08/21/2008

If You Only Get One A Review of the .243 SL

Words and photographs by Bruce Robertson

There's No 'One' Answer
"What kind of bike should I get?" Every avid mountain biker gets asked this vague question from time to time and I bet all answer it differently. Me? I like to answer it with a question: "What kind of riding do you want to do?" I'll admit, the latter is not easy for some people - generally neophytes - to answer. "What kind of riding do I want to do?! I don't know!"

Enter into the equation all the different uses for a bike and places to ride and the formula for buying a mountain bike becomes fairly grey and confusing. Nevertheless, I suppose I do have a stand on the matter. If you have too much money then don't choose just one. Buy a whole quiver of bikes; one for each type of terrain. If you live pay-cheque-to-pay-cheque and eat from tins, I'd recommend that you keep away from mountain biking altogether. *Whaddaya nuts?!* But, if you are like most people, those in the middle of the above mentioned extremes, well...it's too much responsibility and it's not my place to spend your money for you. However - self-righteous morals aside - I can confidently make at least one suggestion. Recently, I've been granted an opportunity to swing a leg over a .243 SL - a cro-moly tubed bad-ass of a hardtail.

The SL feels right at home in the air. Double-butted cromoly steel takes the edge off harsh landings. The TwoFortyThree is a very capable park and street ripper.

If you have not heard of .243, it's a small bicycle company, born and bred from the nasty thrashing grounds of the infamous North Shore. .243 was started by a single dude in Vancouver, BC, and has been in business since 2001 (roughly around the beginning of mountain biking's explosion into the street scene). As clearly stated on the .243 website - www.twofortythree.com - it is not a catalogue company. If you want glossy, mountain bike catalogues with pretty pictures of bikes with acronym stickers plastered all over the frames...look elsewhere. .243 caters to those who know exactly what they are looking for: mountain bikes and parts that are stronger than your monster-truck-driving Uncle Bubba.

Fully Naked

The SL feels right at home in the air. Double-butted cromoly steel takes the edge off harsh landings. The TwoFortyThree is a very capable park and street ripper.

The first thing I did when I got my stinky mitts on the SL frame was inspect it. This is often part of the ceremony entertained by those who build a bike from the frame up. Those of this ilk tend to want to savor the anticipation and excitement of watching a crapload of parts come together into the gestalt that is a complete bicycle. We like the delayed gratification. On this note: I actually had Calgary Cycle build 'er. My dad's not a TV repair man and he doesn't have an ultimate set of tools. Also, I'm lazy. Looking through the thick glossy paint at the welds, you can tell the frame was not fabricated by a 12 year old in Taiwan (like my last frame). Nice, tight beads. I sure am no metal fabricator; however, the next thing I did was look through the head tube and happily found the tell-tale heat stains from proper weld penetration. Yes, sir! The dude who welded it knows his stuff. I emailed Eric Fox, owner, operator, and ripper of .243 bicycles and asked him the following:

1) Who fabricates your frames? Taiwan? Korea? That dude in Squamish who used to weld for Rocky Mountain Bicycles?
- Pacific (same as Banshee, Brodie, 24, etc., etc.)
2) Any particular name brand of butted tubing for the front triangle of the SL?
- Custom drawn 243 tube sets.
3) Has anyone broken or f*cked up an SL frame?
- No
4) I'm getting a new fork and I'm thinking of getting an 80mm travel. Do you think the SL will work with 80mm of travel? I think it'll work. I want it to be super-tight and quick for park riding.
- Yes
[Note: Eric fabricates all .243 prototypes]

The numbers and measurements for the .243 family of frames can be found on the website so I'll spare readers any misquotes or redundancies. Go visit the site and do the geometry for yourself. On this note, I am happy with the numbers...but ultimately I believe a rider should be able to adapt to most any frame. A degree here or a half inch there - unless the bike is from Walmart - is small stuff.

Dress It How You Like It

One of the several awesome things about the SL and all the .243 frames is how well they accommodate the different ways riders prefer to build up their bikes. All the frames accept both 26" and 24" wheels with gobs of tire clearance, easily accepting a 3.0 diameter tread. Some mountain bike frames are definitely meant to accept only 26" wheels, and owners of these frames sometimes choose to throw on a set of 24" wheels with a functioning but fully-goofy-looking end result. Looks are important and the SL looks good rolling on two-fours. Just don't put ultra-skinny tires on it...bleah!

Offerings of a CNC’ed slab of billet aluminum and an equally burly bar inspire confidence in knowing things are all right up front. Three fat stem bolts tenaciously grip the steerer tube. Four grip the bar...nothing’s going nowhere!

