Enigma titanium builds for my wife and myself
04-03-16, 08:40 AM
#1
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Enigma titanium builds for my wife and myself [Pics now showing]
Framesets just landed yesterday. Will keep updating this thread.
Echo 55cm for me. Elle 52cm for my wife. These will be our new travel bikes. Replacing our Surly LHTs and our Bike Fridays.
Planning SRAM Force/Red groupset, and wheels with Novatech hubs, Velocity rims.
Echo 55cm for me. Elle 52cm for my wife. These will be our new travel bikes. Replacing our Surly LHTs and our Bike Fridays.
Planning SRAM Force/Red groupset, and wheels with Novatech hubs, Velocity rims.
Last edited by deepakvrao; 04-04-16 at 11:32 PM.
04-05-16, 05:48 AM
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Nice. Especially nice welds. But I don't get it. You say these are travel bikes and replacing Bike Friday, etc., yet I see no couplings to break them down. What am I missing? Would you do significant travel (like by air) with full-size bike cases as a regular thing? That is a hard one.
BTW, I won't bust on Velocity, but if Kinlin is equally available, it is a far superior choice. I have built many wheels with both. The Kinlins are much flatter and rounder to start than anything I have ever gotten from Velocity. And in the USA Kinlin is usually much cheaper than Velocity too.
BTW, I won't bust on Velocity, but if Kinlin is equally available, it is a far superior choice. I have built many wheels with both. The Kinlins are much flatter and rounder to start than anything I have ever gotten from Velocity. And in the USA Kinlin is usually much cheaper than Velocity too.
04-03-17, 04:37 AM
#5
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Nice. Especially nice welds. But I don't get it. You say these are travel bikes and replacing Bike Friday, etc., yet I see no couplings to break them down. What am I missing? Would you do significant travel (like by air) with full-size bike cases as a regular thing? That is a hard one.
BTW, I won't bust on Velocity, but if Kinlin is equally available, it is a far superior choice. I have built many wheels with both. The Kinlins are much flatter and rounder to start than anything I have ever gotten from Velocity. And in the USA Kinlin is usually much cheaper than Velocity too.
BTW, I won't bust on Velocity, but if Kinlin is equally available, it is a far superior choice. I have built many wheels with both. The Kinlins are much flatter and rounder to start than anything I have ever gotten from Velocity. And in the USA Kinlin is usually much cheaper than Velocity too.
Having said that, living in India, most airlines just have a weight limit.
I finally built the bikes and we did Australia and Thailand. Australia was by Malaysian and Thailand by Thai.
We do Europe twice a year and mostly by Qatar. They also allow 30 kgs and allow bikes.
One trip to the US by Etihad and we took full sized bikes too.
Lufthansa, air France etc we take folders.
04-03-17, 05:09 AM
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Somehow missed this. We will keep the folders for travel with airlines which don't allow oversized bags free.
Having said that, living in India, most airlines just have a weight limit.
I finally built the bikes and we did Australia and Thailand. Australia was by Malaysian and Thailand by Thai.
We do Europe twice a year and mostly by Qatar. They also allow 30 kgs and allow bikes.
One trip to the US by Etihad and we took full sized bikes too.
Lufthansa, air France etc we take folders.
Having said that, living in India, most airlines just have a weight limit.
I finally built the bikes and we did Australia and Thailand. Australia was by Malaysian and Thailand by Thai.
We do Europe twice a year and mostly by Qatar. They also allow 30 kgs and allow bikes.
One trip to the US by Etihad and we took full sized bikes too.
Lufthansa, air France etc we take folders.
04-03-17, 05:13 AM
#7
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We both like riding full sized bikes over folders [no brainer :-)], and we try to book flights which allow full sized bikes. I will not pay 150 Euros a bike one way. That is 600 Euros for both of us for one trip. No way.
04-03-17, 05:21 AM
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At home we have a biggish car and get dropped to the airport. Abroad we rent a SUV usually. Having said that, we had Thules which were huge. Sold that and got Pikas which are pretty manageable, and light too. Never carrying carbon, only these Titanium or alloy gravel bikes, so they should do the job. The Bike Fridays of course fit into the regular Samsonite suitcases.
We both like riding full sized bikes over folders [no brainer :-)], and we try to book flights which allow full sized bikes. I will not pay 150 Euros a bike one way. That is 600 Euros for both of us for one trip. No way.
