BIKE TEST
RIGID MTB Dimensions in millimetres and degrees
665 620 74.5˚
800 50
77
148
450
710 70˚
107
508
714
175
285
584 67
1150
Tech Spec
BOMBTRACK BEYOND+
Biketest
Bombtrack Beyond+ Another rigid trail bike with bikepacking potential. Dan Joyce tests the £1,750 Bombtrack Beyond+
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Other options
he Beyond+ is a would help if you didn’t bike in the same fancy bigger wheels. mould as the Surly Aside from this quirk Krampus reviewed last it’s a nicely designed, issue: a rigid steel mountain good looking frame. There bike with plus tyres that’s are fittings for almost extensively barnacled with everything, even a dynamo mounts for bags, racks, cable through the fork. All Above: Bottom gear is 17in. In bottles and mudguards. that’s missing are downconjunction with the traction These wheels are the tube guides for a dropper benefits of wide, soft tyres, it smaller plus size: 27.5×2.8in. seatpost; you’ll need bolt-in climbs steep slopes really well It will take 29×3in wheels cable guides there if you fit as well; Bombtrack’s 29×3 one. The bend in the top of Beyond+ ADV uses the same frame. the down tube is there to clear the crown With 27.5+ wheels, which have a radius of a suspension fork; a 100mm travel fork ~25mm smaller than 29+ wheels, the would work best as the steel fork’s axlebottom bracket is unusually low. This is a to-crown length is 483mm. (Correction two-edged sword. When you’re standing from last issue: the Krampus actually has a on the pedals and freewheeling at speed, 498mm rigid fork, not 483mm as stated.) a lower bottom bracket feels more stable At 177cm tall, I’m supposedly borderline because your centre of gravity is lower. between sizes M and L. In fact the L fitted But when you’re pedalling you hit the me perfectly for reach and its 15mm taller pedals on rough ground more often. Too head tube meant less weight on my hands often, in fact. Shorter (165mm) cranks – a good thing with a rigid fork. It rides
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SONDER FRONTIER SX EAGLE RIGID £849
The rigid-fork version of Sonder’s keenly price aluminium hardtail is available with 27.5+ wheels. alpkit.com
cycle
J U NE / JU LY 20 22
Price: £1,750 (Not currently available as a frameset only in the UK.) Sizes: S, M, L, XL (L tested) Weight: 14.17kg (no pedals) Frame & fork: Double-butted 4130 chrome-moly frame with 73mm BSA BB, 12×148mm rear dropouts, and fittings for internal dropper, rear rack, mudguard, four triple, one double, and one single frame mounts. Double-butted 4130 chrome-moly fork with tapered steerer, 15×110mm dropouts, and fittings for internal dynamo cable, rack, mudguard, two triple mounts. Wheels: 67-584 WTB Ranger TCS tyres, WTB ST i35 double-wall rims, 32×3 spokes, Bombtrack Grad
boost hubs. Transmission: no pedals, 175mm Truvativ Stylo chainset with 30t X-Sync 2 chainring, SRAM DUB BSA 73mm bottom bracket, SRAM Eagle chain, SRAM Eagle 11-50t 12-speed cassette. SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed shifter and derailleur. 12 ratios, 17-77in. Braking: SRAM Level hydraulic disc with 180mm front and 160mm rear rotors. Steering & seating: Bombtrack grips, 730×31.8mm Bombtrack flat bar, 50mm×3º Bombtrack stem, semi-integrated/ external threadless headset. Bombtrack saddle, 30.9×400mm Bombtrack seatpost, Bombtrack seat clamp. Website: bombtrack.com
well. The head angle is steep by modern standards but still yields enough trail, given the bike’s bump-swallowing tyres. Those soft, wide tyres have a large contact patch, which means good traction when climbing, especially on looser surfaces where a harder tyre would scrabble and slip. Bottom gear for this 1×12 SRAM SX Eagle setup is just 17in so you can ride up basically anything. Coming down, the SRAM Level hydraulic brakes are more than sufficient for rigid-bike speeds.
SURLY KRAMPUS £2 ,099.99
The original plus bike is still steel but now has contemporary geometry and more frame fittings. Review last issue.
surlybikes.com
Verdict
As a trail bike, the rigid Beyond+ is comfortable and engaging on anything short of black routes – despite a pedal-clattering bottom bracket drop seemingly designed for 29+ wheels. As a bikepacking bike, it ticks all the boxes save alternate hand positions.
