Yes Virginia, Krampus is a Lefty

[MendonCycleSmith]

Got the little beasts in this afternoon.

Had a few odds and ends to wrap up first, but got right down to business as soon as I could. Laced it up offset, turn out I could have gone symmetrical, which I will before riding it, just because.

I've had a huge number of folks wanting to know, will the 29x3 Knard/Rabbit Hole fit a Lefty.

More importantly, will it fit a conventional Lefty, as opposed to the custom offset jobbers required for Fatties.

Yes, they work. Just fine.

Clearance may be a tad close for some, but I think most will find it more than adequate, assuming a nice stiff built wheel.

Travel clearance will need to be on a case by case basis, but the wheel fits the chassis, so the rest is up to ya'll.

In this case, I used a moldy oldy 130 Max. A to C is 510, Krampus fork A to C is 485. I can squeeze about 90 mm out of it as it sits.

So on a Krampus frame, you'd be looking at less travel, a 490 A to C fork like a Speed 110 would likely net around 60 to 70 mm. Respectable, and close enough to keep handling neutral.

Or, toss a longer fork on your bigger bike, and go to town with 100+ using a 140/520 A to C.

Yee Haw!

[Rabies010]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on bringing us the first Lefty Krampus setup !
Now lets see it on a bike.

[TrailMaker]

Bah...

Lots of room. Ride on!

[MendonCycleSmith]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on bringing us the first Lefty Krampus setup !
Now lets see it on a bike.

Yeah, 'bout that...

Got bitten by the Rohloff bug. Hope to have a rideable bike in a week or so.

I'm sure someone will beat me to the first built position in that time though.

[bprsnt]

Yeah, 'bout that...

Got bitten by the Rohloff bug. Hope to have a rideable bike in a week or so.

I'm sure someone will beat me to the first built position in that time though.

That Rohloff bug is like an epidemic......


Great job on the fork!

[MendonCycleSmith]

That Rohloff bug is like an epidemic......


Great job on the fork!

Yeah, never even felt it coming on. Had a customer walk in last week, and want one on his Moonie I was building. First one I've laid hands on. Once I got through scratching my head on set up, OEM plates, Speed Bones, and really crappy Germanese instructions, it came together, and I was hooked.

Dammit.

[Rabies010]

Yeah, 'bout that...

Got bitten by the Rohloff bug.

I know what you mean...
I have one on my Pugs, and i wish i had one on my KM as well.

[autodoctor911]

Is this Rohloff krampus lefty going to be your new favorite ride?

I want to see a picture of that right next to the front of a lefty pug.

[MendonCycleSmith]

Is this Rohloff krampus lefty going to be your new favorite ride?

I want to see a picture of that right next to the front of a lefty pug.

I am blessed with more bikes than one man should own. An affliction perhaps, but hey, I could spend it all on hookers and blow instead...

Will it be my favorite? Can't say, haven't ridden it yet. Rode the Krampus in Vegas this year, and it was a hoot. Rode the super secret Fox forked version out there too. Much like a Fatty, it benefited from some front squish.

For snow and sand? No, not my fave, the Form Fatso has that honor. For super gnarly technical terrain perhaps not, my LunchBox is a hard act to follow. For general bombing and single track on dry days? Yeah, this will likely take the crown.

Too soon to start complaining, but the Knard will be weak in the mud, so it won't win awards there, and we have mud in the northeast. I just know that the good folks at Surly will be coming out with more, increasingly capable treads for the Krampus, just as the Pug used to only have the Endo, yuck.

[Yoreskillz]

Must resist further following this thread.....I have a Rohloff Moonlander and am seriously considering a Krampus/Rohloff and now a Lefty? I am sunk.

[Surfdog93]

Sweet, looking forward to pictures and ride reports.

[Akita man]

Got the little beasts in this afternoon.

Had a few odds and ends to wrap up first, but got right down to business as soon as I could. Laced it up offset, turn out I could have gone symmetrical, which I will before riding it, just because.

I've had a huge number of folks wanting to know, will the 29x3 Knard/Rabbit Hole fit a Lefty.

