Handsling. Talk to me

[lauda]

My neighbour has one and is very pleased with it. He also seems to be noticeably quicker on it too!

I’m pretty sure he borrowed one from them for a test ride before buying so if you’re local, it might me worth popping in and speaking to them.

They’re also now offering some rather fetching paint options.

[numtumfutunch]

Id never heard of them till this evening and took a look out of curiosity

They certainly have the look of being a close relative of some Ribble frames esp the unusual geometry around the seat stays coming off the down tube. No way am I a carbon expert but how structurally sound is this? Although on a road bike versus MTB probs not an issue

Irrespective of this Id deffo being doing a forensic Google on their track record with frame failure and honouring warranty. Sure youd pay more for a known brand but their warranty policy is generally pretty bomb proof - a couple of mates have had astonishing replacements from Giant for example 2-3y after purchase, same with Spesh

Cheers

[snobetter]

I was going to suggest going to the Bespoked show, but looking it up it's not until October. As for hand built in this country I've a thing for Sturdy at the moment, but think that' it might be another step costs wise, but that's budget creep for you.... The cost of some of his titanium parts....

https://www.bespoked.cc/bespoked-2022-interest.htm...
https://www.sturdycycles.co.uk/

[JagYouAre]

snobetter said:

I was going to suggest going to the Bespoked show, but looking it up it's not until October. As for hand built in this country I've a thing for Sturdy at the moment, but think that' it might be another step costs wise, but that's budget creep for you.... The cost of some of his titanium parts....

https://www.bespoked.cc/bespoked-2022-interest.htm...
https://www.sturdycycles.co.uk/

[checks out Sturdy website]

Damn you snobetter!

[anonymous-user]

numtumfutunch said:

Id never heard of them till this evening and took a look out of curiosity

They certainly have the look of being a close relative of some Ribble frames esp the unusual geometry around the seat stays coming off the down tube. No way am I a carbon expert but how structurally sound is this? Although on a road bike versus MTB probs not an issue

Irrespective of this Id deffo being doing a forensic Google on their track record with frame failure and honouring warranty. Sure youd pay more for a known brand but their warranty policy is generally pretty bomb proof - a couple of mates have had astonishing replacements from Giant for example 2-3y after purchase, same with Spesh

Cheers

Depends how it’s been built really. Most bikes are carbon tubes bonded at the joints, so the seat stays, chain stays, top tube etc etc are all built separately then put together.

Some are a “boomerang” design where the front and rear triangles are built individually so the top tube, down tube and seat tube are one piece then bonded together with the rear triangle. So called because the rea triangle looks a bit like a boomerang before Final assembly.

Uber posh bikes like Time use a single (very long) thread of carbon to create the whole frame so there is no bonding of tubes

[okgo]

Handsling used/maybe still are a race team that I only ever saw at Hillingdon, like many of the frames out of the far east they all look similar (Ribble certainly have some similar ones as noted), but if the warranty is decent I doubt there's anything to be worried about, you won't see many about which is always nice. Basically depends if you think the frame/wheels/finishing kit which is all noname chinese stuff is worth the 3 grand they're asking, given the groupset is going to be 2k of the build.

Obviously with bikes there is always an itch to change, but would be worth noting that it probably isn't going to be 'much' different to the De Rosa you had really (bar groupset upgrade, if you are mechanical with no discs on that one).

[Daveyraveygravey]

They look nice, definitely, although I don't like the dropped seat stays purely on aesthetics.

For that kind of money, I'd be looking at Titanium. So many possibilities - Enigma, Reilly, Kinesis, Mason, all on the south coast (ish) never mind Van Nicholas et el. They aren't all sit up and beg endurance machines eiher.

[addey]

I'd be very surprised if they aren't "open mould" frames from China, i.e a mass produced frames used by several different brands. Have a look on the velobuild website and see if you can see the same frames design. Obviously there is nothing wrong with these frames, however you are potentially paying a lot of money for a nice paintjob! But you will have some peace of mind in terms of warranty, customer care etc. by buying through a UK company.

