mongol777

Introducing the Space Horse Disc


Cons (pros for some) - no more simple SS/FG option.
I like original paintjob better.
Too bad it is took them so long, I would probably bought it over AWOL if it was available early spring

09box

That is a beautiful bike plain and simple.

mongol777

Space Horse is one of my favorite frames, even though mine was not quite the right size. So I gave it to Missus and was waiting for disc version for along time now.
At the end did not want to wait anymore and bought AWOL. Not sure if I like new Space Horse yet - old looks much more classy to my eyes

Craptacular8

Nice. Their 650b size for the smaller frames would have been fabulous for my spouse that needed the lower stand over height of the 49cm, but could have used yet a shorter top tube as found on the 46cm.

Andy_K 

They're "stoked" -- I didn't think anyone had been "stoked" since, like, 2001.


But it looks like a nice bike. I appreciate that they continue to make a distinction between their cyclocross bikes and whatever the Space Horse is. At first glance this and the Macho Man Disc look like really similar bikes, but after closely examining the geometry I see that I'd have no trouble choosing between them.

Wspsux

I wish they kept the original paint job on it. I dont think the new paint fits the personality of the bike. I almost pulled the trigger on the Canti- Horse about a year ago but went with my Salsa Vaya instead. I'm kinda between sizes on the space horse so I think I'll keep my salsa at this point. I really love it.

At this point I think the Disc Horse is too late to the party. QBP offers the Surly Straggler at a better price (presumably) and the more robust Vaya for slightly more. I wish they had tweaked the trail on this bike and made it exclusively 650, something closer to the Soma Grand Rando. However I love All City and my Big Block has given me nothing but smiles.

ColonelSanders

It is nice looking, but I would have to replace that ugly crank.

mongol777

As much as I love my AWOL I was still looking at Space Horse. I gave my blue/white canti to my wife and she won't give it back. No big deal as 52 wasn't really fitting me and I need 55. So I started looking for NOS blue/white frameset in 55cm and no dice. So I figured, OK, I will go with silver or green. Went to see them in person and they do nothing for me. However shop had new SH disc framesets in stock and I think I come to terms with the new colors. It looks pretty nice in real life, pictures don't do it any justice
Only thing stopping me at the moment - old SH had same fork offset across all sizes. New disc version has old offset of 52mm on size 52 but 55cm and up all have 47mm fork offset. I don't know what to make of it as it is only significant difference (also slightly different stack and reach but very minor difference).

Thoughts? Will 47 vs 52 offset make a noticeable difference?

osco53

Great looking bike, love the paint work and details but I gotta ask, Steel Is real, what's It weigh ?

mongol777

Definitely under 30 lbs in stock build :-) I had mine built up under 22.
Question is - who cares? It is not a weight weenie bike by any stretch. All I can say it never felt heavy, always ready to go when you need it

mstateglfr 

I have a Black Mountain Cycles frame that is, 80% sure, made at the same factory as this Spacehorse in Taiwan.

Either way, its also a double butted cromoly frame and fork with an ed coating, 68mm bb shell, 27.2 seatpost, 1 1/8 steerer, etc etc. They will be within an ounce of one another in same size.

I built mine with the same 105 drivetrain and a similar weight crank. My shifters will be a couple oz lighter.
Mine has cantilever brakes instead of disc brakes, so itll be about 2 pounds lighter due to not needing the disc tabs on the frame and fork as well as not needing the heavy rotors. Also, my rims are a few oz lighter.


I have a 65cm frame and totally built with pedals, a not light c17 saddle, and bottle cages, it weighed 25# on the nose.
If the Space Horse came in that size, i would expect it to weigh 27-8#, given the matching components, frame, and known extra weight.

If it were a 54cm frame, probably 22# for my bike, i would guess, so 24# for the spacehorse. The guess on my frame in that size is based on similar builds ive read about and lightweight builds. 54 and 56cm frames have hit the 20# mark and gone under, but i would imagine the seatpost, stem, saddle, and bars are expensive to drop those ounces.



In the end though, 2# of bike doesnt make a lick of difference. It cant be felt when its the difference between 22# and 20#. It wont matter getting up to speed, it wont matter on climbs, and it won't matter when stopping.

osco53

I remember My Peugeot Crazy Horse, I bet It was 26 pounds, the ride was very compliant.
I never even considered suspension front or rear.

It's good to know that the Space horse weighs in like aluminum. I like the old school tubing shapes.

mstateglfr 

I'd figure its more than a comparable spec'd aluminum bike(which would naturally have a carbon fork given the spec level).
My wife's road bike is a simple and totally stock 54cm Cannondale Synapse 7 with Sora/FSA drivetrain and it weighs 20#. The spacehorse would be heavier than that for sure, even with a higher level drivetrain.



