RAW Bamboo Bikes - 'The Dale' Mountain Bike

I almost always ride a full-sus these days. The Orange Five does everything well, and most things outstandingly well. I guess I love it because you can point it down steep nasty stuff & it laughs at it! So I'd kind of forgotten the joy of a good hard-tail bike

The last HT I rode regularly was a DMR Switchback & when it was the only bike I had no complaints really. Since selling most of the DMR, the last time I was out on a HT was one of the G3 fleet bikes when a customer wanted to hire my Five for the day. Annoyingly (a bit, anyway) the G3 was better than the DMR to ride, despite being a much cheaper build and having stock bars that are a bit narrow for my tastes (although they suit most people)

What made the RAW stand out for me was the obvious difference in the ride between it and other 'good' bikes. I felt almost zero trail buzz. There's nothing wrong with the DMR or the G3, when you ride them you think “yep, nice, wouldn't change anything”. But the first few seconds on the bike was enough to know this was in another league. Ever since finding the website I've been really curious to see one, so I jumped at the chance of a test ride. Having said that, I was almost expecting a fragile feeling bike that would need riding 'carefully'. Kind of how lots of people imagine carbon to be. But the solid feel & almost silent ride inspired confidence early on. I should say this has been used regularly by Rachel the importer and as a demo bike for about a year already

In my experience a comfy HT frame usually means not so quick acceleration and a fast HT usually means feeling battered at the end of the day (to generalise slightly). The RAW however really was the best of both. It seemed to surge forward, but without that combination of clatter/vibration you get in varying degrees with most HT's. It really is very quiet & I found myself in the big ring almost any time the trail straightened out. At the end of the day I had way less of the usual aches, and that's with a dodgy hand & shoulder waiting to play up at any time (sympathy optional)...

Craig Calfee, the frame builder has been going for over 20 years and this shows in the handling. The bike feels right, it's not a gimmick or a green idea from a non-bike company. He has a history making advanced carbon fibre frames, even a tandem. Greg Lemond was the first customer for road frames! The first bamboo frame was built in 1995 but just as a publicity stunt. 12 more were made for employees, relatives & friends. They felt the feedback on the smooth ride quality was too good to ignore and began production in 2005. The MTB frames are only available in bamboo as it is more 'crash tolerant' than carbon apparently ...which is nice to know
Recommended fork travel is 80 or 100mm. The bike I rode had 80mm Reba's which did a splendid job. I ride 140mm as a rule but the 80mm combined with such a comfy frame seemed to be plenty. Although nothing to do with the frame, Rockshox forks always impress me these days, the Toras on the G3's are better than they have any right to be for the cash

What the bike isn't going to do is beat a full-sus down something steep, rocky & super technical, but it will make it no problem with decent technique (see skills courses!) But as a race bike it would do just fine. The difference between this & some other race bikes is that you'll definitely want to ride it for much of the rest of the time as well. I would most certainly like one, and although I'd probably still ride the Five more of the time, it'd be close!

One thing I didn't do is get a weight. You might think this was just lazy, and you might be right! But on a serious note I think weight is sometimes a bit of a red herring. Until about 2005 I had a no-sus (or fully rigid in normal speak) Dave Yates frame. It was light. The bike weighed about 23lbs. It felt quick. A long ride left you feeling like you'd had a good kicking for about 3 days after! The DMR was next & I built it more for strength, so it came in at about 29 or 30lbs. 1st ride out when it was built, just down the street I had to check the computer was calibrated because the speed was surely wrong! It was a good few mph (the good old days) faster. Now, as far as I can see, if a bike accelerates quicker & then holds its speed better, the extra weight doesn't really count? Because if a lighter bike is flexing where it should be stiff, you're wasting as much energy as carrying extra weight. I wouldn't have said this added up until I had 2 bikes to compare. I'm not saying all light bikes are flexible & inefficient, just that if a bike is very efficient then it doesn't necessarily have to be the lightest. And with the RAW Bamboo frame, add in the distinct smoothness of the ride & you have a bike that you feel fresher on for longer. Maybe, if you're still with me, a bit more explaining is needed? In that if the bike is comfy, how can it also be efficient? Well the vibration dampening seems to be a property of the material & not dependant on using flexible tubes. In fact I couldn't see or feel any flex under pedalling forces, whereas there's a noticeable amount on many steel frames & a bit on many ALU frames. At a guess I'd say it was somewhere near 25lbs maybe

