Review: Bombtrack Audax

 

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Bombtrack Audax

Hot on the heels of the Surly Midnight Special roadplus bike comes the similarly equipped Audax from Bombtrack Bikes. If you’ll excuse the pun it’s a bold move calling the bike Audax. Name a bike after a specific discipline and it had better be good at it!

The most arresting feature of the Audax are the roadplus (650b x 47c) tyres. While gaining in popularity, 650b road bikes are still a rare sight, and the Audax immediately looks different to the skinny 700c norm.

If you are unfamiliar with Audax, events typically involve visiting controls at a minimum average speed. Miss a control, or take too long, and you’re not classed as a finisher. Riders accrue points on events of 200 or more kilometres so it’s fair to assume the Bombtrack should be ready for the long haul.

Steel is real…

Steel frames have a reputation for both comfort and reliability, vital elements for long days in the saddle.

The Audax is crafted from double butted Columbus Cromor. It features a tapered head tube and a cast BB Yoke to maintain clearance while keeping the chainstays short. The tubing, while smaller diameter than your average alloy frame, is far from spindly. The seat and chain stays particularly don’t look noodly and likely to sap your power.

In keeping with the Audax theme the frame is bristling with all the mounting points you’d need for guards, racks and three water bottles.

The Details

The use of a press-fit BB raised alarm bells (we much prefer thread-in BBs for general reliability and ease of use) but over the test period it hasn’t issued a single squeak or creak.

The gear cables run externally with neat threaded adjusters on the down tube. The rear brake hose is routed internally however, this seems an odd feature. If you convert to hydraulics the hose could be tricky to fit and it still leaves your gear cables exposed. That is unless you decided to upgrade to Di2 for which the various ports for internal routing have also been included.

Construction wise Bombtrack have opted for tig welding, in common with most mass production frames. The welds are by and large neat and uniform with only a couple having a sharp look. Nothing to worry about structurally, just not as smooth as the rest. The front end is held together by a tapered head tube, a relative rarity on steel frames. This allows the fitment of a tapered, carbon steerer, fork. The EXT fork fitted here looks sturdy enough to take anything in its stride.

To complement the bosses on the frame, each fork blade has a triple boss anything cage mount allowing extra water and kit to be carried. The fork runs brake hose internally and like the frame, has mudguard mounts and uses a 12mm thru-axle. In a further nod to long audax rides the crown is drilled for a dynamo light bracket.

Hey good lookin’

Before moving on to how the Bombtrack rides a quick mention on how it looks. Here at Advntr towers, the Audax raised a collective “Wow, this is pretty!” as we unpacked it.

The deep and lustrous black paint contrasts nicely with the orange highlights and the tan-wall WTB tyres.

What we didn’t realise is just how popular it would be with other riders. The main test for the Audax was the Bryan Chapman Memorial, a gruelling 600km round trip from Chepstow to Menai Bridge and back again. At every control, and as I rode along, countless riders commented on how good the Bombtrack looked, that the tyres were to die for ,and that it looked a proper bike. If you buy an Audax, prepare to be sociable!

Those wheels then…

We’ve already been won over by Roadplus as a great platform for the UK’s battered tramac and off-road forays.

A highlight of the Audax is that it comes with Hunt’s excellent Adventure Sport 650b wheelset and WTB Horizon tyres in TCS flavour.

This was genuinely the easiest tubeless set-up I have ever done. The rims are pre-taped so all I had to do was remove the tubes, pop in valves and sealant then inflate with a normal track pump. A couple of confident pings and it was good to go.

The combination of steel frame and 35-40psi 47c tyres lets the Audax glide over broken tarmac like it isn’t there. Off-road there is a limit to what the file-tread can do. On dry singletrack or gravel you couldn’t ask for more. Over the test period, around 800km of riding, the Hunt wheels stayed true, buzzed happily when coasting, and hooked up swiftly when pedalling.

