Kirk thoughts... terra vs. regular?

[jmeloy]

Wondering if any of the gang has owned both a Kirk Terraplane and a Kirk with a standard rear triangle and can comment on the ride difference?
Thanks!
JAM

[Louis]

I haven't ridden either one, but have been told that on the Terraplane (and the DKS) the back end "sticks" better on high-speed turns (especially on slightly bumpy stuff like chip & seal) allowing you to take twisty descents appreciably faster and tighter.

Ask Dave. He ought to know :)

Louis

[93legendti]

Ask Dave T, he had his Kirk sent back to have the Terraplane rear end installed on his bike. I think he has posted about the 2 rear triangles here.

[slowgoing]

Dave built me a non-terraplane rando frameset. He hit the mark on my request for a 10/10 on the comfort scale. The bike just glides over chip and seal and rough pavement. I used to switch off between bikes - no more. I rarely ride anything but the kirk. I can't compare it to a terraplane rear but it does everything I asked for without one.

[dbrk]

Who else makes the Terraplane? Unless you go back decades (see News and Views of the latest Veteran Cycle Club), you don't really see anything quite comparable to the Kirk design. For me, it's a no-brainer: gotta have the Terraplane. My rides like a dream, a bike that will never be sold till they pry it from my cold dead hands. But that's not because I think the Terraplane really really truly rides differently from a non-Terraplane but only because it rides great and it looks All That.

dbrk

[michael white]

I don't have a Kirk, but I would think it would be an incredibly tough call. I agree with Douglas about the Terraplane option: we only live once, they say, so why not get the full deal? However, I've also seen photos of Kirk's sidetack seatstays, and it makes the most beautiful and labor intensive seat cluster still being made, I think. The Terraplane is done with the fastback stays. So it's a tough call, because the sidetack stays really are special, too, but ultimately I would say they are not as special a feature as the Terraplane.

[Ray]

Get the frame made with S&S couplers and get two rear ends. One wid, one widdout.

-Ray

[jmeloy]

love it Ray.... you'll pay for one of them?? ;)

[thejen12]

Get the frame made with S&S couplers and get two rear ends. One wid, one widdout.

-Ray
Answer the question once and for all - I love it!

Jenn

[Kirk007]

that would be fun, maybe its time to call Dave! More seriously to the original post, dave will build what you want. My experience: look at the bikes he shows at NAHBS and that he rides himself: terraplane. That's how I ended up with two. And why not. Want a bike with straight stays, lotsa great steel builders will do that for you. If you get a Kirk, get his signature dish.

[Ray]

love it Ray.... you'll pay for one of them?? ;)
I'll pay for the front end. When you figure out which of the rears you DON'T want, send it to me. :cool:

-Ray