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2016 Orbea Occam AM M10 Review
The new generation of Occam has arrived here at D&D Cycles and we have been putting our Demo bikes through their paces 3 times a week in super muddy conditions here in the UK. This will be a review on the New 2016 Orbea Occam AM M10 which is the 140mm travel 27.5″ trail bike out of the two Occams.
As D&D Cycles is situated on the South Coast in Barnham, West Sussex we are surrounded by the South Downs national park, so mainly cross country and small descents linking to steep long uphill climbs. First to arrive at the shop was the Occam AM M10 in the lovely and popular Orange which is part of our demo fleet for our customers to try before they buy. We was super eager to jump on the Occam AM as we love our descents more then our climbing so the 140mm travel Occam was the one we was really looking forward to riding. Coming with a 28T chainring we swapped it out for a 34T ring straight away with the Shimano XT cassette up to 42T at the back, the gearing was now perfect for our surrounding area.
Orbea supplied the volume spacers for Fox 34 & Float DPS Evol shock which i would highly recommend having a good play around with to get the right setup which makes a great difference to how the Occam AM rides and really makes the Fox suspension come to life unlike previous years where they have been lacking quite noticeably. Im 13st or there abouts and I ran the biggest volume spacer in the rear shock and just one spacer (comes with 2 already fitted) for the fork. I like to feel the bike pop out of corners giving you that boost and confidence to really push the bike into the corner without it wallowing and diving through the travel where you would end up losing speed.
After being out a few times and having a play with the suspension and volume spacers I was ready from the real test of how the bike performed. First off I climbed up to our local trails with a descent down to the carpark which most our locals will know as ‘Rewell run’. Climbing on a 140mm travel trail bike that only weighs 26lbs makes life so easy with the pivot placement being directly above the bottom bracket it really did well at eliminating pedal bob, and with Orbeas UFO technology which has been long in use in F1 cars, delivering unrivaled weight, stiffness and balance that you’ve never felt in a full suspension bike (well maybe their OIZ) you could certainly spend all day climbing and descending without any fuss. Zero pedal bob at 25% sag makes it feel like your climbing on a hardtail. I run it at around 28% sag and to be honest the very minimal pedal bob it had at 28% didn’t bother me at all.
The first descent came ‘Rewell run’ which I know very well and came into the first three corners (imagine it like a chicane with an extra corner) with so much confidence and in the wet it was probably the quickest I have gone through these corners on the Occam AM or any bike infact. I was pretty amazed and what you will notice straight away when you start descending is how quickly you can switch direction and point the bike exactly where you want it, its very precise which I love! I ended up posting a 2nd place time on Strava in the wet only a second off first place. I couldn’t wait to get it pointing downhill again this is where the bike really is good fun and so playful.
We headed up to a fun trail with a gap that can either be sent with quite a lot of effort due to not having a lip and being more of a roller or you can roll it but watching out for a big tree stump in the middle. Normally you have to crank it coming out of the corner before hand but the Occam with the new upgraded fox suspension gripped and carried the speed so well meaning only having to stick two pedals in to make it gap. A lot of our customers have totaled themselves on this gap by casing it and then an over the bars ending up in hospital, so it was nice that the Occam was a breeze over it.
Cal us on 01243 698689 to book a Demo on the New 2016 Orbea Occam AM or ask about the rest of our demo fleet.
New Production Privee Shan 27 Diamond Reverse
Production Privee has given us a refreshing reminder in the last couple of years of just how rad hardtails can be. Not any old hardtail though, a triple butted 4130 Japanese chromoly steel hardtail with geometry close to that of a downhill bike, meaning when pointed downhill this is possibly one of the fastest 150-160mm hardtails on the planet! We can vouch for that too with our Team rider Ewan taking a clean sweep of the QECP Collective Summer Enduro in 2015 in the hardtail category by a fair margin on his Production Privee Shan.
The guys at Production Privee are bringing you a new colour way this December, the ‘Diamond Reverse’ due to land mid December with us the No.1 UK Dealer of Production Privee. The Production Privee Shan 27 Diamond Reverse is funnily enough a reverse of the Super popular Diamond Green they did back in January which went down a storm. These frames are painted in the same factory as the popular DVO Diamond fork so colour matching is on point. For the first time we are offering this Shan 27 Diamond reverse frame with DVO Diamond 140-160mm trail fork in Diamond green to match. Pricing for this great combo will be £1099 saving you over £200 on the after market retail price of the fork while also including the headset and axle within the price which is a no brainer!