Stopping n’ going

The first outing for the Audax was a 100k DIY Audax from Advntr Towers to Southwold on the coast. The conditions were atrocious, with almost continuous rain showers. The Spyre C brakes and 160/140 rotors consistently pulled the Bombtrack up sharply with only a hint of hesitation.

The stock pads seem rather soft as the lever pull increased markedly over the course of that wet and gritty ride. The Spyres though are incredibly easy to adjust and the biting point didn’t move a mm over the rest of the test period. This includes bringing the bombtrack to a halt on 70km/h descents in Snowdonia!. Just keep an eye on them in the damp!

The drivetrain is Shimano 105 with the only deviation being a KMC X-11 chain. All reliable kit that operates without fuss. The chainset is a standard compact 50/34 paired with a 12-28 cassette. This gives a good spread of gears but I have to confess, after 400km and only a couple of hours sleep, a 32 tooth sprocket would have been a welcome addition!

As mentioned above the Audax takes a PF86 push-fit bottom bracket. Despite my worst fears, the BB got on with its job with no squeaks or rattles. Kudos for Bombtrack for selecting reliable components and installing them in a well aligned frameset.

Finishing Kit

The devil is in the detail and here the Bombtrack scores highly. While the own-brand finishing kit doesn’t impress as much as the Hunt wheelset, it has an air of quality, rather than of cost-saving.

The bars, stem, and seatpin have a deep glossy finish with subtle branding that complements the paint finish. The bars have an aero section that provides a comfortable perch for long climbs. The shallow drops let you use the lower positions without risk of straining your back or neck on a long stint in the saddle. Helpfully, the flat sections didn’t restrict the space needed for the lights and gps.

The bars are wrapped in black tape with natural cork flecks (again matching the colour scheme nicely!) that’s comfortable without being bulky. A 10° flare gives control without feeling out of place when road-riding.

I swapped the Comp saddle for my personal favourite for the Bryan Chapman. This was purely a precautionary measure, not because I had any specific complaints with the stock saddle.

The ride

I’ll get straight to the point on this, Without a doubt the Audax lives up to its name.

For me while an Audax bike should be comfortable for those 200km+ rides, it should also be fun. It doesn’t need to be as excessively sure-footed and stable as a loaded touring bike does. The Bombtrack slots into this middle-ground perfectly.

Over 600km and thirty plus hours of riding, I didn’t feel a single twinge or ache beyond what you’d expect on a long ride. Yet I could spin the Audax out on 70km/h descents carving confident tracks around the twisty Welsh mountain roads.

The riding position is definitely  performance oriented, compared to the Surly Midnight Special or my usual ride, the Pinnacle Arkose. Getting into the drops gave you that aero feeling of a thoroughbred racer yet on the hoods, it took single track and climbs in its stride.

Naturally the bulk of the roadplus tyres will dampen responses a little compared to skinny 700c rubber, but that isn’t what this bike is about. The WTB tyres are tough examples of the breed. By switching to something like the Compass Switchback Hill you could lose 100gms from each end, and benefit from an even smoother ride.

Conclusion

At £2100 the Bombtrack Audax probably isn’t a bike that you’ll go and buy on a whim. And at 11kg (size 56) you could spend a lot less on a lighter bike.

Having said that the Bombtrack is in the same ballpark as the similarly spec’d Specialized Sequoia and Surly Midnight Special but has advantages over both. The Audax manages to be a jack of all trades without seeming to compromise anywhere. It’s fast enough that you’d be happy taking it for a quick blast, while still being a reliable steed for an all-dayer and beyond.

If you’re torn between an all-road or gravel bike the Audax has that covered as well. It’s up for whipping through the trees and bridleways when you decide to stray from the roads. As I prepare to box up the Audax for return I realise it’s a bike I’m going to miss a lot!

