rugerben

OK so the eeeeeeevil Bikes Direct is running a sale right now on the Motobacane 29er Outcast. Delivered for $350.

I can get a 3speed Sturmy IGH from Jenson for $62. This includes shifter, cables, etc...

I'm thinking that if I unload my 2008 Giant Transend DX with several upgrades I put into it, I could get about $350 for it.

So is it a worthwhile upgrade? Part of me says "listen self; this would be an awesome all weather, low maintenance bike. The only thing that could make is better is disc brakes, but kool-stops will do well enough for now. And hey, it's a 29er and you've always wanted to try one."

The other part of me says, "hey numbnuts, you've got a bike that works, although you are not particularly attached to the TranSend, it's a known, and you know it works well enough. Stop looking for excuses to upgrade and lose money."

What's your take? Is there really going to be any benefit?

This would just be an around, do everything bike.

How are the modern SA 3-speeds? I can't afford the 8speed IGH's at the moment.

bcbcbc

I started my bike search with a 'requirement' for IGH and ended up with a 1 * 8.

I keeep thinking about converting.

How do you plan on getting the hub into a wheel? Buy second wheel and spokes? Pay labor or do it yourself?

With my bike the stock hub sprocket would give me something similar to gears 3-5-7 I have now. I couldnt live with climbing in 3rd so I'd need a different hub sprocket and live with a top gear something like current 5th.

jgedwa

I have an Outcast 29er. Got it last summer. It is good value for the money. Some of the components are not so great. Wheels are really the worst of it, but it sounds like you would be changing them out anyway. The hubs are no-name ones. It took me many tries to get the loose-ball set up adjusted so that it would stay adjusted. And I am pretty experienced messing around with loose-ball hubs. I can only guess that they are not machined perfectly, or else the axle-threading is just not up to spec and the cones/nuts move. I suspect the latter. I have had them stay adjusted now for a few months, so maybe now the problem is gone.

The other parts are not so flashy. But if flash is not your thing, they are certainly seviceable. The Tektro brakes are good.

As you mentioned, the lack of disc brake mounts was a foolish move by them. How much could it cost to put them on there and give owners another option.

Like any 29er, it is really fun bouncing around on top of those big wheels and tires. I have mine set up as a city bike (oh yeah, the stock gearing is not at all mountain suitable. Not an issue for me.) with big *** Schwalbe Big Apple tires. It is really run to haul around town on those things. They look like motorcycle tires and ride like a cloud. Very fun.

Maybe the biggest drawback for me, and this is purely a matter of vanity, is the silly stolen Motobecane name. Its not fooling anybody; its just a generic, serviceable SS/FG 29er. I would feel a more honest enjoyment of it if it did not try to take on airs. Again, this says more about me than it does about the bike.

jim

JeffS

That's a downgrade in my book.

I_bRAD

keep the old one. get the new one. Sell the one you like least or keep them both

CCrew

I'm with JeffS. A single speed 29'er? Mine's a 9speed triple, and still a pig to get off a stop in anything but the lowest gears. I love it, but it needs the gears it has.

-R

jgedwa

True, not everyone and every set of conditions calls for SS (I ride fixed, for what it is worth), sometimes its just the thing SS 29er actually makes a lot of sense for flattish city use, for example.

And then there is the issue that some peope just find SS/FG fun.

jim

rugerben

Remember I'd be swapping for a 3spd IGH, so it won't really be a SS. But I do see the point about needing more gears for a beast like a 29er. Perhaps I'll just wait longer until I can afford a better IGH like an 8 speed Nexus or something, and then buy a bike worthy of it (think Marin Muirwoods/Hamilton).

CCrew

Dunno. I might buy into it as a "play" bike, but the only bike? I'd pass.

-R

jgedwa

Nothing wrong with a play bike is there?

Again, it is true that a ss/fg is not for everyone and all situations. As such, it probably is not right for many people if that is their one bike. But within surprisingly wide parameters it can work out pretty well. Keep in mind that such a bike is likely to be a tad lighter and the drivetrain a tad more efficient than a geared bike. Plus, there is the psychological effect of only having one gear that seems to make it easier to push the limits of that one gear.

I am not making any very bold claims here. Gear choices are pretty good things to have. I sometimes commute on a fixy, but at 19 miles each way with some rolling hills, it really is for the sport of it, not the practicality.

The Outcast is not feather-light, but it is nimble enough to be a reasonable platform for SS. I am not the most accomplished rider out there, and if I do not have trouble getting it rolling up to speed, most others would not also. The bike has its limitations, but if one wanted to play around at SS/FG it is not a crazy idea.

jim

CCrew

I think that's exactly the light I'm looking at it in. I commute 30 miles a day, sometimes more depending on mood/schedule. While it's not crazy hills, it's enough that I like options. If it were my only bike I think I'd be losing options, as is the OP giving up the Transend. Light bike like the Specialized Langster, or similar? I'd be a bit more on the fence. Nothing against FG/SS personally, just doesn't fit for me.

-R