well its been awile coming but here are my thoughts on my semcycle 29er.
its only a Semcycle 29er because of the frame the cranks,pedals,hub,spokes and rim are all picked buy me.
i prefer to build up my own things.this can be more expensive if you make mistakes but in the long run if the right parts are put together the first time, its custom.
THE FRAME:Semcycle 28 inch $60 dollars:
i called John Drummond one day and asked "how much room left is there between the WTB. tire and the crown?"John said "hold on,let me stick a wheel in there"it turned out that there was 15mm of space.way more than the 3mm left on the Pashley 29er.so the choice was simple.the only thing i dont like about it is(as with most forks)the 22.2 seat tube.it is my opinion that the 22.2 diameter is to small and sould be obliderated from the earth.
THE RIM:Mavic MODULE4 $40 dollars(a total steal)
this is one of the few wider 700c rims.its about 10 years old so its pinned and sleeved together instead of welded.Mavic made some damn good rims and especialy tandem rims.thats what this is,a 48 spoker too.
most of the 700c rims i see today(old man)even the ones that are supposed to be "strong"are way to light and skinny.i came across two 700c Ryno lites!but they where forty spoke.Of course Sun-(then no)-Ringle does not make these at all since about 1997 so good luck with ya trying to find a w-i-d-e 700c.
when it comes to strength in 700c rims,my last thought is.go with tandem bike dealers when you shop.they know more about the "Wheel puzzle"than most dealers.its like their science of thought.
THE HUB:Suzue 48 $30 dollars:
i hate that this and the is the only 48 spoked hub to choose from so i will not reveiw it deeply.it holds the spokes,to bad its a nutted axle instead of a threaded axle.i wish i had the tools to drill and tap every bottom bracket,axle and unicycle hub i ever saw.there is no way that 102mm cranks could hurt this hub.that much is obvious,the wheel would break first in a severe case of hopping and dropping(if you chose to do that kind of thing)
THE CRANKS: 102mm:$25 dollars
there short,fast and you get good at slowing down before you have to.its best to jump on and get going fast,lolly gaggin on 102’s is alot of tire ware.
THE SPOKES: DT 14/15:$ 48x.65 cents:
THE PEDALS:who cares?
so how does it ride Jagur(oh yeah)
man there is nothing like going fast on a fireroad of hard rolling trails.that stuff was the most boring and now its super fun.i also have alot of urban pavment around.with the speed you get from the bigger wheel combined with good technic,this surface hop thing becomes possible.
the lighter weight (11 lbs)makes a huge differance.its feels like a 20inch that going 12-13 mph.i juice the tire to about 85 psi on pave’ and about 65 on dirt.
this 29er has inspired a new project the “SUPER 29er”
i think this is quikly turning into my favorite wheel size. i havent been on my muni in weeks and i already have been thinking about selling it because my next project is gonna cost $$$ huge bank.
thats about all i can type
