Project Gravel Bus: First Impressions

The SRAM Rival 1 crank

Yesterday I gave you a glimpse of the Project Gravel Bus and a little reaction to it so far. Today I will get a bit more in-depth on the bike and how it is built up.

Obviously, the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 is a bit different than the previous iteration of this model, so I may draw some contrasts between it and the new one as we go along. The main differences are in wheel attachment and in the head tube/steer tube/fork area. So- fairly significant changes here, but there are a couple of nuances that some folks may not notice that are different too.

First off- The Spec:

• Twin Six Standard Rando v2 size 57cm. 44mm head tube, 12mm X 142mm rear through-bolt axle and 12mm X 100mm through-bolt front axle. Reinforced head tube and bottom bracket shell. Press-Fit 30 bottom bracket interface, screw on cable guides on down tube configurable for single speed, 1X, or fully geared. (I opted for the fully geared ones because- versatility) Official Color: Saffron. (School Bus Yellow is more like it though) Note: Also available in Black. Either color can have colored matched fenders- available separately. 
• Fork: Carbon, weighs 573gms with compression plug and with uncut steer tube. Painted to match. Note: Steel painted to match fork also available. 45mm offset. 
• Crank: SRAM Rival 1 1X with 40T 1X chain ring.
• Bottom Bracket: Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric Press-Fit with Enduro steel bearings
• Chain: SRAM PC951 9 speed.
• Rear Cog: 20T Surly with Surly spacer kit for a freehub
• Brakes: TRP Spyre flat mount F/R (Rotors are Hayes)
• Brake Levers: TRP canti/caliper short pull (Take-offs from another bike I have)
• Seat Post: Shimano PRO Carbon Dyneema
• Saddle WTB Volt
• Stem: Easton EC70 90mm
• Bar: Salsa Cowchipper 46cm, alloy
• Bar Tape: Marque Cycling, Black
• Wheels: Temporary place holders (Spinergy GX with WTB Resolute 700c X 43mm tires.)
• Pedal: Some beat-to-crap Shimano SPD's or another I had laying around. 
• Cables/Housings: Jagwire
• Accessories: Cages- Blackburn stainless (3), Bag: Bike Bag Dude Garage Top Tube bag, Bottles: Twin Six (3)

And that about covers the build. Now for the full monty........

Why Single Speed?: Well, as I said yesterday, that decision really wasn't on my radar until I rode the Stormchaser and also after I completed the Single Speed Century. I realized that I really missed single speed riding. My earliest gravel grinders were all done single speed. So, it stands to reason that I am okay with a single speed gravel bike, and actually, I am more than 'okay' with that. There is just 'something'.....I just really enjoy it.

So, here's how it came to be that I switched from wanting to do this bike as a 1X 11 speed to a straight up single speed. Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, got a T-6 Standard Rando v2 and along the way, he went from wanting a single speed to a geared bike. Part of that was my promise to him that I wold be handing off the Surly 1X1 to him, thus negating the need for a simple commuter bike. So, Andy had already gotten in the bottom bracket I used and the Surly spacer kit I ended up with. This all tipped the scales to me going single speed and avoiding having to riding a bike equipped with a SRAM shifter. I really don't like SRAM road shifters. Going single speed avoided this.

The Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric PF-30 insert really is pretty cool. If I recall correctly, Twin Six used a PF-30 shell for this reason, (and likely a few others), so one could single speed the bike. Their desire for the design all along was, for one thing, that people be able to choose a single speed option, or to be able to use an internally geared hub, both of which would require a chain tensioning system. The eccentric idea was the cleanest looking, and probably cheapest, option to allow for that, especially with a PF-30 style bottom bracket shell.

The Wheels Manufacturing insert worked perfectly. Really easy to put in and really easy to adjust, but you will need a good spanner to do the adjustment. The eccentric's shell is notched for something like Park HCW-5 wrench. So, make sure you have a hook spanner similar to that if you decide to use one of these eccentric inserts. The adjustment is held by two 5mm Allen head bolts that essentially sandwich the insert against the bottom bracket shell. To adjust the eccentric, you simply loosen the bolts and use the spanner wrench.

So, that's how the single speed portion of this build worked out. Now as for the tidbits that are different with this V2 of the Standard Rando, well, we have that front end. It's definitely a different look, what with the big head tube and bigger fork. The things that are not so noticeable is the tube manipulation at certain points and the bigger tire clearances.

Five years ago. This was the original T-6 Standard Rando. Notice the skinnier front end and lack of braze-ons.

Take a look at the original Standard Rando above. T-6 wanted the bike to be able to fit Bruce Gordon Rock and Road tires which are 700c X 42mm on most rims with tubes. That's pretty much what you are looking at above- tubed Rock and Roads on fairly normal width rims. And let me tell ya, there was barely any room around those tires at all! Especially where the tires passed under the fork crown and under the mono-stay. You couldn't fit a small stone between the tread and the frame in those areas. There was maybe 2mm of clearance at beast. Not good!

So, I resorted to using 38's if I ran 700c, or I could run 650B X 47mm with room to spare, so that's what ended up happening with that bike. It basically became a 650B only rig as tires got ever wider, tubeless, and on wider profiled rims to boot.

The new one sports the 700X43mm Resolutes which are more like 44+mm wide and there is room to spare. Not a lot of room, but more than I had with V1 of this bike. In fact, the Resolutes would not have fit V1 at all! That all said- 43mm is what T-6 recommends for max tire size in 700c on this bike and that is spot-on. Don't think you are going to squeeze in those WTB Riddlers in 45, or any of the wider 700c X 47mm tires out now. They simply will not fit this frame.

But otherwise, these two bikes are remarkably similar in looks. Which is by design, I am sure. Twin Six is a fashion company, first and foremost, but they do functional fashion, and this new V2 Rando is definitely more functional. And they ride really similar to each other, which is to say, really well, and I am happy with my decision to go in this direction over some of the other options I had. \

Stay tuned for a RidingGravel.com review of this and Andy's bike soon.

Note- I bought this frame and fork with my own damn money- so there! Twin Six did not ask for this review, nor did they know I was doing one. Double "so-there"!