It's not uncommon for avid cyclists to own a mountain bike, a road bike, and a commuter. German company Convert is looking to provide a space-saving alternative, in the form of the FF1. It consists of a frame that accepts different kits to become different types of bike – and the transformation reportedly only takes a few minutes.
At the heart of the FF1 is a 7005 aluminum alloy frame, festooned with a Formula Cura rear hydraulic disc brake and a Shimano XT 8000 drivetrain – that drivetrain consists of a chain, derailleurs, cranks, and three chainrings (26/36/48). Depending on what sort of riding they want to do, users can equip the frame with one of four kits.
The Road kit includes a 3T carbon fiber fork with a front hydraulic brake; 3T drop handlebars with MicroShift bar-end shifters; and brake-rotor-equipped 3T wheels clad in Kenda Kriterium Endurance 700 x 28c tires – the rear wheel is also fitted with a SunRace 11-32 cassette.
The Trekking kit (which would work for commuting) instead features a Kinesis aluminum fork; a flat handlebar with Shimano Deore 6000 shifters; and Exal wheels with Kenda Flintridge Pro 700 x 35c tires and an 11-36 cassette.
And then there's the Mountain kit. It includes a 100-mm RockShox Recon RL suspension fork; a flat bar with Deore shifters; plus Exal wheels with Kenda Small Block Eight 27.5 x 2.10 tires and an 11-36 cassette. There's also a fancier Mountain Pro kit, with upgrades consisting of a Formula Thirty Three suspension fork, Shimano XT shifters, and DT Swiss wheels with Kenda Honey Badger 27.5 x 2.20 tires.
According to Convert, installing any one of the kits on the frame takes less than five minutes, and only requires one included tool. This speediness is facilitated by features such as thru-axles on the wheels, a patented system that keeps the bearings from spilling out when the fork is removed, and Formula's SpeedLock system which allows the hydraulic brake hoses to be disconnected without leaking.
The weight of the frame combined with the different kits sits at approximately 10.5 kg for the Road setup (23 lb), 11.5 kg for the Trekking (25 lb), 13 kg for the Mountain (28 lb) and 12 kg for the Mountain Pro (26 lb).
If you're interested, the frame costs €1,200 (about US$1,361), with prices of the kits ranging from an additional €900 to €1,500 ($1,021 to $1,702). An optional electric-assist system is also available.
Source: Convert (German)