A little more detail into the DVO Diamond 140-160mm trail fork as they are still fairly new to the game but easily proving they are one of the best trail forks going up against the Rockshox Pike & Fox 36. The latest gem from DVO packs all the performance of a DH fork into a 140-160mm trail fork. With 35mm stanchions, an industry first compression bladder cartridge, dynamic tunability and their off the top (OTT) adjustable negative spring make this the ultimate trail and enduro race fork.
Quick Range Low Speed Compression
With a quick turn of the knob, the Low Speed circuit is restricted providing an improved platform for climbing.
High Speed Compression Adjust
Loader style compression provides easy access to the piston and shims for serious tuning
OTT - Off the Top
This exclusive and proven DVO design trickles down from the Emerald to deliver precise air sprung turning with the simple turn of a knob. Let’s you tune sag and ride high as well and mid to end stroke for improved traction and comfort.
Closed Cartridge Bladder System
Just like the bladder system found in the Jade rear shock the Diamond features a bladder system whereby the bladder is compressed rather than expanded offering incredible small bump sensitivity.
Features
- Integrated fender
- 15mm QR Tapered Axle System
- Forged CNC hollow crown with 44mm offset
- External High and Low Speed adjustment inc quick range climbing mode
- 35mm Tapered alloy stanchions
- Tapered steerer
- Travel: 140-160mm adjustable via internal spacers
- Weight: 2.1kg 4.62lbs
VitalMTB.com Review - “Ultimately the fork helped create a bike that could be ridden every bit as hard as a downhill bike”
Back to the Production Privee Shan 27 Diamond Reverse! If you haven’t already scoped out the geometry and sizing from the previous 27 models then heres all the info you need to make sure its the right frame for you.
Amongst spending time getting a sweet paint job on their new Shan 27 Diamond Reverse Production Privee have managed to bring down the pricing a significant amount as well which is always a bonus and nice to see.
- Production Privee Shan Frame Only £459
- Production Privee Shan Frame & Headset/Axle combo £509
- Production Privee Shan Frame, DVO Diamond Fork & Headset/Combo £1099
- We also offer a custom Invisiframe kit cut to the Production Privee Shans for an extra £71.99
Call us at the shop on 01243 698689 and speak to either Dan or Dave to place a Pre-Order on the Production Privee Shan 27 Diamond Reverse.
Production Privee Shan 917 Limited Edition Custom Build
The Production Privee SHAN 917 is now back in a 27.5 version. The paint scheme in an inspiration from the famous Porsche 917 Gulf racing of Steve Mcqueen in the le Mans movie. These are special edition models, all numbered 1-500, only 500 made world wide. The SHAN 917 is the perfect Enduro weapon when the trail is steep, fast and gnarly!
Here at D&D Cycles we love a good custom built bike, everything from working out a build with the customer, ordering the parts to the final build is a big enjoyment of ours!
This particular build stands out from some of the others with its Spank wheelset, Colour matched fork decals and high end components. Very similar to a build Production Privee did themselves quite recently, this Shan is a top spec, all out, sub 30Ibs steel shredding machine!
A good balance of weight and strength has been achieved by using the Sram X01 Carbon crank along with a X01 Drivetrain to offer a wide range of gears with solid shifting at minimal weight.
The 2016 Shimano XT Brakes have reached a new level in performance and reliability by using technology from last years XTR Brakes giving them the lead over other brands. If you want a top performing brake which wont break the bank then the 2016 XT has you covered!
The handling of a long travel, Slack hardtail is key on the trail and nothing quite fits better then Privee’s own LGH Bar and R2R Stem combo. A 1.5″ rise along with a subtle back sweep gives you a great riding position with plenty of attack. The R2R stem fits the bill at 50mm in length, giving you great control on the trail, the addition of the stem bolts clamping on side of the steerer tube gives you the reassurance of not smashing your wee little knee caps!
Looking more at the back end of the bike Production Privee equipped the shan with a 142 x 12 rear axle and dropouts offering greater stiffness and more response to the ride quality. Having a bolt through axle with a steel frame is a must have these days as trails get rougher, steeper and more technical than ever the last thing you want is your rear wheel over taking you on a decent!
The Spank Oozy Trail 295 wheelset is a great offering to the Shan with its stiff characteristics at an XC weight. They have achieved this by using a unique rim design and straight pull spokes. Spank is one of a few brands who have full control over the designing of their products, they have achieved this by going straight into the factory and telling them ‘this is what we want, make it happen!’. Various brands these days can simply cherry pick there products out of a catalogue and get their brand name stamped on it, not the case with Spank though. To get a product designed how you want you need to get the machines to make it happen which is exactly what they did! The outcome is an exceptional wheelset to compliment any bike.
