BeOne Nirvana 1.0
Discussion
Anyone know anything about these? CRC are selling the frames at half price at the moment:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...
I can't really afford a new bike at the moment but that looks like a good price, so it's proving hard to resist
Not much info on the 'net about them though, so was wondering if anyone here knows much about them or has read a review of them anywhere in the MTB press? Edited by Moose. on Tuesday 26th May 12:06
I temporally had a BeOne hardtail frame but once 90% built realised that CRC had accidentally sent a 29er as BeOne did not tell them. In my defence it is hard to spot without wheels and I did not get them until last.
I did not fully build it so can only comment on the initial impression of build quality and it seemed good. Decent paint and light.
The Nirvana looks a bit messy to me so may be heavy but that is the only comment that I am qualified to make.
I would look for similar designs from other brands and read reviews as I cannot find a useful review of the Nirvana. Try to ignore the mess and concentrate on the pivot points / asymmetric chainstays. Incidentally, they changed the design for 2008.
Remember that you can always upgrade the shock but if the frame design does not work then it would be a bit like giving Susan Boyle implants and a wax.
Jon
I did not fully build it so can only comment on the initial impression of build quality and it seemed good. Decent paint and light.
The Nirvana looks a bit messy to me so may be heavy but that is the only comment that I am qualified to make.
I would look for similar designs from other brands and read reviews as I cannot find a useful review of the Nirvana. Try to ignore the mess and concentrate on the pivot points / asymmetric chainstays. Incidentally, they changed the design for 2008.
Remember that you can always upgrade the shock but if the frame design does not work then it would be a bit like giving Susan Boyle implants and a wax.
Jon
I don't know about the current frame, but the last two previous years versions have had a slating in the magazines I've seen them in.
A mate bought one two years ago because of the price and the linkage design, which worked very well but the head angle was just so bloody steep it made it difficult to ride at speed down anything remotely hairy. I didn't like it.
A mate bought one two years ago because of the price and the linkage design, which worked very well but the head angle was just so bloody steep it made it difficult to ride at speed down anything remotely hairy. I didn't like it.
Hi, I've just built up this frame (got it from chainreaction) and I've been riding it for a month. I'm just back from Cumbria where I rode it every day, culminating in a 60k loop taking in winlatter bike centre and the scary honister pass. I'll post a detailed review of the bike later today ;-)
Hi,
I bought this same frame a month ago and built it up around an SLX groupset.
It's actually my first full susser, but after 10 years of top notch hard tails and a move to a very All-Mountain environment, I thought I'd give one a try (my carbon HT was just killing my hands and back!).
I can only really compare the Nirvana 1.0 to my Hardtails in terms of ride performance and quality, so be slightly warned. Having said that, I'll be comparing the ride to my Kona Explosif (high quality steel), my On-One Scandal (scandium) and my Viper Carbon Pro (carbon fibre). They're all frames of high reputation.
First of all as a frame it's not as light as you might expect from an epic/light all mountain rig. My final build is probably 30lbs, just about as heavy as my Explosif with it's original kit on. I could make the bike much lighter, but I'm keeping costs down and quality high, so there's little weight weeniness going on. Here's the current build (I'm 5'9" in my bike shoes):
Nirvana 1.0 19' frame
Reba Sl forks
Rock Shox Monarch 3.1 rear shock
Bontrager carbon flat bars
Race Face Good n' Evil grips
Bontrager carbon bar ends
Bontrager 90mm stem
SLX Disc brakes 160mm front and rear (previously Hope Mono Mini's 160mm front, 140mm rear)
SLX shifters
SLX front derailleur
SLX Crankset
Look Quartz Carbon pedals
XT Cassette
XT chain
SLX rear Shadow mech
Race Face Evolve seat post
Ritchey WCS Streem saddle
Wheels Chain Reaction custom build (XT hubs, Mavic rims, XT Quick release)
Continental Slash tyres (previously Ritchey motovaders)
So a pretty high spec set-up, but not super light. A portion of the kit was donated from my hardtails (all very light), but I bought the SLX stuff and fork new from Merlin cycles at a great price.