[okgo]

addey said:

I'd be very surprised if they aren't "open mould" frames from China, i.e a mass produced frames used by several different brands. Have a look on the velobuild website and see if you can see the same frames design. Obviously there is nothing wrong with these frames, however you are potentially paying a lot of money for a nice paintjob! But you will have some peace of mind in terms of warranty, customer care etc. by buying through a UK company.

Says they own the moulds on their website. Or rather they've named their bikes after the mould

[AyBee]

lauda said:

That headset fit is awful!

[addey]

okgo said:

addey said:

I'd be very surprised if they aren't "open mould" frames from China, i.e a mass produced frames used by several different brands. Have a look on the velobuild website and see if you can see the same frames design. Obviously there is nothing wrong with these frames, however you are potentially paying a lot of money for a nice paintjob! But you will have some peace of mind in terms of warranty, customer care etc. by buying through a UK company.

Says they own the moulds on their website. Or rather they've named their bikes after the mould

Perhaps they bought the moulds after everyone else had finished using them!

[anonymous-user]

As well you know, you can own the mould but the important bit is the quality of the carbon and resin that you put into it.

[anonymous-user]

I don’t think it’s negativity per se, it is more a case of “this has been done a thousand times before”. Remember they are a brand, they are unlikely to have designed a mould or worked on the carbon layup, it’s more likeyl they buy frames off the peg from places like Deng Fu (nothing wrong with that) and put on a nice paint job. They’re just not bespoke, artisan or any other en vogue phrase.

[numtumfutunch]

pablo said:

I don’t think it’s negativity per se, it is more a case of “this has been done a thousand times before”. Remember they are a brand, they are unlikely to have designed a mould or worked on the carbon layup, it’s more likeyl they buy frames off the peg from places like Deng Fu (nothing wrong with that) and put on a nice paint job. They’re just not bespoke, artisan or any other en vogue phrase.

Agreed. There are a small number of UK outfits selling generic frames as above with nice paint jobs

Whilst theres nothing wrong with that Id also take a look at Ribble, and to a lesser degree Planet X, for something broadly similar with slightly less nice paint but from a retailer with much better purchasing power to get better kit on the finished bike

Good luck

[okgo]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It doesn't matter per se. The De Rosa you own is an open mould frame, the exact same as the Ribble of the time (which obviously was of hot debate online way back when), and the difference in price was the paintjob/supposed prestige of De Rosa vs Ribble. You could probably find this frame online somewhere and buy it direct for less cash, but as Pablo says that isn't unique to Handsling or Ribble etc. Just worth nothing the warranty and also price given there may be another brand selling almost the same thing for less due to buying power (planet x/ribble good examples).

[okgo]

For example, I used google lens on some of the geo charts on handslings site and it throws up this - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000460082516.html...

[okgo]

I admit I've not checked every geo to see if it matches, but looks similar. The Merida you mention is also very very similar, although geo there slightly different by a few mm to the Handsling.

[Gareth79]

numtumfutunch said:

pablo said:

I don’t think it’s negativity per se, it is more a case of “this has been done a thousand times before”. Remember they are a brand, they are unlikely to have designed a mould or worked on the carbon layup, it’s more likeyl they buy frames off the peg from places like Deng Fu (nothing wrong with that) and put on a nice paint job. They’re just not bespoke, artisan or any other en vogue phrase.

Agreed. There are a small number of UK outfits selling generic frames as above with nice paint jobs

The Chinese makers can do very high quality paint jobs too. Unless they say they are painted elsewhere I'd assume they are painted in China. I had my Carbonda frame painted to a Pantone colour I chose, with a silver metallic flake, cost US$80 on top of the frame price.

[anonymous-user]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Custom Ti or steel? Let’s be honest, we’re all that age when a bit of zing in the frame would be nice and I personally, would be so proud to own a custom titanium bike or even something “off the peg” from Van Nicholas or Lynskey

[z4RRSchris]

i’ve got a velobuild 077, same as some ribble SL thing.

it’s survived thus far