First Ride on the New Allant 9.9s

[Alaskan]

This is some different kind of bike. I am accustomed to riding Riese & Muller full suspension bikes with heavy frames, cushy suspensions, solid performers but 70-80 lbs. all geared up.

This carbon fiber frame rigid fork, hardtail weighs about 20 lbs. less than my other bikes. It is way easier to manhandle up the stairs from the basement. The Allant is more nimble than the R&Ms both because of its weight but also due to its different geometry. It steers quick and agile, easy to ride hands free, with great balance. It came with the Shimano 10-51 Tooth 12 Speed Cassette (which was superior to factory spec, 10-45) The 625wh battery is a bit a beast, quite heavy really. I am curious to see what kind of range it will deliver.

My modifications to the bike are as follows:

• Sram AXS X01 Wireless Electronic Shifter and Derailleur
• Baramind City Shock Absorbing Handlebar
• Kinekt Body Float Seat Post
• SMP Avant MTB Leather Saddle
• Catalyst Flat Pedals
• Abus Bordo Alarm Lock
• SQ Lab 702 Grips
• Selle Itallia Rear View Mirror
• Knog OI Bell
• Quad Lok Phone Holder
• Tannus Armour with Tubolito inner tubes.
• And of course a Bosch Nyon Display (it came with the Smart Phone Hub which I had replaced with the Intuvia mount to accommodate the Nyon)

The bike looks fast just sitting there with its matt black, brooding presence. The glossy signal red accents really add a great deal to the dramatic and speedy overall look. The solid alloy fenders ad some weight but are so much more substantial and well fitted than the SKS plastic ones so much in vogue these days. All stays are solid rod with one screw hole, no adjustments, just a perfect fit. The stock lighting is surprisingly good, so much so that I am not thinking of swapping for the Supernova. There is a bright low beam with a very sharp, horizontal cut off on top and a plentifully bright high beam with orange side lights on the front and a compact but quite bright pulsing red light aft with red side lighting in the stern.

It is quick off the line with the new Gen 4 High Speed motor giving nearly as much off the line performance as a gen 2 CX. Where it really shines though is at speed. The added torque seems to make its presence known about 22 mph making it easier to sustain 24-27 mph on flat ground in sport mode than it is in turbo on my Homage Rohloff with the Bosch HS (28 mph) motor. If I shut down assistance at 27 mph, speed starts coming off the bike but I can still keep it going on my own at around 18-20 mph with reasonable effort so the motor disengagement when not in use is a real plus. This bike can cruise, smoothly and with grace. It begs to be ridden.

The motor is makes quite a bit more noise than my Gen 2s, especially at the higher assist levels, sport and turbo. It is my understanding that the nylon gears used in the earlier generation motors have been replaced with metal gears. I have heard that they do quiet down over time and use. Let's hope so. While the bike looks quite stealthy and is probably one of the better integrated, less ebikey (is that even a word?) looking Flat handlebar bikes available, its sound track is a dead giveaway right now.

Coming off of two full suspension bikes to one without even a front fork was not a problem. With the Body Float seat post, Baramind handlebars, 2.4" tires with Tannus Armour with 24 psi front & 28 psi rear and Carbon Fiber frame the bike is amazingly compliant, quiet and is as sweet a ride in all but the bigger, deeper road flaws. It does require posting up over the big stuff, more so than the full Fox suspension on the other bikes.

I bought this bike to fill a niche for more localized, less touring, more sporty rides, rides with my roady buds, running light errands and vehicle replacement. My Delight Mountain is going to lose its fenders and get it knobby tires back and spend more of its time off pavement. The Homage will be the touring machine, with its dual batteries, great carrying capacity. It will be the overnighter. I won't be doing any N+1 for a while...and maybe even a minus one sometime soon?

I hope the weather allows me to ride the Allant regularly and get more familiar with this fantastic ebike.

The only photos of it that I have so far are on the car rack picking it up from the Trek Shop and sitting on the stand being worked on in the basement. I'll try to get a few out on the road over the coming days.

 

[Johnny]

Those are some nice upgrades, enjoy the bike.

I see a Nyon on it, have you recorded any of your rides yet? Many of us would appreciate it if you can share one of your trips (I believe you do that in the rides topic) and maybe add one that you did with your RM on a similar path/trip for comparison of old and new gen.

Once again enjoy.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Congratulations, @Alaskan! Your impressions remind me of my own when I got the Vado 5 (only the Trek has the carbon frame).