Review: DHB Dorica MTB SPD compatible Lace-up Shoes

 

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Lace up shoes – the Marmite Dilemma

I my riding group we have divided opinions on lace up shoes. Some of us were happy to see laces consigned to the dustbin, and others are “lace curious”.

Lace ups really are a Marmite choice – you love them or hate them. Reasons to hate them include:

• When cold and wet, they can confound any attempt to get them undone.
• Laces snap when you least expect it.
• They can get stuck in drive trains.

On the other hand, ratchet systems are not infallible. Having once finished a ride on the wrong side of sunset, to find my battered hands couldn’t undo a mud-jammed ratchet, I was happy to give laces another go.

DHB or Giro?

Laces returned to cycling in 2012 when Taylor Phinney was spotted wearing a pair of prototype Giro shoes. And it’s the Giro Empires that are arguably the benchmark. At £170-200 a pair though, it would be an expensive mistake if you don’t get on with them.

A cheaper way to find out if lace ups are for you, is to wander along to Wiggle. DHB is Wiggle’s in-house clothing brand and arguably represent  better value for money than Giro. The DHB Dorica has an RRP of £70 (at the time of writing they are on offer at £52.50). This makes them significantly cheaper than the, outwardly similar, Giro Empire.

So have corners been cut to reach this price point?

Construction

The DHB Doricas are made from synthetic leather. I find synthetics survive the regular dunking and drying off cycle better than leather, so this is a ‘good thing’. The uppers are made from two large halves with the only stitching being around the toe box and the heel cup. This means there are no seams to be stressed as your foot flexes the shoes, whether from pedalling or hike-a-bike sections. The uppers are perforated along the top of the shoe and by the heel. In the record May bank holiday weather I didn’t find overheating or sweating an issue. The positioning of the perforations also mean that you can step in a reasonably deep puddle, or walk through wet grass without letting too much moisture in.

The sole has the usual two bolt SPD mounting slots and threads should you wish to screw in toe studs. The tread is quite aggressive and gave plenty of traction when off the bike. The only downside being that it is hard shiny plastic and, unlike some shoes, isn’t capped with grippy rubber. When walking on hard shiny surfaces they initially felt like they might lead to “bambi on ice” moments but having worn them in a bit, it no longer feels a quite so alarming!

Sizing

For reference I’m broadly a size 46 in Giro and 45 in Shimano wearing thin cycling socks. The DHB Dorica in a 45 feels a fair bit roomier in the toe box than either the Giro or Shimano. This should allow the use of sealskins or thicker winter socks later on in the year.

Those laces then…

So, laces, yea or nay? In use I haven’t yet found a disadvantage to lace ups. The supplied laces haven’t caused me any issues so far. They stay done up and haven’t caused me any issues when taking them off either. To be fair, they haven’t been caked in mud yet, so I can’t comment on how they’d fare in lest benign (weather) conditions.

There is an elasticated loop on the tongue that secures the laces when in use and and at no point have I had to fish them out of my drive train.

While they are certainly different, I’m not convinced there is a significant advantage to laces over more up to date systems.

Comfort & Conclusion

I broke the DHB Dorica shoes in with a couple of days commuting before heading out for an overnighter. There were no “hot spots” or pressure points and they strike a good balance between stiffness for pedalling, and flexibility for walking. They’re a great pair of shoes for the money (particularly if you catch them at the sale price) and are as good as any shoes I’ve had in a similar price range. If you like the laces aesthetic, or just want to minimise your MAMIL factor when stepping into the mid ride cafe then you won’t be disappointed.

Review: Ortlieb Medium Bikepacking Seat Pack

 

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Soft or Hard Core?

I’m not going to get into the debate about what separates touring and bikepacking, but using soft luggage instead of racks & panniers would be a popular starting point.

Which is your type?

