# SSCX - Is 130mm Spacing a Deal-Breaker? Le Roi Le Veut



## RayWhitney (Mar 25, 2009)

Oh collective wisdom of the intrawebs....

I am seriously considering the Civilian Le Roi Le Veut. It is sold through Competitive Cyclist (and their page has some different information)

One thing that stands out to me is that it has 130mm spacing on the rear. I'm a bit leery of this, but the bike weighs <17lbs, is steel with carbon fork...and I think it looks dead sexie.

My concern is that I have a difficult time with replacement wheels/hubs.

Any non-snarky thoughts?

Le Roi Le Veut - Civilian - Civilian
2012 Civilian Le Roi Le Veut - Competitive Cyclist


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## Britishbane (Mar 4, 2009)

Wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. There are plenty of options out there. Handbuilts can be made to specification, for very little money. Take Steve Garro of Coconino Cycles. Been building wheels for 30 years, doesn't charge labor for wheel builds, and can typically turn out an order in about a week. Plus he is a single speed guru - a multi time finisher in the top 20 of Leadville on a singlespeed!


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Wow, thats a great looking bike.


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

Why would 130 be a deal breaker? With 130 spacing, you could swap in a regular road wheel and use a spacer and cog kit to get the proper chainline. If anything, it should make it more versatile.

Update: I see the issue now. Disc brakes. I'd stay with 135, you'll have more hub options.


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## Swerny (Mar 4, 2008)

I saw that bike too on the other thread and I agree, it is dead sexy. 

I didn't want to wait though so I went elsewhere.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I wouldn't stress out about the rear spacing.

Velocity has a 130mm sealed bearing disc hub in a few drillings. White Industries has one too, and a better reputation.

You pay a bit of a premium for the Velocity name, I think. But it's supposed to be a perfectly good hub.

At worst, you can also just stuff a MTB hub in there. I ended up doing that to my Portland. That wasn't very long ago, so I dunno, maybe in a year I'll be saying it's a terrible idea, but the Portland's an aluminum bike...

Since the Civilian is steel, you can also have it respaced if you like. Those dropouts might make it a little more complicated.

I think there are also some 130mm disc hubs threaded for freewheels, if you decided to commit to it being singlespeed. I don't quite hate myself enough to give up my gears for 'cross.


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## RayWhitney (Mar 25, 2009)

I appreciate all the replies!

It really comes down to the issue of it being a 130 disc hub, as someone else articulated better than I. Not a lot of 130 disc options out there.

Yes, they made the tradeoff between versatility for geared conversion and discs. 

It's a damned sharp looking bike and <17lbs.

I suppose in the end it comes down to a commitment to disc. There are no canti bosses on the bike, so I don't have a disc front, canti rear option.

I keep sleeping on the decision. And I keep waking up undecided. But then, I'm not finding any comparably priced love anywhere else!

Decisions, decisions.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

i would look at what the new crop of cx frames with disc tabs have their spacing set at. if they seem to be mostly 130, its a good bet there will be more 130 speced lightweight disc hubs. myself? i would look elsewhere for the simple fact there are hundreds of 135 affordable disc hubs out there. not to mention prebuilt wheels.

fwiw, the droouts look a lot like the fisher/trek erwin from 2 years back.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

The bike is rad and the price is right. I posted an image in the other thread. So I feel your lust. That said, I am riding a disc crux. 135. It's a 1X10 with a flat bar (read: abomination) and hydraulics. 

If I buy something new I want it to have hydraulic brakes and 135 spacing. So I have to wait. Or I can stick with my crux frame run a beer eccentric BB. But nobody makes hydraulic aero levers for drops. So I have to wait either way. Wait until the right bike comes out or wait until someone makes hydraulic aero levers. I'm not talking about those TRP Di2 electronic fancies. Just SS hydraulic aero brake levers.

In summary, I know how you feel. That bike is really hot. But there are two things wrong. First, the hub spacing. With countless 29er wheelsets out there it's better to go with 135. Next, I just know that if I wait to buy something new either someone will introduce hydraulic SS aero levers or someone will sell a bike equipped with them.

EDIT FOR A HUGE IMAGE OF MY CRUX: https://i47.tinypic.com/fyy6g.jpg

Note the Mavic Speed City wheels. LOL. The crank and rear der are force. 36T up front with a BBG bashguard. Sram XO 10 speed does the shifting on the 11-26 (or 11-28, can't recall). Ritchey stem, seatpost, bars. Elixer 5s do the stopping. 

