mickey85

If I wanted a commuter that was 26" and built up for a decent cost I'd rather buy the new one than an original - with snow, ice, gravel and sand and such, I wouldn't want to be taking something as rare as an XO-1 through that. Never mind the theft factor. That said, I'd rather nab a "regular" rigid MTB or a 700c hybrid. Wait...I have both!

corwin1968

I just bought a Handsome Devil frameset, which is a 700c version of the XO-1. I ordered the frameset about 5:00 pm on a Wednesday and had it in-hand by noon the following Saturday (Minnesota to Oklahoma in less than 3 days....not too bad).

Over the past year or so I've tinkered with my old 1995 Trek hybrid and educated myself on frame geometry. I used BikeCad to design a custom bike, using what I like about the Trek and changing what I don't like, and came up with 73/73 head/seat angles, 55cm seat tube, 43 cm chainstays, 70mm BB drop, 45mm rake on the fork and drop-out spacing of 135mm. The Handsome Devil ended up being SCARY close to my custom specs so I e-mailed Handsome and they had two 55cm frames left and won't have more until the Fall so I ordered one immediately.

I'm going to set it up with 40mm rise MTB handlebars and a 9-speed Deore drivetrain and brakes. Wheels are custom built Velocity Dyads with Vittoria Randonneur Hyper tires (32mm).

Here is the frame with my wheels installed:




Here is a BikeCad rendering that is as close as I can get to the real measurements, down to stem angle and length (all the measurements are very, very close to reality....BikeCad is an impressive program for free).




Finally, I found this image of a Devil that I believe was built by the folks at Handsome Cycles. This bike would give Rivendell a run for their money in terms of pure aesthetics:

guzziee

Just saw this question today, the bike had rust spots on most of the lugs. Have a buddy painter that retouched all the trouble spots, lots of cleaning, new tape and tires.

iammyown

I know this is an old thread but now that its been a while, has anyone else gotten some more experience in with the XOXO's?

rc211

Since I sold my 26" MTBs and now ride 700c I will never go back- I would rather carry 10-20 tires around with me (if on world trip) than go that small again. I just cannot believe how much farther I can go.

gomango

I would have tried one, but there was a gap in sizing.

iammyown

Thats how I felt about it. Didnt want to say anything because I thought I was crazy for not loving the closest things I would ever ride to the infamous XO-1 but I got on in a trade and its just not what I wanted it to be at all. Is there even a market to try and sell it?

bikemig 

I owned and sold an XO-1 because it was a little too small. I did not like the way the moustache bars rode either. I currently have a 93 XO-2 that is my size that I need to build up. I like the way a road bike rides with a 26 inch wheel. That said, I'm skeptical about paying $640 for the XOXO. That seems high compared to steel frames from Surly or Soma. The XOXO on the frame seems way too cute for me. Why buy a copycat bike?

mainstreetexile 

That's funny, I've been moving in the opposite direction.

The Handsome Devil looks like a pretty great 700c frame.

corwin1968

I'm very happy with mine. I'm middle-aged and very fat so I have it set up with high handlebars. I can put on my 32mm Vittoria slicks and it's very sporty and agile or I can put on my 40mm Schwalbe Duremes and it's a very cushy ride while still maintaining a good degree of agility, due to it's 73 degree head angle. While it will never be a lightweight road bike, if someone were to outfit it with light wheels, skinny tires and lighter components, it would be a very serviceable road bike. Built up with all components, including pedals and heavy saddle, my bike weighs 26.5 lbs with the 40mm Schwalbes and about 25.5 lbs with the 32mm Vittorias. That's with heavy 40-spoke touring hubs and rims, a heavy triple MTB crankset and an uncut steerer tube. No weight weenie stuff at all.

