First Look: All-City Space Horse
If you're in need of a go-anywhere, do-anything drop bar machine, All City's Space Horse Disc is a retro looking steel ride that's full of bang up to date features.
This particular bike has been built up by the good folk at Ison Distribution so our staff writer Rachael can jazz up her commute options as well as doing a spot of on-and-off-road exploring. At either end, there's clearance for up to 42c tyres on 700c wheels with full mudguards, though the two smallest 43cm and 46cm frame sizes actually run 650b wheels and slightly fatter 45c rubber.
As the name suggests, this particular intergalactic whip has been updated to work with disc brakes, which we reckon we make it even more versatile than the previous cantilever only version.
Steel is real
The frame is made from what All City call 612 Select steel tubing. It's a mix of different 4130 cromoly steel tubes butted to All City's own specification, with each of the seven frame sizes getting a different tubeset to ensure a consistent ride feel.
Up front, there's an extremely old school style flat crown fork with heavily raked legs. Along with the rest of the frame, it's absolutely covered in mounts for everything you might need, whether that's going back and forth to work, cycle touring or anything in-between.
Frame only or complete options
You can buy a Space Horse Disc frame and fork from £575 and built it up just how you want it, but Rachael opted for the ready-to-gallop complete bike with a Shimano 105 drivetrain for £1600.
It's the only complete spec available and it uses a solid selection of bits, mostly from Ison's own stable of brands. The Gusset Black Jack saddle is sat atop a Genetic micro-adjust seatpost and the latter brand also provides the stem and a rather nice slightly flared drop bar. Shimano's 11spd 105 groupset helps transmit the motive force with a double chainring with 50/34T ratios up front and a fairly narrow 11-28T spread at the rear. The brakes are cable operated TRP Spyres.
The Halo Vapour 29 wheels have Surly Knard 41c tyres on them, which should make converting them to tubeless quick and painless. Total weight is 11kg.
Rachael is looking forward to going out and getting rad on it soon, so she'll post a full review as soon as she's spent some quality saddle time on her new pony.
3 comments
Just selected this in competition against Croix de Fer, Slate and Orro Terra. It won because of versatility of rack load out, ability to even fit mountain bike wheels with 45s - and a fantastic demo ride. Suddenly remebered why getting off the road was so much fun.
Most of the time she will wear 32 slicks and carry me on a 17 mile commute. But I'm keeping the knobbly tyres for over night 'raid' style adventures in SW Scotland.
I'm looking forward to reading your user review.
Indeed, we are looking forward to long gravel roads with a beer at the end!
I could be tempted to get on the drops with a bike like that!
[/quote]
I could be tempted to get on the drops with a bike like that!