Pearson Cartouche 2009

[GruB]

The sub 8kg bike thread has led me to the PEARSON CARTOUCHE.
Has anyone actually seen one in the flesh?
Or even ridden one?
Would it be that different to a steel Pearson Hanzo for example?

[Greenbank]

No, but wasn't there a review of the Pearson Carbon Audax Pro in Arrivee recently? It's essentially the same frame but with different dropouts (or track ends).

[kyuss]

£1650, £1200 for frame and forks alone   Ouch!! Imagine the lovely steely customness you could get for that money. With the right components it would be just as light if not lighter too.

[Fixedwheelnut]

 Cartouche    now if only my Lottery numbers come up this week 

[GruB]

You and me both 

[Treewheeler]

It's heavy, expensive and not custom. 

[rogerzilla]

What the Tuggo said.

The whole point about fixies/singlespeeds is that you make them yourself and none are the same.  OK, mine was a track bike to start with, but it has very few of its original parts.  16lb is only about the same as the Frankendale with equivalent tyres, although Frankie doesn't need a rear brake.

[Greenbank]

The whole point about fixies/singlespeeds is that you make them yourself and none are the same.

Bollocks (IMHO).

[nicknack]

I dunno. Anything that advertises itself as 'stiff and very comfortable to ride' has to be just a little dubious.

[Fixedwheelnut]

I dunno. Anything that advertises itself as 'stiff and very comfortable to ride' has to be just a little dubious.

 Apparently it is all in the weave, the way they weave the carbon fibres can make it stiff in the transfer of power to the rear wheel yet compliant in the vertical for comfort direction.
  Most people I know who own a carbon frame have backed this up with their comments, hopefully one day I can find out for myself 

[Rollo]

What the Tuggo said.

The whole point about fixies/singlespeeds is that you make them yourself and none are the same.  OK, mine was a track bike to start with, but it has very few of its original parts.  16lb is only about the same as the Frankendale with equivalent tyres, although Frankie doesn't need a rear brake.

The whole point?  Bugger, I've been getting it all wrong

[ABlipInContinuity]

On Fixies... it doesn't bother me if they are built from scratch or purchased off the shelf. Either way, they make good sense.

All my bikes (nearly) have been bought off the shelfed and "customised" as time as gone on and parts have been worn out etc.

I've a Steel Pearson Hanzo and so far, I'm quite happy with it. With full narrow mudguards it weighs in at 9.6 kg. I'm sure by buying dropping the mudguards, buying a carbon fork, swapping out the handlebars and stem for lighter versions I could shave a kilo off that. Maybe more. It's not got the lightest wheels in the world either.

If weight is your primary concern, the Cartouche doesn't look like great value.

For bling however, it's a different matter.

[Greenbank]

The frame and forks contribute relatively little towards the weight of a bike. My 631 Audax bike frame and CF forks weigh 2.5kg total. On a bike that weighs 10kg. So the rest of the stuff on the bike weighs 7.5kg. A CF frame and forks could weigh as little as 1.5kg, but that's only 1kg off the total bike weight.

[Aidan]

The whole point about fixies/singlespeeds is that you make them yourself and none are the same. 

Oh well, thats the Pompino going to the tip tomorrow then.  Along with the swerv tweed cap, the 3/4 trousers and the courier bag.

[ChrisO]

Given that I put in about 300 kilometres per week on my fixie I'm not sure that a converted track frame would be quite the thing,  so I've got the Touche aluminium version. If they'd made the Hanzo at that time I probably would have got it instead.

So while I don't agree with Rogerzilla's outrageous assertion, I do however wonder whether a £1500 carbon fixie isn't jumping the shark.

[Treewheeler]

You should all stop this wild spending and think about the future recession...
 First things to go will be.
Expensive gardens and their gardeners   (back to the Co-op then...)
Wild ideas about sub 8kg bikes

[citoyen]

Apparently it is all in the weave, the way they weave the carbon fibres can make it stiff in the transfer of power to the rear wheel yet compliant in the vertical for comfort direction.
  Most people I know who own a carbon frame have backed this up with their comments, hopefully one day I can find out for myself 

I'll back that up - m'new carbon blingmobile feels very rigid, in that you put the power in at one end and instantly all of that power comes out the other end. And yet it is as comfortable to ride as steel.

I came across this thread while looking for info on the Hanzo, but maybe I'll have to save up for a Cartouche... 

And I really don't care if I'm missing "the point" - getting "the point" is not what I ride bikes for.

d.

[border-rider]

I'd not worry about buying one of these if I could justify it

I'd go for the frame & fork only option though and build it myself - the rest looks a bit uninspiring - and maybe that would also allow me to retain "authenticity"

[Greenbank]

There's a review of the Cartouche in this weeks Cycling Weakly.

7/10 and they weren't exactly raving about it.

[Frenchie]

I'd look at the P-X equivalent... (though it seems to have disappeared from the website...  ).

[mpearson13]

I have got the frame for a Pearson Cartouche 2009 at the moment. Does any know which headset I need for this frame ?