# Any thoughts on the On-One Steel 456 EVO?



## Zenroad (3 Oct 2012)

I'm new to On-One. Just started researching their frames. The steel 456 EVO looks like what I'm after. I've read that the bottom bracket is a bit lower than average. True? How much lower? I've read that the seat tube is welded to--not piercing--the top tube. Any issues with this? What about the DN6 double butted 4130 frame material? I'm not familiar with it. "Tough as hell," as they claim? Durable? Anyone out there doing long treks on this frame? Anyone riding it on road?
Thank you!


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## Cubist (3 Oct 2012)

The claim is that the On One is a bike for ragging about. British trail riding is a sort of genre in its own right, think Whistler rather than day-long epics, technical descents over loose rocky terrain, little respite and short sharp climbs. 456 bikes are so named because they have a geometry which supposedly compliments a 4,5 or 6 inch travel fork, but the Evo is designed more towards the longer travel, so think 6 inch or 160mm travel, with a hugely slack head angle, probably around the 66% mark, which an XC rider would think was like a wheelbarrow. They are ideal for those plunging descents, but the pay-off in having a slack head angle is that it's a pig to climb, unless the bottom bracket is lowered and the seat angle steepened. That's what On One say they have done here, made a slack headed bike with a climbing capability. Many riders choose an adjustable travel fork, like a Talas 100-140, or 130-150, so they can set the travel to low for climbing.

The 456 is bombproof. The steel frames are chromoly steel, which are designed to be robust, not racy. I know a couple of On One riders, one of whom had a Carbon 456, but found it a bit of a dog's breakfast, creaky, and not the best build quality. He swapped it for a Ti frame in the end and is much happier. He runs it with a 140 (5") fork. 

If you like the thought of a "hardcore" steel frame, On One are in a world of British competition, and you could have a look at the offerings from Ragley such as the Blue Pig, Piglet, and Troof- again, hooligan hardcore hardtails with 6 inch geometry. Dialled Bikes do the acclaimed Prince Albert and Alpine, Genesis have a beauty in the Lattitude, and here we stray into top grade steel bike territory, using Reynolds 853 tubing. Steel it may be, but it's worlds apart from the One One's chromoly, which is strong and robust, 853 gives a supple, and extremely light for its strength ride quality. Top of the market (and price!) is the Cotic brand, with several hardtails to choose from, my favourite being the Soul, designed for 100mm to 140mm forks, slack but climbable, and astonishingly light at 4.4lbs for a medium frame.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (3 Oct 2012)

Yep Coptic soul's are great. I have had a full Suss Scott genius ltd which cost over £5k, I much prefer my Coptic soul.


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## Zenroad (3 Oct 2012)

Thank you, Cubist and bromptonfb!
Cubist, you had me at "bombproof." As for the climbing capabilities of the 456, I'm not concerned. Or even its off-road capabilities. Truth is I'm building an expedition bike that will rarely go off-road, and when it does, it's not going to see much more than gravel trails or very tame paths. I'm riding from Florida to California, flying to Japan, and continuing the ride there. My original choice was the American-made Surly Troll. Fantastic bike. Then 48 hours ago, I discovered your On-One stuff, particularly the 456 EVO. What got my attention was the slack head angle, the lowered BB, and the longish chainstays. I like the EVO's geometry. Heavy? NAP (Not A Problem). It'll build character, which I could use! And after two continental divides and the expanse of our Great Plains, I should be one character-filled SOB! I'd never heard of DN6 stuff; I'm glad to hear it's tough stuff. I'm well aware of the better and lighter bikes (the Thorn Raven comes to mind), but as I am but a humble pauper, the EVO will have to carry me forward. Besides, I'm also a Kawasaki KLR rider, and the idea of the least expensive but highly capable frame is in keeping with the I-Can-Make-This-Work aesthetic. ANYBODY can get there on a Thorn Raven, for Chrissakes!
Anyhow, you guys are great. I'm one Yank who loves Cyclechat. I'll be posting pics as the bike comes together. Phil Wood BB, White Industry hubs, Shimano XT throughout. I know, I know: not a poor man's components, but I gotta give myself a fighting chance! Please visit my website at www.tohokuforward.org. It's for a good cause.


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## Alun (3 Oct 2012)

Zenroad, theres some interesting information here http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=3525&v=6l about Trackstermans experiences with an On-one "Inbred" bike.
DN6 is their own name for the Cro-Mo tubing that they use, they took the name from their Postcode (Zipcode).


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## lulubel (3 Oct 2012)

Out of interest (not criticism of your preference because everyone's preference is their own), why do you want a slack head angle? What benefit do you gain from it when you're going to be mostly on road?


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## simon.r (3 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> ...using Reynolds 853 tubing. Steel it may be, but it's worlds apart from the One One's chromoly, which is strong and robust, 853 gives a supple, and extremely light for its strength ride quality. Top of the market (and price!) is the Cotic brand, with several hardtails to choose from, my favourite being the Soul, designed for 100mm to 140mm forks, slack but climbable, and astonishingly light at 4.4lbs for a medium frame.


 
The _original_ Inbreds were 853 and a limited edition (100 I think) were made from 853 a few years ago. I've got one, bought on a whim (and under the influence of alcohol). I really ought to get round to building it up!


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## simon.r (3 Oct 2012)

Zenroad said:


> I'm well aware of the better and lighter bikes (the Thorn Raven comes to mind),...