I'd like to upgrade to a carbon rim 29er wheelset with a single cog in the back. But I'm frozen. Paralysis by analysis! I want to run it with drops and a setup I described above (staying with hydraulics).


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## wongjonsilver (Nov 21, 2009)

BTW, the Civilian frame looks awesome! And not a bad price either.

Sorry for the threadjack, but I ran into an issue that I totally overlooked. On my Orbea Lobular Cross.. I bought a Surly single speed conversion kit to use, but it does not fit the freehub body of the ultegra wheels on the bike (splined cog + spacer kit). I guess I can always use those on my MTBs... but I was a little bummed. I wanted to get a wheelset w/ a 135mm hub that I could still use on the frame, but I'm a little leery of using the different spacing?


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

I can speak of the LE ROI LE VEUT since I purchased one 2 weeks ago. It is better than I expected as far as performance and comfort is concerned. I never tried my daily commute on a single speed and had the intent of buying the bike, ebaying the parts and rebuilding it as a Sram 1X10. Then I got it, rode it stock to work with a CAT 3 hill both ways and was blown away that I knocked a minute off my average time and was far more comfortable and lighter than my aluminum disc Norco CCX. I love it!
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!
I purchased it from HuckNRoll and expected it to have rack mounts and derailleur hanger like it stated in the description and showed in the pictures. There are no rack mounts and no derailleur hanger! I contacted CC and they told me the rack mounts were removed before production and they had to dig and send me a derailleur hanger (thank you CC). Also my bike has no serial number and a missed area of red paint on the bottom of the BB where I believe the serial number was supposed to be. I contacted CC and am waiting for a reply on this issue. Plus no bb cable guide is included if you wanted to run gears. 

You can fit a 135 rear wheel fine with minimal hassle so the rear spacing is not an issue for me. I have owned a few disc road bikes now (Focus,Fetish,Norco,Kona,Gravity) and over 12 cross/commuter bikes and this is by far my favorite.

This is my first post, it's long but I wanted people to have an honest idea of what to possibly expect from a first run production bike from Civilian. Great Bike, but what you see in the ads is not what you get.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for your report. Good to hear. 

What do you think of the weight? Is it 21 lbs? 

And what 135 wheel have you used with it? 

Did you have to realign the brake/rotor?


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

I have a 57cm and it came in at just under 22lbs (using bathroom scale). 
I used an XT rear hub laced to a Mavic T520
I did realign the brake but I had also loosened it before installing the rear wheel.


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## wtfbbq (Apr 5, 2012)

What do you think of the stock disc brakes?


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

I really prefer my Avid BB7's without a doubt. I have not changed the brakes out yet just to see if mabye the Tektros pads needed more breaking in to get them to stop better. I apply and stay on the brake far earlier to stop compared to my BB7's which are also much easier to adjust. The stock brakes have single side pad adjustment only like the BB5's. There are no other options for alignment when mounting the caliper to the adapter besides left to right unlike the Avids.


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## Swerny (Mar 4, 2008)

BellyLintSalsa said:


> I can speak of the LE ROI LE VEUT since I purchased one 2 weeks ago.
> 
> I purchased it from HuckNRoll and expected it to have rack mounts and derailleur hanger like it stated in the description and showed in the pictures. There are no rack mounts and no derailleur hanger! I contacted CC and they told me the rack mounts were removed before production and they had to dig and send me a derailleur hanger (thank you CC). Also my bike has no serial number and a missed area of red paint on the bottom of the BB where I believe the serial number was supposed to be. I contacted CC and am waiting for a reply on this issue. Plus no bb cable guide is included if you wanted to run gears.


That's disappointing. I had noticed that the "Le Roi Le Veut" had rack mounts in the photos whereas the "Le Roi" did not.



BellyLintSalsa said:


> I have a 57cm and it came in at just under 22lbs (using bathroom scale).


Wow, that's quite a way's off the claimed 17 pounds....I feel better about my Kona now!


