Why Sandman. from Martín Campoy on Vimeo.
Why Sandman.
NepaliTrails with SandmanTitanium.Teaser
Hello people!. I’m Martín Campoy.
I ride an exclusive Sandman Bike, made in Belgium.
After testing the Sandman in some races: Transpyr in the Spanish Pyrenees, The Iron Bike in the Italian Alps… Sandman gave me the oportunity to live an adventure in Nepal.I’m a lucky guy.
Interview With Conrad from Sandman Bikes
Published on December 15, 2011 by Sven Haamer
Sandman Bikes is a Belgian fat-bike company that makes all-terrain bikes people have been doing incredible things on since 2007. Not just for sand and snow, these Sandman bikes! The current Sandman design is a symmetrical frame using a 165mm rear hub and a 100mm BB and they’re available with front suspension forks that can handle the toughest terrain and downhill trails.
I sent an email to Sandman and hooked up with Conrad for this email interview with Koen. Hope you enjoy it!
How did racing motorcycles influence Sandman?
Racing motorcycles helped make the Sandman happen. I was pretty good at tuning & setting up racing motorbikes and I always knew what setup or line saved me that tenth of a second – or not. I learned something very important early on while racing motorbikes:
not everything what feels fast, is fast.
Like a screaming, adrenaline fueled two-stroke compared to a seemingly lame 2-cyl four stroke with a lot of grunt from down low. Or a rigid bike compared to a bobbing fully. Or a fully suspended MTB compared to a fatbike…
And I’m apparently blessed with a built-in chrono, my team always joked that I didn’t need them to show me my lap times because I always knew within a few tenths of a second, on 2-minute laps.
So when I started Mountain Biking, I had a completely open mind as to technical solutions and I could recognize parts or setups that gave me an advantage – or that were not so efficient.
Mountain bikes, being new at that time and dirt cheap compared to racing motorcycles, were (and still are) great for trying things out. I tried about every technical solution which I could lay my hands on and which seemed worth the while. Being the early nineties, I had no shortage of “weird” inventions to choose from .
So without my motorcycle tuning & racing background I wouldn’t have calibrated my internal chrono and – worse – I would probably have listened to people “in the know”. If all of us had done that, we’d still be on rigid bikes with cantilevers… or, for the rebels amongst us: with elastomer forks…
What Role do each you (including, Karl & Koen) play in the running of the company?
Karl is the financial man, me the R&D guy. Apart from the two of us we now have people manning the office, and for sales and marketing. And a team of what we call our “ambassadors”: nice persons with the right mindset (having fun) and at the same time incredible bikers who give us feedback and try to discover the limits of what our bikes are capable of. Speaking of ambassadors: our Race & Adventure team definitely lacks a woman, so if someone matching the above description feels like she’d fit in… ?
Tell us about meeting and riding in Copper Canyon. Did the idea to start a fat-bike company get worked out on that trip?
In fact it was the other way around: while doing research on fat bikes I came across Ray Molino’s website and noticed that he’s the expert Mountain Bike guide in the Copper Canyon region. The Copper Canyon was already very high on my to-do list. I worked for 12 years as a full-time professional canyoneering and mountain guide in the Spanish Pyrenees, nowadays I just do first descents for fun – hence the Copper Canyon region being on my radar.
So I contacted Ray and together with a bunch of Belgian friends we had a very memorable holiday together with him and his wife Michelle. My fat-bike project was still on the drawing board so we did talk fat-bikes during the trip.
Ray was quite a visionary almost 20 years ago, his problem was that there were no off-the-shelf frames at the time and he lacked the means to have them made. Much of the success of fatbikes is thanks to his audacity in having the first fat tires and rims made in Mexico. When you look at his tire and the Endomorph, the pedigree is quite clear.
And to everybody who reads this: Ray as a guide is very, very highly recommended and the Copper Canyon region is awesome – http://www.remolino.com/
Why Symmetrical Frames?
At first the asymmetrical frame idea seemed great… for about 5 minutes. Strong and light = symmetrical.
Where are the fat-bike hot-spots in Europe?
There are no fat-bike hotspots yet, in terms of numerous fatbikes. In terms of terrain: everywhere.
Have you started to see Fat-Bike Races popping up in droves, like we see here in the US?
No, there are not enough fatbikes for the moment, and too far in between. On top of that most are Pugsleys, not the ideal all around race bike… But I’m personally dead against “just-for-fat” races or categories: events mostly want them as the comical sidekick! We deserve better: and that is to run with the best of them. Its pretty clear to everyone that you do have a bit of a disadvantage on a Pugs, but on a Sandman you definitely don’t need a special category.
