Gravel Bikes a the Sea Otter Classic 2018

@Zurichman,

You are most welcome, it's great to see that there's quite a few riders out there enjoying the bikes!

You are also correct that the GX5 will be the most similar to the Roker. The GX5 is the evolution of things I learned from doing the Roker. The fit on my bikes is the same as the fit on the Raleigh Gravel bikes. I did all the geometry for Raleigh and have developed a tool for sizing geometry creation that works really well. 

If you are a 56cm Raleigh, you will also be a 56cm Noble. Keep in mind though that the geometry has changed. All the Noble frames feature what I call "forward geometry" This is based on the same trend that's happening in MTB where we pair longer top tubes with shorter stems. 

Given how popular the geometry for the first gen bikes is, I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing by prototyping and riding forward geometry before I implemented it. The net result is almost exactly the same fit, but the riders center of gravity changes and this leads to even better handling (in my opinion). these changes will be noticeable on all sizes, but most pronounced on the smaller sizes, 54cm and down.

@Zurichman and Chas. It's interesting that you both like 2x over 1x. My first shipment of bikes will be 1x for the GX5. I did develop a 2x specific version of this frame as well. What would the interest be in 2x framesets? Or would you like to see a complete 2x build?

Let me know, appreciate the feedback!

p.s. sounds like you guys get a lot more riding in than me right now

You are also correct that the GX5 will be the most similar to the Roker. The GX5 is the evolution of things I learned from doing the Roker. The fit on my bikes is the same as the fit on the Raleigh Gravel bikes. I did all the geometry for Raleigh and have developed a tool for sizing geometry creation that works really well. 

If you are a 56cm Raleigh, you will also be a 56cm Noble. Keep in mind though that the geometry has changed. All the Noble frames feature what I call "forward geometry" This is based on the same trend that's happening in MTB where we pair longer top tubes with shorter stems. 

Given how popular the geometry for the first gen bikes is, I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing by prototyping and riding forward geometry before I implemented it. The net result is almost exactly the same fit, but the riders center of gravity changes and this leads to even better handling (in my opinion). these changes will be noticeable on all sizes, but most pronounced on the smaller sizes, 54cm and down.

@Zurichman and Chas. It's interesting that you both like 2x over 1x. My first shipment of bikes will be 1x for the GX5. I did develop a 2x specific version of this frame as well. What would the interest be in 2x framesets? Or would you like to see a complete 2x build?

Let me know, appreciate the feedback!

Mark not a lot of riding at my end as the weather has gone from winter to hot summer here already in the last week or so in Pa. I also was dealing with some rt collarbone nerve pain that wasn't liking the cold weather.

I am not a techy guy so explain tome what forward geometry is. I know at my end that I need the 24 deg. offset seat post to get my fitting right on both bikes. I sent away for one of those light weight carbon posts and the set back wasn't enough so it was wasted money at my end.

My very first ride/race here in Pa. I hit something on my Tamland and tacoed the front outside ring like a pretzel. Raleigh was going to help me with warranty but you need to take pics and then do a lot of emailing which I am clueless at my end. My LBS instead of offering to just buying a front ring talked me into buying a whole new crank a Shimano Ultegra. 

For that reason I have the extra crank laying around and would put the 105 on the new Noble bike so yeah I would be interested in the frame only if you can explain the forward geometry to me and it would fit like my Roker does now. A couple of the reasons I bought the Roker were.

1. I never saw a bad review of the bike.
2. The price was within my budget as I did buy it early before they jacked the prices up on the few remaining bikes they had.
3. They were no longer going to make/manufacture it.
4. It weighs 5 lbs less than my Tamland 1. If I was only ever riding in Kansas the Tamland would be great. That isn't the case and the hydro brakes on the Roker takes some of fear out of the downhills for me.

I think anybody on this forum that has ridden the Roker would say Raleigh screwed up big time by dropping these bikes. Yeah it still had a few flaws in it with the front cable going into the frame on the Roker and some shifting rear derailleur problems on the Sport but all in all I think they are great bikes.

I really can't wait until I get into better cycling shape to see what the bike and I can really do. Right now the bike is pulling more than it's fair share and I have hopes of going out and doing all the bad ass gravel rides and races. Time/vacation time/available money/expenses for the races/and life in general will tell the outcome of that.


Zman

chas wrote:Zman - that is interesting that you miss the 2x.  I agonized over 1x or 2x for months - especially as with my bike I really liked the color of the frame for the 1x build, but I ended up with the 2x and the drab looking frame.  I'm thinking I made the right choice.  I love the tightly spaced quick shifts of the 2x Ultegra.    Ultimately I came to the conclusion that if I am doing both race paced road rides and long slower gravel rides (with single track thrown in), that I really wanted two chain rings to cover my different riding styles, speeds, and needs.

Zurichman wrote:
Any suggestions here from anyone on how to protect the underneath side of my down tube. This bike sure does scratch up easy for all the miles I have put on it so far. One was up around the steering handlebars which I have no idea how that happened.
Zman

Zurichman wrote:

For that reason I have the extra crank laying around and would put the 105 on the new Noble bike so yeah I would be interested in the frame only if you can explain the forward geometry to me and it would fit like my Roker does now. A couple of the reasons I bought the Roker were.

MODERN GEOMETRY

Adding more stability at speed while maintaining agility for when things get technical is always a fine balance to strike. In all mountain biking disciplines, the move towards longer reaches combined with shorter stems and wider bars has been established with great effect to achieve this balance. We've adopted a similar approach ... Extending both reach and wheelbase results in extra stability at speed... Equipping  cockpits with wider bars and shorter stems further enhances control.

Mark_Landsaat wrote:

@Zurichman and Chas. It's interesting that you both like 2x over 1x. My first shipment of bikes will be 1x for the GX5. I did develop a 2x specific version of this frame as well. What would the interest be in 2x framesets? Or would you like to see a complete 2x build?

Let me know, appreciate the feedback!

p.s. sounds like you guys get a lot more riding in than me right now