From Brant’s house just down the road via Andy’s office in Wales…
Ragley Announce the TD-1 29er Frame
Straight from the mind of award winning designer Brant Richards – an unashamedly specific design, the TD-1 is a “rigid only” 29er. Meaning you can’t run suspension forks on it.
Well, I suppose you could, but it would handle awfully. It’s designed around a 440mm fork – which is a common size for 26in wheeled bikes – but a 29in wheel fits in there just fine. Typically 29in bikes run 470-490mm forks, and so by running the shorter fork, we can lower the handlebars by 30-50mm. Which means a more racey position. What’s that? You don’t like a low racey position? You want a suspension fork? Well hey, I guess this isn’t the frame for you.
But, if you’re fed up with bars-in-the-air, bouncy forks, and just want something pure and rigid and fast, then here’s something for you. Race proven too – our racers Dave and Jase got 2nd and 3rd at the ludicrously tough Strathpuffer race earlier in the year, riding their pre-production prototypes.
Though we do have plans for a steel version (and it will be a high end steel version, as this is a race bike, not a plodder), and might even throw some 7046 at an alloy version, this first model (as we seem to often do around here) is a titanium model made by Lynskey Performance in the USA. It features their sliding dropouts, a horizontally ovalised top tube, a curved seat tube (better tyre clearance in short stay mode, and better front mech positioning too.) We even got two bottle cages on the small frame!
Oh yes, that’s a point – sizing…
3 sizes – 16”, 18”, 20”. 18” has a 24” top tube, 4” head tube, 72 degree head angle, 73 degree seat tube angle. The 16” is half an inch shorter, 20” half an inch longer (and has a half inch longer head tube). Usual sizing rules apply (5′10″ to 6′1″, you want an 18in – bigger or smaller than this, and you want to go up or down a size). BB drop is 2.5in, and chainstays sit around 17.3in fully forward with a half inch backward movement possible for bigger tyres/chain tensioning purposes.
These new Ragley TD-1 frames are available to pre-order right now from Hotlines UK – stock will be landing in the UK within the next 2 weeks. RRP will be £1199.99.
www.hotlines-uk.com
www.ragleybikes.com
Comments (19)
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the Twinklydave signature frame
nice to see decent drop outs – i missed out on scandals with slots
may become a contender for my rigs replacement if i cant find the reciept for warrenty 🙁
what drop outs are on there ? your own design ? enough meat on there to drill and tap for a rack ?
your links are broken
no they’re not 🙂
A rack on a Ferrari?
I’ve never fancied getting a 29er before but that looks cool. Good job it’s too expensive for me
“Good job it’s too expensive for me”
Cheap(er) steel and Al ones one the cards, I believe.
mike – ferarri it may be – but do you think he would let me take it on a long distance ITT?
For a long distance ITT, you’d be wanting a clever bag system rather than a rack, I’d have though.
nah not me – would rather go jenn hopkins style. a clever bag system is fairly bike specific – i have many bikes !
No twisted tubing? So its not as fast as the lynskey one then? 😉
Depends on the rider, as you know.
In that case, Brant said on twitter that there was room, but it was wrong.
Frame bags are bike-specific, but the bar-mounted and below-saddle stuff should be movable between bikes.
wrong is good 😀
will need a closer look – but i like his thinking on this one.
Looks like it would need a remote seatpost
“Looks like it would need a remote seatpost”
Why?
Do people really stop and put their seat up/down mid race?!
It’s lovely looking in the flesh, BTW 😉
I only stop to adjust my seatpost when it slips down AGAIN
I could make a joke about seat clamps not being able to hold the post with such huge weights bearing down on them
but I won’t, that would be rude…and blatantly not the case