RANS Bikes

INTO THE RIDE #34

What’s New at RANS Bikes for 2006

by Randy Schlitter

• Dynamik Duo: A crank forward tandem! More than twice the fun this new tandem puts a whole slant on two up riding
• F5 Enduro: A fat tire high-racer for a street-smart commuter, touring, racing machine.
• Zenetik: Lighter and faster with an alloy frame and 700c wheels, this Zenetik will satisfy the road bike hungry
• Stratus XP: The new way to ride long wheelbase, a high performance, “does it all good” ride.
• Stratus V2 Formula LE Versions: Entry level pricing for top-level bikes
• Upgraded Fusions: Our line of flat-footers is lighter and higher performance and pack more value for 2006.
• Crescent Panniers: Streamline cargo space, nice size slick look
• 3-Way Chopper Bars: Adapts to all our long wheel-basers and already famous for its adjust to fit feature
• 3-Way Chopper Bar Fairing: A retro design lends cargo space and drag reduction

 

Dynamik Duo

HIGHLIGHT FEATURES
4130 Cro-Moly frame made in USA
FSA cranks
Seat post etched with position scale
Velocity Wheels with disc mounts
Sram X7 Shifters
Sram X7 Rear Derail
Avid Disc (front & rear)

The Dynamik Duo will impress with comfort, speed and sweet handling. This is a tandem that truly bridges the gap between conventional and recumbent tandems. The Dynamik Duo is speedy and a great climber due to the light weight and idler free drive system. Sporting a rear disc brake for steep descents, the stock Dynamik Duo is capable and ready for causal riding to serious touring. Since one size frame fits most and the seat posts are marked with graduated scales, adjusting to fit a variety of riders is as easy as flipping a QR. The amazing comfort and security of the crank forward design make this one very friendly and easy to know bike. This quality tandem is the leading edge of what comfortable performance bikes are all about.

 

HIGHLIGHT FEATURES
4130 TIG welded frame
Alex 26” wheels
Avid Disc brakes
Kenisis alloy fork
RANS Flip-it
Standard RANS seat
Truvativ Elita Crank

Take the high performance F5 and tweak the frame with new dropouts, disc brake mounts, more tire clearance, and adapt a stock 26” MTB fork and you have the F5 Enduro. The beauty of this bike is the versatility. Like our Dynamik, many combinations to suit the style of riding are possible with one bike, simply by changing tires or the wheel size.* Being able to use stock 26” forks add a whole range of possibilities from shock forks to lightweight carbon units. Setup with 26”x 1.95’, the Enduro feels super sure-footed and ready to handle unpaved roads, rough city streets or moderate trails. The option for a recumbent of this caliber to go fat tire opens a whole new range of riding options and utility. The fat tire bent is just plain fun to knock about, and is not too shabby on speed. Shed the fat tires for 23mm high-pressure rubber and a fast road bike is ready. Well suited for touring and commuting, the Enduro has a lower seat and BB height than competitors making it a choice for the less leggy rider. Swap the thick cushion for the featherweight version and seat height lowers another 1.5”.

Subtle changes to the frame to induce passive suspension, plus the larger tire volume gives the F5 Enduro a significantly more shock absorbing ride. This bike can tackle a rough road with surprising smoothness.

You will be impressed with how this bike will smooth out the bumps and the confidence the fat tires inspire. Our test with the 1.95” size was a blast; you went looking for road damage.

Disc brakes are standard. Choice of either the 26 x 1.95 or the 26 x 23mm tires are offered as a no-cost option. Even the smaller, high-pressure tires offer a smooth ride, positive grip, fast, and a little lower seat height cushion, this will vary with body weight and The lowest seat height with the stock seat and thin cushion is 24”. With the fat tires and cushion the seat height tops out at 26” measured from top of cushion at mid rack.

*700c will fit rear, 700c fork and disc or special road brakes, fender bridge doubles as 700c road brake mount. Seat and bottom bracket heights will be slightly higher.

When ordering, consider these no-cost options to outfit your Enduro to your style of riding:

• 26 x 1.96 tires psi
• 559 x 20 110 psi (optional) Standard thick cushion
• Feather weight cushion(optional)

 

HIGHLIGHT FEATURES
Lighter frame using new dropouts
Omitted chain idler for a .25lb. reduction in overall bike weight.
Disc mounts on frame
Deep drop bars, fits more riders
Color: Titan Yellow
Frame Sizes: one fits most

The Fusion enjoyed strong sales throughout 2005. The modest bright yellow bike won the fancy of many riders because of its extreme comfort, easy price, and surprising performance.  Owners are happy with this speedy bike that tends to flatten hills and keep bottom and hands happy. For 2006 we dropped the idler and saved about 1/4 lb in weight, for a cleaner look and a quieter, more efficient drive train. The rear dropout is redesigned and fitted with disc brakes mounts.

 

HIGHLIGHT FEATURES
Lighter frame using new dropouts
Omitted chain idler for a .25lb. reduction in overall bike weight.
Alloy Fork (with disc mounts).
Deep drop bars, fits more riders
Color: Metallic Orange Mirage
Frame Sizes: one fits most
Disc mounts on frame & fork

A close cousin to the Fusion, in fact the bikes share common frame geometry. Even though these two bikes are not designed for stand up riding, owners report performance in climb and rapid starts are not compromised. The Cruz features a curvy frame for a beach cruiser look, but is far above such bikes in terms of comfort and performance. For 2006 we dropped the idler and saved about 1/4 lb. in weight, for a cleaner look and a quieter, more efficient drive train. The rear drop is redesigned and fitted with disc brake mounts. The alloy fork also features disc brakes mounts.

 

This excellent bike is re-setting the benchmark in long wheel base design. That wonderful mix of passive suspension and great power extraction the Stratus XP provides the whole gamut of performance. To learn more about this new offering read INTO THE RIDE #31

 

NEW VERSIONS!

Entry level pricing for top level bikes. We have taken two RANS classics and with some careful choices created bikes that make little trade offs despite the low pricing. To learn more about these two value-packed offerings read INTO THE RIDE #33

 

Special Notes: Production of the Dynamik Duo has begun, expect some dealers to have them this fall. The F-5 Enduros will also be coming in a few weeks, maybe around November in any numbers, both are US production. The Zenetiks will be January maybe February, you can still order the original 650 version up till the end of the year. Fusion, Cruz and Dynamik will be 2006 versions starting in mid-October. Only the Cruz went up a tad to cover the jazzy alloy fork. StratusLE and V2 Formula LE are in stock and ready to ship. Stratus XPs are in constant production with lead times around 3 weeks. If there is a slow down over winter, we hope to build up plenty of stock for spring openers. The Stratus XP is one hot bike, and getting hotter!

The 3-way bars with the black finish and scale should be here by mid November.

2006 will be another great year! As we finish 2005 it will be a year long in my memory: great rides, great bikes and strong sales. Thank you all for the support, and till next month stay safe and stay into the ride!