Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
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rotavator
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Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by rotavator »

I had a test ride on one of these recently and here is a brief review.

First the plus points. The best thing about it is how it smooths out the ride over bumps, roots, cattle grids and gravel so I agree with the conclusion from the review in Cycling Plus/Bike Radar. It was shod with 37-622 Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres and these dealt with aplomb with all the surfaces I tried it on. They were also quiet enough for me on tarmac. The hydraulic disc brakes were superb and there was no squealing or binding throughout my ride. The Shimano 105 gears, 50 and 34 chainrings and 11-32 cassette worked fine.

There is space for tyres up to about 50mm wide without mudguards based on my measurements.

The bike weighed ~11kg with pedals, mudguards and two bottle cages based on weighing it with my spring balance so it is about 750g heavier than my Van Nicholas Yukon, with similar kit attached but with rim brakes, measured with the same instrument.

The minus points were the size of the brifters although I might get used to them and there was toe overlap with the front mudguard which caught me out on one occasion. As for how it looks, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the predominantly black fittings including chainset, rims and mudguards on bare titanium frame did not look good to me. Of course you could select different components.
PH
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Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by PH »

So, are you buying one?
rotavator
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Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by rotavator »

No, not at the moment at least mainly because I can't see that I would use it enough to justify the expense. It would be ideal for going around forest roads so it would be a good idea if I lived in the middle of Kielder Forest for example but I don't. It would also be fine for rough paths along canals for example or anywhere off tarmac that doesn't justify a MTB.

There was no hard sell from Spa, by the way, just the opposite.
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531colin
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Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by 531colin »

Disappointed to be called out for overlap. What size were you riding?
rotavator
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Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by rotavator »

I think is was the 54 cm frame. My feet are 10.5. I wouldn't call it a major problem but I know it would bother some people.
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531colin
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Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by 531colin »

Fair enough.....front centre on the 54 is 615mm
With a 37 x 622 tyre and mudguard clearance its going to be tight.
If i could get forks with anything more than 45mm offset I could have a slack head angle which gives a short reach to the bars and a decent front centre, but as it is its a case of "short reach and toe clearance....choose one."
I don't mind if my shoe bumps the mudguard, but there are people who don't like it
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531colin
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Re: Spa Cycles Elan Ti

Post by 531colin »

Had a look at the 54 tester bike to-day.
there was clearance for my size 42 shoes with the cleats almost at the back of the slot.
The guards currently fitted are rather narrow for the tyres, the tyre side knobs are close to the sides of the mudguard; a wider guard could be snugged down a bit to squeeze a bit more toe clearance.
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