M5 26/26 compared w Optima Condor

(Tom Nicholson) said:

Hello all,

Im looking at purchasing an dual 26" SWB USS bike, and I've come down to a choice between the
Optima Condor and the M5 26/26. I want the daul 26" for long term touring on varied conditions
including significant portions of dirt roads. The dual 26" is for easy of repair anywhere and less
supplies needed to fix, amongst many other reasons.

Quoted message said:

So anyone had experience with both or either and wish to offer me their pearls of wisdom??

Try a USS Optima Orca. Similar to a Condor, but the headset is slightly further forward marginally
reducing boom flex. I'm 6'8" and 125kg. Carrying 130kg probably wouldn't be a problem on it. The M5
looks a lot lighter and quicker, but possibly wouldn't be as strong.

However, the downside to Optima bikes is the wait. Over 12 weeks in my case. :-(

You could look at a Rainbow Lyra, too. rainbowligfietsen.nlindex.htmlOpen ↗

For a small extra, they said they'd strengthen the bike so that it could carry me and twenty kilos
of luggage. Nice folks. Nice looking bikes, too.
--
DG

Bah!

Disgruntled Goat <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Try a USS Optima Orca. Similar to a Condor, but the headset is slightly further forward marginally
reducing boom flex. I'm 6'8" and 125kg. Carrying 130kg probably wouldn't be a problem on it. The
M5 looks a lot lighter and quicker, but possibly wouldn't be as strong.

However, the downside to Optima bikes is the wait. Over 12 weeks in my case. :-(

You could look at a Rainbow Lyra, too. rainbowligfietsen.nlindex.htmlOpen ↗

For a small extra, they said they'd strengthen the bike so that it could carry me and twenty kilos
of luggage. Nice folks. Nice looking bikes, too.

Thanks for the reply,

Do you find boom flex a problem? I notice little on my 20" USS bike, but its boom is about 2/3 the
length of the Condor. Which bike did you end up buying? Just had a quick look at the Lyra, seems
like a nice bike, but I think the more forward position of the Condor or M5 allows a better loaded
weight distribution when touring. Do you know if there is an english site.

Tom

(Tom Nicholson) said:

Disgruntled Goat <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Try a USS Optima Orca. Similar to a Condor, but the headset is slightly further forward
marginally reducing boom flex. I'm 6'8" and 125kg. Carrying 130kg probably wouldn't be a problem
on it. The M5 looks a lot lighter and quicker, but possibly wouldn't be as strong.

However, the downside to Optima bikes is the wait. Over 12 weeks in my case. :-(

You could look at a Rainbow Lyra, too. rainbowligfietsen.nlindex.htmlOpen ↗

For a small extra, they said they'd strengthen the bike so that it could carry me and twenty
kilos of luggage. Nice folks. Nice looking bikes, too.

Thanks for the reply,

Do you find boom flex a problem? I notice little on my 20" USS bike, but its boom is about 2/3 the
length of the Condor.

Surprisingly, the flex that there is in the boom isn't that big z problem. It's there, and it's
noticeable, but it's not too bad. This is with the boom extended as far as it can go. (I'm waiting
on a custom boom from Optima as the stock one is just about an inch too short)

Quoted message said:

Which bike did you end up buying?

Optima Orca in USS configuration. I've got a couple hundred miles on it now and it's settling
in nicely.

Quoted message said:

Just had a quick look at the Lyra, seems like a nice bike, but I think the more forward position of
the Condor or M5 allows a better loaded weight distribution when touring.

OK. Having seen both, the Condor seat is a litttle wider than the M5, too. If I were doing heavy
duty touring, I'd go for the Optima. If I wanted something a bit faster, it'd be the M5. However,
with my weight, it wasn't really an option.

Quoted message said:

Do you know if there is an english site.

Not for Rainbow, that I know of. They are happy to answer enquiries, though. E-mail for the sales
chap is: twigt (undersscore) ligfietsen (curly at sign) wxs (full stop) nl Remove spaces and add
punctuation to un-munge.
--
DG

Bah!

Disgruntled Goat <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Optima Orca in USS configuration. I've got a couple hundred miles on it now and it's settling
in nicely.

So is their underseat steering on the ORCA a direct stem type setup or a linkage sustem?

Any idea what the bike weighs?

Thanks for the details,

Tom (leaning towards Optima...)

(Tom Nicholson) said:

Disgruntled Goat <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Optima Orca in USS configuration. I've got a couple hundred miles on it now and it's settling in
nicely.

So is their underseat steering on the ORCA a direct stem type setup or a linkage sustem?

Linkage system. It's an adjustable push-pull rod thingummy. AIUI, linkage systems are supposed to
have some play in them, but I can't detect any in mine. It's still very new, though. I could send
you a photo or two, if you like.

Quoted message said:

Any idea what the bike weighs?

Not light at all. With racks, mudguards, SON dynamo, lights, kickstand, AirZound etc. I reckon it's
in excess of 23kg. You could strip it down, but this is not a light bike to start with. However,
weight is not an issue for me. A few kilos here or there means either removing all the extras or me
eating a few less pies. :-)

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the details,

No worries.

Quoted message said:

Tom (leaning towards Optima...)

It's a good, strong, comfy bike. I'm very happy with it. However, I'll repeat my previous caveat. Be
patient when ordering from them. Assume a bare minimum of 8 weeks delivery time and add a couple of
weeks on for good measure. It's a good product, but it takes a while to get there.

--
DG

Bah!

Goodday,

For serious touring I wouldn't recommend the M5. There have been stories in Dutch forums of 26/26
breaking under pressure (front suspension/ballhead).

The Condor is probably best choice, but not the new alu version (see website).

I'll be riding an Orca uss soon, seems a great choice on paper.

Don't forget the Nazca Pioneer, which has the lowest seat height (56 cm) and is also battleproven
and has very complete spec.

Paul.

ligfiets.netnazcaOpen ↗ optima-cycles.nloptima-cycles.nlOpen ↗ m5-ligfietsen.comm5-ligfietsen.comOpen ↗

"Tom Nicholson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello all,

Im looking at purchasing an dual 26" SWB USS bike, and I've come down to a choice between the
Optima Condor and the M5 26/26. I want the daul 26" for long term touring on varied conditions
including significant portions of dirt roads. The dual 26" is for easy of repair anywhere and less
supplies needed to fix, amongst many other reasons.

For background I am 6'3" and about 100kg. (Won't that mixing metric and imperial get on peoples
nerves... 🙂 ) Touring in Australia I often carry up to 30kg of supplies including a lot of water,
for days at a time.

The optima is stainless and heavy, but tried and tested for remote touring. The M5 is CroMo and
also tried and tested for remote touring, but has a weight limit of 120kg on the frame. Its about
1kg lighter than the Condor I note also that the M5 bb is slightly more elevated.

Basically I'm trying to find out if the weight limit is justified or just a number thought up as
reasonable. Anyone out there had experience?

Anyone know the practical weight limit of the Optima Condor?

So anyone had experience with both or either and wish to offer me their pearls of wisdom??

OT Final note: Anyone wanting to sell either bike please email me.

Thanks,

Tom Nicholson Syd. AU.