Editor’s Note: This report is filed by our European correspondent, “c_g”, and is an introduction to the “test mule” for his upcoming carbon fork testing where he will review several carbon forks on the same frame. Their will also be an independent look at this frame as well.

On-One Carbon RACE 29″er: ON TEST:
(or intro to: “It is all about Carbon”) by “c_g”

They have arrived: The On-One Carbon Race frame and Carbon Rigid fork.

CR_2

This frame that I had ridden only a few weeks ago in a nude carbon pre-production version (and that by some of you had been dubbed “vapor ware”) now has arrived in production stage to serve me as a long term testing platform. This bike is a paint sample, meaning graphics and color might get some refinement before going into regular production. The red painted panels are of a dark metallic red that looks really nice in nature but doesn´t photograph well – so once again the pictures will only tell half the story.

CR_1I had been looking for some time for a Carbon platform to ride various rigid carbon forks on (some of which have been introduced already) and this frame seemed like a suitable candidate. From the short time on the On-One Carbon RACE 29″er in suspended mode (see short ride review here) during my visit with On-One in GB, I was confident this bike would handle all the different forks on test well, while being stiff and direct enough to reveal any ride characteristic of the forks willingly.

Certainly the frame will also be subjected to being reviewed separately but on the basis of this long term test and the different set-ups, so expect to find comments and remarks throughout the testing series and a independent conclusion.

Should be interesting, don´t you agree?

For some initial information on the Carbon RACE 29er frame see here.

Here is some more: I received the frame with the On-One Mixer (tapered) headset already installed and it came in at 1340 g. Deduct the claimed weight 209 g for the headset and you end up with a frame weight of ~ 1130 g for a frame size 18” – not bad, isn´t it?

CR_3Another thing that stuck out to me besides the twin direct mount posts, was the trick manipulating of the right chain stays. A bit like stair stepping of the high profile, sculptured to fit the chain rings and ensure maximum clearance for both tire and chain rings.

All the other details like the strongly sculptured tube shapes, the super massive head tube and bottom bracket junctions, the post mount brake bosses inside the stays, the 31.6 mm seat post diameter, tapered head tube, internal shifter cable routing, price, and availability… have all been mentioned already in above linked report. CR_4

This time I will also have a good go on the also new On-One Full-Carbon rigid fork, that was only for me to be inspected then.

There has been some discussion regarding its 450 axle to crown length and 38 mm offset , the near vertical drop outs, and more …. and now it is my turn to find out. Oh yes the production sample weighed exactly 580 g (with uncut 300 mm tapered steerer tube) – almost identical to all the other rigid forks on test.

I am looking forward to riding this fork a great deal, being the only other monocoque carbon, besides the NINER Carbon fork (intro here) that is mine to test (others might follow).

And by this I am not only referring to the handling itself but the general characteristics because one thing I have certainly learned with rigid forks: They vary a great deal in stiffness, steering precision, brake induced chatter or deflection, trail chatter/small and big bump damping, … all of which make the fork perform better or worse under specific riding conditions and speeds. The question I will be asking myself (and hope to answer by spring 2011) is the following:

Is there one new generation rigid Carbon fork that finds the best compromise overall?

I have also learned that one and the same rigid fork may show completely different characteristics on different frames – the reason why I wanted to wait with the comparisons until I had an adequate frame for long term review to ride all forks on one single frame.

RIDE ON,

c_g

Ps: For the informed reader it will come as no surprise that there will be a theme with this test series (besides reviewing rigid Carbon forks) and this time it is going to be:

“It´s all about Carbon”

(… so expect some really cool Carbon components to find their place on this bike in the course of the test. Stay tuned :) )