We both like riding full sized bikes over folders [no brainer :-)], and we try to book flights which allow full sized bikes. I will not pay 150 Euros a bike one way. That is 600 Euros for both of us for one trip. No way.
04-03-17, 06:23 AM
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Dude .... are you new here?
PICTURES!!!!!!
Sounds like you have a pretty decent life going there ... multiple tours of exotic locations ... with the wife. bravo.
PICTURES!!!!!!
Sounds like you have a pretty decent life going there ... multiple tours of exotic locations ... with the wife. bravo.
04-03-17, 10:41 AM
#11
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A couple of pics of the bikes in Thailand. Mine which is the heavier one weighs in at 18 pounds, which is not bad at all for a non weight weenie build. Wife's is about 200 grams less I guess. Never weighed it, as she is not as anal about these things as I am.
Last edited by deepakvrao; 04-03-17 at 08:54 PM.
04-03-17, 10:47 AM
#12
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Completely understood, but if you haven't tried a Ritchey Beakaway or S&S coupled bike, you really should. Just to know what you are missing. It is a full-sized bike that travels like a folder. The ride is indistinguishable from a one-piece frame. The packed size is 150X150X10 cm. Hard to beat.
Difficult for someone in the US to even understand :-(
Though, now my daughter is studying in the US, I might just be visiting more often, so might look at a Breakaway, except that we have enough bikes at home. [Did I just say that?]
Last edited by deepakvrao; 04-03-17 at 10:51 AM.
04-03-17, 12:54 PM
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Or just get rid of some furniture .... always room for more bikes.
BTW .... pics did not post. Send links fr something. I really want to see what I am reading about.
04-03-17, 04:23 PM
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I just cant get a bike like that into India. Customs is 43% and a hell of a lot of hassle also. These bikes, I got in part by part every time I [and friends] traveled abroad, and that is why it took me 13 months to finish the bikes from the time I ordered the frames.
Difficult for someone in the US to even understand :-(
Though, now my daughter is studying in the US, I might just be visiting more often, so might look at a Breakaway, except that we have enough bikes at home. [Did I just say that?]
Difficult for someone in the US to even understand :-(
Though, now my daughter is studying in the US, I might just be visiting more often, so might look at a Breakaway, except that we have enough bikes at home. [Did I just say that?]
04-03-17, 08:36 PM
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Hope these show up.
04-03-17, 10:21 PM
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Gorgeous settings, prettier bikes. Something about straight, simple, classic titanium with black hardware ... the apogee of the classic bicycle.
04-04-17, 07:35 AM
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I just cant get a bike like that into India. Customs is 43% and a hell of a lot of hassle also. These bikes, I got in part by part every time I [and friends] traveled abroad, and that is why it took me 13 months to finish the bikes from the time I ordered the frames.
Difficult for someone in the US to even understand :-(
Though, now my daughter is studying in the US, I might just be visiting more often, so might look at a Breakaway, except that we have enough bikes at home. [Did I just say that?]
Difficult for someone in the US to even understand :-(
Though, now my daughter is studying in the US, I might just be visiting more often, so might look at a Breakaway, except that we have enough bikes at home. [Did I just say that?]
04-04-17, 09:55 AM
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Wonderful school despite their granting a degree to our president.
When you visit her, you may like a nice casual restaurant in the neighborhood, the White Dog Café. I hope it is still there. I used to eat there when in Philly on business. If you ever get down to Houston, be sure to let me know.
When you visit her, you may like a nice casual restaurant in the neighborhood, the White Dog Café. I hope it is still there. I used to eat there when in Philly on business. If you ever get down to Houston, be sure to let me know.
04-04-17, 10:07 AM
#20
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Wonderful school despite their granting a degree to our president.
When you visit her, you may like a nice casual restaurant in the neighborhood, the White Dog Café. I hope it is still there. I used to eat there when in Philly on business. If you ever get down to Houston, be sure to let me know.
When you visit her, you may like a nice casual restaurant in the neighborhood, the White Dog Café. I hope it is still there. I used to eat there when in Philly on business. If you ever get down to Houston, be sure to let me know.
In all fairness Wharton disowned your president ;-)
04-04-17, 10:08 AM
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04-04-17, 12:20 PM
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