To get this straight: I’m talking about normal mountain bike races. Snow and especially winter ’round the clock slogs where the average speed is a single digit figure are a whole different animal. In those events a different category would be appropriate for skinny tired MTB’s, for comical relief .
Tell us about the ‘M’ Award that Sandman won recently?
This year the leading Belgian Mountain Bike portal website – http://www.mountainbike.be – granted us their innovation award at Belgian’s biggest bike show. We’re pretty proud of it too!
Where are bikes or frames available in the US and if they are not currently available will you be coming to the US market.
We’ve had some real bad luck with a software partner that was going to build us a website with integrated e-shop. A long story, but we ended up switching partners a few weeks ago and basically we have to start over. But the bikes and frames, are available: I think the oldest Sandman in the US is a few months from 2 years old now. In Florida.
Thanks, Conrad! And keep doing incredible fat-bikes!
http://fat-bike.com/2011/12/interview-with-conrad-from-sandman-bikes/
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Gobi 3460 €
SANDMAN BIKE GOBI
January 17, 2012 //
The SANDMAN Gobi is our high-end aluminium framed model. Its frame has the same elegant swoop of our titanium top model and is only marginally heavier (40 g in size large).
In fact, it would be our lightest frame if not for the beautiful pearl white paint which adds some grams to this triple butted beauty. Due to the tall tires the frame geometry is “29er”, so you can easily swap wheels if you like.
And just like the titanium Hoggar, the spec list is impressive: Hope M4 four-piston hydraulic disc brakes get the Gobi back to normal speed. And as the finishing touch we added metalflex hoses and floating 180 mm discs. Power is efficiently transmitted through bomb-proof Race Face Evolve triple cranks, Sram XO shifters and rear derailleur and Shimano XT E-type front derailleur.
Other Hope and Race Face parts complete this high-end setup which leaves little to be desired for the very serious biker. As for the front suspension: we co-developed the German Answer Flame “wide” fork. This ultra stiff USD fork adds 90 mm of travel to the already tall and plush 3.7 Larry tires, paired to 47 mm wide 26” Trialtech SL rims.
Scoop! – Sandman Bikes 2013
Published on October 10, 2012 by Sven Haamer in FatBikes
We recently shot off a note to Conrad at Sandman Bikes in Belgium to learn about their plans for the 2013 model year. Sandman, as you many know, is a maker of fat-bikes that are geared towards the all season fatbike crowd. Their bikes have had front suspension for several years now as well as narrower rims and the type of riding the company aims their bikes at can probably be best shown by checking out some of the videos that Martin Campoy has done riding a Titanium Hoggar Sandman. Like this one!
Without further ado, here is some major info that Conrad passed on. In fact, the bikes are so new that the spy shots we have are of the first batch fresh out of the paint shop and under assemble for the upcoming Roc d’Azur tradeshow that begins tomorrow. More photos when we get them!
FB.C – Conrad, can you tell us a bit about Sandman’s plans for your upcoming fatbike models?
Conrad – We’ve got several completely new models in the pipeline and a little revamp of our top titanium model. Plus some other 2012-2013 projects about to see the light. Your timing is perfect, you get the scoop – even before our own website or Facebook pages!
At the start, our business model was (and still is) to cater to the high-end trailbike crowd. Our handmade bikes are available through our website and some “boutique” dealers who appreciate a well-made frame & bike. Our goal was to develop the best fat-tired bike available, and have that technology trickle down the line when the moment was there.
That moment has arrived! We get almost daily demands for an all mountain fatbike, but cheaper and locally available through a dealer network. So, that’s what we’ve been working very hard at this year: translating our know-how to a range of fast & fun fatbikes, at affordable price points and which are available through your LBS.
Instead of producing locally, we now work together – every step of the way – with the best Taiwan manufacturers for production according to our designs and specs.
The result of our new partnership is the new Atacama, the entry level Sandman with a rigid wide fork with a 15mm thru-axle. It’s a perfect base for later upgrades if owners would want to tackle tougher terrain once they’ve outgrown the possibilities of this rigid bike.
Next is the new Gobi, sharing the aluminum frame with the Atacama. That’s our workhorse “big mountain” fatbike with our very own Sandman suspension fork and a very good but still affordable spec list. Race Face parts, Sram X7/X9 and hydraulic discs.
Last, but not least, will be our Titanium Hoggar Sandman, a very high end fatbike with all the goodies. It’s a fantastic bike in its current form, so the design won’t change and it will remain available as is with some spec changes in 2013.
