I'm debating getting one as a more versatile bike than the fat bike. But maybe a 29er+ might be better who knows. I do like a 29er more than a 26er in normal tyre fitting.

Anyway I digress it looks a pretty good bike and reviews look good but I do have one niggle as according to the specs they wanted to fit a 3.0 rear tyre and had to fit a 2.8 trailblazer due to clearances. So I'm presuming this Ties you to a 2.8 when there seems not to be a great deal of choices in that size as everything is going 3.0

Oh and does it have rear rack mounts as they are mentioned but I've not seen them. Shame there is also no seat tube bottle mount what with mounts everywhere else

Review here
http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... tml?q=Long

I'd also have a look at the Pinacle Ramin 3+

That does look nice. I wonder is the longitude worth 200 over the pinnacle I'm actually not sure now

I wonder is the longitude worth 200 over the pinnacle I'm actually not sure now

My own opinion is, no.

Some of the things I like about the Longitude are missing on the Ramin and vice versa. However, with the application of a very small sum of money, that situation could be altered. It would cost a lot more to do it the other way round. To a degree they're similar bikes but I do think the Ramin rides better which might be down to the choice of steel rather than aluminium fork, I don't know for sure but it does seem a nicer ride.

What sort of things are those? At first glance I'd want an easier lower gear maybe an 11-42 with a 30t ring but the rest looks pretty spot on. I can get the longitude for 850 or the ramin for 635 then the extra for better gearing

What's the rear clearances like for a proper 3.0 tyre on the rear of the ramin I know you can't on the Genesis without going 1x

I like the eccentric bb on the ramin too as I do like hub gears and 29ers and ss :)

Then I have to decide if it's too similar to my fat bike hmm.. That Genesis vagabond is nice..doh..
Decisions decisions

What sort of things are those? At first glance I'd want an easier lower gear maybe an 11-42 with a 30t ring but the rest looks pretty spot on. I can get the longitude for 850 or the ramin for 635 then the extra for better gearing

Yes, gearing ... I've found the 32 x 36 okay but a bailout gear's always handy. A £35 11/42 Sunrace cassette would easily sort that out. If I'm being picky, I'd pop some new grips on there too but aside from that, I wouldn't change anything.

What's the rear clearances like for a proper 3.0 tyre on the rear of the ramin I know you can't on the Genesis without going 1x

I've not tried it (yet). I actually like the 2.8" on the back as it's quite a bit lighter than the 3" and has more than enough grip and cushion. Obviously, different 3" tyres will size up differently too.

I do like the Longitude but always felt the aluminium fork detracted from the ride - it's very stiff. The tyres help remove some of the harshness but on the Ramin, it feels like you're getting the whole benefit as the tyres aren't working to compensate for the fork.

EDIT: Nothing like a fat bike ... if it were, I wouldn't want to ride it

Lol many thanks fella

I'd like to say, I'm loving my Marin Pine Mountain at the moment. Worth a look.

Yeah they are nice but it's more money again as discounted ones are wrong sizes

I was discussing the Longitude with a Madison rep' at a recent show: he was quite flustered when I asked why they had fitted rack mounts on the dropouts, but not on the seat stays. That and lack of bottle mounts on the seat tube seem a bit of an oversight, perhaps?
However; the Vagabond frame seems to have everything the old Longitude had, but with extra purpleness!
But then: the 2017 Surly Troll 26+ and Karate Monkey 27.5+ seem to have all possibilities covered.
Too much choice; not enough cash.

Well despite not seeing it before I posted this I'm struggling to see past the ramin tbh now

Was similarly toying with the idea of a Longitude but ended up buying a Ramin 3+ on Friday. EBB & the price were the clinchers.

Took it round Wharncliffe yesterday in the mud & absolutely love it. Handlebars are a touch wide & as Stu says the grips are horrid. Also the seatpost seems to be slipping and the reviews on the website suggest this is not uncommon. Otherwise it's great.

That's a few places I've seen the seatpost slipping mentioned

I think it's because it's shipped with a 27.2mm seatpost & a shim to make it fit the frame which is 31.8mm.

Not sure quite why they've done that so I'll probably swap the seatpost for a wider one & see if that remedies the problem.

Have you ever ridden a fat bike? Or a 29er, if so how do they compare. Thanks

firestarter wrote:Have you ever ridden a fat bike? Or a 29er, if so how do they compare. Thanks

+ wheels are somewhere in between the two


You get the majority of the positives of a fatbike with the extra float and cushioning without the big weight/drag penalties.

Depends what you want from the bike?

Have a read of this topic
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... f=7&t=7708

Havent done a lot of miles as yet, but I'm coming to the same opinion as Bob. Plus tyres are great for short trips and playing about, but if i'm going to be covering any major distance i'd go 29er.

Bard wrote:I think it's because it's shipped with a 27.2mm seatpost & a shim to make it fit the frame which is 31.8mm.

Not sure quite why they've done that so I'll probably swap the seatpost for a wider one & see if that remedies the problem.

A 27.2 seatpost will be lighter and have more twang for comfort. A 31.8 seattube makes it easier to fit a dropper. Pop some carbon paste in there to keep it from slipping.

A 27.2 seatpost will be lighter and have more twang for comfort. A 31.8 seattube makes it easier to fit a dropper. Pop some carbon paste in there to keep it from slipping.

Or just clean the grease off. I noticed there's a lot of grease around the post / shim which could be the issue ... obviously leave a very light coating on though

Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Bard wrote:I think it's because it's shipped with a 27.2mm seatpost & a shim to make it fit the frame which is 31.8mm.

Not sure quite why they've done that so I'll probably swap the seatpost for a wider one & see if that remedies the problem.

Same issue as well as a few others i know, ive even tried a normal bolt up clamp rather than the QR and i could still rotate the post !!!
I tried a 31.6 post yesterday with the standard QR and it was solid :)
ive also spoken to evans and they said take it back as a warranty issue but cant be arsed with dragging the bike into the middle of town and train home etc