Keewee Cromozone

thaflyinfatman · Aug 26, 2004

Hey Yannis,

Head on over to www.farkin.net/forums or www.vorb.org.nz (head to the forums) and you'll find heaps more people who own/ride them.

MikeD · Aug 26, 2004

Craftsmanship-wise, I can say they're nicely made...my buddy from NZ has an old fillet-brazed steel custom FS from them and it's nice. It uses a stock Specialized rear end, though, so no feedback for you on suspension.

Definitely check Vorb, although you'll hear nothing but raving about them, I'm sure.

MD

SlackBoy · Aug 26, 2004

MikeD, I thought Juan's bkike was welded by some other dude, but eh I may be wrong.

But anywhooooo I" can't talk on the warrenty issue It may well be different from the UK, but I know my old Keewee went and came back with a new gussett, but then again that was also a really old model.
The build quality is spot on (as one expects from an ex F1 mechanic), and the ride is mint. As with any long travel bike short cranks are a must, coners like on rails, pedals excedingly well, has the same pivot point as a foes. In short it's rides rouglhy the same as heaps of other big rigs. It's just different

MikeD · Aug 26, 2004

SlackBoy said:
MikeD, I thought Juan's bkike was welded by some other dude, but eh I may be wrong.

Hm, maybe I'm wrong. His is an N-Zone, but I thought that was the same guys who now made KeeWee. I'll defer to the local experts. Please disregard me.

MD

mike425 · Aug 26, 2004

Theyre supposed to be ok, but i know someone who was gonna buy one, but was put off by the fact that he saw someone using one with duck tape all over the frame. Asked him why and he said it was to stop it rusting if he scratched it, due to it been untreated steel.

mike

buildyourown · Aug 26, 2004

mike425 said:
Theyre supposed to be ok, but i know someone who was gonna buy one, but was put off by the fact that he saw someone using one with duck tape all over the frame. Asked him why and he said it was to stop it rusting if he scratched it, due to it been untreated steel.

mike

Don't be put off by some nob who thinks he needs to cover his bike in duct tape to keep it from rusting. In general, the better quality the steel, the more resistant it will be to corrosion. Steel rules for DH bikes.

mike425 · Aug 26, 2004

Yeh, thats what i figured. Ive been thinking though, they are a relatively small company, with not that big a production runs i would have thought, so how do they manage to keep costs down? Cos theyre bikes are pretty cheap.

mike

Cave Dweller · Aug 26, 2004

mike425 said:
Yeh, thats what i figured. Ive been thinking though, they are a relatively small company, with not that big a production runs i would have thought, so how do they manage to keep costs down? Cos theyre bikes are pretty cheap.

mike

Cheap because they are made in NZ, exchange rate is about $1NZ = 65US cents.

And the guy who makes them, trevor porter, makes other stuff as well, like race car chassis etc, so it's not like he is only making a living from keewee.

Warrenty is 3 years.

Banga · Aug 27, 2004

They last forever , there are still dudes campaigning 97 bikes down here, and if they do crack any chump can weld it up, . Id look at one of the cromo 8s rather than a zone tho, but thats just me.

Konaowner · Aug 27, 2004

Hey Guys,

I am from new zealand and Keewee is rated as the one of the best bikes availible in N.Z amongst riders. They make a mean Dj ht frame the "Stealth" and great bsx frame the "Progressor". The Cromotoze is a frame similar to the cromozone, but with 7 inchs of travel. They are all made of steel, and are very strong. As that guy above said they still ride 97 models here which is true. The warranty is a good 3 years, and with the exchange rate you will get a very good price. They are reasonably good value here in N.Z for a handbuilt frame.

I say go for it, the design has been changed from the older models so that the pivot is lower. The ride great but the frame sizing is a bit different form norm so you will need a frame one or 2 sizes bigger than you normally would. I would also go for the cromozone over the cromoeight because it is a newer design. The cromo8 has been in production for about 4 years without much change now.

Well anyway, i hope this helps.

Banga · Aug 27, 2004

Konaowner said:
Hey Guys,

I am from new zealand and Keewee is rated as the one of the best bikes availible in N.Z amongst riders. They make a mean Dj ht frame the "Stealth" and great bsx frame the "Progressor". The Cromotoze is a frame similar to the cromozone, but with 7 inchs of travel. They are all made of steel, and are very strong. As that guy above said they still ride 97 models here which is true. The warranty is a good 3 years, and with the exchange rate you will get a very good price. They are reasonably good value here in N.Z for a handbuilt frame.

I say go for it, the design has been changed from the older models so that the pivot is lower. The ride great but the frame sizing is a bit different form norm so you will need a frame one or 2 sizes bigger than you normally would. I would also go for the cromozone over the cromoeight because it is a newer design. The cromo8 has been in production for about 4 years without much change now.

Well anyway, i hope this helps.

the zone design has been round for at least 8 years, its just been tweaked , Ive ridden a zone and hated it, the weight is too high in the frame for what I like, I ride a Foes dhs and like the weight a bit lower holds line better in corners etc, ala the cromo8, which now has a longer stroke shock, which is the only change it really needed, its a steel dh team giant basically. and a word on the sizing the zones come up big , and there are only two sizes.

CTR · Aug 27, 2004

Yo, if you can hold out a little longer we are doing a full review on the keewee cromotose (the 7 inch FR bike) which is kinda simlar to the cromozone (in construction anyways), we'll have a heap of specific deals like warranty stuff aswell.

but first impressions are, it's got a steep HA, like 69ish degress with a boxxer. it pedals well, but is let down by it's weight, i wouldn't wanna climb any really big hills on it. i think of it as a really burly AC basicaly.

heres a few pics that we've snaped so far.

http://www.farkin.net/image.php?image=f142c1227d.jpg
the bike as it comes complete

http://www.farkin.net/image.php?image=8d766927ec.jpg
me trying to throw it around on at our local mtnX track

dromond · Aug 27, 2004

Banga said:
They last forever , there are still dudes campaigning 97 bikes down here, and if they do crack any chump can weld it up, . Id look at one of the cromo 8s rather than a zone tho, but thats just me.

For what's it's worth when I was talking to the Keewee guys at castlerock they seemed to suggest that they kept the cromo 8 in production largely because it was still very popular in the UK (possibly for aesthetic reasons) but that the Cromozone was a much more adjustable and overall superior bike.

buildyourown · Aug 27, 2004

IMO, it looks like the 'zone is just another walking beam (ala kona)
The 8 looks like any other good DH bike with a low C of G and a linkage actuated swingarm. (ala DHR, Giant)
I would buy the 8. Good stiff swingarm design and light to boot. KISS

Konaowner · Aug 27, 2004

Cromo8 and lite are not two words that go together. None of there bikes are overly lite but i would rather steel than aluminium.

buildyourown · Aug 27, 2004

Konaowner said:
Cromo8 and lite are not two words that go together. None of there bikes are overly lite but i would rather steel than aluminium.

According to the website, the bike as shown weighed 42#. That's lighter than my aluminum bike.

http://www.keewee.co.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145820395

Keewee Cromozone

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