Mi-Tech Tyke 29″er: On Test
July 29th, 2010 by Guitar Ted“SIMPLE AND SOPHISTICATED” – NOW on TEST: by “c_g”
(Mi-Tech Tyke 29er, DT-Swiss XRR, Rohloff & Carbon Drive, SCHWALBE Nobby Nic …)
To the regular reader who is following twentynineninches.com regularly this will come as no surprise. In my series on the ROHLOFF Speedhub 500/14 (here) I have already touched the potential (and risks) of using the GATES Carbon Drive in unison with the Rohloff and now I get the chance to test both together in a bike specifically built for that purpose by the German Manufacturer MI-TECH.
(sorry for the bad quality picture – my camera just wouldn’t take the huge contrasting colors all that well)
In my post on the Garda Festival earlier this year you have seen their Carbon Tyke 29er (here), which is also available in a Rohloff version but not yet for GATES Carbon drive. So I opted for their proven Alloy Version with Rohloff and Gates.
I will get into the details in future posts – here is just a quick run down of the bike (the components which will be specifically reviewed are highlighted):
Frame: Mi-Tech Tyke RoEX 29” 48 – alloy 29er frame by MI-Tech, Germany at standard geometry (custom builds also available). Specifically built for the use of the Rohloff Speedhub and GATES Carbon drive and for a short fork. Featuring an eccentric bottom bracket, Rohloff OE1 dropouts, split seatstays, integrated headset, all internal routing … size 48 cm (~ 18”)
Fork: DT-Swiss XRR 29er (just covered in an earlier post here)
Divetrain: Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 (internally geared 14-speed hub), Truvativ Stylo crankset with GATES CARBON Drive (specific chainring / cog and belt).
Brakes: AVID Elixir 5 (185 front / 160 rear)
Controls: RITCHEY PRO integrated headset, Truvative Stylo Race stem (110/6°) and flat bar, ERGON grips
Seating: 3T DORICO TEAM seatpost (27,2 for some comfort) and Selle Italia SLR Carbonio
Wheels: ROHLOFF rear and Shimano XT front hubs, NOTUBES FLOW 29er rims and SCHWALBE NOBBY NIC tires
All but the seat post and tires are exactly as they came from MI-Tech (which besides frames also offers partly or fully built bikes). For details on their bikes see: www.mi-tech.de. Those components concerning fit are subject to changes depending on how it suits me.
The full bike (without pedals) weighs exactly 11,00 kg (~24,2 lbs).
Stay tuned for some more on the frame and components, soon.
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Kool!!!
Even with the Rohloff, is it close to 20 lbs(9.1kg)…..
Not really. To get down to 20lbs would be a lot of weight to drop on a bike (and keep the rohloff), especially when it already has an aluminum frame and rigid carbon fork…not saying it’s not impossible, but it wont be cheap to drop 4.2lbs!
But that said, 24lbs w/a rohloff aint bad!
… when riding a Rohloff weight is not really the focus but rather reliability, ease of service (or better the lack or service requirements). In this perspective I´d rather see the DT-SWISS rigid fork as well – that it is one of the lightest ones is a positive side-effect
.
That said I have done a bit of calculating and a 22 lbs (or 10 kg) bike should be well possible – the 20 lbs are a bit too optimistic and you´d have to dig deep to achieve that.
Neat bike…but maybe the worst name I have heard yet. Must be a Euro thing, maybe? TYKE?
grannygear
grannygear: I have no idea why this name and what it means – I will find out and let you know
c_g
This may be the sexiest bike you guys have shown all year.
Hmmm another great idea. Happy trails
Clean looking bike, nice touch with the gates belt drive. This might be the ultimate low maintainance bike. How much $$ ??
Phil: I will get more into details but since you asked.
A standard geometry 29er frame (with EBB, like mine is) would sell for € 699.-. Additionally mine has the internal routing which would cost another € 65,- extra and the GATES option (split-able right seat stay) for an additional € 68.-.
Mi-Tech also does full custom geometries and any additional feature you can think of (from different head tube sizes, tubing, press fit BB, different drop out or break ooptions, smooth welding … you name it – they do it) … and remarkably every single detail is designed and manufactured 100% in Germany (all but the cable stops – which are way cheaper to buy externally
)
For a full price list (unfortunately in German only) see:
http://www.mi-tech.de/PDF%20Dokumente/Preisliste%20Endverbraucher%2001-2010.pdf
More later.
c_g
c_g,
that’s not bad for a German made frame, it is made in Germany isn’t it?
Also, I can speak, read and write German
Thanks for the link!
Gruß
Phil
a tyke has a number of different meanings, one is from ‘old norse’ meaning mongel and another is ‘british’ meaning a native of Yorkshire
i think they are using the old norse version
ps i am from Yorkshire…..
cp
and yes that should be ‘mongrel’
Next job for “c_g”:
testing new 29er offerings from KTM, Rose, Rotwild and complete Bulls 2011 29er lineup; Copperhead, Tirone and especially Black Adder Team 29, vinner of 2010 TransAlp race…:)
…
Now if Rotwild really would do a 29″er, I’d be interested.
@GT
Here is a thread from German forum:
http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/showthread.php?t=474968
Who knows, maybe Dave Wiens is doing some consulting and testing for Rotwild ?
For now, all of them (expect Bulls) are going slow and testing the waters with alloy HT’s, but I’m sure we’ll see European FS 29ers very soon (too bad Pronghorn Racing recently filled for bankruptcy – they were testing FS 29er).
@Ojos Azules: Very, very interesting! I would be interested in a Rotwild with the full technical treatment that they give to their 26 inch hard tails. That would be interesting to ride. (I have a very good friend that races for Ergon, who use Rotwilds as their bicycle) The others in that thread are nicely executed as well. Are the Bulls models carbon fiber?
Thanks for that peek at what is going on in Germany. It would seem that the big wheels might finally get a chance to prove themselves in that market. We will see how that goes, but for now, the entries I see are looking quite nice.
@GT:
I think Bulls is coming out with 3 models: Tirone-titanium, Copperfield-alloy, and Black Adder-carbon.
“c_g”, actually being from Germany, could probably dig some more info on them. I’m just looking for options for my new 29er winter project.
Here is something I find about Black Adder (google translate FTW):
http://www.bulls.de/presse/siege-und-erfolge/news-details.html?tx_ttnewstt_news=502&tx_ttnewsbackPid=230&cHash=26819310b5
This year’s Eurobike should be interesting.
Damn !
Looks like link is not working.
Let’s try this:
http://tinyurl.com/3776ode
OK folks, you are taking away all the fun in preparing news – I am in contact with the person behind all their 29er (I confirm a sweet alloy called Copperhead – in at least two versions, one Ti called Tirone and the flagship carbon bike the Black Adder) – so chances are high you will read some more here in the not so distant future
.
GT: Sorry to disappoint you on Rotwild – unless they have something completely unknown in the make – the rumored bike from BIKE EXPO is called T1 (T standing for TREKKING) ad is a real high end trekking bike with room for bigger meats. I talked to the folks of Rotwild and they confirmed the bikes wer not true 29er but more like trekking crossovers. Very neatly executed frame and just in time for the show. Despite having three frames on display (two of them with 29er components) they had no details on the geometry, weight or price, so I have to trust what I have been told. Just by looking I could already detect that the BB drop was minimal – either a revolutionary new geometry (;-)) or plain trekking style with the option to disguise it as a 29er.
Be sure I will keep my eyes and ears out for more
.
hmmm, just realized I forgot to mention the brand name concerned in the first paragraph: I am talking ablut BULLS, just to be 100% clear.