Duratec Torain C1 29inch mountain bike

Even though my old bike is in good condition thanks to regular maintenance, I decided to get a new bike, because the old one is far too small for me and riding it is rather against my health.

After an initial survey of the situation I did come to the conclusion that there would be no bike for me and that I would have to give up cycling. Besides, I had already partly soured on cycling due to lack of time and above all the small bike. But thanks to a good friend who does cycling competitively, I could not forget and stop dreaming of fast riding on the road, descents in rough terrain and the biting mountain breeze in my face.
In the end, however, I found out that even an ordinary mortal can have a frame made to measure, and with today's technologies and trends the frame does not even have to be as extremely large as I expected.
Price-wise such a bike then belongs in the category of pro bikes, but so does its quality, and it is an investment for life.

my requirements for a new bike, and if so then a proper one:
• mountain bike, i.e. MTB
• 26" frame, i.e. 64 cm
• 29" wheels
• double-wall rims
• long cranks at the pedals
• long stem and wide handlebars
• front fork suspended, rear not
• disc brakes
• trigger shifters
• long and thick bar ends
• deore groupset

Not everyone prefers disc brakes, so I wrote down the pros and cons:
• they brake well regardless of the weather
• more precise braking
• less maintenance
• not repairable out in the terrain
• less force is needed for braking
• handles longer braking better, therefore suitable for descents
• careful! the braking is transferred from the hub through the spokes to the rim

In the end I chose a frame from the company Duratec, which makes frames and also takes riders' measurements. The frame is 60 cm, that is approximately 24". The stated basic frame size is not that much bigger, but the main difference is in the other dimensions and the geometry of the frame; the frame is simply bigger and, above all, longer. I also had the bike fully built up by them; because of the size, components from Shimano came into consideration. The whole frame is made of oversize tubes, which means better strength and also the use of an oversize seat tube, which then also has a higher load capacity.

Unboxing the bike:

The unpacked, disassembled bike:

The assembled bike:


Comparison of the old LeaderFox Evolution bike with the new Duratec Torrein C1 29inch:

Brake disc:


Saddle WTB Speed V Comp (dimensions 142 mm × 265 mm, weight 380 g) with an oversize Truvativ seatpost:


The cranks with chainrings are Shimano Deore XT, FCM 770-10sp/9sp, 180 mm, 44-32-22T.
Front derailleur Shimano Deore SLX, braze-on mount.


Rear wheel with cassette Shimano Deore CS-HG, 11-32T

The shift and brake levers do not fit together perfectly. That is why I first swapped their order so that I could reach the shifters better. But in the end, in order to have enough room for my hands, I moved them further towards the centre of the handlebars, and to be able to move them even further I went back to the original order.

The final arrangement on the handlebars, including the holder for the Openmoko Neo FreeRunner with navigation.
The best map is OpenStreetMap and the version for hikers and cycle tourists is the OSM MTB Map of the Czech Republic.

Since the frame is especially large, the tubes are not lightened and there are additional gussets at the head tube.

A proper rear mudguard, that is one that runs all the way down to the hub, cannot be obtained for 29" wheels. So I had to work out how to adapt the mounting of a mudguard for 26" wheels. How I solved it can be seen in the picture:

PS: Without ordering a braze-on mount for the mudguard, a proper mudguard will have nothing to attach to either. You can also order braze-on mounts for other accessories.

Thanks to the big frame you do not even realise that 29" wheels are fitted to it and the bike looks somehow completely normal, until you compare it with others. The bike has greater inertia, which is a property of 29" wheels, and they also have lower rolling resistance. Something is also added by the fact that the bike is new and so is still excellently lubricated. The bike therefore rides completely "by itself".
On the first rides I also had to get used to sitting much higher and therefore having a higher centre of gravity too, which is a strange feeling, like when you sit on a bike for the first time. Fitting the whole cannon together is also completely different; I no longer hunch and crouch so much and I can stretch my arms out.
It simply rides beautifully.
Here's to bashing about and to speed, and to few faceplants!