BIKETEST | CONTEMPORARY TOURERS DAN JOYCE Bike test Cycle editor CONTEMPORARY TOURERS Editor Dan Joyce reviews two new tourers: the Cinelli HoBootleg and the Light Blue Darwin Twin Peak HE BIKE industry is taking a growing Cyclocross heritage also shows up in the The Darwin is also chrome-moly steel: interest in adventure cycling, and not frame geometry. Not in the chainstays, which Reynolds 725. Narrower gauge tubes mean just the kind where bivvy bags are are long enough for panniers. But it shows less metal and thus less frame weight than Tstrapped to gravel bikes. New touring in the seat angle, which is on the steep side the burlier HoBootleg. With lighter wheels too bikes are appearing. The Light Blue Darwin – for long days in saddle (although it didn’t (on which, more later), it saves well over a kilo available in various configurations – is new for bother me). And it shows in the front centres compared to the Cinelli, even factoring in the 2016, while Cinelli’s HoBootleg (an awkward measurement (bottom bracket to front hub), latter’s racks and mudguards. That difference contraction of ‘hobo’ and ‘Bootleg’, Cinelli’s which is too short. I repeatedly caught my is moot if you’ll ride with heavy panniers but is urban and trekking range) is one I’ve seen at toes on the mudguard. I’m just tall enough worth considering if you’ll travel light, especially shows for a year or two. to ride the Large HoBootleg, given a shorter off-road with frame bags. Both have been sprinkled with some of stem. That would win 10-15mm of toe room, The Darwin’s seat angle is also, arguably, that magic bikepacking marketing dust. The which might be just enough… unless I wore steeper than it need be. Otherwise, the frame HoBootleg is ‘the bike that didn’t exist’ and ‘a my winter SPD boots? To get the same toe geometry is well thought out. It has the same fine blend of cyclocross and touring machine’. clearance as the Darwin, I’d need the XL saddle-to-handlebar-centre distance as the The Darwin’s name implies it’s an evolutionary HoBootleg, a bike that’s simply too big for me. HoBootleg, but achieves it with a significantly product, and the Twin Peak model tested is Front-end length aside, it’s a decent frame. longer top tube that opens up the front centres the bikepacking-ist of the lot, with a flared drop The steering limiter at the head tube is a distance; a shorter stem and a taller head bar and no mudguards or racks. It also has the nice touch, preventing the wheel from turning tube keep the handlebar in reach. If the rear lowest bottom gear in the Darwin range, which through more than 90 degrees. So even with triangle looks tight in the photo, it’s because is why I picked it. heavy front panniers, it won’t flop round when the wheel is as far forward as it will go in the you park the bike. It’s good to see a couple adjustable dropouts. FRAME AND FORK of spare spokes included. They’re fitted to the The Cinelli HoBootleg has a sturdy Columbus drive-side chainstay, which makes removal Cromor chrome-moly steel frame with the fiddlier but will prevent a derailed chain gouging fittings you want for touring. Its cyclocross the stay. There’s clearance for tyres up to heritage is evident in the cables that run along about 38mm with mudguards; the HoBootleg the top tube. They make it more comfortable has both. If you removed the guards, there’s if you shoulder the bike but less comfortable if not much room for anything bigger between the you rest your backside on the top tube. chainstays but a 50mm tyre might fit the fork. BAR-END SHIFTERS ARE NOT QUITE AS QUICK TO SHIFT, BUT FOR TOURING, SPEED OF SHIFTING IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN Above: Toe overlap is more troublesome on a bike like the HoBootleg, which will often be used for slow-speed HAVING THE RIGHT GEARS TO SHIFT INTO meandering, than it is for a fast-riding road bike 64 CYCLE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 CONTEMPORARY TOURERS | BIKETEST C I N E L L I HOBOOTLEG Cyclocross frame influences undermine some shrewd spec choices L I G H T B L U E DARWIN TWIN PEAK A versatile frame fitted with Sram Apex levers and a 2×10 mountain bike drivetrain CYCLINGUK.ORG CYCLE 65 CONTEMPORARY TOURERS | BIKETEST Left: The Darwin’s dropouts allow up to about 15mm of fore-aft movement. So the frame is hub gear and singlespeed compatible. The lower rack eyelets use stronger M6 bolts (which the borrowed Tubus rack accommodates) Details Bar-end shifters are simpler and probably more durable, and Tyre clearance is comparable to the frame’s 132.5mm