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Dirt Rag Articles
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Tester: Andrew Crumpler
Age: 33
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 160lbs.
Inseam: 33"
Vital Stats
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Price: $1350
Weight:26.6lbs. (w/out pedals)
Sizes Available: 15", 17", 19" (tested), 21"
Contact: www.redlinebicycles.com
Redline, a company that originally made replacement swingarms for dirt bikes in the seventies, joined the bicycle world in 1974 with the first BMX tubular chromoly fork. There is a lot of nostalgia with the Redline name. As I tested this bike, I met a handful of people who reminisced about their childhood racing at the local BMX track, wishing their parents would buy them a Redline of their own. Over the years, Redline has introduced an eclectic mix of mountain bikes. The company puts a lot of thought and energy into making unique and well-designed bikes that won't break the budget. This year they are offering five 29ers and the D660, the crown jewel of the lineup. The D660 strays from the norm, as its designers incorporated a 1x9 set-up, a rarity in the cross country world. Having a 2x8 on my personal bike for a few years, I was more than happy to try a 1x9.
As I tested this bike, I found the 1x9 design to have many advantages over a traditional 3x9 drivetrain. The obvious lack of a few parts, including two chainrings, front derailleur, shifter, and cables, shaves some weight off the bike (but you do gain back the weight of a bash-guard). With only one derailleur to adjust, the bike was easier to maintain and it felt more intuitive to ride, since I didn't have to worry about all the issues you can get from a triple-crank set up. The D660 provides simplicity and nine gears.
Typically, it takes me a few weeks to get used to the handling of a new bike. I was surprised by how quickly I adapted to this one. To top it off, it was also my first real ride on a 29er. By the end of the first ride, I felt perfectly at home on the bike. The D660 climbs like a champ. There is no noticeable flex in the alloy frame as it helped to propel me upwards. The only time I had trouble on climbs was due to my over-confidence in the climbing ability of the bike—I would often sit down and relax too much on hills, leaving me to hustle, occasionally losing traction.
In addition to climbing like a mountain goat, the D660 also revealed star qualities when it came to descents, aggressive riding, and traversing obstacles. The extra clearance the bash-guard provided gave room to make it over logs without getting hung up. Another positive feature of this bike is its stability. With a 43.2" wheelbase, the bike felt extremely stable yet it wasn't too long, which can make a bike sluggish and hard to handle on the corners. It was hard to put this bike into a sketchy situation and not be able to come out on top. On each ride, I found myself looking for more drops and stunts to explore. Oddly enough, even with the welcomed rigidity of the frame on the climbs, the frame didn't jar me too much on the descent. With the head-tube angle of 71° and the seat-tube angle of 73.5°, it didn't take much effort to keep my lines.
When I heard Redline was making a 1x9, the first thought I had was, "How do they prevent the chain from falling off the chainring?" The device they used was a plastic chain-catcher mounted to the seat tube, one designed for a granny gear, not a middle ring. Because the catcher was about 10mm away from the chain (too far to be effective), there was no point in leaving it on, so I removed it. On my first ride, I dropped the chain on a rocky downhill. I needed a fix, as this was the start of a recurring problem, so I contacted Redline. They sent me an N-Gear Jump Stop. I bolted it on and it worked great—the chain only came off one more time during the test. (FYI: Redline is fixing this problem in future production.)
In the end, I liked the Redline's simplicity—just jump on and slap the right, and only, shifter to shift. No more deep contemplation about what gear you are in, just a simple feeling that reminded me of a singlespeed. I managed to ride most of the hills without having to jump off and walk. The D660's SRAM 950 12-32t cassette made me man-up on those climbs. However, I think an 11-34t would have made me never want to run a front derailleur again on my bikes.
Nonetheless, as I researched forums, I found other folks who had the same question I had floating around in my head: "Can this 1x9 be easily converted back to a 3x9 set-up?" Here are the results I have come up with. The frame has the cable stops for a front derailleur, so bolting one on is no problemo. The big issue, or cost, is replacing the crankset since it is a singlespeed-only crank without the ability to bolt on the beloved granny gear. So as far as a shopping list goes to change your 1x9 to a 3x9, you need a crankset, shifter, front derailleur, new/longer chain, and a long cage rear derailleur. Hopefully this information brings peace-of-mind to those with a fear of commitment to a 1x9 drivetrain.
The parts selection is great. Nice quality items, such as the 100mm Reba fork, are a welcomed feature, and Redline's cartridge hubs add to the low-maintenance aspect. Durable WTB Laser Disc rims combined with double-butted stainless-steel spokes make for a strong wheelset. Avid BB-7 brakes with FR-5 levers and 160mm rotors did a great job stopping the big wheels. (Pedals are not included so sport your favorite pair.)
I felt really good about this bike, despite the initial yet quickly resolved chain issues (thanks to Redline's famous customer service). It boasts advantages when it comes to cost and simplicity. Overall, I found the D660 to be a great do-it-all bike from riding on trails, to more daring stunts and racing. Kudos to Redline for keeping with tradition and creating a unique, innovative, and appealing 29er.
| Exclusive Dirt Rag Web-Only Extras For Redline D660 | | More bike reviews here. |
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| Comment from Rusty on 2008-10-09 |
| Can this 1x9 be easily converted back to a 3x9 set-up?
I agree that specing this bike with a single speed specific crank was a r choice. But I don't think that a long cage rear derailleur is required for going to a 3x9 drivetrain.
But the real question is why plunk down all the cash to buy a 1x9 bike then decide you really want a 3x9? It seems like redline built this as a 1x9 or singlespeed bike. I have a specialized 29er rockhopper with the dropouts for singlespeeding it, but haven't found the desire to mess with re-gearing it. Too much hassle, just ride it. |
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