Chocolate Log

Okay, lets get this cleared up first. I'm no expert, I just like riding bikes. Cool?

Here's my views of a long weekend with the Kobe Ti from Dialled Bikes...

Got the Kobe from Mike at Dialled Bikes, and went straight out for an urban blast. Picked up my chips and saveloy after setting up the forks, bars, brakes, and saddle. The Fox TALAS is very nice indeed, so easy to dial in. "Oh, I think I'll be having that on 125mm thanks very much." Click, click, click done. "Or maybe 110..". Click, click, click.

Stuck my trusty V8s on it too.

First glance: Looks great in dark Ti, curve really makes it stand out, it's a real beauty.

First thoughts: Light, nimble, whoooaaahhh - short back end makes it easy to pull wheelies!

Okay, so all ready to go I hit the North Downs in the dustiest driest conditions I've ever seen, with MikeW and a bunch of Singletrack slackers.

The Frame

This Kobe Ti's a small bike, almost like a cross between an XC frame and a dual slalom racer. The curved top tube is striking, giving good nad clearance and giving a relaxed and upright riding position.

Build quality looks good, and it was attracting serious drool from the riders around on Leith Hill and the North Downs all weekend!

The frame I tested is a 16.5" from BB to toptube centres, with the short toptube (not sure exactly, 21.5" IIRC) putting the controls right at your disposal. This is both a strength and a weakness, and it's something that Dialled Bikes have chosen deliberately to meet the needs of a certain type of rider.

Even test bikes get punctures, the Conti Vert Protections didn't do much protecting that I could see.

Downers

Let's get the downsides out right now:

The lowish BB height (12") invited the odd pedal clip here and there, nothing most hardtailers will find unusual, and it does give it great stability.

Chainsuck occurred a couple of times, even with the fairly new drivetrain and dry conditions. It was shifting from middle to granny (under hardly any load) that left some tasty gouges out of the chainstay. It'd happened before by the looks of it. Maybe a slightly longer BB is required? Mike's looking into it.

Climbing hard, I found it pretty difficult to really get the power down unless I just sat back and span it smoothly. I just felt like I was going over the front. I prefer wider risers too, so the RaceFace Air Alloys at 25" accentuated this further.

In practical terms; this meant it was the first bike I've failed to ride up the technical climb up to Leith Hill Tower for ages. I love this climb, and I think it's a great one to uncover any handling gremlins a bike has.You've probably got a climb like this near you if you're not Local - steep and technical, maybe with a combination of rooty bits, rocky bits and loose bits that takes more than just strong lungs and legs to clean in one.

Shortening the TALAS to 100mm or lower helped greatly, as would a slightly larger frame I guess (I'm 5'10"), but really it's just not a bike that's about climbing like a goat. It gets you up there easily enough because it weighs bugger all, and that's where the fun starts.

Kobe loves to go down

Playtime

It's light, maybe not silly XC whippet light, but coming from a 32lb full suss this thing is a helium filled balloon.

Lightness requires very different riding technique - especially if you're a skinny bast like me. You skim and bounce, hop and dance, and when it goes wrong you're not just going to get away with it with a bit of momentum, it all happens very quickly!

This makes it's seriously fun to ride.

I bunnyhopped logs I'd usually just pile over, I popped drops smooth as butter that I'd normally save for the full susser, and every possible lump bump and rut was something new to launch off and tweak out of. Anyone who rode this felt the same almost immediately - this bike is playtime.

Kobe liked being thrown about

Titanium - Magic Material?

Now I was a confirmed titanium-sceptic before I got this bike. I was fully expecting to dispel the myth of Ti as pure hype. Unfortunately, it really is as nice as everyone says - it absorbs the buzz of the trail without taking you away from the reality of it. Even on a short, almost dual slalom-esque bike like the Kobe Ti, it still doesn't beat you up.

I rode 27 fun packed miles with the Singletrackers and could've gone 15 more if time had allowed.

The dark Ti used in this frame is even sexier than the shiny stuff. It looks gorgeous!

The shortish back end is lively but not at all harsh thanks to the material, and you can stick some pretty fat tyres in there by the looks of it, as there's ample clearance.

The lightness of the Kobe made me doubt the Conti Verts legendary status at first - They are actually great tyres, but they're only able to grip when they're on the ground!

Vid here of Kobe in Leith Quarry.

If you're into learning a few jumping and trials skills, this bike is ideal. Wheelies, manuals, hops, pivots etc. are all sweet to execute on the Kobe, it's so light and compliant, and yet it's as strong as a bike that's several pounds heavier.

Kobe, meet Redlands

In its Element

It's extremely fast when the going gets twisty, and being so nimble it just begs you to put the hammer down. It absolutely whipped down Summer Lightning, our local mini-Afan-style trail built by the Redlands trail builders. I reckon I'd cane any of my usual riding buddies down here on this [a gauntlet clatters to the ground].

Take it to Afan or CYB and I reckon it'll outshine just about anything. It'd be great fun on the BMX track and Dual Slalom courses too.

Summary bit for all you lazy buggers

There's faster bikes out there, going up or down, but on the Kobe Ti you'll be having way more fun than anyone who gets there before you. The bottom line is that I really didn't want to give it back, and I'm missing her curves already.