My choice of hardtails over full sussers in the past was based on the type of riding I did. I lived a good 10 miles from the trail head, so I had a good road spin through some very hilly terrain before I got off-road. Now I'm 200 yards from hills and mountains in the Scottish Borders, so now 20 mile off-road rides are the norm!
My first rides off-road were interesting. The bike, though hefty and extremely industrial looking (think Forth Rail bridge) climbed surprisingly well. Better than my feathery carbon ht annoyingly. It was also a very comfortable place to be. I felt I could move to different locations within the bike. It's a slightly unusual experience. I sized the frame using my Scandal's top tube measurement of 23". This gave me the 19" frame. In terms of set-up, it's almost perfect, apart from standover, which...well let's just say that it follows the French method! This is an interesting point. I've seen reviews of Eurobikes in the past (Beone, Cube etc) that have complained about high top tubes. My Kona was a size too large for me but all the really mad stuff I did on bikes was done on that bike. It just seemed more controllable. I'm finding the same with the Nirvana. In fact it's the most chuckable bike I've owned. After a few emergency dismounts my fears over the 2 inch safety gap have proven unfounded!
I initially missed the effort needed to ride a HT over rocky ground, but I've been stunned at the bike's ability to belt through scary rock gardens at speeds I'd never attempt on my old bikes. The rear shock is fantastic, but what's even better is the movement of the rear wheel. It seems to be extremely linear. The feeling is rather like being lowered directly down onto a pillow! Very weird for the first few rides.
So in terms of off-road performance, it's actually much better than my hard tails. It's just faster in all circumstances. The real surprise has been the on-road performance. To my mind there's no difference to the pedal input between this and my HTs. In other words there doesn't seem to be any power-sapping pedal bob at all, even off-road on the softest rear shock setting. I completed a tough 60k loop in Cumbria last week on the Nirvana, taking in the Winlatter Pass (and the Red Route in the forest), and up over the 20 to 30% gradient Honister Pass. It took 6 hours in total (I wasn't rushing), but I was able to ride every conceivable terrain and come out smiling. The long road drags were as easy and fun as the mad forest stuff. Coming up over the Honister Pass at the end of the ride, I still had loads left in the tank. In fact the climb was slightly too easy!! The decent wasn't though. The Hope brakes just weren't up to the job of stopping me, my fully packed camelbak and my hefty Nirvana. 40mph down a road with brakes that just aren't bighting isn't good. Put a smile on my face though.
So I love the bike. It's taken me out of the spiral of ever-lighter bikes and given me back the fun in mountain biking. It's agile, fast, capable of more than you'd expect and a real all-dayer. It's also extremely controllable at high speeds on and off-road...trust me on that one! It's the first bike where I've had that 'in the bike' feeling.
Just be sure of the size, but don't get too hung up about standover. Correct fit is more important.
Hope that helps!
I bought this same frame a month ago and built it up around an SLX groupset.
It's actually my first full susser, but after 10 years of top notch hard tails and a move to a very All-Mountain environment, I thought I'd give one a try (my carbon HT was just killing my hands and back!).
I can only really compare the Nirvana 1.0 to my Hardtails in terms of ride performance and quality, so be slightly warned. Having said that, I'll be comparing the ride to my Kona Explosif (high quality steel), my On-One Scandal (scandium) and my Viper Carbon Pro (carbon fibre). They're all frames of high reputation.
