house at our Austin, TX HQ. All the bikes go through our alignment table and full quality control check, the same as any bike made in-house. If it doesn't meet the standard we send them back.

The dropouts are machined in-house by Lynksey, the inserts are Paragon Machine works, as well as the hardware used is Paragon Machine Works. All of our Steel bikes use Paragon Dropouts/Inserts/Hardware. - Vince @ chumbausa
Click to expand...
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/chumba-ursa-major-review/

if you really want to know, just email Chumba and ask them. you'll probably have an answer within an hour.
 
#14 ·
mack_turtle said:
I know a few people who have them. Chumbas are made a few miles from my house, so it's not hard to find fans here. a few riders recently switched from Vassago Verhauens and Chumba Stellas and they really like the Sendero in comparison. shorter chainstays, longer reach. it's a nod to all that new school stuff with going overboard. it's still a XC bike IMO, but it seems more playful and capable in the chunky stuff. I ride with a guy who rides his with a rigid fork, flat pedals, and a dropper seatpost and nothing is holding him back.
Click to expand...
Has Chumba changed the geo on the Sendero? Last time I checked, chainstays were about the same at 420 and the Verhauens had the longer reach.

Looked really hard at the Sendero but 2.4 max rear tire? Even my Nimble9 fits 2.8's slammed with a little room for mud.
 
#15 ·
CCSS said:
Like Mack, I'm also in Austin.

If you really want the scoop I suggest you join the Austin Single Speeders Facebook group. Off the top of my head I can count at least seven folks here in ATX running Senderos as singlespeeds. And they're all in the A*S*S group, and they'd all be happy to post pix and share their experiences.

I rode with one of the owners and two other guys yesterday, and all three of them were on SSenderos.

Agree that it's a killer company going above and beyond with their production/semi-custom builds.

Finally you should check out some of the industry reviews. Dirt Rag did one before they folded. The Radavist did one. Ride Along is doing one, and they're about to have a big feature in an industry mag. You won't find much but unanimous praise.
Click to expand...
Any of you SS'ers doing the Enchilada Buffet this year? There's a few of us from NTX tossing around the idea.
 
#17 · (Edited)
It's not exactly representative of the current bikes or brand, but I'm constantly riding my Chumba HX-2 that I got in 2012 when the brand was under different ownership. Having said that, I'm stoked seeing how much the company has grown.

For myself, I look forward to ordering a complete Sendero as soon as I get into a larger home next year. I'd suggest shooting them an e-mail. Hope you grab one and school us on all the details with plenty of pictures. I've no doubts these are some of the best rides around!
 

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