A seatpack is the cornerstone of a soft luggage set-up. It isn’t quite so sensitive to fitment like a framebag or barbag. Seatpacks fall into two main types.  the holster style like a Wildcat Tiger or an all-in-one like a Revelate Viscacha. Ortlieb’s seat pack is an all in one, albeit with its own USP. Most bikepacking luggage is rated as water-resistant, if not actually waterproof, and made from VX or Cordura (or a mix of these fabrics). The materials themselves are usually waterproof but as they are stitched together, it is  almost impossible for the finished product to be completely water proof.

It is amusing to note that Ortlieb might be relative newcomers to the Bikepacking world but they have been in the touring luggage game since 1982.

Ortlieb include the word waterproof in their company branding so in theory, if you use their luggage, you won’t need additional dry bags. Your stuff should remain bone dry. To this end Ortlieb avoid the sewing machine and use High Frequency Welding to bond the seams.

Revelate products are often the benchmark for bikepacking bags so the other seatpack pictured is their Viscacha model. Do bear in mind that the Viscacha is a couple of years old and has seen a lot of use!

Materials

The Ortlieb is made from a ripstop material that is thin but robust. The lower half is made from a coarser fabric. Which makes sense as the upper half is the part that gets rolled up when securing the bag. There is some internal plastic reinforcement where the bag is held against the seatpost. This stops it deforming when the strap is pulled tight. The buckles are a good size and the nylon webbing is wide enough to give you a good grip when cinching the straps up tight. There are helpful cut-outs at the rear for your rear light as well as reflective patches. Ortlieb claim a weight of 325gms which is borne out by my kitchen scales (330gms including a bit of dirt from use!). The Viscacha is about 150gms heavier.

Pack it in

The welded construction means that the Ortlieb doesn’t have large internal seams which, along with the fabrics slick finish, helps you cram your gear in a bit easier. Compared to most other seatpacks, the reinforced tapered section where it meets the seatpost is more “open” and allows you to get your kit right up to the end. You can see on the Viscacha where the seatpost strap and “empty” taper deforms when fitting.

Being waterproof, the Ortlieb needs an air-release valve. Without it, air couldn’t escape making it nigh on impossible to pack successfully. The valve is simple to operate and it’s a doddle getting the bag closed securely before popping the valve shut again.

The volume is quoted at 11 litres. To put this in context I tried to fill the Ortlieb to its’ capacity with typical items for an overnight outing. I made sure that the bag could be closed comfortably with sufficient roll-overs to retain waterproofing.

Usual kit for an over-nighter...

Waterproof jacket and Trousers
2-3 season sleeping bag
Softshell gloves
Sealskin winter socks
Mack workshop tool roll
Lezyne mini-track pump
Comprehensive First-Aid kit
600ml Ti Mug containing gas/stove/coffee/matches

It’s worth noting that this medium pack rivals the Viscacha (Revelate’s larger seatpack) for volume, despite the Viscacha claiming an extra 4 litres capacity!

The large Ortlieb seatpack is 50% bigger which could prove useful for longer trips or winter rides where you need to bring along some extra insulation, or just if your frame/fork design didn’t lend itself to fitting a bag.

Clip it on

Fitting the Ortlieb onto your bike is pretty much common with most other seatpacks. The saddle rail strap is screwed into position and the clips are on a flexible strap. Compared to the Viscacha this makes it much easier to load onto the bike when full.

Reinforced taper and webbing locks on the buckles help keep wag to a minimum

The Viscacha strap is stiff and only retained in its loop with velcro. A loaded bag often pulls to one side making the second clip difficult to secure. Although it only has a single seatpost strap, the alloy buckle and internal reinforcing let you pull it nice and tight.

A common complaint about seatpacks is that they can be prone to wag in use. This can be mitigated by careful packing but some designs are clearly better than others. The combination of the reinforced taper and webbing locks on the saddle straps, lets you pull the attachments really tight. Then, they stay that way. I didn’t notice any untoward movement when using this seatpack.

Waterproof, really?