All .243 frames come with v-brake bosses, as well as disc mounts. This is good, 'cause you're not married to a disc-only setup. So, if you are a rider on a budget and don't have the skins for disc brakes just yet, this is a good frame for upgrades. I think discs are the way to go, but I know of a few park and street riders who prefer v-brakes because:
1) No worries about busted brake lines.
2) Don't have to worry about smashing of bending rotors when grinding or whatever.
3) Overall simplicity and ease of maintenance.
4) Cost.
The (removable) v-brake mounts are handy because, if you bust a line or bend a rotor, you can always dig out the v-brakes and slap 'em on; assuming your rims aren't disc-only. As for the actual disc mounts, it's pretty straight forward. They are part of the ample drop-out rather than the frame, so there is no need for a gusset.

Simple, clean, and strong.

All three frames share the same rear triangle, while the front triangles of the three .243 models are quite visually different. Do not to run a dual-crown fork on the SL, but go ahead and give 'er with the FR and the DH. Some of today's single-crown forks are good enough to challenge some of the dual-crowns, but if you are hell-bent on a dual-crown, best get the FR or the DH frame. The clean lines of the SL sold me on it. At first I was a tad hesitant to go for the SL over the FR because there were no gussets at the head tube junction (I am used to seeing them on other bikes in this category) but there is no structural need for any because the custom-drawn tubes are double-butted. Plenty strong!

Personally, I think gussets are often added unnecessarily to some frames because prospective buyers think frames need to have them. Bah! Unless you ride the SL flat out into a wall, you'll be fine. The SL can accept a wide range of fork travel: as short as 80mm all the way to the ridiculously long. I suppose you could get away with running an 8" single-crown, but I would for sure run 26" wheels if you're going to do that. (Got a new fork coming…can't wait. Yee-doggie!)

With the Clothes On
Spec: Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 3, generic front hub laced to an Alex DM 24, Axiom single speed rear hub laced to an Atom lab General Issue rim, (Thanks for the build, Terry) Kenda K-Rad meats, Shadow Conspiracy chain…'mostly because it looks cool, 36 tooth sprocket and a 16 tooth cog, Profile cranks, and the pedals, seat, stem and handlebar are all .243.

I'd tell you what the thing weights, but I honestly think weight is a non-issue. It's tons lighter than my big bike (VP Free with a 2002 Monster T), so the SL feels pretty damn svelte. If your bike is too heavy, get stronger. What She's Like In a word: Super-bitchin'! (Two words, actually.) I think I've pretty much arrived at the top and see little reason to move sideways to another frame. Unless I ride the SL flat out into a wall - assuming I survive - I'm keeping it! The SL moniker (for "super-light", presumably) belies its ridiculous strength. No need to be a finesse rider with this frame. This is not to say that the SL and the other .243 frames are built especially for Clydesdales and mashers, but if you happen to be hard on frames and want peace of mind when attempting questionable riding, then think .243. Give one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

The best spots are always in the ghetto. Wall-ride to pinch-flat. (Note ~ Bruce forgot his helmet in this shot so we gave him one)

Adapting to a new frame/bike can be a weird experience. Not so with this one, at least, not for me at any rate. Right off the bat, the SL felt much more alive and snappy than my previous ride.
And what's the first thing one does with a new bike?
You got 'er: see how she manuals. For me, that is the litmus test.
Well, I just about looped out onto my back. That might have had something to do with running the chainline at 15.75 inches. (My previous bike did not allow for such a short wheel base.) Ah, but I got 'em after a few sketchy attempts. She manuals quite nicely and had a much more precise balance point than said previous bike. Just the other day, after I ruined my chain tool installing a Shadow Conspiracy BMX chain, I found the sweet spot at 16 inches dead on. That chain length fits me like a punch in the face.

For now the two-four set-up is cool for riding park and street, but eventually I'm going to throw on a set of two-six wheels and see how that feels. The extra rotational weight will make for smoother dirt jumping. That'll be another story.

Final Say
If you are the sort of rider who crashes lots and wants/needs a bike that can take a beating…again, the TwoFortyThree SL is a great choice. Yours truly, for one, crashes all the time. Mid-air ejections are common. (Tip: Don't wear old school canvas Vans; you'll bruise your feet.) I need a bike that works with my learning curve. Just the other day, after a ditched 360 attempt, the SL's chain stay came down on the coping of the clover bowl with an audible, metallic bang. Hardly even a blip in the stay was all that resulted. This frame is bullet-proof.

So, what kind of bike should you get? If your only interest is riding home from the bar, get a bike from Walmart. But if your interest is in maximum strength, durability, and versatility, then I highly recommend TwoFortyThree. Cheers
-Bruce

For more information check out: 243racing.com