I rode a Trek multitrack or a Trek 7.2 FX from 1995 to 2012. Both basically have MTB geometry and the Devil absolutely blows them away for sheer fun. The roadish geometry works better for my riding preferences. Suspecting that kept me from going with a Surly LHT, Soma Saga or even a Surly Cross Check or Soma Double Cross. The Devil is closer to a Surly Pacer but with longer chainstays and heavier tubing. I wanted a cro-moly frame that had roadish geometry but that would also take fat tires and canti-brakes. That's a pretty rare combination.

acoffin 

[QUOTE=corwin1968;16018744]I'm very happy with mine. I'm middle-aged and very fat so I have it set up with high handlebars. I can put on my 32mm Vittoria slicks and it's very sporty and agile or I can put on my 40mm Schwalbe Duremes and it's a very cushy ride while still maintaining a good degree of agility, due to it's 73 degree head angle. While it will never be a lightweight road bike, if someone were to outfit it with light wheels, skinny tires and lighter components, it would be a very serviceable road bike. Built up with all components, including pedals and heavy saddle, my bike weighs 26.5 lbs with the 40mm Schwalbes and about 25.5 lbs with the 32mm Vittorias. That's with heavy 40-spoke touring hubs and rims, a heavy triple MTB crankset and an uncut steerer tube. No weight weenie stuff at all.

I rode a Trek multitrack or a Trek 7.2 FX from 1995 to 2012. Both basically have MTB geometry and the Devil absolutely blows them away for sheer fun. The roadish geometry works better for my riding preferences. Suspecting that kept me from going with a Surly LHT, Soma Saga or even a Surly Cross Check or Soma Double Cross. The Devil is closer to a Surly Pacer but with longer chainstays and heavier tubing. I wanted a cro-moly frame that had roadish geometry but that would also take fat tires and canti-brakes. That's a pretty rare combination.

This bike deserves it's own thread. I think many of us in the C&V community would like hear about your likes and dislikes regarding the frame and your build. It looks very sensibly put together to me

corwin1968

[QUOTE=acoffin;16018974]Thanks! It's not C&V in any sense of the term but my build is heavily influenced by the hybrids from the early to mid 1990's. Decent level (Deore) MTB components for the drivetrain (48/36/26 and 11-28 9-speed) and V-brakes, good, custom built touring wheels, heavier and wider tires, uncut steerer tube to get the handlebars high, comfy split Serfas saddle, cheapo but decent components for things like seatpost, stem, headset. I've got friction thumb shifters on it now but once I make a firm decision to stick with mtb handlebars I'll put Deore trigger shifters on it. The bike has quite a few braze-ons if I ever want to mount racks or fenders.

Likes:

Love the geometry.
Like the ability to run fatter tires
Like the shorter top-tube
Appreciate the flexibility to run a SS/FG drivetrain
Like the versatility of the frame

Some of my likes are double-edged swords.

Dislikes:

It doesn't quite have enough clearance to run the tires I really want to try.....Schwalbe Big Apples
I would prefer vertical dropouts because they are easier to work with and I'm unlikely to ever run it SS/FG.
The blue doesn't really work for me with the crankset I chose. I would have preferred silver but couldn't find an external bearing crankset with the ring sizes I wanted. Doesn't matter because at it's first overhaul I'm going to have it powdercoated black.

I spent almost two years planning the build and collecting components and I couldn't be more pleased with the bike. It's a true all-rounder for my purposes. As you can probably guess, I was influenced by Grant Petersen and Rivendell Bicycle Works but I prefer a more sporty bike than what Grant currently advocates.

My long-term goal is to finally have a custom frameset built and I would probably just copy this bikes frame but change the clearances so I can run Big Apples, set the chainstay length at 44-45cm (44.5 how it's set up now) with vertical dropouts and I'd probably have to slacken the headtube to 72 degrees and extend the rake of the fork to accommodate the fatter tires I want to run. Plus, I would get the builder's expertise in choosing the best tube-set for my particular style of riding.

bwgride

Any links to the Handsome xoxo geometry? I've not been able to find geometry specification for the xoxo.

corwin1968

That's strange, the old website had the geometry but this new one that debuted in the last few weeks does not. I know for sure it has 73/73 seat/head tube angles and from memory the BB drop was in the 40's and the chainstays were around 42.5-43. They are now saying it's an "exact replica" of the original (which I don't think was claimed last year) so you might check the 1993 Bridgstone catalog on Sheldon Brown's website. It has the geometry for the original.

bwgride

Thanks for your reply. One now has to access the geometry by clicking on the buy button. They list only two sizes, 53cm and 60cm (which seem to match the geometry of the 1993 XO1 52cm and 59cm sizes). I guess it is not selling enough to justify a more complete model size offering.