If I get an accurate weight I'll add it in later. But like I say, on it's own weight doesn't tell you everything It seemed perfectly happy to do this, which also made me happy...

size	nominal size	effective top tube length	stand over height	head angle	seat Angle
large	18"	22.8” (58cm)	31” (78.7cm)	71°	73°

Frames cost £2349, a s/s bike is £2999 and geared bikes start at £3250

You get a 10 year guarantee on the frame, which goes a long way to prove they believe in what they build

www.rawbamboobikes.co.uk +44 (0) 7970 780514

Summary

Like:

• extremely quiet, almost silent – even without a chainstay protector fitted
• felt very solid & tough, the chain stay seemed to have shrugged off chain slap way better than steel/ALU frames
• very comfy for a HT
• very fast accelerating, was in the big ring surprisingly often
• geometry good, steering fast & precise without being twitchy. Climbed & descended well, stable at speed
• Green! Bamboo is sustainable & they build by hand without using electricity in the build
• if you don't want mass produced, the Calfee is as far from it as you're likely to get!
• 10 yr guarantee!

Dislike:

• Pricey, but it does feel like a top of the range bike, and if I had the spare cash I would have already ordered one! So, bad in the usual way that we generally want quality stuff to be cheaper than is possible...
• not loads of tyre clearance on the one I rode, but they will custom build. And I didn't feel it needed huge tyres once I stopped looking & started riding

howies NBL (natural base layer)

howies description: “Superfine Merino that can be worn on its own or as part of a layering system when it's cold. Wicks naturally, resists build-up of odours, regulates temperature and is itch-free so it feels real nice next to your skin. 100% Zque accredited Merino wool”

Brands generally want you to believe their products will somehow enhance your quality of life. Apparently if you drink the right kind of Cola you'll have more friends and become rich & cool... MTB marketing isn't usually at that level of fantasy, but it's often difficult to know which ones are describing a quality product and which simply have a huge marketing department. If you’ve got a product that does the job it's all a bit more straightforward, for company & customer

The howies stuff I’ve owned does usually seem to match the marketing. I hesitate to use the phrase “does what it says on the tin” but there genuinely isn’t that much to add that howies haven’t said above. Except that I’ve owned a long sleeved & a couple of short sleeved versions for nearly 3½ years now, and they’re still going strong. When new, I was concerned that they were so comfortable that I’d grab one to wear off the bike far too often! Well, I’m still doing that now, so I reckon they’ve proved themselves for quality

On the bike, I wear one as the only top layer on warm summer days, and you can get away with just the base layer & one of the warmer jackets like an Endura Stealth in the winter on all but the coldest days. When it’s cooler but dry in the autumn I usually wear a howies mid layer on top

It’s often claimed that natural materials out-perform synthetics. In my opinion this is often true; it certainly is with merino. For many, the cost will seem a bit high, but I reckon they work out at good value seeing they last so well. The fact that they refuse to smell ‘used’ is a plus if you’re away for a week or weekend as you don’t need a base layer for every day. Another advantage is that merino stays almost as warm when wet, so if you sweat a lot or just get caught without a waterproof the ride doesn’t turn miserable. It also soaks up a huge amount of moisture before it even starts to feel damp. Make sure you follow the washing instructions as it will more than likely shrink in the tumble drier. They dry quick enough not to be tempted, so no excuses there

