On One Inbred 2009
Reviews / Hard Tails
23,961
At first glance
There are a number of things that strike you when gazing at an Inbred for the first time… It is not a good looking bike and the super wide wiggly bars will draw a rye smile but look closer and you will start to understand that function is the key here.
Buy Hard Tails on
Richard Brant has now left On-One, but his legacy remains; pretty much everything that On-One do is based around the simple principle of ‘try it and if it works use it no matter what convention dictates’!
Tech heads
Where to begin, well the frame is made from On-Ones’s proprietary DN6 chromoly which is put together with practicality in mind. A short head tube gives the frame compliance and out back end there are wishbone seat stays and a lack of a bridge on the chain stays guarantees bags of mud clearance. Full length cable housings, rack mounts and slotted drop outs mean that this bike can be used for a multitude of disciplines.
This frame is designed to take a fork from 100mm up to 150mm, ours came fitted with 100mm Tora’s from Rock Shox which makes the seat angle 74º and the head angle of 70.5º, the effective top tube length is 595mm. It is well worth reading through the On-One website as it is a real eye opener how they go about their business and the reasoning behind their designs.
Shifting is taken care of by Shimano Deore with a FSA crankset doing the business up front. Braking is also down to dependable Shimano Deore. On-One Fleegle bars are nothing short of odd but they do feel good once you get used to them and they are truly wide. In-house kit rounds out the stem, seat post and grips. Wheels are by On-One as well and excellent Kenda Nevegals finish things off. The overall build is reasonably light weighing in at 30.4lbs. Spend some more though and that weight will come down.
On the trail
It is out on the trail where all that sensible design comes into its own,
In this guise the bike feels low at the front end making you drive it through the corners which is a good thing, but does make popping the front over trouble a little difficult. Those amazing bars give good comfort and control and you soon forget that they are not the norm as they just work. The bike has that steel feel which takes some of the sting out of the trail, but it is not a smooth ride so you will soon be looking for the smoothest lines. That said once up to speed flicking through singletrack the bike handled with aplomb.
For
Versatility is the big plus point with this bike and with a longer fork you have a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ bike that does everything well. The angles make you drive the front end yet does not throw you too far forward when heading downhill which adds up to a bike that will have you tackling pretty much anything the terrain can throw at you with a devil may care attitude.
The Tora fork performs exceptionally for a budget end offering, the only flaw being that on longer rough sections it can get overwhelmed, but you have to spend a lot of money to get around that problem.
By buying from On-One you are getting good value for money and you can spec the bike how you want it, which means you can use a whole bunch of On-One kit that will no doubt have you joining the legion of faithful fans.
Against
The ride is just a touch on the harsh side, but that will only serve to make you a better rider. It is not a light weight offering and does need to be worked to maintain speed.
Looks are subjective, but it does have to be said that the Inbred looks retro with its steel tubes and it will not set pulses racing.
Overall
In some regards the Inbred is an old world bike in a modern world, it is not actually behind the rest of the field though, more off to one side!
What some people like about it others will dislike and vice versa so it really is a case of personal taste.
The design is clever and insightful and the detailing makes it hugely versatile, it comes with a bewildering number of build options and colours and it can be used to tour continents or thrash local singletrack.
The On-One is a bike for the discerning rider that knows what they want and puts function ahead of form.
For more information go to http://www.on-one.co.uk
UK RRP £700
Buy Hard Tails onThis review was in Issue 2 of IMB.
For more information visit On OneRelated
By Nigel Garrood
Nigel Garrood was one of the instigators of the IMB project and has been with us since the very beginning. This loveable rogue has more stories than the Bible and is known to enjoy a beer or two. On the bike, he’s fast and loose and often puts younger riders to shame. Equally he’s been known to suffer from the odd crash and carries the scars to prove it. He was once referred to as being a robot sent from the future to save us all!