First of all as a frame it's not as light as you might expect from an epic/light all mountain rig. My final build is probably 30lbs, just about as heavy as my Explosif with it's original kit on. I could make the bike much lighter, but I'm keeping costs down and quality high, so there's little weight weeniness going on. Here's the current build (I'm 5'9" in my bike shoes):
Nirvana 1.0 19' frame
Reba Sl forks
Rock Shox Monarch 3.1 rear shock
Bontrager carbon flat bars
Race Face Good n' Evil grips
Bontrager carbon bar ends
Bontrager 90mm stem
SLX Disc brakes 160mm front and rear (previously Hope Mono Mini's 160mm front, 140mm rear)
SLX shifters
SLX front derailleur
SLX Crankset
Look Quartz Carbon pedals
XT Cassette
XT chain
SLX rear Shadow mech
Race Face Evolve seat post
Ritchey WCS Streem saddle
Wheels Chain Reaction custom build (XT hubs, Mavic rims, XT Quick release)
Continental Slash tyres (previously Ritchey motovaders)
So a pretty high spec set-up, but not super light. A portion of the kit was donated from my hardtails (all very light), but I bought the SLX stuff and fork new from Merlin cycles at a great price.
My choice of hardtails over full sussers in the past was based on the type of riding I did. I lived a good 10 miles from the trail head, so I had a good road spin through some very hilly terrain before I got off-road. Now I'm 200 yards from hills and mountains in the Scottish Borders, so now 20 mile off-road rides are the norm!
My first rides off-road were interesting. The bike, though hefty and extremely industrial looking (think Forth Rail bridge) climbed surprisingly well. Better than my feathery carbon ht annoyingly. It was also a very comfortable place to be. I felt I could move to different locations within the bike. It's a slightly unusual experience. I sized the frame using my Scandal's top tube measurement of 23". This gave me the 19" frame. In terms of set-up, it's almost perfect, apart from standover, which...well let's just say that it follows the French method! This is an interesting point. I've seen reviews of Eurobikes in the past (Beone, Cube etc) that have complained about high top tubes. My Kona was a size too large for me but all the really mad stuff I did on bikes was done on that bike. It just seemed more controllable. I'm finding the same with the Nirvana. In fact it's the most chuckable bike I've owned. After a few emergency dismounts my fears over the 2 inch safety gap have proven unfounded!
I initially missed the effort needed to ride a HT over rocky ground, but I've been stunned at the bike's ability to belt through scary rock gardens at speeds I'd never attempt on my old bikes. The rear shock is fantastic, but what's even better is the movement of the rear wheel. It seems to be extremely linear. The feeling is rather like being lowered directly down onto a pillow! Very weird for the first few rides.
So in terms of off-road performance, it's actually much better than my hard tails. It's just faster in all circumstances. The real surprise has been the on-road performance. To my mind there's no difference to the pedal input between this and my HTs. In other words there doesn't seem to be any power-sapping pedal bob at all, even off-road on the softest rear shock setting. I completed a tough 60k loop in Cumbria last week on the Nirvana, taking in the Winlatter Pass (and the Red Route in the forest), and up over the 20 to 30% gradient Honister Pass. It took 6 hours in total (I wasn't rushing), but I was able to ride every conceivable terrain and come out smiling. The long road drags were as easy and fun as the mad forest stuff. Coming up over the Honister Pass at the end of the ride, I still had loads left in the tank. In fact the climb was slightly too easy!! The decent wasn't though. The Hope brakes just weren't up to the job of stopping me, my fully packed camelbak and my hefty Nirvana. 40mph down a road with brakes that just aren't bighting isn't good. Put a smile on my face though.
So I love the bike. It's taken me out of the spiral of ever-lighter bikes and given me back the fun in mountain biking. It's agile, fast, capable of more than you'd expect and a real all-dayer. It's also extremely controllable at high speeds on and off-road...trust me on that one! It's the first bike where I've had that 'in the bike' feeling.
Just be sure of the size, but don't get too hung up about standover. Correct fit is more important.
Hope that helps!
Edited by Mangatank on Friday 29th May 11:57
Thanks BOR. I see you have a Cube Stereo. Very nice bike indeed! Cube do some great rigs!
Incidentally, be aware that my saddle is higher in the picture than it is in reality. I'd probably just refitted the seat post when the image was taken. It's about an inch lower in reality (as in this picture):
This image comes from a terrible All Mountain ride. I was completely caught out by the weather and got into real trouble on the hills. It was May and my hands were so wet and cold that I lost all feeling in my fingers for a short period :-0 There was me thinking that I'd seen it all.