Could you elaborate on the suspended handlebars? Can it be used with any stem type?? A lot of work to move the cockpit components between both handlebars? You helped me with the PNW Coast Dropper, perhaps I also need the suspended handlebars as both bikes (Allant and my Vado) sport rigid forks?

 

[Alaskan]

Congratulations, @Alaskan! Your impressions remind me of my own when I got the Vado 5 (only the Trek has the carbon frame).

Could you elaborate on the suspended handlebars? Can it be used with any stem type?? A lot of work to move the cockpit components between both handlebars? You helped me with the PNW Coast Dropper, perhaps I also need the suspended handlebars as both bikes (Allant and my Vado) sport rigid forks?

if
https://www.baramind-bike.com/en/ works with any standard width stem, two bar styles city or MTB. Swapping out the handlebar was an exercise in being careful and meticulous, clear a work area, lay down a towel , remove fasteners in linear sequence right to left set them down on the towel in the same order. Reverse the process. It takes about a half hour with the right tools AND if you don't drop anything that takes a long time to find

I bought direct from the manufacturer in France.

Tech

Baramind technology in details

www.baramind-bike.com

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Tempting! Was the City model the most similar to the original Allant handlebars? Have you already tested it on a ride? I wonder how good the handlebars dampen the vibrations of riding on a gravel road, over a speed bump, on tarmac full of potholes.

P.S. I looked at different BAM handlebars. The MTB has the same geometry as the one of Vado but it is too expensive. The City is too narrow. Which leaves the BAM Trek as the only option (the Vado's handlebar is 20 mm wider).

 

[Alaskan]

The City was the closest in size and I prefer the 20% sweep back angle for my wrists. I have only taken one ride thus far but the result were impressive. There is significant dampening of chatter and vibration from small objects and imperfections in road surface. As to speed bumps and potholes, I did feel the need to rise up on the pedals and use my knees more often than on my full suspension bikes but not as often as a rigid fork, hard tail with conventional handlebar.

 

[bob armani]

This is some different kind of bike. I am accustomed to riding Riese & Muller full suspension bikes with heavy frames, cushy suspensions, solid performers but 70-80 lbs. all geared up.

This carbon fiber frame rigid fork, hardtail weighs about 20 lbs. less than my other bikes. It is way easier to manhandle up the stairs from the basement. The Allant is more nimble than the R&Ms both because of its weight but also due to its different geometry. It steers quick and agile, easy to ride hands free, with great balance. It came with the Shimano 10-51 Tooth 12 Speed Cassette (which was superior to factory spec, 10-45) The 625wh battery is a bit a beast, quite heavy really. I am curious to see what kind of range it will deliver.

My modifications to the bike are as follows:

• Sram AXS X01 Wireless Electronic Shifter and Derailleur
• Baramind City Shock Absorbing Handlebar
• Kinekt Body Float Seat Post
• SMP Avant MTB Leather Saddle
• Catalyst Flat Pedals
• Abus Bordo Alarm Lock
• SQ Lab 702 Grips
• Selle Itallia Rear View Mirror
• Knog OI Bell
• Quad Lok Phone Holder
• Tannus Armour with Tubolito inner tubes.
• And of course a Bosch Nyon Display (it came with the Smart Phone Hub which I had replaced with the Intuvia mount to accommodate the Nyon)

The bike looks fast just sitting there with its matt black, brooding presence. The glossy signal red accents really add a great deal to the dramatic and speedy overall look. The solid alloy fenders ad some weight but are so much more substantial and well fitted than the SKS plastic ones so much in vogue these days. All stays are solid rod with one screw hole, no adjustments, just a perfect fit. The stock lighting is surprisingly good, so much so that I am not thinking of swapping for the Supernova. There is a bright low beam with a very sharp, horizontal cut off on top and a plentifully bright high beam with orange side lights on the front and a compact but quite bright pulsing red light aft with red side lighting in the stern.

It is quick off the line with the new Gen 4 High Speed motor giving nearly as much off the line performance as a gen 2 CX. Where it really shines though is at speed. The added torque seems to make its presence known about 22 mph making it easier to sustain 24-27 mph on flat ground in sport mode than it is in turbo on my Homage Rohloff with the Bosch HS (28 mph) motor. If I shut down assistance at 27 mph, speed starts coming off the bike but I can still keep it going on my own at around 18-20 mph with reasonable effort so the motor disengagement when not in use is a real plus. This bike can cruise, smoothly and with grace. It begs to be ridden.

The motor is makes quite a bit more noise than my Gen 2s, especially at the higher assist levels, sport and turbo. It is my understanding that the nylon gears used in the earlier generation motors have been replaced with metal gears. I have heard that they do quiet down over time and use. Let's hope so. While the bike looks quite stealthy and is probably one of the better integrated, less ebikey (is that even a word?) looking Flat handlebar bikes available, its sound track is a dead giveaway right now.