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## mudrock (Jun 4, 2008)

A lot of nice 29er wheels out there. The disc brakes take up a lot of that spacing and I think 130mm compromises strength. Why reinvent the wheel, literally? 135 mountain wheels have proven their durability. There were virtually no 130 disc wheels until some short-sighted designer figured we had to have yet another standard in the bike industry.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

On sale for under $800. 
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=PRODUCT&OPTION=LOAD_PRODUCT_BY_ID&PRODUCT.ID=10923

bring on the rep


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## dehoff (Oct 25, 2005)

Local Hero said:


> On sale for under $800.
> http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=PRODUCT&OPTION=LOAD_PRODUCT_BY_ID&PRODUCT.ID=10923
> 
> bring on the rep


Or get it from Real Cyclist for the same price with free shipping and 5% cashback from a lot of clickthrough sites like FatWallet or topcashback. That makes it about $140 less than CC. :thumbsup:


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

Thumbs up to CC for refunding the difference of the sale price and my purchase price earlier today. They sent me the derailleur hanger when I asked for it at no charge also. That sale price is a good deal for this bike ($1000 and change for the geared model with Avid BB7's is tops). I am very pleased with bike and I have owned a few disc cross bikes this past 18 months


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## Libraio (Feb 14, 2011)

@BellyLintSalsa: Can you post pictures of the bike and post a ride report? The report on CC was pretty enthousiastic but they also sell the bikes so not really unbiased I guess.

Thanks in advance,

Libraio


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## username3d (Dec 21, 2011)

That is disappointing about the rack mounts, I've been eyeing the geared le Roi as well, but since I do a little touring with my CX bike in the off-season, not having them is a deal breaker. Hopefully as Civilian/Back country sells more and gets more feedback, there'll be some more options down the road (especially since I wouldn't be purchasing until next year). I had been eyeing the Soma DC disc frame to build up, but if I buy a frame build for disks, I don't want vestigal canti bosses.

All that being said, as an industrial designer, I think they are great looking bikes, nice colors, proportions and not a ****-ton of logos all over the thing. If they hooked the Le Roi with some rack mounts on the rear drop outs and seat stays, I'd buy.


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## gospastic (Nov 8, 2008)

I got mine a few weeks ago and have gotten a couple of short street rides on it. I like it so far. It's heavy, way heavier than stated on the website, but I don't really mind it. It's smooth and I like the way it handles. I am going to eventually get a new wheelset for it by cross season since the stock wheels weigh quite a bit. I will probably get a 135 spaced rear hub and stuff it in there.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

Six posts I need to complete in order to post pic's so here are six statements I have about about the bike..

Six....It rides really smooth on pavement. I have heard many good things in this way about steel but never noticed the difference in ride quality until this bike.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

five....I could not build up a better new steel disc bike from scratch for the sale price they got going right now!


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

four....It has a taller headtube than other disc cx bikes I have owned and allows for a comfortable rider position without having to go crazy on spacers or funky stems.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

three....if you buy the SS version and plan on putting gears on down the road you will need to contact CC and get them to send you the dropout with the derailleur hanger. The SS version does not have one (unlike the pictures showed when I bought it). You will also need to get a bottom bracket cable guide (easily found in shop spare parts bin).


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

two...ditch the Tektro brakes. The levers are comfortable and look good but the calipers and rotors are crap. I never could get them to perform like Avid BB7's and the Tektro rotors I feel lacked enough braking surface and turned rainbow (overheat) colored which never happend to my Avid rotors. 
If you buy the geared version you get BB7's ($120 minimum upgrade cost) and that should steer you towards the geared version if you don't have a ton of parts like me.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

one....I am keeping it (see below)

About Me: I buy,build,ride,get bored with or don't fall in love with and then sell alot of bikes. I have owned 30 different bikes just the past 3 years alone. When I got this bike I had the belief I would ride it and return it within 60 days for a refund because something would "put me off" about it. This is how I justify the constant bike rotation. There were little things like the derailleur hanger (CC sent me one for free) and rack mounts (I use a frame bag now and prefer it) that "put me off" but I kept the bike because I like the ride, the look and the price.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

*When it was my SS commuter bike..*










135 Shimano XT rear hub fit fine. I got a mint Bianchi Roger after this purchase so I put gears on my Civilian.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

*Now geared and still loving it....*










Stripped it down and built it up as a 10x2 Sram Rival/X9 mix with Avid BB7 brakes & Conti Gatorskin tires for road riding with a smile. 25lbs as shown.


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## gospastic (Nov 8, 2008)

Still waiting on my derailleur hanger dropout. I bought through Real Cyclist and they said they would contact me but I haven't heard back from them yet.


