Hotlines Show: Ragley
It’s showtime! Jon headed out of the Valley and over to the bright lights of a conference centre in Manchester to check out what’s new in the world of distributor Hotlines UK. They’ve been running a series of shows for their massive portfolio of brands that are open to the trade and bike press.
First up we’re going to take a look at what’s new from Ragley Bikes, the handiwork of a certain Brant Richards of this very valley. We spoke about his plans for Ragley at the London Cycle Show last year, but this is the first time we’ve seen some of his latest designs in the flesh.
Ragley came about through Brant’s desire for bikes that’d let him get away with a bit of silly steep riding on steps around these parts but he’s found a much wider audience for his flavour of tough, slack and low hardtails and their popularity is on the rise with riders across Britain – and the world.
Ragley Ti Piglet
Interesting fact: Piglet is Luk Mu in Thai...
Here’s something all new – it’s a Ragley Piglet Ti prototype – but a proto that will probably be made. The original Piglet was designed as a shorter travel option for anyone who didn’t fancy something as slack and big forked as the Blue Pig. Running 120mm forks up front, using a slightly lighter tubeset and steeper headangle mean it’s more of an all rounder. This one’s handmade from aerospace grade Titanium in Chattanooga, US of A by Lynskey Performance.
Headtube can run 1.125" forks with integrated headset and tapered or full 1.5" with external cups.
As ever with the Ragley frames, it uses the clever 44mm internal diameter headtube that lets you run any fork from 1.125″, tapered to full 1.5″.
Adjustable dropouts for singlespeeding
It’s got rather tidy adjustable dropouts for running as a singlespeed or for tuning your wheelbase if you like that sort of thing.
Three finger bridge - and check out the welds. Very neat.
The frame also has the trademark Ragley Three Finger Bridge for extra clearance around the chainrings, loads of room for mud and big tyres, stiffness and resistance to damage from chainsuck. If you’d like to get your hands on a Ti Piglet then they’re going to cost around £1,400.
Ragley Troof
Ragley Troof
As Jack Nicholson said in a Few Good Men, “you can’t handle the truth” but we doubt he was on about Ragley’s new, long travel aluminium hardtail . The Troof is the alloy brother to the Bagger 288 and as such you can stick 160 to 180mm (really) forks on the front, which has a pleasantly slack 65.1° unsagged head angle.
Fat Head Tubing on a fat head tube. Slacker than a slack thing too...
That sharpens up to a positively lively 67° for the all important sagged number and the BB is kept nice and low, which should keep it nice and stable at speed and on the steep stuff rather than having the floppy feel you usually get when you stick big forks on a normal hardtail.
Troof man, troof. Neat little cable holders too.
The full 1.5″ headtube means you can run whatever forks you like, the Fathead tubing is plenty strong, 30.9mm post means you’re got your pick of the uppy downy posts (have a look at Issue 64 for a full test) and there’s an ISCG05 mount for chaindevices – or even a Truvativ Hammerschmidt if you fancy a particularly bonkers tech riding build.
Three finger bridge is rather clean and tidy.
The Troof uses the CNC’d three finger bridge which looks rather neat.
Swopout dropouts are licensed from DMR and can run Maxle or QR axles
Ragley have licensed DMR’s Swopout changeable dropout system, so you can run a Maxle or QR rear wheel. The Troof at all costs? There’s only one and it’s £349.99.
More on the next page, including the mighty Bagger…
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Posted on: March 1, 2011
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the lure of paragon dropouts on the ti piglet, first ragley i’ve liked
Bah, if only they did one with a long enought top tube.
Toof; nice.
whats the weight of the blue pig x frame ive been trying to find out for months is it top secret or something
Sizes in all 2011 frames are 14,16,17,18,20. Puts a stop to the ever present, ‘am i a 16 or an 18′
)
“whats the weight of the blue pig x frame ive been trying to find out for months is it top secret or something”
The 14in production frame, with Swopout Dropouts, but without cable guides weighed 5lb.
any news on the single speed (QED?) will it take a long fork?
QED’s delayed due to me being stupid. Will take a 120mm fork. Same geometry as the Piglet.
The mismatched travel teaser – any more info that could be teased out?
Short travel rear (100-120mm), slack head angle with 140/150 forks?
Please?
Liking the clean look of that Piget Ti frame, could be a rocket! How much is that likely to cost? Would it be strong enough to take some abuse despite a lighter tube set?
Brant, how are your full-sus designs going to be differentiated from say, the Mega?
What’s with the double captions
“The mismatched travel teaser – any more info that could be teased out? Short travel rear (100-120mm), slack head angle with 140/150 forks? Please?
”
Yes – that will be one model.
“Brant, how are your full-sus designs going to be differentiated from say, the Mega?”
Completely different system. Totally.
Brant – what kind of suspension system will you be using and when will you have prototypes ready?
Nothing on an alu or steel td-1?
Whats the standover on the new blue pig x like compared to the 1st blue pig on a 18″?
is the seat tube any better on this one?
loving the new colour..
I was hoping for news & pics of the xlite?/ragley? Carbon fork. Oh well
(
Luckily td-1 in alu isn’t there yet, how would I say NO?
Full sus designs? Hopefully very different from the variable axle path designs I developed and showed brant a couple of years back eh brant?
Is it me, or does the three finger bridge thing just look like a mud collector in between the stays?
How about getting one of the 29er FS samples made in 23″ then? If you’re going to make a BIG bike, make it REALLY big!
“Brant – what kind of suspension system will you be using and when will you have prototypes ready?”
Dual Link, June.
“Whats the standover on the new blue pig x like compared to the 1st blue pig on a 18″?”
About 3/4in lower.
“Is it me, or does the three finger bridge thing just look like a mud collector in between the stays?”
Looks like that. Isn’t.
im so annoyed at myself for being genuinly excited about the ragley fs, what has my life come to.
A lighter, twangier pig sounds like fun