While the geometry seems to match that for two of the 1993 XO1 sizes, I think that is not enough for them to claim an exact replica. Considering only the frame, that claim fails in terms frame materials, lugs, number of eyelets, seat binder, and I am sure I could see others if I studied it in more detail.

Chris Chicago

I think they used to offer a 55cm or 56. maybe they've stopped having them made and when the current sizes are gone so is the xoxo

pcb 

Just did a quick search, I'm seeing 52/55/58 Devils listed on Handsome's website. There are also dealers selling them, westernbikeworks.com has a 15% off coupon for a net price of $315 i/o $450. I have no affiliation or experience with either, don't think I'd even heard of westernbikeworks before...

dphilips

I recently passed the 6-year mark with my Handsome XOXO (60cm frame) and it has long been one of my favorite bikes. The combination of road bike geometry and wheel diameter make for responsive handling, while the 26x1.8 tires provide comfort and stability over all surfaces.

My build is an all-rounder for paved roads, dirt/gravel, bike paths, and lightweight single-track.

The handlebars are titanium H-bars (650mm wide), which require a removable faceplate stem – I ended up with an inexpensive Sunlite alloy stem that looks much nicer than I expected. These older style H-bars are best for bikes without bar mounted shifters (e.g. single speeds or downtube shifters) due to limited grip space but they offer multiple hand positions and fantastic leverage and control.

Wheels are Sun CR-18s on some new old-stock Deore DX M650 7-speed hubs. 2×7 drivetrain with 34/48 rings up front on SR Sakae 110bcd cranks and an 11-32 cassette, Acera 7/8 speed rear derailleur, Claris 8-speed double front derailleur, and Sora 8-speed downtube shifters. Acera metal brake levers in silver actuate Tektro 857AL V-brakes that have plenty of fender clearance. A K-alloy radius top seatpost fits with the classic look.

The tires are Geax AKA Pluma 26×1.8 that measure around 43mm on the CR-18s. These were originally marketed as cross-country race tires and claimed to be the lightest mountainbike tires ever made. The 300g weight puts them in the same league as the Compass / Rene Herse 26×1.8 extralights. The original build had Michelin Country Rock 1.75s, which are fairly decent tires, albeit a bit heavy and stiff. The Geax tires are worlds better in comfort and speed and I run them between 35 and 45psi. They are amazing tires that are no longer available and when my spare set are worn through I’ll move on to the Rene Herse Naches Pass 1.8 (assuming they are still around).

Due to the design of the fork crown, this is the largest tire size that will fit with fenders; without fenders it’ll take a 26×2.1. The bike was listed as being 650b capable and technically is, but tire size will be limited. With the availability of excellent 26″ tires I don’t see this as much of a loss.

The bike is happy to cruise, but rewards a spirited effort as well, on all kinds of surfaces and is extremely comfortable.

merziac

Nice bike, 7 yo zombie thread, just sayin.

dphilips

​​​​​​
Yep, I was around when the thread originated (I've been subscribed to it since). It seemed the best place for my post.

merziac

Maybe so, we would like to have seen the build/process thread though.

tpadul 

I’m looking at Handsome Cycles now and I really like what I am seeing from this company. Their customer service is amazing as I bought some of their hammered fenders for another bike and I’ve been chatting with one of the owners Jesse. I would really like to support a small US business like Handsome Cycles. Detroit Bikes has also caught my eye as well. I have 4 vintage 1980’s bikes and want to splurge on one new bike. My choice seems to be leaning more toward Handsome Cycles at the moment though.

chefdurfee

Handsome just announced a limited run of new XOXO bikes - if you subscribe to their email page, you can get a notification. Pre-order only, through Kickstarter.

chefdurfee

Tpadul, did you end up getting a Handsome Devil?

tpadul 

Not yet but I am going to in the Spring!! Waiting for their Spring sale.