Pompetamine Reviews

Had my Pompetamine 8 for a year now. It's not my favourite bike (my 1968 Sun Mass Start Truwell with original Brooks saddle and Campag Chorus upgrade is still king after 44 years) but it is a sturdy winter commuter - AFTER I beefed up the tyres (those supplied could not take the crap roads in North Essex - two snake-bite bursts in two outings)and increased the frame size (medium was too tight for this 5'10"er). Tony Farrelly was harsh but not entirely wrong about the bike in his reviewhttp://road.cc/content/review/48378-one-pompetamine-versa-11. Disappointing from people as savvy as Planet-X. The fact that the model is no longer on sale (?) might speak volumes. The bike is not a dead loss however - it could be substantially improved with a few tweaks. I think the company should listen to its customers, put some effort into developing upgrades and keep us owners apprised.

Hey there I just saw a photo on flickr of a titanium pompetamine prototype. Any idea if they'll ever be on sale here and if yes, when? Also, to all people interested in building a winter-training road bike like I did, I advice you by all means NOT to buy the version with the Versa shifters. These shifters are crap, everything is made out of plastic, low quality and simple things like changing a cable makes you want to hang yourself. Instead I recommend the Jtek bar-end shifters, they're cheap, simple to set up and to do maintenance on, practically indestructible and low-profile. I've had mine for four years now and never had any issues. Have fun!

+1 to MickM's comment about fitting sliding dropouts to the Pompetamine frame ala Kona Dr Fine or Unit. That is the only thing stopping me from buying a frameset.

Just wanted to add to the requests for mods to make this bike perfect. Adjustable vertical dropouts ala kona dr fine with mudguard and caliper mount points on the dropout portion so we wouldn't have to worry about chain tension and brake/mudguard alignment every time the rear wheel is fitted eg after a puncture, in the dark and rainy depths of winter. At present this is the only thing stopping me buying one this summer. Also, I notice that chaintugs have to be bought separately. Seriously, what's that about?

I don´t recommend Versa 11 sifters for Alfine 11 gear-hub.It´s almost impossible to sift to smaller gear with gloves on and very difficult even with bare hands if You have short fingers.The price of the sifters is high but the quality is low.

can this be had with braze on's on the front fork?

We've no plans to make e-bikes at present, Stuart.

Have you any plans to enter the ebike market? a new Bosch crank drive system and some proper mudguards and mounting bosses would make a great bike.

Titanium frame please

No, Pompetamine is going to stay with slot-drop outs for now.

Any chance of the Pompetamine frame getting the Swap Out drop outs as well??

Hi Dave, error well spotted... Should have an FSA OS150LX stem on it with the On-One flat bars. Website should update at 6pm. Cheers

Looking at the specs for the 8 speed flat bar model the bars are listed as oversize and the stem options are all standard. Which is right?

Thanks, looks like the new 11 speed versa it is then for my new commuter. Will I be able to get this one built with black rims and spokes when it's available?

It may be Dan, but currently we don't know of any hydraulic brakes that work with drop bars.

Will this bike be available in this spec with the hydraulic brakes and drop bars in the future?

Yes Keith, the Pompetamine does fit Avid BB7 brakes (which are excellent, by the way). However, there is only clearance for the Road version, so make sure your lever is road pull compatible (Avid FR5's work very well).

This may sound odd, but could it be constructed with the Avid cable brakes shown on your website? I am thinking of my experiences trying to bleed hydraulics and find spares on a trip around Australia! Otherwise a great bike for-well just about anything Keith

Yes Andy- we will be doing a Whippet Alfine in the very near future. Just need to purchase the single speed dropouts (C and D) separately to avoid using a chain tensionner: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FSOOSWAP/on-one-swapout-replaceable-dropout

Hi: could you fix up a carbon whippet with the 11 speed alfine so its similar to the pompetamine ? andy

also do it in a titanium

wonderfull frame - please increase the headtube - way to short, add separate mudguard and pannier holes and front pannier mount onto fork and you would have the market cornered. your selling frame too cheap by the way, especially once your next batch moded as i discribed