|   My new ride | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 7:33 AM | | Well I finally got my XCE and built it up. I had Turner drill out the cable stops before painting the frame so that there's unpainted surfaces on the front triangle.
Note, all 8 speed, all the time.
I have some great stories of the outstanding customer service that Turner gave me with this frame. |
| And another... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 7:35 AM | | |
| but wait, there's more... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 7:37 AM | | |
| what's one more amongst friends... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 7:39 AM | | Closer view of the rear - |
| Sweet Bike!... | Markv
Jan 8, 2002 7:53 AM | | I demoed an XCE for a couple of days two years ago. Really liked the bike. It had a the same Titec saddle as your bike and that saddle just about killed me on the climbs......to each his own. Turner builds great bikes though! |
| re: My new ride | ReFleX
Jan 8, 2002 8:41 AM | | Looks pretty nice. I'd say that the bar ends, yellow tires, and saddle bag look a little out of place, but that's just me. Should be a very sweet ride for you. I am thoroughly enjoying my RFX.
I'd be interested to hear your customer service stories, if you'd like to share. |
| I agree on the bar ends, tires and saddle bag | gonzostrike
Jan 8, 2002 9:39 AM | | and on the bar ends, why are they angled downward?
I know that the tires are one color only unless you use the airlight, so no biggie on that one
saddle bag -- I prefer carrying stuff in my Camelback. Doesn't create that swinging weight at the height of the saddle. Try it, you'll be amazed at how much more nimble the bike feels.
sweet bike. very very nice. |
| I agree on the bar ends, tires and saddle bag | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 10:50 AM | | Bar ends - I swear by them for the seriously technical, albeit somewhat short (vs. long grinding climbs) steep climbs I ride. They aren't angle down, just slightly above horizontal. It's the camera angle.
Saddle bag - for tubes/tires and tools. Enables me to reduce my lower back pain from carrying too much weight on my back. Plus too much weight on my back gives me a higher center of gravity which I don't like. Again in the technical stuff. If I didn't need that much water I would prefer not to use a Camel back at all.
I've ridden both with and without saddle bags and prefer the weight under my saddle not above it.
Tires - Python golds which I cannot say enough good about. They make a non-gold airlight which I haven't tried and is cheaper. I'd prefer to lose the yellow as well, so they're on my list when these wear out. Or the new Scorpions. |
| I agree on the bar ends, tires and saddle bag | gonzostrike
Jan 9, 2002 8:51 AM | | Gotcha. Sorry to hear about your back problems. If I couldn't use a Camelbak, I'd be using a seat pack too.
I have used the Python Airlight. Great tire. In hardpack to semi-loose conditions, I run one on the rear with a Conti Vert Pro up front. Excellent combination, rolls fast.
I understand the Gold has tougher sidewalls. If you pinch-flat frequently, stick with the Gold. If not, give the Airlights a try, they're a lot lighter.
How does the Python work up front? Never tried one as a front tire.
Again, very sweet bike. Nice. |
| Not back problems, per se | Roy
Jan 9, 2002 1:59 PM | | Simply the more weight on my back, the sooner it tires out and gets sore. But more importantly I don't like any weight on my back as it raises my center of gravity on the bike substantially and thus affects balance. I do ride with a 110 oz water pack, but I like to keep it's weight as much to a minimum as I can.
I don't pinch flat ever so that's not a problem. I had thought the Golds have that gold silica for the softer rubber and better traction. If what you're saying is correct than I look forward to the Airlights - same traction, but lighter than the Golds (and cheaper) which would be win win (and win) for me.
I first put the Gold on the front and liked it so much I got one for the rear. It washes out less than any other front I've had (could be because you can run it at lower pressure) and is just a great all around tire. It does surprisingly well in loose stuff and the knob design is great for sharp rocks (where I ride) which means I don't have knobs coming off left and right.
In light mud it rides far better than I thought it would based on the low knob tread pattern. I haven't ridden it in heavy mud so I can't say, but again due to the tread pattern I would just assume it would perform very poorly.
