Go with your heart. It’s a toy. If it doesn’t make you feel happy you won’t enjoy it as much

Well I have to say this new Soul is much talked of……. will it appear this year I wonder.

Rik had the Stanton frames in down at Drumlanrig, Iain if you wanted a fondle.

This year I built a new Commencal META HT for £1,500 with a full XT 11-speed group, Easton cockpit / carbon bars, Yaris, decent tubeless wheels, dropper etc…for under £1,500.You shouldn’t need to spend what is the price of a carbon YT on a HT unless it’s Ti.

You know you could just get a carbon HT, if you’re keen on 650B there are some pretty amazing deals about. Might be “an XC bike” but if you can put a dropper on and it has reasonable geometry/wide bars/some steerer showing it’ll do the job and probably be a fair whack lighter.

I went from an old soul and purchased an alu non boost Forme Ripley when the were going cheap from start fitness. I was supposed to be a stop gap whilst I sorted something more fancy. But I love it, and funds for a new MTB have become funds for a new road bike. I’ve always ridden steel hardtails, orange clockwork, p7, and Prince Albert’s etc and was really quite surprised at how little I noticed the change of frame material. As previously noted, I think the contact points make more difference.

Re material – I snapped three alloy frames at the weld from just riding them. My steel Cotic has been welted side on by a car and didn’t even flinch.

Jameso – any suggestions ? (even Pinnacle ones ) The ideal bike would be 27.5, modernish geo, but not huge long like the Whyte, light and comfy, as much fun on the ups as the downs, 120 ish fork, dropper, xt group, under £2.5k bought as a full bike.

Well the 2018 Iroko 2 fits that bill but is lower-specced than you’re after, it’s a £1400 bike. It’s no girder to ride, just confidently accurate. 27.2 post or remove the shim and fit a dropper. Like the Arkose I still have steel bike experience as reference points and we don’t want to get onto an overly-rigid alternative in Al.
Available as a 2017 frameset, same spec, same 66 static HA 120mm fork geo etc for a good price. We buy them in as warranty support and don’t use many at all so they get sold off each year.

If you wanted steel the Stanton does look good. I’ve lost my steel lust for MTBs like this these days tbh, with big tyres, tiny stems and wide bars and the forks, bolt-thrus etc I’d take the lighter Al alternative happily. Hardtails like that are like my old Chameleon, Al works so well. For a rigid 29er or an all-roader it could be different. And I totally get the love of skinny steel frames for any bike : )

Re material – I snapped three alloy frames at the weld from just riding them. My steel Cotic has been welted side on by a car and didn’t even flinch.

I’ve snapped 1 (of about 10 that I’ve owned) alloy frame. One is still going strong in my ownership after 17 years.
All but one of the steel frames I’ve owned since age 17 have snapped (sometimes only minor bits like a brake boss). They’ve all lasted a reasonable time prior to breaking (and actually one of the ones I’m counting as breaking actually cracked a month after I sold it to a mate, the crack was probably already there just unknown though!)
The on-one Ti456 I owned became an on-two within 3 months of purchase (new).

Material really has very little to do with it.

looks like Alloy becoming more of an option. Jameso, that Iroko 2 looks really, really interesting. What dia post dose it take ?

EDIT – I’ll not be lazy and will look on the Evans site later, sorry 🙂

What dia post dose it take ?

EDIT – I’ll not be lazy and will look on the Evans site later, sorry

No need, 27.2 post with the shim, or remove the shim and fit a 31.6 dropper.

cheers Jameso, top man 🙂

Btw iain, I sometimes ride out with the Glasgow club(weather dependent) I was there this Wednesday for the 7pm ride. You are more than welcome to have a spin/squelch round Mugdock on my Slackline nextgen.

loving my new sherpa, my first 29er..

dropbox link fail!

dumbbot – very kind, thanks

The button has been pressed…

Bird Zero TR 🙂

I was going to suggest an Iroko

It was close TBH, but I’m a fussy old bugger and wanted to pick and mix on the spec, and the Bird bike builder is a nice tool for that….

I really like the look of the Iroko,Jameso how would you rate the new Ramin? Looks just like a 29er version of the Iroko.

I think the Iroko is a good value sorted deal, if you like Sram kit. Unfortunately I am died in the wool Shimano, so a step too far for an old bugger like me 😀

You bought a bike before I’d got around to replying to your Soul 26 vs Zero AM question! 😉

What I’ve found is that the Zero AM is better at going up, much better at going down fast, similar at going along, better at fast corners and only really is worse when it’s slow and tight where the old Soul’s shorter wheelbase and much higher bottom bracket won out (but if it’s slow, tight AND steep then the Zero wins again).

Jameso how would you rate the new Ramin? Looks just like a 29er version of the Iroko.

Pretty much is, the Iroko is a shade longer for a ~10mm shorter stem and a little slacker-feeling, but there’s not a lot in it. One thing I forgot to mention is the 2018 Ramin and Iroko frames use a CS-BB plate to be 2.6 compatible, that’s the only change since 2017, so the Ramin will also take 27+ w/o issues.

Ianic, Bird’s a good call, to be fair ; )

chief – usefully reassuring, thanks 🙂