MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv...

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DEFINING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CYCLIST N'vuu'\ dbuntainfkr J magazt ne

Transcript of MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv...

Page 1: MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv a{rl 'paadsalSurs E uo luauala ateudorddB uu-qlr'lt saruor lr racuds taspeaq rauado

DEFINING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CYCLISTN'vuu'\ dbuntainfkr

J magazt ne

Page 2: MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv a{rl 'paadsalSurs E uo luauala ateudorddB uu-qlr'lt saruor lr racuds taspeaq rauado
Page 3: MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv a{rl 'paadsalSurs E uo luauala ateudorddB uu-qlr'lt saruor lr racuds taspeaq rauado

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Page 4: MOUNTAIN dbuntainfkrCYCLIST - Ahrens Bicycles › Alcohauler Review Mt Flyer.pdf · uE sr suarqv a{rl 'paadsalSurs E uo luauala ateudorddB uu-qlr'lt saruor lr racuds taspeaq rauado

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White Brothers carbon fork and also suspended. It became con.r-plex to analyze and was truly very interesting.

Switching wheei sizes was relatively painless and Ahrens'

slider dropouts were easy to adjust when switching out rearwheels. When going from a 26-inch rear wheel to the 6508wheel, the only hitch was that to get clearance for the 6508 x2.3 Neo-Moto, it was necessary to lengthen the chain to retain

proper tire clearance while maintaining a similar gear ratio.

Since the rear wheel size affects the gear ratlos, you'll typicallywant to increase the size of the rear cog when going to a largerwheel. The larger cog effectively shortens the chain and pullsthe rear wheel forward so I ran out of room for the larger lvheeland had to add two links to the chain.

The front end is simpler, especially with the rigid fork.

Officially, White Brothers is the only company making a specific6508 suspension fork. Many other suspension forks will workwith a 6508 wheel (you just need to test them for clearance),but some manufacturers are issuing disclaimers stating theirforks were not designed to work with 6508 (liability crap).

With every change, I noticed nuances in the handling of

the bike that were essentially predictable.I'm partial to 26ers for most racing so I chose that configu-

ration for the opening Rabbit Valley Mountain States Cup race

in Fruita, Colo. With lightweight Kenda tires and a racy MaguraDurin [ork, the 26er Alcohauler was rippin' fast in the twistysingletrack and ultra-efficient on the climbs. It felt like anaggressive cross-collntry race bike shoulcl feei. The cross-coun-try race was short, just over an hour, so every seconcl counted.It was a sprint and I very much appreciated the responsiveuessand quick handling the {iame providcd. I made several goodpasses on insicle corners in the singletrack and out-climbecleveryone close to rrre near the finish, something I coulclattribute to the efficiency of the bike, not ny April fitness.

Running it as a 2650Ber (remember, thats a 26-inch rearand 6508 front) means a slightiy slacker head angle on the order

of 0.3 to 0.5 clegree difference clepending on true wheel diame-

ter. With this setup, the bike needed to be leanecl harcl into thecorners but was killer fun in technical desert riding typical toFruita and GrandJunction. It definitely rolled up and over the

sandstone blocl<s with ease, was stable down ledgy descents andstil1 climbed like a demon. For some reason I was really drawnto this configuration for the same reason I'm really intriguecl by

the 69er platform. It makes a lot of sense .As a lull 65i)B rig, the bike felt balancecl, sort of 29erish but

not so g;rngl1,. It certainly felt different than it did as a 26er. The

momentum it carried was noticeable and it really smoothecl out

the little chatter bumps. But it didn"t feel as quick as it did in26er or 2650Ber rlode. I raced the 650B-configured bike with arigid fork at the Nathrop, Colo., Mountain Statcs Cup race with

goocl rcsults. The course is mostly fast straight-aways with verl'

little real climbing but sections are strewn with ri.r'er cobbles.Even rvith the rigid fork I u'as able to keep good momentumthrough the cobbles, well until the fourth lap when I fell apart.

In tl-re end, can I pick a favorite configuration? No. And I

don't need to. That is what's attractive about this design. By

switcl-ring around the wheei configurations, you can adjust the

bike to shine or.r rvhatever riding style you want that day" The

Alcohauler w-as a pleasure to ride and the frarne is beautifullvfabricated. I'd call it evolutionary. And the wisecracker bottleopener works flawlessly -8. Riepe