Coming off of two full suspension bikes to one without even a front fork was not a problem. With the Body Float seat post, Baramind handlebars, 2.4" tires with Tannus Armour with 24 psi front & 28 psi rear and Carbon Fiber frame the bike is amazingly compliant, quiet and is as sweet a ride in all but the bigger, deeper road flaws. It does require posting up over the big stuff, more so than the full Fox suspension on the other bikes.

I bought this bike to fill a niche for more localized, less touring, more sporty rides, rides with my roady buds, running light errands and vehicle replacement. My Delight Mountain is going to lose its fenders and get it knobby tires back and spend more of its time off pavement. The Homage will be the touring machine, with its dual batteries, great carrying capacity. It will be the overnighter. I won't be doing any N+1 for a while...and maybe even a minus one sometime soon?

I hope the weather allows me to ride the Allant regularly and get more familiar with this fantastic ebike.

The only photos of it that I have so far are on the car rack picking it up from the Trek Shop and sitting on the stand being worked on in the basement. I'll try to get a few out on the road over the coming days.

View attachment 47553
View attachment 47554

Congrats on your new purchase. I also like those wide platform pedals. Trek has another nice offering I can see in the speed pedelec category. Looks like your new bike work stand is making modes/repairs a snap. Just a great setup overall. Let us know how the bike performs to your expectations. Interesting how you have been able to adjust from a F/S bike to just a suspension seat post. Looks like the carbon is helping quite a bit in that area of performance.

 

[Over50]

Glad you like the bike. I actually thought of you today and had the thought that perhaps you wouldn't enjoy the ride after having grown accustomed to R&M. I'm on work-from-home for the foreseeable future so no more commuting. So today I took a half day of vacation and went for a 20 mile ride on the Allant. Streets were deserted. I'm used to riding with a purpose (get to work, get home, get groceries). Its really strange to get on a bike and just head off with no fixed destination. Anyway, as I rode on varied terrain I thought about whether someone accustomed to suspension and a heavier bike would like the ride of the Allant.

 

[Alaskan]

Glad you like the bike. I actually thought of you today and had the thought that perhaps you wouldn't enjoy the ride after having grown accustomed to R&M. I'm on work-from-home for the foreseeable future so no more commuting. So today I took a half day of vacation and went for a 20 mile ride on the Allant. Streets were deserted. I'm used to riding with a purpose (get to work, get home, get groceries). Its really strange to get on a bike and just head off with no fixed destination. Anyway, as I rode on varied terrain I thought about whether someone accustomed to suspension and a heavier bike would like the ride of the Allant.

Welcome to the world of retirement bike riding. It's great fun to just fill in the blanks on the map in your head of the region in which you live. I just got home from a ride on the Allant 9.9s with my son. He rode the Delight. It was a crisp 50 degrees and sunny. Life is good. I love the riding this bike. With the Tannus armour in the tires and having them inflated to 35 psi rear and 30 psi front, along with the Body Float seat post and Baramind handlebars, the ride is stress free and quite comfortable. I think the carbon fiber frame plays a major role in dampening and absorbing vibration and chatter. It has a much shorter chain stay and the wheel base is at least 8" shorter on the same size tires.

The Allant has a degree of refinement and finesse that is very different from the heavy, plush ride that the Riese & Muller bikes provide. In this case different is great!

 

[GuruUno]

I see you have 2 different seats, the one in the 1st photo, and the 2nd which is the SMP Avant. Which is you preference?
Also, what's the final opinion on the Sram AXS X01 Wireless Electronic Shifter and Derailleur?
Also noticed you had the white springs on the 1st photo and the orange ones on the last (Body Float). What's the deal with that?

 

[Alaskan]

I am still trying to figure out which saddle will work best for me on a bike without suspension. My backside is pretty well broken in but it is almost 70 years old. I think I will need more support and weight distribution than the SMP provides. It is down to the Ergon ST Core or the Selle Anatomica H2 (the one in the photos on the rack and on the stand), One all leather the other with some padding.

 

[Scott Adams]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights.

If a Stromer came with a mid-drive motor it might look similar.

Looks like you've also swapped out the springs on your Body Float, is that because you aren't using them in tandem with a rear suspension or maybe just that you were swapping out the springs it ships with and replacing them with your usual favorites?

 

[GuruUno]

Also, what's the final opinion on the Sram AXS X01 Wireless Electronic Shifter and Derailleur?