 
The Thorn Raven (at least the one I owned) is anything but light. From memory the frame only weighed in at 6lb +.


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## dan_bo (3 Oct 2012)

simon.r said:


> The _original_ Inbreds were 853 and a limited edition (100 I think) were made from 853 a few years ago. I've got one, bought on a whim (and under the influence of alcohol). I really ought to get round to building it up!


 
Bet it's not pink like mine......






It's a beaut. Bit of a different beast to the 456, although i was thinking of getting one meself, for a chuckabout......


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## Zenroad (3 Oct 2012)

lulubel said:


> Out of interest (not criticism of your preference because everyone's preference is their own), why do you want a slack head angle? What benefit do you gain from it when you're going to be mostly on road?


A bit more forgiving during the long haul?


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## Zenroad (3 Oct 2012)

Alun said:


> Zenroad, theres some interesting information here http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=3525&v=6l about Trackstermans experiences with an On-one "Inbred" bike.
> DN6 is their own name for the Cro-Mo tubing that they use, they took the name from their Postcode (Zipcode).


 
Excellent, Alun! Thank you. Very encouraging.


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## Zenroad (4 Oct 2012)

Now I see! The On-One steel is the same 4130 cromoly as the Surly Troll. The "DN6" designation was throwing me off.


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## Cubist (4 Oct 2012)

Yep. How else could you name a product after Doncaster and still make it sound sexy:-D


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## Zenroad (4 Oct 2012)

Ha! I long to one day tour the UK. I really enjoy looking at y'all's tour reports and pics. My father's family was originally from Dublin, so a trip through the old homeland is definitely in order.


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## dan_bo (4 Oct 2012)

Cubist said:


> Yep. How else could you name a product after Doncaster and still make it sound sexy:-D


 

Doncasteur?


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## Zenroad (4 Oct 2012)

dan_bo said:


> Doncasteur?


 
Nice.


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## MacB (4 Oct 2012)

As you're in the US I'd definitely be choosing Surly over On-One but it does seem a bit like you're trying to choose a bike for worst case scenario rather than for 99% of its useage. This is something I'm really familiar with as I have a tendency to get a bit belt and braces and want everything but the kitchen sink on there. If we stick to the Surly range for the riding you describe then I'd be looking in this order at:-

Crosscheck or LHT - latter if you want discs and load carrying ability former for a livelier ride and a bit less capacity - they can both take up to a 700x45 tyre

Karate Monkey - for something that will cope with a bit more than the Xcheck but still do street pretty well

Troll/Ogre - for really heavy duty stuff

But if you're sticking a Rohloff in there then you're not going cheap and there are other bikes I'd choose over the Surly range. The slot/trackend style dropouts work for hub gears and disc brakes but it is a bit more finicky. I'd be having a look at framebuilders and what they offer to accomodate hub gears, specifically adjustable dropouts or eccentric bottom brackets. I prefer the former and have two frames made that would be be close to the requirements you specify:-

1. touring frame - in titanium with Paragon Rocker dropouts to handle chain tension and accomodate a Rohloff - this is very close in spec to a LHT and actually has LHT disc forks

2. 29er frame - in steel with Paragon Rocker dropouts again and can take up to a 100mm fork or be used with my Salsa Fargo 2 forks which have lowrdier mounts etc.

Both frames have 3 sets of bottle bosses and can take either hub gears or standard derailleurs. The adjustable dropouts take different inserts depending on what you want to run.


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## Zenroad (4 Oct 2012)

Thanks, MacB. Much appreciated. No Rohloff for me. Standard gear cassette and a derailleur. And disc brakes for the first time in my life. The reasons that the 456 EVO is looking good to me are the slightly longer chainstays, the assumed longer wheelbase (no number for that from One-On), and a lower BB. And it turns out that the EVO frame is priced cheaper than the Troll here. Go figure!


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## MacB (4 Oct 2012)

I haven't checked but have you looked at how each of them measure the chainstays, I know Surly use the shortest measurement possible. For example our KMs have a listed chainstay of 431mm however we run them with gears and use the little inserts to move the axle rearwards to make sure there is no tyre/FD interference. This moves it back by 14mm thus giving a 445mm chainstay and it's still no more than halfway back in the available space. You can have them further back by using tugnuts instead.


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## Zenroad (4 Oct 2012)

I don't know. I do know that the Troll has horizontal drops, while the EVO has verts. Definitely makes a difference. Thanks, MacB!


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Oct 2012)

Zenroad said:


> Ha! I long to one day tour the UK. I really enjoy looking at y'all's tour reports and pics. My father's family was originally from Dublin, so a trip through the old homeland is definitely in order.


You do know that the Republic of Ireland isn't part of the UK right?


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## lulubel (4 Oct 2012)

MacB said:


> Crosscheck or LHT - latter if you want discs and load carrying ability former for a livelier ride and a bit less capacity - they can both take up to a 700x45 tyre


 
The LHT (Disc Trucker) would be my first choice for any major tour. As a very happy Crosscheck owner, I wouldn't even look at anything else for "heavy" touring. I'm a total Surly convert.

(In fact, I'm such a Surly convert that I keep going back and studying the Troll geometry in the hope that it's changed since I last looked at it, and it's become the perfect frame for my new MTB!)


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## Cubist (4 Oct 2012)

dan_bo said:


> Doncasteur?


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## Alun (4 Oct 2012)

GregCollins said:


> You do know that the Republic of Ireland isn't part of the UK right?


It used to be! Perhaps it was when the OPs family lived there.


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