What it the opposite of 5"?

This weekend the 5” experiment took a total 180 degree turnaround! On Saturday afternoon I assisted a friend in building up his Niner S.I.R 9 frame. This is a Reynolds 853 steel frame that is designed specifically for singlespeed use. It has regular drop-outs but features an eccentric bottom bracket for tensioning the chain. It was super easy to build up!

The frame is simply beautiful! The welding is perfection and the root beer colour sparkles in the sun! Having said all this, I did think that you would have to be absolutely crazy to ride one of these things! Since I am now a converted big travel, one bike guy, the idea of a fully rigid singlespeed is preposterous!

And then I rode it...

Big wheels really do roll over trail obstacles easier. On my short, but eventful test, I simply loved the bike! I rode it up a steep hill, which proved that you need some serious lung capacity to pilot a machine like this! We fitted a 32 front chainring with 16 teeth at the back. This seemed good ratio for the Groenkloof and your average Pretoria hacking.

Then I got to take it on some cool singletrack. It was a blast! The 29 inch wheels love to keep going once you have them up to speed and you find yourself pushing harder and harder, it is extremely tiring but great fun!

I am hoping to get my hands on the bike for some more extensive testing, but Matt loves his new bike so much, I am not sure it will be really soon. Watch this space!