Orange Five long term review

No need for a detailed review, just Google for reviews and you'll find plenty to say how it rides & handles. This is more about how it stands up to long term use. This is the '08 model - not so much has changed for '10

...a slightly lighter/stronger top tube by Reynolds & the head angle is a bit slacker. I wouldn't have said it needed it, but it'll make the bike slightly more stable at speed & help prevent over the bars incidents on the really steep bits if you're not so confident

...back to the bike - it's lived up to expectations. No major problem's so far since it was bought in Dec 2007. It's a basic 'S' model with factory upgrades where it seemed worth it. Forks were upgraded to Fox TALAS RLC, hubs, brakes & headset to Hope items & a Gravitydropper seatpost added by me. Reasoning was that drivetrain stuff will wear out anyway, so why pay extra at the start? Just upgrade if necessary when stuff wears out

The forks went to MOJO after a year to have the TALAS system sorted, it almost stopped working due to an unsealed system on the '08 forks that lets in dirt. They fitted the '09 assembly which has been great - instant travel adjust instead of almost instant, and it's now sealed. It's the only system I know of that's so easy to use you can adjust it on the move

Pivot bearings are still smooth, so well done Orange for quality bearings & a design that obviously doesn't put much stress on them. Had to change the shock bushings & went for TF Tuned stainless ones which have been good so far, and they sell the tool for DIY purposes. Although it's nothing to do with Orange, the shock has done well. No issues & it's easy to change seals on the air can & add some float fuid every so often just to be on the safe side. Mojo reckon if you do this you won't need a factory service for a good while

Most upgrades have been due to wear & tear or personal choice rather than breakages. One exception was a front rim - bent the original WTB item on not too heavy a landing. Replaced it with my rim of choice, a Mavic EN321 (used to be XM321); cheap, reasonably light & I've never bent one yet. Replaced the rear recently with one that became spare from another bike. It's handy that EN321's & WTB SpeedDisc AM rims take the same length spokes, so can be swapped without replacing the spokes if they're in good order. The other major replacement was a set of Middleburn RS7 cranks, due to the Truvativs being required for another bike. Nothing wrong with the Truvativ set, the external bearings don't last ages, but I got a lot longer from them than from Shimanos I've used. The RS7's are an awesome bit of kit & there'll be a detailled review sometime

That's it really, does everything I need & does it well

Paramo Velez Adventure Light W/proof Smock - pt2

OK, a short re-visit to the Paramo. In short, great. As I mentioned before, I'd have the arms slightly longer, but there's not much in it & with the wrist tabs done up everything's comfortable & stays put

The big question; 'has it stayed waterproof?' - yes. And Paramo are one of the very few that always reproof properly when they need it. Good on & off the bike & seems much more resistant to dirt than most fabrics. Got splattered with Dalby mud the other day, the sort you'd think might not even come out in the washing machine, and it just didn't soak in

If you really don't get on with smock designs, unfortunately they don't have much else that works for biking. I wasn't 100% convinced that it would be as good all round as the eVent it replaced, I went for it because I wanted long life (from the Paramo, it doesn't make you live longer..) Now I've used it for a few months it all makes good sense

Another plus for the '10 version is the choice of a few more colours

Paramo Velez Adventure Light W/proof Smock - pt1

New Paramo waterproof, 1st one that's not too hot for biking. So far it's all good - best worn with just a base layer. With all the vents closed it's warm, open the vents and it cools down enough not to have to remove it except in warmer weather

Best of all with Paramo stuff, the waterproofing never wears out, as there's no membrane. The layering system does the waterproofing, and you just reproof it with Nikwax every so often. Because there's no membrane, you can reproof it indefinitely, so they work out reasonable value. Also, they're among the most breathable outdoor waterproofs available

Downsides? Sleeve length whilst OK could be a bit longer for me, and it replaced an Endura eVent jacket that was lost at Dalby...