5010?...with 26 inchers?

[bagtagley]

I have the upgrade itch, but don't have the scratch for a complete bike. Anybody doing this? scrub and woo, you guys are running 26" wheels on a 27.5 bike, right? Besides the fact that it'll be outlawed in Arizona, any reason not to do this, at least until I can build a pair of bigger wheels?

Secondly, I'd love to hear some feedback on the 5010. That's where I've landed because a local guy is selling his frame for cheap. It doesn't hurt that I'm a long-time SC fanboi. I've only ridden a handful of VPP bikes, but in my limited experience they're either dialed or...well, not so much. I loved the Blur LT I rode, but really wasn't a fan of my Nomad. The internet says the 5010 is the spawn of the Blur TR which came from the LT, which really doesn't mean a damn thing, but if they stayed consistent with the axle path and the leverage thingies, it's maybe a little promising.

[josef]

Not 100% sure on the 5010 but you would be dropping your bb a little. If it's already low that could cause some problems. I am currently running a 27.5 fork with 26 wheels with no problems. Just a little slacker than stock.

[smmokan]

I had the 5010 last year and I absolutely loved the bike.... it's easily the most fun bike I've been on. I had a Revelation 140mm up front and it was every bit as capable as the Bronson, but quicker and better on the ups. The only downside I can think of is the low'ish BB, but after a few rides I didn't even notice.

[jm2e]

The Bottom Bracket will be 3/4" lower with 26" wheels than with 27.5" wheels. That's science. Feel free to cut and paste this into every discussion about BB differences with different wheel sizes for every bike ever.

[Dee Hubbs]

The Bottom Bracket will be 3/4" lower with 26" wheels than with 27.5" wheels. That's science. Feel free to cut and paste this into every discussion about BB differences with different wheel sizes for every bike ever.

26" wheel = actual measurements are 559mm or 22.01 inches
27.5" wheel = actual measurements are 584mm or 22.99 inches
difference = 25mm or 0.98 inches
1/2 inch lower bb height.

[Dromond]

I have a 5010 and the BB is low already. I would not do this.

[kidwoo]

26" wheel = actual measurements are 559mm or 22.01 inches
27.5" wheel = actual measurements are 584mm or 22.99 inches
difference = 25mm or 0.98 inches
1/2 inch lower bb height.

Axle to crown difference on the forks too yo.

I've done it on two bikes. Jm2e is in the correct.

bags: The leverage curve of the solos is definitely more similar to the blur TR stuff than any nomad. I haven't really liked any of the nomad iterations but dug the solo I rode for a very small bit. It's still a vpp feel but not that overly saggy divey rear end that especially the newer nomads have. I'd rock it. Scrublover is your man for any gripes for sure. I think it's literally this frame he did it with.

But yeah with 26" wheels and fork, about a 0.7" drop should be what to expect.

[scrublover]

What they all said, more or less.

Happily running mine with a 26" Pike at 150mm. 10mm taller a2c then their "stock" build fork, which helped offset the drop in height from the smaller wheels, and give just a wee touch more slackness. BB height ended up a touch lower than I'd gotten used with with the prior TRc frame (the 5010 was a warranty replacement, so I just slapped all my parts on) and it's not been an issue. Got used to it within a few rides.

I did take the measure of running some protective junk on the underside of things just for peace of mind, to give the lower linkage some protection. You know, what with all the east coast rawks and whatnot.

It's a really, really fun bike. So long as the fit works for you, and it sounds as if you get along with VPP decently enough, go for it!

BBH just shy of 13"

[Anospa]

Damn, that looks fun as fuck!

[scrublover]

Damn, that looks fun as fuck!

It is!

Makes a great daily driver ride. Even with only 5"/6" travel, its' amazing how capable it is. For my local riding, there really isn't any need to lug around more. 26# all day pedaler able to do all sorts of stupid stuff as well. Helps that i"m not a big dude or hard on parts much.

The bigger bike is now pretty much relegated only to Trumbull days and lift time.

[radam]

Scrub, is your downtube protector just an old tire? Or fancy gridded foam?

[bagtagley]

Good stuff. scrub's BB is actually higher than I thought it would be. I'd be running a Lyrik, so mine would be a bit higher still. Doesn't seem unreasonably low.

scrub, what happened to the TR? I actually have a line on a TR as well. You prefer the 5010?

[scrublover]

TL,DR. On the tail end of a nasty cold, and all my local stuff is still a mud bog anyhow, so, long...

TRc developed a busted drive-side seatstay. JRA. Really. Loud crack/bang noise with the rear end sagging down - thought the shock had blown or something.
The upper link/stay connector pivot bolt had sheared at the theads, and apparently that drive-side seatstay isn't stout enough to support my massive 150# soaking wet girth on its own. Whodathunk? Not sure if my fault or theirs. I can only think the pivot bits were too tight, but I dunno. I'd made sure they were torqued up to spec, but supposedly SC had the wrong numbers listed on the website for a while. Either way, they took care of me. I'd bought the TRc from them direct, at ~60% with a full warranty. Not a bad deal.







From phone call/e-mail to new frame on the doorstep was a month. Could have taken a Bronson, but wanted to stick with the shorter bike. If out west with much longer descending, I might have gone for it.

Meh. If you blindfolded me, I'd likely not be able to tell the difference between the two frames. Running the same setup, the geo difference are minimal at best. The thru axle is nice, but I certainly didn't need it. Especially since I then had to go and get the bits to adapt my hub. And of course my warranty frame came without an axle, so had to source that. A bit of work and I've adapted a 12xsomething or other Hadley thrubolt to work. Get the longest one, lop off the existing threads, re-thread to the right pitch...and you've got a nice bolt on setup.




The finest in Rube Goldberg protection.

[bean]

I used to own a Blur TRc. If you'd asked me at the time, I'd have told you it was the greatest bicycle ever made. And I would have fought about it. Then the lower pivot cracked, an unfortunate design flaw that was corrected in all of SC's bikes except the TRc since it was being phased out for the Solo/5010. I got a replacement, and went 650b with similar components. The 5010 is at least as good as the TRc.

[Dromond]

I used to own a Blur TRc. If you'd asked me at the time, I'd have told you it was the greatest bicycle ever made. And I would have fought about it. Then the lower pivot cracked, an unfortunate design flaw that was corrected in all of SC's bikes except the TRc since it was being phased out for the Solo/5010. I got a replacement, and went 650b with similar components. The 5010 is at least as good as the TRc.

The exact same thing happened to me. I sized up on the 5010 so I can't really compare apples to apples there but I liked the TRc and lot and like the 5010 a lot as well. The suspension is definitely efficient and pedals great. I always feel like I have better ground clearance with clips (running flats mostly now) so they must help scrub a bit running 26s on the Solo. I do think I slightly prefer the larger wheels, but honestly they are just pretty close in size. I think everyone selling their 26" bike specifically to get a similar bike with 27.5 as a performance upgrade is kind of crazy. I would rank it as noticeable but less so than going up or down a frame size, 20mm of stem length change, handlebar width change, etc.