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights.

If a Stromer came with a mid-drive motor it might look similar.

Looks like you've also swapped out the springs on your Body Float, is that because you aren't using them in tandem with a rear suspension or maybe just that you were swapping out the springs it ships with and replacing them with your usual favorites?

Just trying to get the seat post dialed in with the right balance of spring strength, pretensioning and suspension effect.

 

[Alaskan]

Also, what's the final opinion on the Sram AXS X01 Wireless Electronic Shifter and Derailleur?

The Sram AXS X01 is an awesome shifting setup. It shifts quickly and dead on accurately. Thus far it is fully compatible with the Shimano M8100 1-51 tooth cassette.

The app could be easier to navigate but you can switch functions the controller pads choosing which one upshifts and which one goes down. You can also adjust the number of gears shifted up with press and hold and do a different value down, which is kind of cool. I chose three each way. You can opt for all the way down or all the way up as well.

I bought an extra battery and keep one in a top tube bag on the bike. Good thing because I forgot to mount the one I was charging yesterday, got half way down the block heading out on a ride and had a brief WTF moment. Figured it out quickly, reached in my bag, clipped in the spare and good to go.

The signaler/control unit is quite sensitive to the touch. On the first ride, I learned I had a habit of resting my thumb on the shifter. With a mechanical lever that has to be moved a distance past resistance, that's okay. With a pad that moves to activate a microswitch, I found myself upshifting unintentionally going over bumps, multiple gears and regularly. I was able to adjust the angle and position of the controller so that my thumb could sit in a relaxed position where there was no pressure up or down. This works fine on smooth roads. I also moved the controller inside to the left of the Knog Oi bell and brake clamp on the handlebar to make room to more comfortable grip the bar with my thumb, keeping it off the controller when the road gets rough. Finding the best balanced positions for the controller is worth the time...just another element of bike fit.

Bottom line is: I am glad I sprung for it. It takes a great bike up another level.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

An awesome bike, @Alaskan! I only regret it is far too expensive for me. (Good I own a Vado though; apart from the aluminium (vs. carbon fibre), the Vado is of the same class). Of course you have upgraded your bike with extra top-notch components.

The electronic shifter: I am not sure how it really works. Is the derailleur battery-operated?

Please post more impressions, I am happy when friends are happy and love reading about the new tech!

 

[Alaskan]

An awesome bike, @Alaskan! I only regret it is far too expensive for me. (Good I own a Vado though; apart from the aluminium (vs. carbon fibre), the Vado is of the same class). Of course you have upgraded your bike with extra top-notch components.

The electronic shifter: I am not sure how it really works. Is the derailleur battery-operated?

Please post more impressions, I am happy when friends are happy and love reading about the new tech!

Stefan, The AXS derailleur has a small battery that is supposed to be good for 20 hours of riding. It is mounted water tight on the derailleur and charged in an external charger. The controller uses a 2032 coin type battery that Sram says lasts 2 years. Here is an article that discusses the tech in some depth with good pictures.

SRAM AXS – 13 good reasons why electronic components on bikes are the future

Electronic bike components — for many riders that’s still a big NO GO! We too were sceptical of SRAM’s new Eagle AXS rear-derailleur and RockShox Reverb AXS dropper. But after testing, we found 13 good reasons to change our minds and now we can’t wait to stick these gems of wireless innovation...

enduro-mtb.com

 

[Saratoga Dave]

The difference in the overall length between the Allant and the Delight is astonishing! Like skiing with 207cm your whole life and all of a sudden everyone was on 283s. I guess it's a tad more responsive, but still tracks well?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

if
https://www.baramind-bike.com/en/ works with any standard width stem, two bar styles city or MTB. Swapping out the handlebar was an exercise in being careful and meticulous, clear a work area, lay down a towel , remove fasteners in linear sequence right to left set them down on the towel in the same order. Reverse the process. It takes about a half hour with the right tools AND if you don't drop anything that takes a long time to find

I bought direct from the manufacturer in France.

Tech

Baramind technology in details

www.baramind-bike.com

So, @Alaskan, I have ordered the Baramind BAM Trek handlebars. First, I confirmed Red-Motion are still in operation. Nicolas Seynaeve wrote me they are working and taking orders albeit the deliveries might be slow. Very excited and I hope I would not need to wait for a very long time.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Alaskan, I had the same bike rack that you have. With a carbon frame I'd recommend you use this to cushion the carbon when clamping down your bike.

Carbon frame protector: https://www.carid.com/thule/carbon-frame-protector-mpn-984101.html