Having covered a few hundred kilometres both on and off road in grotty weather I was pleased that the Ortlieb kept the elements out. To be honest, it wasn’t really tested by adverse conditions. To simulate more extreme conditions, and because it needed a clean, I popped a dry towel inside, sealed it up and submerged it in the bath. Then I treated it to the shower at full blast.

Not a drop got through. As long as you don’t hole the seatpack, you can be confident your kit will stay dry. This opens up options of packing your kit in mesh bags, rather than dry ones. It’ll weigh less, compress down more, and make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Win, win, win!

Verdict

Often, big firms jumping into a niche fall short of expectations by sacrificing durability/function for price, or else match the quality but don’t pass on the savings from mass-production. Ortlieb however have used their 30 years experience to produce a well made and great functioning original design that isn’t merely a rip-off of the little guy. For just over £100 you get a robust, well fitting, waterproof and (if it matters to you) European made product.

Review: Surly Midnight Special- Modern classic allroad bike

 

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If you’ve read our report on the Cambridge Porkpie 200 you’ll have an inkling of how this review is going to go!

When given the option of choosing which bike to tackle the ride with, I jumped at the chance to ride the Surly Midnight Special. I wanted to see what all the fuss with Road Plus tyres was about. Surly, I mean surely big fat slicks are just going to feel heavy and slow.

Anyway, the die was cast and having to ride 200k to a time limit would certainly expose any shortcomings!

Traditional or just hiding its’ light under a bushel?

At first glance, the Midnight Special looks trad. There’s no sloping top tube or organic hydroforming, just slender skinny pipes. It’s only the discs and road plus tyres that distinguish it from the 10 speed racer I had in the 90s!

The robust powdercoat exterior finish is described as ‘hot mayonnaise’ (gloss pure white, no hint of yellow as I feared). Internally, the frame has been treated with a protective coating. Look after the Surly and it’ll be with you for a long time. As with their other bikes Surly apply decals with no clearcoat so you can remove/replace them easily.

Once up close to the Midnight Special though, you start to see the small details indicating that this is a very modern bike. The dropouts evoke memories of classic lugged frames but are designed to accept your old QR wheelset or the latest 12mm thru-axles. Similarly the frameset allows you to use flat-mount callipers or indeed post-mount (with an adaptor).

Easily the most obvious nod to modernity is the 44mm headtube. While we are at the front end of the bike, if the skinny steel fork isn’t to your taste you can fit any fork, tapered or straight, that you like.

The Build

Received wisdom states that “cable brakes are inferior to their hydraulic cousins and are reserved for budget builds.” For the record – I disagree!

This was my first time trying TRP Spyres and I was genuinely impressed. They had a sharp bite, good modulation and despite damp and gritty road conditions,  only started making a hint of noise towards the end of the 200k. The return leg served up plenty of steep sections with wet corners that required careful braking. Even with increasingly numb fingers (towards the end of the ride) the Spyres performed admirably.

The stem and seatpin are plain generic items but once set, didn’t budge. The saddle is a WTB Volt, perfectly fine for hours in the saddle. My personal preference is for a WTB Pure V, which is a fraction wider but of course saddles are a personal thing.

Contact points are finished off by a nod to the premium with a set of Salsa Cowbell drops wrapped in cork tape.

Roadplus

So, onto those wheels and tyres. What’s all this Roadplus business then?

I’ll save you the history lesson and get straight to the point. The general idea is this: combining 650b rims and 47c tyres gives you a wheel with an effective overall diameter equivalent to 700 x 30c.

The fatter tyres translate to a smoother ride. On less than perfect roads you won’t be knocked off course and slowed down as you would with a narrow, high pressure, tyre.

That’s it… nice and simple.

Now theories are great, but the elephant in the room is the 500gm road tyre and what about those rims? The Alex XD-Elite on the Midnight Special are only 50gms lighter than a Stan’s Alpha 400. They are in the Alex Trekking/MTB range so the trade off for that weight is durability.

