shoota 

That'll be a fun build.

mstateglfr 

copper?

Darth Lefty 

That's what they say but it looks GOLD to me.





Here's their other "copper" bike, a much more normal use of the name for the color

cormacf

If you don't need to pay for derailleurs, why would anyone spec a $1500 AL bike with ****ty mech discs in this day and age?

Marcus_Ti

Short answer: profit margin and consumer-price-point.

The real question...who wants a fixed/SS bike that has toothpaste welds in alloy for $1,500USD....

shoota 

Surprisingly more people than you'd think.

Metieval

Not sure if people are crying over the cost, or if 1 gear is just too tough for them.

cormacf

For the same price as the Stormchaser frameset, you can get an entire bike with smoother welds and hydros. Now for $1199:
https://www.norco.com/bikes/2019/roa...-single-speed/

shoota 

Cool. How are they tensioning the chain?

cormacf

Eccentric bottom bracket, I believe. Weirdly, it doesn't say anything on the Norco site, but their retailers have it in the item description: https://austinbikefarm.com/product/n...le-speed-53cm/

I was thinking about building up a SS Wolverine with hydros (which would probably cost $1800, all done, though I'd get the parts I want) or maybe trying to find a used Raleigh RXS as a cheaper option, but at this price point, I think I know where my stimulus check is going.

shoota 

Eccentric BB on a BSA shell would certainly be interesting. It's a great looking bike. Wonder what the tire clearance is like?

(And I'll just have to disagree slightly with you that this bike is a replacement for the Stormchaser. The geo, features, tire clearance, are all different. The geo of the Norco looks like a straight cx bike, not gravel. anyhoo)

cormacf

Yeah. That's why kind of threw me. Not a ton of room there for that vs. some other BB configs, but I've heard good things about previous years.

Also, excellent point--I came to the Stormchaser looking for a SSCX bike. I thought about a SS gravel bike, but the value just seemed better in SS MTBs, and that seemed close enough, given that my roadie already takes 650x47. I was thinking of picking up a Log Lady for singletrack.

Metieval

the BB is a pinch set up with bolts on the outside (bottom side) of the BB.

it is how they did the BB that turned me off from this Norco.

Darth Lefty 

The Stormchaser is clearly not a SSCX bike, not with all those warts.

I am not going through the builds to see what's different but clearly the Norco got a worse crankset and has a lot less going on with the frame. It's also poo colored

Darth Lefty 

What's wrong with that? It sounds like pretty much any midgrade tandem.

mstateglfr 

Work with me here because its not as clear as you say- why is the Praxis Alba crank clearly worse than the Race Face Ride?
...and thats an interesting take on what army green looks like.

Metieval

I'd rather have BB30 or PF30 and run something like beer components eccentric. or wheels mfg

considering that we have better choices, why design a frame around the lesser?

gus6464

Gimme the All-City Nature Boy over that Salsa. Nicer frame and very similar tire clearance.

shoota 

It's not as easy to turn the NB into a geared bike though.

gus6464

That no longer correct for the ACE model. All you need is a $20 part.

Part number FS2339 from qbp.
https://www.worldwidecyclery.com/pro...RoCfZYQAvD_BwE

shoota 

Interesting! Thanks for the head's up. I'd love to see one installed

Darth Lefty 

Just found one... should arrive in a few weeks. Will report back. Will try it stock for a little while. Planning a 1x build but it might not be fancy at first

Darth Lefty 

Bike in hand but so far all it’s done is chase down the ice cream truck, for which it proved perfectly adequate

aggiegrads

Sweet! What are the two cogs? Is there really enough adjustability in the sliding dropouts to accommodate more than a one-tooth difference?

I am considering a dinglespeed setup for my nature boy.

Darth Lefty 

17t and 18t included. There is 1.5 cm of adjustment (43.5-45 cm) and it's about 0.8 cm through it on the 18, so maybe 16t to 20t?

https://www.eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu.php

Added on edit - the max limiter here is the chain ring clearance and chain line at the front, and the freehub at the rear. The front is very MTB-like, with a 73mm shell. The listed tooth clearance is 40t at RF/Easton 51mm chain line and 38t at regular 49mm MTB chain line, and the rear is min 13t because the 11t cog on a cassette fits over the end of the splines. I'm sure you could build a minimum well under unity, or do something clever with a MTB double.