There’s not many people these days that haven’t heard of the Pike fork, a 160mm travel, lightweight enduro fork! This fork is a regular on Production Privee Shan builds with its a plush feel and responsive attitude. To make these forks stand out from the rest colour matching the decals to the 917 theme was a no brainer! This was made possible with Slik Graphics Custom fork decal options on their website.
New 2015 Production Privee Shan 917 Limited Edition
Production Privee Shan 917 Limited Edition
The Production Privee SHAN 917 is now back in 27.5″ version. The all New Shan 917 Limited Edition is inspired by the Porsche 917 gulf driven by Steve Mcqueen in the Le Mans movie. Only 500 frames are being made World Wide and each being uniquely numbered.
The Production Privee Shan 917 is the most aggressive All Mountain/Enduro hardtail on the market and there’s no doubt about that! With a slack 65.5 degree head angle, making it a monster on the downs with the unique feel of a steel hardtail underfoot.
“It is just so flickable and you can turn so quickly.” Quoted by Steven a Shan 27 owner!
Production Privee - “It took quiet some time to unveil our 650B frames…. but we took the time to make it right! There was no question to rush into it and offer a bad geometry. So we built some prototypes with some special dropouts, but more important, we built it with a removable bottom bracket allowing us to change the bottom bracket height in order to find the best combo between fork height and BB height”
The SHAN 917 is 650B ready but is still built for 150mm or 160mm travel forks. The frame is now delivered with 12x142mm hangers to follow the current wheel offer. However we are still convinced 10x135mm makes a better choice in terms of ride feeling, so 10x135mm hanger kit are available.
The cherry on top is that the Shan can be built with 26″ wheels thanks to a optional hanger kit allowing to have the right geometry (available in 10×135 and 12x142mm).
Production Privee will also be offering a custom Spank Oozy wheelset which will not be available anywhere aftermarket and will compliment the Shan 917 to make an awesome build!
We ‘D&D Cycles’ will be offering a custom fitted Shan 917 Invisiframe kit for £59.99 and fitted FREE of charge when you purchase a Production Privee Shan 917 from us. If you have never heard of Invisiframe them check out what they offer at www.invisiframe.co.uk. It will provide your Limited Edition Shan 917 with the ultimate protection without compromising the look as its not noticeable until someone points it out which is what we like!
Taking PRE-ORDERS as of now so please contact us on 01243 698689 or email at dd_cycle_repairs@hotmail. The Production Privee Shan 917 was their best selling colour way and we have already taken pre-orders before the colour way was announced so make sure you don’t leave it to late and miss out!
2015 Troy Lee Designs Clothing & Protection
2015 Troy Lee Designs Clothing & Protection
Following the release of the new helmets last week, 2015 Troy Lee Designs Clothing Protection is stoked to announce the newest in all-mountain, gravity and cross-country riding apparel as well as premium protection. Last year TLD came out with complete renovations to nearly every item in the product line and 2015 continues to build on these successful products, with some fine tuning and a some new additions. An increase in offerings for the youth, women and more XC apparel has been added to the range. Here are a few highlights of our largest bicycle collection ever, for more details and info go to troyleedesigns website.
SKYLINE
The Skyline collection is Troy Lee Designs’ most popular selling riding kit, the world over. The classic all mountain kit has always been our mild kit, but with the addition of the “SPEEDA” shorts you can kick up the vibrance a notch. NEW for 2015, is Youth Skyline, available in 2 color ways of shorts and 2 jerseys. The biggest news in the Skyline lineup is the brand new Women’s Skyline Short, we enlisted World Champion and MTB hall of famer Leigh Donovan to help with the fit of this new short. We also added some long sleeve Skyline jerseys for the ladies, combined with new colors and patterns as well.
Aaron Gwin in the new Skyline Trail gear
RUCKUS
Ruckus was completely redesigned last season, with an all new fit on the jersey to be a bit more tailored, still using the popular 3/4 cut sleeve, and more breathable poly blend for the long day in the saddle. Same for the Ruckus short, our most full featured trail short that would be the short perfectly slated into the “E” word genre, if we used that word. Some small hidden refinements in construction to the Ruckus short for ’15 and it comes standard with the TLD premium inner liner, that is detachable of course, full waist adjusters, zipped front pocket, inner thigh ventilation zip ports, single snap waist enclosure with YKK zipper.
Cam Zink loves get down and dirty with his new Ruckus kit!