Gotta ask- the 'steel is real' phrase...what do you mean by that in this context? You asked- 'I know steel is real, but whats the weight?' or something like that.
Never understood that phrase. Steel is as real as Aluminum, Titanium, Carbon, and Bamboo.

Dave Cutter

I don't know why a disc break gravel grinder appeals to me so much. Those bikes just keep calling to me.... and I don't even know where I'd find gravel.

osco53

Chromoly and Steel bikes have a natural built in flex that really cancel out small annoying road chatter and most repetitive vibrations that are common or at least more pronounced In aluminum. I shield myself from this on my aluminum MTB with a carbon handle bar..
My gravel bike, also aluminum has a carbon seat post..That bike came with a carbon fork...

Many riders consider Chromoly and Steel bikes to have the best ride/feel bar none

Darth Lefty 

Really? I thought single speed MTB's and cross bikes were reasonably popular and available so hubs should be too.

But also, single speed touring bike, huhwhat?

Darth Lefty 

That's why they're beyond stoked.

mongol777

Really. SH disc has vertical dropouts. So you'll need to use magic gear, halflink, eccentric hub or chain tensioner to get proper chain tension.


It is not just touring bike, it is great all-rounder. My favorite build was FG gravel grinder with big fat tires, what's wrong with that?


Besides, many people tour on SS and FG, to each their own

Andy_K 

As a rule of thumb, mass production steel bikes with steel forks generally weigh around 2 pounds more than an aluminum bike with a fully carbon fork but the same build otherwise. A small batch steel frame with a high end steel alloy might shave off a pound of that difference. An extremely overbuilt aluminum frame or an aluminum frame with a steel fork can close the gap by as much as a pound in the other direction. But honestly, at 25-27 pounds that kind of difference is barely noticeable. Going from 20 pounds to 18 pounds you feel; going from 27 pounds to 25 pounds not as much in my experience.

Of course, what you gained by adding that weight makes a difference in how it feels too. Shedding two pounds of tire weight by going from stiff to supple tires is going to be big no matter how heavy the bike was to start with. Adding a couple of pounds going from aluminum to steel can make less difference because of the change in inherent ride feel -- or it might not. It all depends on how the two bikes were made.

As another point of reference, my 53cm 2015 Kona Jake the Snake with 7005 aluminum frame and full carbon fork, 11-speed 105 drivetrain, BB30 FSA crank, Hayes CX mechanical brakes and XT/HED Belgium wheels weighs about 24 pounds.

Darth Lefty 

It's an attractive bike, though I'm not sold on the angled bands of white, the colors do match the components. I like their road bike aesthetic better than Surly

Andy_K 

Most SSCX bikes using either horizontal dropouts/track ends or an eccentric bottom bracket. I think the same is true in MTB circles. Eccentric bottom brackets are available for most of the common oversized BB shells (BB30, PF30, etc.) so there isn't a lot of motivation for eccentric hub development. White Industries makes one, but it's pretty spendy.

But I think you're right that singlespeed would be a rather small slice of the market for the Space Horse. People wanting to do singlespeedish things would probably be better served with a Nature Boy. Of course, there is always IGH, which would kind of make sense with the Space Horse.

Horizontal dropouts introduce a bit of a problem with disc brakes. Sliding dropouts offer an elegant solution, but also an additional expense and I'd rather not have them on a bike that I was always going to use with a derailleur.

Andy_K 

I feel like this bike should be spec'd with either a triple or a 1x. A 50-34 crank just isn't right for this kind of a bike.

Darth Lefty 

They gave it a 105-level spec but currently Tiagra is the highest triple brifter. And currently, Tiagra triple compared to 105 offers about one shift lower, that's all. No one is currently offering a really wide-range gearbox with brifters. The recent shift pull changes also make it harder to mix and match, there's no SGS RD that matches with the 4700 or higher brifters and the GS's are near the limit of their wrap.

Andy_K 

It's not just about gear range. It's about usability. A compact double is just awkward to use for anything other than open road riding. But I guess I've ranted enough about this in other places that I don't need to repeat it here.

mstateglfr 

Yeah...all my bikes are steel. I completely understand the material compliance and feel theories. I have just never understood the phrase 'steel is real' as if its a compliment, it isnt exactly supported since an incredibly small % of bikes are built using steel. The brands dont want to use it and consumers dont want it.
It seems to be used as a way to show support to something that is the underdog.