rear triangle will accept this Microshift rear one can be HoBootleg. There’s room for 38mm rubber with either 130mm road or 135mm mountain bike switched to friction operation if mudguards or up to 45mm in the rear triangle hubs. I’d always pick the latter for a tourer, as the indexing goes out of whack without. At the front you might go slightly larger. it should build into a stronger wheel. Having said that, the distance between hub flanges EQUIPMENT is pretty much the same as the Darwin’s Halo Bar-end shifters, as fitted to the HoBootleg, are rear hub, which has to squeeze in a disc rotor, part of cyclocross history; cycle-touring’s too, and at least the HoBootleg’s wheels get 36 although for touring they’re still an excellent spokes apiece. alternative to brifters. They’re not quite as Mudguards and a rear rack are standard quick to shift, but for touring, speed of shifting equipment for a tourer; the HoBootleg gets is less important than having the right gears to a front one too. The mudguards aren’t great. shift into. With bar-end shifters, your drivetrain There’s no safety release for the front one, choices are wider – and the gear range can be. should anything get jammed by the tyre, and Cinelli have been conservative with the both could do with mudflaps. The pannier racks HoBootleg, specifying a Sora front derailleur are top drawer: sturdy Tubus ones rated for and a trekking triple chainset. Bottom gear 40kg at the rear and 15kg up front. The Darwin’s drive-side isn’t bad at 21 inches, but could have been By contrast, the Darwin Twin Peak comes as seatstay separates, so it’s 18in with a 42-32-22 triple and a mountain a bare bike. Putting the Tubus racks and a set possible to fit a belt drive to this frame. But I think the Shand bike front mech. While that difference looks of mudguards on it would add about £200 to Drove (p14) and my own Carver small, it will be tangibly better with a heavy the price and 1.5kg to the weight. (Feb/Mar 16) do this neater load and another hill ahead. A smaller chainset Despite using only a double chainset, the would lose gears at the top end, which is no Darwin’s gears go as low as the HoBootleg’s. loss: I’ve no use for anything above about 90in That’s because it’s a super-compact double: a on a tourer let alone 122in. 42-28 mountain bike chainset driving an 11-36 The HoBootleg’s wheels use Sora for cassette. The shifters are Sram 10-speed Apex the hubs, a curious choice. Being steel, the road levers, which are compatible with Sram’s OTHER OPTIONS Dawes Coast to Genesis Tour de 1 Coast £999.99 2 Fer 20 £1299.99 Dawes’s roughstuff tourer Reynolds 725 tourer with gets 26×1.75in tyres, bar- Tubus racks, mudguards, end shifters, Alivio gears, and dynohub lighting. Flat and Shimano R517 disc bar allows full Deore gearing. brakes. dawescycles.com genesisbikes.co.uk CYCLINGUK.ORG CYCLE 67 BIKETEST | CONTEMPORARY TOURERS Tech Specs Dimensions 640 in millimetres 535 and degrees 73.7˚ 800 56 530 708 48 595 445 132.5 622 71.4˚ 170 285 38 68 1032 CINELLI HOBOOTLEG PRICE: £1249.99 11-34t 9-speed SIZES: XS (46), S cassette. Microshift (49), M (53, tested), BS-T09 bar-end L (56), XL (59), shifters, Shimano XXL (61) Sora front derailleur, WEIGHT: 14.43kg Shimano Deore rear. (no pedals) 27 ratios, 21-122in FRAME & FORK: BRAKING: Tektro Columbus Cromor RL340 levers and An uphanger improves Fitted to a flared drop, butted steel frame & Oryx cantilevers the front brake’s cable the Apex levers stick Cinelli chrome-moly STEERING routing – and its feel out vulnerably fork with fittings for & SEATING: mudguards, racks, 3 400×31.8mm bottles Cinelli Bootleg WHEELS: 40-622 handlebar, 110×6° DISC BRAKES ON A giving a good range of comfortable handholds. Vittoria Randonneur Cinelli Bootleg I’d wrap it in cork tape instead of the strange Trail tyres, Alex stem, Tange Terious DA16 rims, 36×3 threadless headset. rubbery tape specified. TOURER WILL DIVIDE spokes, Shimano Selle San Marco The Darwin’s ride feel is dominated by its Sora Hubs Bootleg saddle, OPINION, BUT I LIKE exceptionally wide flared drop bar. I never TRANSMISSION: no 27.2×350mm Cinelli really got used to it and would swap it out for pedals, FSA Alpha Bootleg seatpost BB7 ROAD ONES Drive Trekking EQUIPMENT: Tubus something narrower, possibly a standard drop. 26-36-48t 170mm, Logo Classic rear Even off-road, I never felt like I needed the square taper bottom rack, Tubus Tara 10-speed mountain bike derailleurs, front as leverage of that 60cm width – I wasn’t riding bracket, KMC front, unbranded Z Narrow chain, mudguards well as rear.