There might be a fourth model if the market asks for it, the design is ready and spec list is as good as complete. So if there’s demand, we’ll add it to our line-up.
The 2013 Gobi will be the first to be officially presented at our booth at the Roc d’Azur tradeshow next week from 11 to 14 of October and the bikes will see their race debut there as well.
FB.C – You’ve mentioned that you make your fatbikes for the trailbike crowd. What design features do you consider important for that market?
Conrad – After much consideration, we’ve stuck to our 165mm rear hub because we see no reason to widen it: our frames were designed before the existence of the super wide tires, but we always had reserve clearance in mind so they accept a 4.8″ tire on a 100mm rim as they are. On top of that, we’ve been able to build our own hub at a weight below the 170mm boutique brands, with a price that has nothing to do with “boutique” and with a 10mm through-axle QR for added stiffness. When you see what our customers do with their Sandman bikes, a thru axle front & rear is a good thing… and by building it with a 10mm axle in the rear you can use the hub in any frame with normal dropouts, including our current ones.
FB.C – Why not a 170mm hub?
Conrad – The only reason to go to a 170mm hub would be a choice between a wider range of hubs. But what are the reasons to get a different hub? Lighter? Bummer, everything on the market is heavier… Cheaper? If tomorrow somebody would make a looooow-end 170mm hub, maybe… Stiffer? Hell no! Easier to service? Ours is on par with the best out there, it’s got an easy to remove & rebuildable 6-pawl freehub – it’s even tandemproof. So, basically, a 170mm upgrade in any way you’d want (apart from color options) is just not there. The only reasonable upgrade we can think of is an aluminum through-axle instead of the stock steel one. So such QR’s will be both on our parts list.
FB.C – You were one of the first fat-bike companies to embrace front suspension. What is new on that front?
Conrad – We recognized the need for a more affordable fatbike-specific suspension fork. Our current German A Flame is a very nice fork, we’re very happy with it and we’ll continue to offer it on our high end bikes, but price wise it’s limited to the happy few. So, we went to the drawing board and set to designing our own fork. It has the familiar upside down design, the travel is between 90 and 130mm, with a 15mm proprietary QR through-axle, it accepts a 4.8″ tire on a 80mm rim and as the cherry on the cake: it will be available for 1 1/8″ and tapered steerers alike.
We’ll start testing the new fork by the end of next week when all parts are in – alas not in time for the Roc d’Azur show & races. Pricing will be concluded after the lab & terrain tests in a few weeks time and they’re expected to hit the shelves around February.
We expect a massive demand for these forks. While they’re designed to work best with our Sandman frame geometry, we’ll offer them as an aftermarket part too. So it might be a good idea for those interested to send us an e-mail to reserve theirs.
FB.C – You mentioned earlier that you are revamping your distribution of Sandman bikes. How can customers get a bike from Sandman?
Conrad – Dealers/distributors interested working with Sandman can contact us through our website – http://www.sandmanbikes.be – which remains a work in progress. For those customers in countries without dealerships we’ll maintain the webshop. We’re busy integrating credit card & PayPal payments along with a slew of other improvements to make it more user friendly.
FB.C – What more would you like to tell our readers about Sandman Bikes?
Conrad – Once sold, we don’t just forget about our bikes and their owners! We’re about to launch an adventure series in which Sandman owners are invited to participate.
The kick-off to the series will be the tour of Menorca on singletrack. Menorca is a little known speck of an island in the Mediterranean, a rare gem largely forgotten by tourists. We’re going to follow, in four days, a 180km singletrack all around the island along the rocky coastline and over hidden sandy beaches. Absolutely perfect terrain for a Sandman and a great way to linger in summer temperatures just those few days extra. Dates will be 1st to 4th of November. Details will appear on the website and our Facebook page very soon.
We’ll go with the Sandman Owners Club to Finland as well, in February to participate in Europe’s first & only long distance snowrace by bike – http://www.rovaniemi150.com. To defend our 2012 win of course but also with a number of training days leading up to the race while doing “touristy” things like visiting a reindeer farm, an ice hotel, ice fishing… all by bike of course. Here’s an impression of the fun we had last year: http://vimeo.com/38215534
Then a summer bikeraft expedition in Iceland and some other summer adventures. 2013 will be a fun year for Sandman owners !
FB.C – You’ve mentioned some great European plans and events, any chance we will see you at events in North America?
Conrad – We’re also going to enter bikes and riders in a number of North American races, definitely in some of the XC classics like we already did in 2010 & 2012 with the BCBR. But we’re looking at some Super D races too, because they seem like the most fun (and that’s what it’s all about!!). We are working on a plan and on nailing down events to attend now.
