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ZION bikes; ever heard of them?

13208 Views 33 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  kapusta, 
M
Anyone ever heard of? Seen? Ridden a Zion?
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Sideknob
Jenson are selling the chromo hardtail frames. A buddy is thinking of building one up. That's about all I know.
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shiggy
Zion is Jenson USA's house brand. Decent bikes at a good price.
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R
word of caution, (IMO) tire clearence s*cks! Largest tire you can fit would be a 2.1.
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Ridin'Dirty
A friend of mine is currently racing one and enjoying it (the bike that is). Sold a Superlight and is using the Zion exclusively.
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shiggy
red5 said:
word of caution, (IMO) tire clearence s*cks! Largest tire you can fit would be a 2.1.
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Maybe. I have read the 2.1" only reports and have seen bikes with (big) 2.3 tires on the back.

They have made quite a few different frames, models and variations. Once they sell through they have something else made.
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M
thanks for the info

they look pretty interesting,,,
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R
shiggy said:
Maybe. I have read the 2.1" only reports and have seen bikes with (big) 2.3 tires on the back.

They have made quite a few different frames, models and variations. Once they sell through they have something else made.
Click to expand...
The Zion 853 EBB SS I bought last year (size 19) had crappy clearence, as stated previously a 2.1 was the largest and even that was tight for my taste. I actually ended up selling the frame and buying a Surly 1x1, talk about clearence.

Maybe the smaller sizes are more generous, who knows. Just thought it prudent to point this out as a possible issue.
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H
Anyone got pictures???

I am seriously considering buying one of the ZION 660 frames that Jenson is selling at the moment (the white one I reckon). If anyone has built of of these or the previous ZION frames I would love to see some photos of the completed projects.
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crisillo
This is an old pic of my 853EBB Zion, I have changed the cranks, seatpost, stem, tires, front brake rotor and handlebar since then. I am very happy with it.


Cheers,
Cris
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H
Thanks for the pic

Thanks for the pic. What size is that frame? 17 or 19 inch?
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Sideknob
Got any blacker?


:)
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crisillo
HardDrive said:
Thanks for the pic. What size is that frame? 17 or 19 inch?
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HardDrive, That's a 19.

Sideknob, well it now has black odi lock-on grips, hone cranks and no silver ring, so it's a little blacker ;)

-Cris
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TrekFan
i think they reviewed a zion in last month's MBA. they liked it and said they won a race or two with one...
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Lumbee1
crisillo said:
This is an old pic of my 853EBB Zion, I have changed the cranks, seatpost, stem, tires, front brake rotor and handlebar since then. I am very happy with it.


Cheers,
Cris
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What is the tire clearance like on the frame?
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crisillo
4
Lumbee1 said:
What is the tire clearance like on the frame?
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I just got back from a ride and had a chance to take some pics to answer your question. These are taken with a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 on a Mavic XM 317 rim (53mm tread width). Please note that this is last years 853EBB, so I don't know if the current ones have the same clearance. I am happy so far since mud around here in Saarbrücken is not sticky, so I haven't had any issues.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Cris






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R
crisillo said:
I just got back from a ride and had a chance to take some pics to answer your question. These are taken with a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25 on a Mavic XM 317 rim (53mm tread width). Please note that this is last years 853EBB, so I don't know if the current ones have the same clearance. I am happy so far since mud around here in Saarbrücken is not sticky, so I haven't had any issues.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Cris
Click to expand...
For those who can't do the conversion, 53mm makes the 2.25 Nic a 2.09" tire.
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crisillo
red5 said:
For those who can't do the conversion, 53mm makes the 2.25 Nic a 2.09" tire.
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On this note, please take into account that the casing is a couple milimiters wider than the thread, when this tire is mounted on this 17mm wide rim. Schwalbes tend to be "smallish", but of course a wider rim would give other measurements.

Cheers,
Cris
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tlg
TrekFan said:
i think they reviewed a zion in last month's MBA. they liked it and said they won a race or two with one...
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Yup. Article attached in PDF. It's 2mb and a little slow. Right click and "Save Target As" to save it to your computer works better.

MBA Zion Review
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crisillo
2
tlg said:
Yup. Article attached in PDF. It's 2mb and a little slow. Right click and "Save Target As" to save it to your computer works better.

MBA Zion Review
Click to expand...
Here is the article in jpg, you can find even higher resolution versions if you click on the jpgs.

Cheers,
Cris


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