More importantly, will it fit a conventional Lefty, as opposed to the custom offset jobbers required for Fatties.

Yes, they work. Just fine.

Clearance may be a tad close for some, but I think most will find it more than adequate, assuming a nice stiff built wheel.

Travel clearance will need to be on a case by case basis, but the wheel fits the chassis, so the rest is up to ya'll.

In this case, I used a moldy oldy 130 Max. A to C is 510, Krampus fork A to C is 485. I can squeeze about 90 mm out of it as it sits.

So on a Krampus frame, you'd be looking at less travel, a 490 A to C fork like a Speed 110 would likely net around 60 to 70 mm. Respectable, and close enough to keep handling neutral.

Or, toss a longer fork on your bigger bike, and go to town with 100+ using a 140/520 A to C.

Yee Haw!

What rim width and max tire width is represented in this photo
Please do tell...

[EPcycles]

Lefty. Krampus. Rohloff. Awesome.

Sounds like a great ride. Can't wait to see it.

[duggus]

I am blessed with more bikes than one man should own. An affliction perhaps, but hey, I could spend it all on hookers and blow instead...

Love this

I try to use the same rationale

[GSJ1973]

How much is one of these forks and can you buy them off the shelf ready to go or is machining involved? TIA.

[MendonCycleSmith]

What rim width and max tire width is represented in this photo
Please do tell...

Pics show a Rabbit Hole and a 29x3 Knard. I personally think any wider, and you'd need to do an offset clamp or a FatLeftyesque alloy non-bonded chassis with a Project 321 clamp set. This allows you to dish the rim over a touch, and re-correct to center with the clamps.

[MendonCycleSmith]

How much is one of these forks and can you buy them off the shelf ready to go or is machining involved? TIA.

As little as a hundred bucks or so for one that works if you buy well, and up to about $1400 MSRP for a current top of the line version.

Shown with a stock Krampus wheel (Lefty specific hub though) built to conventional spacing and dish, on a normal Lefty fork.

[Akita man]

Pics show a Rabbit Hole and a 29x3 Knard. I personally think any wider, and you'd need to do an offset clamp or a FatLeftyesque alloy non-bonded chassis with a Project 321 clamp set. This allows you to dish the rim over a touch, and re-correct to center with the clamps.

If you measure the max width of the inflated tire...is it the full 3" or more like 2.75" wide?

[Morpheous]

FWIW, on the Rohloff Bug: the Shimano Alfine 11 (introduced fall 2011) is less expensive, easier to mount and configure, and you get a real trigger shifter. 135mm rear axle.

[MendonCycleSmith]

FWIW, on the Rohloff Bug: the Shimano Alfine 11 (introduced fall 2011) is less expensive, easier to mount and configure, and you get a real trigger shifter. 135mm rear axle.

My understanding is though, the 11 is a far narrower range overall, than the 14. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong......

[keith bonedragger]

way to ruin a Krampus

[JACKL]

This is killer - thanks for posting!

Now I'm dreaming about a Rabbithole / Knard on a Lefty Supermax 130. Overkill? Yeah, but it should would be fun.

[bikeny]

My understanding is though, the 11 is a far narrower range overall, than the 14. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong......

The range of a Rohloff is 526%. The range of an Alfine 11 is 409%, so yes the Rohloff has a much wider range.

The Rohloff is 2-3 times as expensive, but will last 10 times longer. Lots of reports of the Alfine 11 not being so durable.

[MendonCycleSmith]

way to ruin a Krampus

Since your response lacked much in the way of detail, I'll just assume you meant the fork. I'd then also surmise you think the Fox is a far better choice. If so, we could go back and forth all day, but I'd get bored pretty quickly.

Meh, haters gonna hate, thanks for dropping by, grab a cookie on your way out.

[MendonCycleSmith]

The range of a Rohloff is 526%. The range of an Alfine 11 is 409%, so yes the Rohloff has a much wider range.

The Rohloff is 2-3 times as expensive, but will last 10 times longer. Lots of reports of the Alfine 11 not being so durable.

Thanks for the confirmation. And, I'd heard that about the 11 too, durability wise....