FB.C – Thanks, Conrad! We look forward to more info and photos as your 2013 plans roll out and become a reality!
Conrad – Cheers!
http://fat-bike.com/2012/10/scoop-sandman-bikes-2013/
SANDMAN HOGGAR TI 3950 €
January 17, 2012 //
The special edition SANDMAN Hoggar is based on an elegant titanium frame with a brushed finish. The special edition consists of a “boutique” spec list that leaves no doubt as to the trail intentions of this beast: Hope M4 brakes, metalflex brake hoses and floating disc rotors. Crank Brothers Joplin dropper seatpost, with remote control at the handlebars, for quick reaction to changing trail conditions. The German Answer Flame “wide” forks with 90mm suspension travel has been co-developed with SANDMAN and is a perfect marriage with the 3.8 wide Larry tires on 47mm wide Trialtech SL rims.
Your power is transmitted through high-end The Hive e*thirteen cranks, with the special Polygon interface between crank arms and BB.
The spec list is completed with beautiful and bombproof Hope parts, XO efficiency and XT sturdiness.
SANDMAN ATACAMA 2450 €
January 26, 2012 /
The SANDMAN Atacama is our entry-level model. At SANDMAN Bikes “entry level” means a very decent spec list for lots of hassle free bike fun at an affordable price. The Atacama frame shares the same geometry with its bigger brothers in a classic diamond-shaped frame with straight tubes. We painted the Atacama in a stunning pearly yellow, which makes the bike shine even more.The Atacama spec list is filled with no-nonsense quality parts that are hardly worth an upgrade. The biggest difference is the stiff fork. The big tires themselves do providea 2-3” suspension “cushion” so it’s only at real high speeds or on a very rough terrain that the Atacama needs more rider input compared to the Gobi and Hoggar models.
SANDMAN, A UNIQUE BIKE CONCEPT
WOW! Is it a plane? Is it a bird? It’s a SANDMAN.
A SANDMAN is much more than a regular mountain bike and it certainly doesn’t look like one. As you can read on our history page, the frame is custom designed by a mountain bike fanatic who, believe it or not, couldn’t find something he was completely happy with. As a MTB trip organizer and guide, Koen (the inventor) was in the ideal situation to actually come up with a design that’s better than anything out there. And at the same time well placed to thoroughly test the SANDMAN on a multitude of terrains and hundreds of tracks. Over the course of three years, 25 prototypes were fine-tuned in depth to be tested in more then 20 different countries. All this effort, and then some more, brings you here today. We are shipping!
But why is it different?
Our main differentiator is not our fat tires, as some people seem to think. Obviously they are of great importance, but there are more “fatbikes” around. SANDMAN is differently built.
The main advantage is it can be used on literally any terrain!
Forget about bringing multiple bikes if you’re about to start a multi-terrain track. It’s just not convenient. Let alone cheap! If you happen to like cross country AND downhill, buying two different bikes seems the only option. Not anymore: SANDMAN will take the job with its 26”-29”-concept! It’s not like a SANDMAN is equally good on all terrains by default; that would be unbelievable and we agree. But SANDMAN offers you an ATB, that after some quick and easy tweaks, you can prep yourself for the next round in a different MTB discipline.
In theory our bike can be used for any terrain, but obviously for some surroundings getting the tweak right takes way too much time and effort. So let’s say: a SANDMAN Bike is easily adapted to many kinds of terrain and will blow you away and bring you loads of fun in like 80% of the cases (cyclo cross and road racing are indeed not considered our primary targeted disciplines, but we can handle the terrain!). Still a very high percentage and more than many, many other bikes.
Differentiator
If we add it up, we can easily claim (because that’s what professional users tell us) SANDMAN is better at the following domains:
Augmented grip or traction
Improved stability and control
High curve speed
Short breaking distance
Added comfort and control
We can tell you whatever we want, but the only way to really discover the truth is test our baby yourself. You can read the reviews on a multitude of online forums, but people keep telling us: riding the bike makes all the difference. A SANDMAN offers you a high driving comfort.
By the way, anyone can drive a SANDMAN Bike.
Going from an inexperienced starter to an expert rider that can’t be thought a thing.
They all love it.
If you’re a beginner, the improved stability and grip will definitely help grow your confidence
Experienced. SANDMAN is the ideal bike to expand your boundaries.
Experts know what to choose in various MTB races. It is no surprise our bikes end up winning quite a few prizes.
In short: SANDMAN is a unique bike concept that gives you a number of advantages on most terrains with minimal adaptations.
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anteriormente en èste blog , en español
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