SPRINT Racewear
Another long standing part of the TLD bike line up, that went through a total redesign in 2014, we rebuilt this kit from the ground up, including a new short and a completely new pant. It was so popular in early testing 2 years ago, we noticed most of our racers getting back into riding and racing in pants, due to the versatility of the pant, lightweight, incredible fit and durability. “I think it’s cool to have so many riders getting back into pants, we have even tested these Sprint pants with our motocross team, and it has helped development with our moto line as well, our designers really listened to the athletes, I love wearing these pants” said company founder, Troy Lee. Sprint kit is the default performance kit for the bike park, gravity racing, free riding, BMX and more, with the addition of more youth Sprint, we are looking after you groms too.
Brandon Semenuk sneak peak at Rampage 2014 in the Sprint gear and backing it up with a overall FMB win!
Troy Lee Designs D3
Troy Lee Designs D3
• Technologically advanced aerospace carbon/composite shell construction
• Exceeds CPSC 1203, CE EN1078, ASTM F1952, ASTM F2032, and ASTM F2040
• Includes 2 fully adjustable, graphic matching D3 visors
• Machined titanium visor screws for reduced weight
• Dual Density Shock Pad System
• Improved rear neck padding for increased protection and comfort
• 20 high-flow intake and exhaust ports for maximum ventilation
• Improved comfort liner for 2015 Removable/washable comfort liner with CoolMax ™ and Dri-Lex ™
• Three EPS shell sizes for greater range of fitment, with 6 sizes of pads from XS-XXL
• Titanium D-ring chin strap fastener
• TLD D3 custom helmet bag kit included
• (4) Carbon shell colors: Speeda Yellow, Squirt Orange, EVO grey, Pinstripe II
• (3) Composite shell colors: Speeda White, Squirt White, EVO Red
• MSRP: Carbon: £379.99 CompositeL: £299.99
Production Privee Shan 27.5/650b Is Here!
The Production Privee Shan 27.5 is acclaimed for its quality, its unique features and perfomance, its strength and the two tone paint scheme.
Production Privee Shan 27.5/650B
Orbea Rallon X30 Review
Orbea Rallon X30 Review
The long and anticipated Orbea Rallon has arrived at D&D Cycles and excited is an understatement to what we felt when the bike arrived.
We decided to go for the Rallon X30 basic model with upgrade to Shimano SLX brakes and Rockshox Reverb due to this bike being one of our Demo bikes available to customers to try. It is also going to be used for ourselves so we can get a real feel for the bike and let our customers know the pros and cons of the Orbea Rallon.
We were eager to get out on the Orbea Rallon considering the hype around this bike in the reviews from all the different bike magazines and forums. Dan got to take it out on the first ride (our Thursday XC rides from the shop) to get to grips with how it handles with the 27.5” wheels and 160mm travel.
First impressions when I slung a leg over the bike was that straight away the cockpit was comfortable with the stock Raceface Evolve handlebar and Ride stem and surprisingly the reach wasn’t a problem, where in recent reviews they opted for a shorter stem.
We gave it a good go on some XC routes locally and it was a great laugh and pedalled extremely well considering most of the reviews stated it was only ‘OK’ on uphills. Even outdid a chap on a Specialized carbon 29er, was rather happy about that!! The pedal bob kept to a real minimum with the use of the Fox CTD on the rear shock and it certainly didn’t feel like I was pulling a 33lb bike up the hill.
Now for the real test on how it descends. Taking a trip up to the Surrey hills, Peaslake where the trails are steep, rough and perfect for a 160mm travel Enduro bike with plenty of trails to choose from. Spending the majority of the day there as I was grinning from ear to ear as I got a real idea for how the Rallon rode, hitting doubles that I haven’t even hit before due to it being so stable, playful and confidence inspiring. The stability of the bike at speed was impressive thanks to the longer wheel base, larger wheel size and it still managed to be nimble with a short rear end at 420mm. No idea how they managed to get a 420mm chainstay with a 27.5 wheel but it works a treat!
A couple of things we didn’t quite like on the Orbea Rallon X30 was the QR rear axle which only a couple of times I could feel it wasn’t as stiff compared to a 12mm bolt through but can be upgraded to a 142 x 12mm axle which Is worth the upgrade. One other thing we was a little surprised at was that it come with an unsealed headset but again can be easily changed with sealed headsets retailing from £30 upwards.
A quote from a customer we sold a Rallon frame to a couple of weeks back this is what he had to say…
“Had 4 Rides now and it is simply awesome. So sweet on the descents, the BOS shock is utterly brilliant. This bike is already becoming a game changer for me, only problem is I am over jumping gaps and overshooting drops with the shear speed it carries!”
