On-One 29er vs Karate Monkey

It wasn't the most tightly controlled comparison in the world, between Martin's newly acquired On-One and my Surly KM, but some initial impressions were interesting to note. Both frames are the same size at 18" but they're currently setup with different SS ratios, brakes, bars, rims and tyres. We'd like to re-do the comparison again soon with similar components across both frames. For most of the ride (single trail: 50km/350m ascent) I rode the KM first then swapped to the On-One later. I hasten to add, my opinion of the On-One is slightly clouded by alcohol influence after the Gasthas Mühl beer stop;-)

In terms of ride feel, the KM felt stiffer and slightly heavier than the On-One and, to me, seemed to steam-roller through roots and rocky terrain well. It's responsive, holds it's line well and is enjoyable to ride. Getting on the On-One, it was immediately noticeable that flicking the front end up was easier; over tree roots and small drops and on/off walk ways. In this respect the bike felt slightly more sprightly than the KM. The Schwalbe "Little Albert" tyres, running at about 30psi, felt good with loads of grip.

From the photo overlay, it's evident how the geometries differ. On-One has a steeper top tube giving more stand-over height, steeper fork angle, slightly longer effective top tube length and a higher bottom bracket. Martin is taller than me, so his saddle and bars are higher.