First off just want to say you guys have some of the best looking bikes out there and I can’t wait to be a proud owner of one.
- How many known frame failures of the flaanimal 5.0 and spork 3.0 have there been?
- I know you don’t condone this or build bikes that run outside of shimano warranty , but have you seen any people building flaanimals with extra wide 2x gearing? Just wondering if you’ve seen anyone using a product like the wolf tooth road link or a frankenstein derailleur to get like an 11-40 cassette working properly with mechanical shifting.
- Do you have any photos of the non reflective black decal option? I’m trying to decide on certain decal choices
- Is there a reason you think more people seem to choose to build the flaanimal 1x vs 2x
- What’s the big purpose for the slider and how much will the position change the feel and function of the bike? and have you ever noticed those bolts becoming loose over time and causing potential issues?
- I’m looking at using the Absolute Black 46-30 Oval chainrings do you think those would be compatible?
- Is there any compatibility issues with using mostly GRX components but a 105 front derailleur because of the 2.5 mm offset issue
Nathan,
No Spork 3.0 or Flaanimal 5.0 have failed. Period. We care very much about making our frames and forks very robust. The only frames that have been damaged were damaged in accidents such as crashes on the trail or collisions with cars. Even that number is quite low, probably 5-10 total.
We’ve seen plenty of people who build Frankenstein drivetrains. Ultra wide range 2x gearing has been done, but obviously wouldn’t be warrantyable or endorseable. The trick is that you need to run something like th Easton micro compact front chainrings or the range gets too aggressive and you can risk ripping your derailleur off.
We don’t have any photos of non reflective matte. The effect would be pretty subtle. The frame is sort of satin / matte so the decals would be gloss and you would mostly only note the change in sheen
1x is simpler to maintain than 2x. A lot of people are tired of minding where their front derailleur is at and if it is adjusted correctly. Cross chaining is annoying for some people to pay attention to. 1x has huge range (up to 520%) and front chainring swaps are easy to do if you need to fine tune gearing for the terrain that you are using your 1x bike on. 2x isn’t a bad option, it just isn’t chosen as often.
Sliders were originally for the purpose of properly tensioning singlespeed and belt drive builds on the Flaanimal. Only later did we realize that it helped the frame accomodate larger tires when sliders are all the way back. On my Flaanimals I always have the sliders all the way back and never move them fore / aft. I don’t think the hype about the bike being quicker handling with slightly shorter stays is really borne out in real world riding. I love how my Flaanimals handle on road, gravel, and trail with the sliders all the way back. We sometimes hear of people who have loose sliderbolts. A dab of blue Locticle would prevent that. I never have slipping on any of the Flaanimals that I own and ride. I simply torque them well on day one and they stay put.
46 / 30 rings would be compatible with the frameset. I’m not sure if you would be able to run the 11-40 cassette reliably with those rings or not. You would need to check forums or experiment on your own with that.
We don’t often use GRX cranks on our builds but we do a lot of GRX everything else. If using a non GRX crank I would recommend a 105 or Ultegra front derailleur instead of a GRX one. We aren’t huge fans of the GRX 2.5mm offset. It doesn’t add any capability to our framesets.