The bike was excellent however!
Incidentally, be aware that my saddle is higher in the picture than it is in reality. I'd probably just refitted the seat post when the image was taken. It's about an inch lower in reality (as in this picture):
This image comes from a terrible All Mountain ride. I was completely caught out by the weather and got into real trouble on the hills. It was May and my hands were so wet and cold that I lost all feeling in my fingers for a short period :-0 There was me thinking that I'd seen it all.
The bike was excellent however!
Great review and write up Mangatank. I must say, I'm tempted but will have to wait until June's payday anyway. I'm surprised you went for a 19" frame though. I'm just under 6' and my GT is a medium which equates to an 18". Then again, I've always preferred a smaller frame as it's more flickable. Guess I'd be best measuring the top tube as you suggest to find the true frame size 
Glad to help.
The 17" frame would possibly suit you, but the 19" lets you stretch out for long rides. It depends on your riding and the bike usage. Personally I'd go with the 19" if given the choice again. The long top tube makes the bike great on the climb too. I'm a little confused by the feeling of being 'in the bike' with this frame, but I suspect it's my centre of gravity. My carbon bike is smaller than this bike and much less comfortable or stable. On the climb, I found I was using a very small cockpit space to maneouver in, whereas on the Nirvana, climbing out of Seatoller (the village below the brutal Honister Pass), I found myself moving to different locations within the cockpit space. It really helped me use my strength economically.
With the 19", the worry would be things like reach, knee alignment and standover. I've got plenty of room to play with with both reach and knee/pedal axil alignment (I'm using 170mm cranks) and that's with a layback seatpost. Standover could be a concern in certain circumstances, but as my riding is much more enduro orientated, I'm not generally tackling stuff that needs a big bail. That said, when I hit the rocks, this frame allows me to manoeuvre and slide with real confidence.
Regardless of which frame you go for, I think you'll find the quality of design and construction to be top notch. The paint and anodising seem to be very tough. My chain was smacking against the bare chainstay arm for a week without leaving a mark.
Incidently I'm also really impressed with SLX. It looks great and the functionality is only just below XT (I've got a 2008 XT groupset on my carbon HT. My Ritchey Streem saddle is the best I've ever used (and I've had a few!), and the Motovader tyres are fantastic. If only a) they were still available, and b) I could get them on and off quickly! Finally the Reba fork is great easily a match of my 2006 Bomber Pro SL. Check out Merlyncycles.com for great deals on all parts. Chainreaction remains as excellent as ever, but Wiggle.com seems very expensive these days.
The 17" frame would possibly suit you, but the 19" lets you stretch out for long rides. It depends on your riding and the bike usage. Personally I'd go with the 19" if given the choice again. The long top tube makes the bike great on the climb too. I'm a little confused by the feeling of being 'in the bike' with this frame, but I suspect it's my centre of gravity. My carbon bike is smaller than this bike and much less comfortable or stable. On the climb, I found I was using a very small cockpit space to maneouver in, whereas on the Nirvana, climbing out of Seatoller (the village below the brutal Honister Pass), I found myself moving to different locations within the cockpit space. It really helped me use my strength economically.
With the 19", the worry would be things like reach, knee alignment and standover. I've got plenty of room to play with with both reach and knee/pedal axil alignment (I'm using 170mm cranks) and that's with a layback seatpost. Standover could be a concern in certain circumstances, but as my riding is much more enduro orientated, I'm not generally tackling stuff that needs a big bail. That said, when I hit the rocks, this frame allows me to manoeuvre and slide with real confidence.
Regardless of which frame you go for, I think you'll find the quality of design and construction to be top notch. The paint and anodising seem to be very tough. My chain was smacking against the bare chainstay arm for a week without leaving a mark.
Incidently I'm also really impressed with SLX. It looks great and the functionality is only just below XT (I've got a 2008 XT groupset on my carbon HT. My Ritchey Streem saddle is the best I've ever used (and I've had a few!), and the Motovader tyres are fantastic. If only a) they were still available, and b) I could get them on and off quickly! Finally the Reba fork is great easily a match of my 2006 Bomber Pro SL. Check out Merlyncycles.com for great deals on all parts. Chainreaction remains as excellent as ever, but Wiggle.com seems very expensive these days.
