You'd likely be best off going with a Nitrous rather than a more road and/or cyclocross oriented bike. For any steep climb and/or technical dirt climb it's going to be hard to get enough traction as well as downhill stability given the short reach and related road geometry--out of the saddle climbing on a short reach bike puts a lot of weight up front, rather than where it's needed, and a steep front end makes for some twitchy cornering. Look at almost any bike that was competitive in the Tour Divide and you'll find almost all are on hardtail mountain frames. The 2019 winner was on a Titanium frame hard tail, Binary Super B XC. These are made in China rather than Taiwan, and IMHO are not as pretty and well engineered as the Turner. 7 Bikes of the Tour Divide - Pinkbike
NEW TURNER Ti Hardtail
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Cyclosys rack mounts are as stealth as I can hide them. Really, I know that almost 100% of riders will never use a full bolt on fender or an old school touring rack, so why should the rest of us have to look at ugly mounts the whole time we own the bike?! Clip on fenders are so good now, and for bike packing, the super seat bags are king. For clip on rear fenders I have a stack of them for different bikes as I make it a point to ride in our rare rains. Having a front fender that drops almost to the ground would be AWESOME. Last week I am winging it thru a rainstorm and watching gallons of water roosting off the front wheel and into my shoes.. While I am thinking about it I should order something like the SKS Bluemels Longboard.
Having toured using everything from a BOB trailer, to full panniers, to backpack+seatbag+frame bag (etc.); and on roads from the Pacific and Atlantic Coast ACA routes, to Kokopelli and Colorado trails, I can definitely say, I love the capacity racks provide -- but seriously doubt they'd hold up on longer trail routes. So bags for those. Also NZ, Viet Nam, Cambodia, and when travel opens up again, lots more!
My Cyclosys is a great great ride for mixed dirt and road, lightly loaded -- highly recommended for that. Thinking Nitrous for a bit more loading w/o performance compromise for rougher trails, vs. my FS bike (Czar, and 5 Spot before that).
What I'd REALLY like is a high capacity seat bag that still gives me full range on my dropper seat post. I've been using an Oveja Negra bag that has held up well, but only gives me 50 mm drop. Anything out there???
My Cyclosys is a great great ride for mixed dirt and road, lightly loaded -- highly recommended for that. Thinking Nitrous for a bit more loading w/o performance compromise for rougher trails, vs. my FS bike (Czar, and 5 Spot before that).
What I'd REALLY like is a high capacity seat bag that still gives me full range on my dropper seat post. I've been using an Oveja Negra bag that has held up well, but only gives me 50 mm drop. Anything out there???
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Yeah, the move to giant seat bags seems a bit strange. For us fat-biking, this was a stop-gap a few years ago to allow bringing a sleeping bag and enough gear with you, usually including a pad for sleeping on the snow, etc. Quite a few of the bikes back then didn't have mounts. Now, most fat-bikes have rack mounts. I have one of mine set up for the Iditarod right now. Dropper post, rear rack for gear. I don't understand why anyone would want to put weight up as high as the seat (seat bag). Putting weight as low as you possibly can is always the best riding setup (and takes a rack). It seems like the seat-bags are all the rage right now. Seems like ex-mtbers are not as willing to wade into the micro-pannier world.
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4,322 Posts
Fat bike on snow you don't have the same level of vibrations running through the mounts to stress them in the same way as riding on dirt/gravel will over extended periods.
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35,255 Posts
Maybe, but it's not just riding on snow, it's commuting, gravel, touring, riding on dirt, etc...
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Working on it 'zango... The challenge of a new web store is still a uhhh challenge. After we get the inventory plug in figured out I will be listing weights. Off the top of my head, Sm ARTi is 1450g, Lg Nitrous 2000g. With all screws, bolts, hanger and clamp of course.
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558 Posts
Thanks, that sounds like about what I would have guessed.
Good luck with the web store!
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602 Posts
First ride today - feels great. A few sketchy moments due to new-bike exuberance overwhelming the XC tyres! That aside, geo feels great (I need to drop the bars a little to weight the front more and give a little extra reach). Stiff around the BB. I forgot to put any chain-slap protector on, which I realised on the first downhill....no matter, it's Ti, no paintwork to chip!
Tyre clearance is massive with these 2.25 Schwalbes. I have also fitted it with toothy 2.3 Minions on 30mm internal-width rims....still loads of room for UK mud. It's lovely to have such a short seat-tube so I can run a 170mm dropper post.
DT was a pleasure to deal with, and shipping was faasssst!
A couple of photographs. Firstly a 'Homer Homage' in the style of this forum c.2008, then a couple in the Nitrous' more natural habitat:
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Tyre clearance is massive with these 2.25 Schwalbes. I have also fitted it with toothy 2.3 Minions on 30mm internal-width rims....still loads of room for UK mud. It's lovely to have such a short seat-tube so I can run a 170mm dropper post.
DT was a pleasure to deal with, and shipping was faasssst!
A couple of photographs. Firstly a 'Homer Homage' in the style of this forum c.2008, then a couple in the Nitrous' more natural habitat:
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1,671 Posts
Looks great! Did you order complete or frame set? Medium? Weight? Inquiring minds and all 😊
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602 Posts
Medium frame....I'm 5'10", and I knew that the angles and 450mm reach worked well for me for up, down, and along style riding.
I ordered just the frame which came in about 1850g I think and has built up to a full bike around 23lb (sorry for the typical bike-culture mix of units, feet, millimetres, pounds and grammes!). The build is fairly weight weenie (AXS Eagle, Fox34sc), except for the Brand X dropper post. I've heavier duty wheels and tyres for most riding, but rode it in its XC set up today as it's Spring and the trails are finally drying out
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2,654 Posts
Funtastic! That thing looks fast, now slam that stem.. Wish I was on my Nitrous today....
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