On the road

Once out and riding, it didn’t take long for me to warm to the roadplus format. The Porkpie 200 starts with a swift 15k on a wide, well surfaced cycle path which gets you out of Cambridge quickly. Maybe, I didn’t notice the fat tyres and extra weight because my legs were fresh. Time would tell.

Once off the cycleway and heading across country we encounter the typical UK back road. Gravel piles on every corner, greasy patches under the trees, frost hiding in the shadows, pot holes and cracks liberally scattered around. This of course is the terrain these tyres are made for, and boy did they did come into their own?

Running only 35 psi/2.4 bar on a road bike might seem ridiculous, but the WTB Horizons felt normal. Certainly not the feeling you’d get riding your MTB on tarmac. I soon adjusted to not having to brace myself for ruts, broken tarmac, or those slippy corners I mentioned and sailed on calmly into the… snow.

Rutland

Rutland might be the smallest county in England but it’s got more than its fair share of sharp climbs, and equally sharp descents. Even when stomping up steep gradients the Midnight Special didn’t feel compromised by the big tyres. Meanwhile, the spread of gears helped no end, with a  34-32 on tap if it all got too much! Once over the top and heading back down the Surly was a confident descender able to hold your chosen line without fuss. The Spyre brakes were ready to pull you up sharp if needed.

Versatility

If British roads aren’t rough enough for your tastes then the Midnight Special isn’t afraid to take you off-road. The frame and fork will take 650b x 2.35″ & 700 x 42c opening up a wide range of options. Heck, if you found yourself on smooth tarmac you could even run some fast, narrow, 700c tyres! Depending on your tyre choice and ride plans, the Midnight Special will also accommodate mudguards. Racks can be fitted at both ends if touring takes your fancy.

When the numb-fingered winter is a distant memory you’ll also be able to take three bottles along for the scorching summer that must be heading this way.

Conclusion

The Midnight Special is available as a frameset for £750 or a full-build for £2200, so there’s no getting away from the fact this isn’t a cheap bike. On paper, a 4130 Chromoly frame with SRAM Rival components doesn’t scream value but what matters more is how it all works as a package.

Now I’m sure that if your power output rivals the likes of Sagan, you might find the Midnight Special limiting. For me though, a rider of average fitness, spending my time on roads wrecked by HGVs and ravaged by winter, the Midnight Special is spot on.

To be able to hop on a bike you’ve never seen before and ride it without complaint for ten and a half hours shows that a bike can indeed, be greater than the sum of its parts.

First impressions: Surly Midnight Special

 

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We reported the release of the Midnight Special only a month ago and not only did Surly have the bikes ready for immediate release, we would have one of the first on UK shores for a review!

Pork Pie

As the Midnight Special is a road bike its first test would be the Camaudax Cambridge Porkpie 200, a 200km round trip from Cambridge to Melton Mowbray. All my audax rides to date have been on an alloy bike with 700 x 28c tyres, so how would a steel frame with 650b x 47c fare?

First impressions are good. The inevitable heft test tells you it isn’t a feather weight but a spin around the block also tells you it doesn’t feel heavy to ride.

Taking to tarmac with only 35psi in your tyres sounds crazy, but the increased volume supports the bike and rider and any additional drag seems negligible when you aren’t sprinting for KOMs. That extra volume and the slender steel frame also combine to create one of the most instantly comfortable bikes I’ve ridden.

With the post-winter roads suffering from freeze thaw cracks and pot holes, the road plus tyres do a remarkable job in smoothing out the bumps.

With 200km already covered together, I’m keen to see how the Midnight Special copes with my daily commute and also with some mixed-surface riding. Surly claim that the Midnight Special will accommodate up to 2.35″ MTB treads so it would be rude not to see if it really does…

Not quite halfway! The Midnight Special takes a rest in Bulwick.

For more information on all things Surly and the Midnight Special, head on over to surlybikes.com