Edited by Mangatank on Friday 29th May 16:58
Hey all, I too have bought this frame and built it up from a Hardtail. With Mavic crossdisc wheels, RS Revelation forks, Truvitrav X5 chainset and seatpost, carbon bars it weighs in just at around 29lbs.
Been out for my first ride on it tonight and I'm amazed at the difference FS makes compared to a HT. It just works so well. My only issue is my fork, which is 120mm travel rather than 100 and any issues it may cause. I've posted for advice and bikeradar and learnt it may alter the headangle, but it feels just like my old bike to ride so should be ok.
My only other issue a clunk I get from the headset if I pull a bit of a wheely. I guess I haven't fitted the headset correctly, but as I've never done one before and just had a best guess when it came to fitting I'm not surprised. There is no play and if feels fine but I must have done something wrong.
For £350, I think the frame is amazing value. The bargain of the century. Can't wait to get into the peaks!!
Regards
Rob
Been out for my first ride on it tonight and I'm amazed at the difference FS makes compared to a HT. It just works so well. My only issue is my fork, which is 120mm travel rather than 100 and any issues it may cause. I've posted for advice and bikeradar and learnt it may alter the headangle, but it feels just like my old bike to ride so should be ok.
My only other issue a clunk I get from the headset if I pull a bit of a wheely. I guess I haven't fitted the headset correctly, but as I've never done one before and just had a best guess when it came to fitting I'm not surprised. There is no play and if feels fine but I must have done something wrong.
For £350, I think the frame is amazing value. The bargain of the century. Can't wait to get into the peaks!!
Regards
Rob
I initially posted advice for you to get the headset re-pressed by a local bike shop, but now that I think about it, the frame comes complete with a semi integrated headset fitted. I'm assuming you only had to fit the crown race yourself. Get the bike in for a check up asap as you've either bodged the race or you're missing a part of the headset. My one came with a piece missing and chainreaction had to send out a new headset. In any event It's easy to write off the headset, fork and frame in these circumstances. You really dont want to do that!
Edited by Mangatank on Monday 1st June 07:11
Edited by Mangatank on Monday 1st June 07:13
Yeah thats crossed my mind. I think I know what went wrong. The headset came ready fitted to the frame so it was just a case of seating the ring at the bottom of the fork and fitting the bearings. It didn't come with a cup for the top but the old one seems to seats nicely on the bearings at the top.
It was a little confusing as to whatshould have been fitted but I didn't have any parts left so I took that as a good sign!!
Did you fit yours yourself? If so did you find you had all the parts?
Regards
Rob
It was a little confusing as to whatshould have been fitted but I didn't have any parts left so I took that as a good sign!!
Did you fit yours yourself? If so did you find you had all the parts?
Regards
Rob
Ah! Just like mine then. Get an email to chain's returns department. Tell them you didn't receive the top part of the headset. They'll send you the missing part. Don't ride your bike until then is my advice. It's too good a frame to ruin!
It took a bit of effort to sort mine out because of crossed wires, but chain were really good about it. It shouldn't cost you a penny. Email them today and get the bike booked into an lbs for the end of the week ;-). I had the most fun in years on the nirvana over the weekend. It builds into a superb frame!
It took a bit of effort to sort mine out because of crossed wires, but chain were really good about it. It shouldn't cost you a penny. Email them today and get the bike booked into an lbs for the end of the week ;-). I had the most fun in years on the nirvana over the weekend. It builds into a superb frame!
Incidently, I think I know what the clunk noise is. When I fitted the ring onto the steering tube it was tight, but not as tight as the one I'd taken off. Looking back should I have fitted the round wedge shaped ring into it to secure it? Its the one part I have left!
Does that make sense or am I way off the mark?
Regards
Rob
Does that make sense or am I way off the mark?
Regards
Rob
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