Thanks for the bike compliments. |
| hutchinson python gold tire | mudpuppy
Mar 27, 2002 11:04 PM | | i've been riding the hutchinson gold rear tire for about four months now and only just yesterday got my first flat while riding down the sidewalk, flat in a minute flat (pin prick hole in the side of the of the tube about where the rim would meet it, couldn't figure out if it was a result of pinching or what; replaced the tube and slapped the tire back on, good to go).
anyway, i couldn't find the gold _front_ tire in any of my catalogs, obviously the tread pattern is different, but do you think it's substantially better than the WTB RacingRaptor I 47/46 (not sure what those numbers mean)? i ride mostly singletrack hard pack--when it's dry out--and roots, occasionially rocks.
incidentally, we did paddle-wheel through the mud last weekend, and your speculation is correct, the python gold seemed to collect and adhere the sludge, and several times a keel might might have been useful to keep us tacking on course. ;)
otherwise i like the tire, rolls quickly and seems to grip well on the hardpack (and superficially, cool color scheme).
thinking about trying the michelin hot s for muddy situations, but need to read more about it.
washington dc
p.s. remove "NO_SPAM" if you decide to email. |
| re: My new ride | meloh1
Jan 8, 2002 9:45 AM | | Is that an old inner tube chain stay protector I see there? That's what I've been using for years. A great choice. Nice bike! |
| Actually.... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 10:56 AM | | It's grip tape used for regripping softball bats. It's leather and softer/more spongy than rubber from inner tubes. I believe it's lighter as well. I prefer it over inner tubes but inner tubes are my second choice. |
| re: My new ride | fû
Jan 8, 2002 9:50 AM | | Nice! Is that tennis or some other type of grip as the chainstay protector?
Is your fork repainted from the original color? If so, I have a yellow '99 Z.2 BAM I'd like to paint black to match a Blizzard, and was wondering what paint to use and the details of the steps involved - disassembly, stripping, priming, painting, labeling, clearcoating? |
| Yep... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 11:00 AM | | }Nice! Is that tennis or some other type of grip as the chainstay protector?
Yep, softball regrip tape.
Fork is the original '98 Z1 white. I got it in '99 and it's been new, in box since then. So as you can see I forgot to peel off the decal protecting tape. |
| Sweet Bike Roy! | BK
Jan 8, 2002 1:09 PM | | I love those yellow tires!
BK |
| re: My new ride | fattirewilly
Jan 8, 2002 1:27 PM | | Please wait while I clean off my keyboard...Okay, I was wondering how long it took to get the bike from Turner. I've read they can be slow.
Also why the XCE as opposed to the O2? |
| pretty quick | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 1:39 PM | | Between 2-3 weeks as they had to paint the frame. There's a few colors they had already painted in stock that I could have gotten in 2-3 days but I wanted red.
XCE vs. O2 - I don't race and I wanted more travel, plus a coil rear shock. I desired a do everything bike and the 02 is more race oriented.
FYI, the ride is simply amazing. Words do it no justice. |
| That's a 21" frame, right? | slowideclyde
Jan 8, 2002 5:02 PM | | Do you know what the wheelbase is? Also, I hate to ask, but someone had to do it: did you get the frame weight before you built it up? Thanks. |
| Funny you should ask... | Roy
Jan 8, 2002 7:40 PM | | as I meant to post both it and the complete bike weight. Note, I use a digital fish scale which wasn't cheap so I think it's fairly accurate but someday I'll get around to weighing some of the freeweights I have to see how accurate (or inaccurate it is).
The frame is a 19.5" frame. It weighed in at 6.9 lbs, which seems light based on what Turner has listed on their website for an 18" frame (7.2 lbs).
The bike, built as you see it, weighed in at 27.9 lbs. I'll probably shave it some but doubt I'd ever get it below 27.5 lbs as I really don't care that much. If I wanted to save weight I wouldn't ride with tools and a spare tube.
Wheelbase is 44". |
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