As some of you will have read on another thread I have recently had a minI tour in North Yorkshire. I spent the final day visiting Spa Cycles in Harrogate. Which was great in every respect except financially!
I have ridden a Ti Spa Audax for the last 5 years which is really lovely ride. It works best with 25 mm tyres and 28s with guards, so it is a bit limited to tarmac and shakes through the potholes a bit. I’ve hankered after something I can use with confidence on the tiny single track roads in the Dales, Lakes and Bowland where I do my riding and even venture up forest roads on occasion. The Spa Elan Mk2 ticks all the boxes being available in Ti, my favourite frame material, take up to 45 mm tyres under guards and have hydraulic disc brakes. The latter are completely new to me but I’ve read good stuff about them.
The Spa shop is a curious place on a fairly scruffy industrial estate. The complete antithesis to the boutique bike shops that have sprung up elsewhere. Fortunately the staff are very knowledgeable and the range of touring bikes as good as anywhere. I had a test ride on their Elan MK 2 ‘Hope special’. It was a very solid ride with the big 38 mm gravel tyres and more trail than the audax, making it hold its line well. By the time I’d got to Ripley my mind was made up to buy an Elan. I’ve gone for a 54 cm which is the same as my audax.
I spent a pleasant half hour talking options with them. It looks like being a gravel bike build with Shimano grx group set and hydraulic disc brakes. Chain rings 46 and 30. Advice from Spa was they felt this worked together better than a TD2 option that I currently use. They suggested 11-34 cassette although I might change my mind and go for 11-40. it seems there is a trade off between having a very low gear and some big steps. A 30 x 40 option would give a very low 20” gear. The 30 x 34 option would be 24”, 2” bigger bottom gear than I currently have which would be psychologically troubling in this hilly part of the country. Decisions, decisions!
More to come as the purchase progresses.
I have ridden a Ti Spa Audax for the last 5 years which is really lovely ride. It works best with 25 mm tyres and 28s with guards, so it is a bit limited to tarmac and shakes through the potholes a bit. I’ve hankered after something I can use with confidence on the tiny single track roads in the Dales, Lakes and Bowland where I do my riding and even venture up forest roads on occasion. The Spa Elan Mk2 ticks all the boxes being available in Ti, my favourite frame material, take up to 45 mm tyres under guards and have hydraulic disc brakes. The latter are completely new to me but I’ve read good stuff about them.
The Spa shop is a curious place on a fairly scruffy industrial estate. The complete antithesis to the boutique bike shops that have sprung up elsewhere. Fortunately the staff are very knowledgeable and the range of touring bikes as good as anywhere. I had a test ride on their Elan MK 2 ‘Hope special’. It was a very solid ride with the big 38 mm gravel tyres and more trail than the audax, making it hold its line well. By the time I’d got to Ripley my mind was made up to buy an Elan. I’ve gone for a 54 cm which is the same as my audax.
I spent a pleasant half hour talking options with them. It looks like being a gravel bike build with Shimano grx group set and hydraulic disc brakes. Chain rings 46 and 30. Advice from Spa was they felt this worked together better than a TD2 option that I currently use. They suggested 11-34 cassette although I might change my mind and go for 11-40. it seems there is a trade off between having a very low gear and some big steps. A 30 x 40 option would give a very low 20” gear. The 30 x 34 option would be 24”, 2” bigger bottom gear than I currently have which would be psychologically troubling in this hilly part of the country. Decisions, decisions!
More to come as the purchase progresses.
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