Nukeproof Mega TR 275 Review
Nukeproof Mega TR 275 Review
Just under three weeks ago I received my Nuke Proof Mega TR 275 from D&D cycles. I can honestly say I have not been so excited to ride a new bike in a long time. Since my All Mountain bike is the bike I use most and clock up some long miles on I opted for the TR which is the 130mm rear and 150mm front travel variant of the mega. I felt this would be the best for all day riding but still handle the rough stuff.
I had not spent much time on 650b/27.5″ wheels before so the change was exciting but at the same time in the back of my mind I had doubts about how manoeuvrable and fun the bike would be.
The first ride was in the North Downs on a wet Sunday. Climbing to the top of the first climb with pro pedal engaged on the the Rockshox Monarch I noticed how little pedal bob I was getting from the back end. In fact it was as good as my last bike which had a considerably more expensive rear shock (Which was tuned for my weight).
The down hills are where the bike shines. Point it exactly where you want it and it will go there, you will run out of talent before it runs out of grip. The larger wheels are most noticeable on fast rough terrain where they can roll over the small pumps and grip into the loose stuff. There were times when I was trying to work out if it was the frame or the wheel size that was making the ride so fun and it has to be a mixture of both. The geometry feels perfect, a 67 degree head angle on paper to me looked to steep but I honestly have not had to worry about it once while riding the bike. In fact when I am riding the bike I don’t have to think about it at all, which to me is only a good thing.
One of the biggest surprises for me was how stable the bike is in the air. There was no having to adjust to a bigger wheel size what so ever. It is really well balanced in the air and wants to leave the ground at any given opportunity! It’s a ridiculously fun bike to ride.
This bike so far has exceeded my expectations and I can’t get enough of riding it. I will post some more thoughts after I have spent some more time on it.
Rob
5th at One Industries Mini Enduro 03/11/2013
One Industries Mini Enduro 03/11/2013
Decided to take part in my second ever Enduro at Forest of Dean run by One industries on sunday. Was an early start waking up at 5am for a 6am departure with our good pals Gav and Paul over at Quest Adventure.
The weather wasn’t looking too promising driving up to Gloucester with heavy rain beating down on the Quest mobil (has a flame paint job and everything!!) But turned out to be great weather with a slight wind chill but nothing a base layer and jersey couldn’t handle. We all struggled to find our way to the first stage but eventually made it for our first practice run on stage 1. The tracks being freshly built for the race and the rain in the morning made it for a slippery practice with some big ruts forming for the race runs. We only managed to practice on stage 1, 2 and the bottom half of stage 3.
Being the only one on a full on XC bike with 100mm travel (only bike i had at the time apart from the DH rig) i wasn’t expecting greatness haha! Gav was on a Whyte 650b with 130mm travel and paul on a Santacruz Jackel with 115mm so they wasn’t far off either. For the small Orbea Alma there was some big compression’s nearly causing some over the bars moments.
Come race runs Stage 1 started off with a small sprint to a blown out berm then a long sprint alongside the woods where i caught up with the competitor in front just as we turned back into the woods but he kindly moved out the way in time for me to make the pass. This is where it was all freshly built and big ruts had appeared as we was the second to last category going (hardtails). Lots of off camber sections and hidden slippery roots underneath to catch you out. I managed to get through stage 1 with only small mistakes which i was happy with and then off to stage 2.
Stage 2 was a more solid trail with only small sections blown out, making a mistake right at the start was frustrating so the rest of the trail i went hell for leather getting sideways on some flat corners and pedaled where i could to make up the time i lost at the start. The Continental tyre choice of a Baron 2.3 on the front and a Rubber queen 2.2 on the rear was recommended by the continental rep and turned out to be a great choice which me and Dave both now run on both Orbeas.
Stage 3 was my favorite trail of them all with big ruts, thick mud and more vertical! more or less one of there downhill tracks if not better so this put a big smile on my face!…lots of off camber and big roots made it tough getting down in one piece. Without knowing the top section i burnt myself out a bit pedaling the flat section, then crossing the fire road and dropping into the vertical section of the run. Gav went first then Paul and then me, i caught up with Paul coming into the steep wooded section and couldn’t help but giggle as i was getting closer ha! Due to many of our amusing conversations and laughs throughout the day the conversation before stage 3 consisted of me saying ‘if i catch you im going to shout the most random things that come in to my head’ this is what made me giggle and then crash haha but what a great run to end the day on.
Managed to take 5th in the hardtail category which i was pleased with and Overall the bike handled it self well on some tracks that were suited and made for 140-150mm enduro bikes. The continental tyres gave me more confidence in the Orbea giving me more grip than i ever expected. A great day and lots of laughs as Gav never fails to make it amusing!
Till next time…