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## BellyLintSalsa (May 24, 2012)

I bought through Huck & Roll but dealt with Competitive Cyclist to get the hanger. I had to send pics of the SS dropout since they had no idea the production version did not come with a hanger. I talked to and emailed the same guy a couple times till they sent it. Took a little over a week I would say to get it. I see they updated their pictures now so it no longer shows a single speed with a derailleur hanger. Buyers now may have to buy the geared version if they want the hanger option.


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## mudrock (Jun 4, 2008)

25 lbs! While that's in line with other steel & disc bikes out there, that's almost 7 pounds heavier than CC's boast on their web site. They even list individual weights to make it appear legitimate. Screw them!


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## gospastic (Nov 8, 2008)

I think mine was 22lbs stock. I have down to about 20.5 now. I don't see being able to get it much lower than 19. I think thats fine though.


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## getagrip (Feb 16, 2012)

Nice looking bike! I'm seriously considering picking up one of these bikes, probably the single speed version because of my budget. I'd probably do a parts upgrade to make it a geared bike next season, depending on how much I like it as a single speed. How do these bikes run in size? I'm 5'7 and am somewhere between the 50cm and the 53cm...I'm a bit concerned that the 50cm will be a bit too small, and the 53cm will be a bit too large. I wouldn't be using it much for offroad riding, mainly as an urban bike, but on some gravel roads as well.


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## gospastic (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm 5'7" and went with a 53. I was also thinking of getting the 50 but I think I made the right choice. I don't have any toe overlap on the 53 but I think it might have been an issue in a smaller size. I'd also have to run a 120mm stem on the 50 to get the same reach that I have now. I don't know how much that would affect steering feel.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

What kind of tire clearance do these have? I run 700x42c studs in the winter, and that's pretty much been the sticking point with a lot of options out there.


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## gospastic (Nov 8, 2008)

I think 42s with studs would be a tight fit. Also, there are no fender mounts.


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## 88 rex (Mar 18, 2008)

gospastic said:


> I don't see being able to get it much lower than 19. I think thats fine though.


This is pretty much where I see the bottom line with steel and discs. 19 lbs. I'm not there yet, but I'm under 20lbs on paper. Never actually weighed the thing complete and with race wheels.


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## illogique (Jun 12, 2012)

my little story....
i broke my kona unit and was looking for a replacement.
i contact rideclvn.com asking them if i could get only the frame. they said not at this time and that they will think about that option.

finally decide to get the complete bike (spare part!) 59cm le roi le veut at hucknroll for full price before the sale...

first thing i notice when i open up the box... it had gears!! it was actually a vive le roi.... so more spare part!
second, i mesure the rear spacing and it was 128mm making just a bit difficult to put the stock wheel on it, so i didn't even try to put a 135 in it.
i'll see to it when that quando?? hub fail...
third, the seatpost didn't slide in very well, and yes it was the seatpost since my Ti one slide in just great.
then i got to ride the thing... and by riding i mean bike messenger 80-100km stop'n'go each day
so first week the rear spoke loosen twice, i guess it's something normal for not hand build wheel?
after a while i notice the rear look more on the left. i check with a park wheel gauge and the rim was centered on the hub meaning it must be the frame...
i'll see to it when that hub failed...
third or fourth week, i got a rear flat because of the rim tape expand too much inward. probably not rated for 115psi
once a while i do hit the cable baze-on, i will probably grind it someday
img708.imageshack.us/img708/8727/58471130.jpg

finally the rear hub finally died of the 26th day of riding, it did ride like a fixed gear to the end of the day...
what i saw i remove the cog on the hub!
img801.imageshack.us/img801/4839/42131044.jpg

now that i have to fit a 135mm hub, i check the frame
img855.imageshack.us/img855/8937/86851284.jpg

and the left side was 5-6mm far out than the right
some workout on the right side and voila 135mm centered!!
img268.imageshack.us/img268/2019/27489913.jpg

complete bike
img407.imageshack.us/img407/7057/80007431.jpg

(sorry don't want to make 10 post for nothing)


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## mudrock (Jun 4, 2008)

Cheap quality. They definitely put that together with a budget in mind. complete package looks ok but they went with junk components. gald I didn't get one.


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## groove10 (Aug 23, 2013)

A little late to this party since the last post was over a year ago, but...

I own one of these and recently had my (stock) rear wheel stolen. Is anyone willing to sell me their rear wheel? I'm located in Baltimore, MD. Neither Civilian nor CC has any extra wheels they can sell me.

Alternatively, I'm open to other 130 (or 135 it seems) spaced rear wheels with a 6-bolt disc hub.

Thanks!


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