Tomac and Honda (Gearbox bike)
- Thread starter Total Heckler
- Start date
They are not knock offs its they are all based from an Astro frame as I remember it:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186894
They are a knock off of many bikes
Though their new bike looks strangely nice. I wonder If we will live to see the days that for regular riders catalog products would be enough for most riders(maybe not RM though )
Tomac and Honda (Gearbox bike) DH bike makes sense as Tomac's DH bike is no longer in production. I expect a few more teasers for the next six months and something solid around sea otter time.
Last edited:
correct
Remember last year there was a complete Honda bike and a Session 88 set up with the Showa suspension spotted at Whistler? Anyone ever actually find out what was going on with that?
i think the engineer said on here that they were doing testing before the Session 88 originally came out and that he knew someone with a RN01...(or something along those lines)
I doubt you'll see anything solid from Tomac given their recent DH offerings.
I mean that the Astro and their copy frames done by many brands are based of the origional Foes bikeThey are a knock off of many bikes
,they are known as the litle brother of the Foes with other leverage ratio & 240mm i2i shock instead of the big 420mm i2i shock that the Foes has.I rode a Tomac all season and found it amazing? Better than my previous v10 and Sunday.
Dude, You are on RM. Your frame LOOKS similar to astro frame so it has to be pure s***
reasons:
It hazz no DW-linkZzZZz
needs MOAR antisquadzzz
haz no Sunday/ DHR sticker
doesn't come in rootbeer colorwayzzz
Who gives a s*** that it has different geo, suspension curve and tubeset?
Why so serious? In all seriousness, I know one guy who had a tomac and had mixed feelings about the bike. Seen some similar reviews over the net though some very positive too. Eventhough the hate is kinda harsh. People like to remember the negatives.Dude, You are on RM. Your frame LOOKS similar to astro frame so it has to be pure s***
reasons:
It hazz no DW-linkZzZZz
needs MOAR antisquadzzz
haz no Sunday/ DHR sticker
doesn't come in rootbeer colorwayzzz
Who gives a s*** that it has different geo, suspension curve and tubeset?
I know it was sarcasmSorry, forgot about [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags at the beginning and at the end of my post.
I also know how you dont like the popular RM opinion 
On the same frame? down here the only guys running them were able to crack them by looking at it with an aggressive facial expression.
Yeah, but this is a guy from NZ just popping down the road for a pack of ciggies and a bottle of milk:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/3252134/Apiatas-Afghan-exploits-revealed
No wonder those flimsy frames wither...
it wasn't lack of engineering capabilities, manufacturing processes, etc that kept Honda from bringing the bike to market. They crunched the numbers and realized that there was no way they were going to sell enough bikes to turn a profit.
I think he found the other guy's dead-pan response funny, which it was...
Kinda makes me think Tomac's trip to Japan to visit honda is just a marketing ploy.. I mean we are talking about Tomac and Honda in the same sentence right?
Exactly. My point being Honda did not do it for a reason. But this guy thinks he can do it? Awesome. Then do it. I'd love to see it.
An engineering student/racer built a derailer "in a box" like 3 years ago. I think the glamour of the "technology" has worn off a bit. I guess I'm way more over it than most people. If it was a better mouse trap I'd think we'd be seeing more of them. Or maybe not. Fack it.
It's interesting to see the different approaches from a company outside the industry than within the bike industry.
Personally, I think that there are enough advantages of a DiaB, if done properly, over a traditional setup. Then again, if someone were to develop a true transmission that doesn't suck / works great, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg the game would change. Hell I'd love to have one on an xc bike!
But deep down I still really just wanna ride this bike.
theres nothing too "glamorous" about a dérailleur in a box or nothing too high tech. especially compared to a Rohloff or Nexus hub.
the d.i.a.b. is a pretty basic idea that works and is very cheap (comparatively)
one of the other things I like about the DiaB concept is that it seems it would be easier for the end user to service. Also, using stock components that are already readily available would make it more adjustable (cassettes to adjust your gearing).
Not to mention being in a box that will protect everything and more than likely extend the life of the parts because they are not exposed to the elements. No more ripping derailleurs off on rocks etc.
I am really excited to see what is to come from Tomac.
i love camp's ghettofab projects.
thatd be a huge selling point for me.
are the Rohloff's and Nexus hubs "user" serviceable?
I think the broloffs are serviceable in that you change the oil once every two...but that's it.
is that the only thing you really have to do? too bad is pricey, especially compared to a d.i.a.b. concept
yeah. a yearly (if that; dh bikes generally see relatively low milage) oil change is all they need. the beauty of the rohloff is that user serviceability seems to be a moot thing; they'll probably outlast most bikes w/o ever having to be opened up.
coming up on 4 years on mine, and it's been flawless. perfect shifting all the time regardless of conditions, w/ no adjustments (ie, shifting unaffected by cable stretch w/ hub indexing) and only a ~15min annual maintenance requirement - this is how all bike transmissions should be. i'm just stoked this bike is holding together; i'd rather not have to buy another derailleur based dh rig.
i'm a litte sceptical of derailleurs in a can for a few reasons - there will still need to be a bunch of proprietary bits in there, there's still adjustment & fine tuning requirements, and said tuning & the replacement of wearing bits (though there's no dirt contamination, you're still dragging a chain across cogs) will require cracking the case open, so there's an added labor component.
though i still think it's entirely within the realm of feasibility for one of the big guns to produce a burly, yet reasonably lightweight 7-8 spd 12mm through axle gearhub that could effectively eliminate the rd for big bike applications, and render the packaging headaches of gearboxes moot. selling mountains of dangly fragile rd's is a much better business model however.
do the gears "click" into place or is it a smooth transition because of the indexing.
the gear engagement is smooth, but the indexing (the click you feel at the shifter) is in the hub rather than the shifter, so cable stretch or contamination doesn't affect shifting performance.
nice being able to shift w/o pedalling too. pre-select gears before a corner, or dump a handful quickly w/o having to grind out a too tall gear.
that's exactly why i want a gearbox. Central unsprung mass is a bonus, pre-selecting gears mid-turn would be massively beneficial. Wrong gear before a drop? Switch mid-air. Bogged down in a turn? Right where you need to be.
Low maintenance is a bonus, but if you're really riding a $3k+ bike, minor maintenance (lube and cleaning) shouldn't be a big deal.
is he still riding this? has he tinkered with it since then?
Another option: Rolhoff mounted as central gearbox, with Lawwill-esque suspension (from Eurobike 2010):
Tollwut Stonedigger
http://fotos.mtb-news.de/s/7723
Tollwut Stonedigger
http://fotos.mtb-news.de/s/7723
i don't think he's riding it regularly anymore. the feature was made in 2008.
here's video of it in the O.G. slideshow - http://www.littermag.com/2008/features/1039/1039/viewentry4.php?entryID=86
moar like LOLwut, amirite?
scary without a floater...looks seriously overbuilt a la 1999...could be amazing...but the photos say euro 2009, which suggests it might be outdated? Would be cool if it sees the light of day.
an impressive bit of metalwork for sure, but what is with germans & their penchant for gratuitous hardware, holes & cnc'ing? some serious editing in order there. ridonculously heavy & expensive to build i'm sure.
Last edited: