want to build a bike 110-120 rear travel, 130-140 front, slack head angle 68degrees ish but with a low bb 13 inches and a 23.5 ish top tube?

so is there a bike out there to do it that doesn't weigh a ton?

Most bikes weight is a result of the type of riding they're designed to do.

What you're describing sounds more at the 'play' end of the spectrum and you'd probably find a bike would be proportionately heavy to cope.

Would help if you could say a) what you want it for and b) hoe much a 'ton' is?

I'd have thought a Spesh Stumpy or a Trek Fuel Ex (among others) would fit that bill, although I don't know about TT length!

Doesn't that Cube in the latest mag fit the description (possibly not the forks)?

The Orange Blood would tick all those boxes but it may be heavier than you would like. Again, it depends on what you mean by 'weighing a ton'. Sub 30lbs should be achievable and would be what I call 'weighing less than a ton'.

Pretty much any bike built with 4x or Slopestyle in mind would also tick that box, e.g. Commencal Meta 4x, Transition Bottlerocket, Mythic Rampant etc.

If you're deadly serious about getting something that is 100% what you want though with that brief, the Nicolai could customise a Helius AC for you but you'll pay handsomely for the priviledge.

*Edit* Those 4x bikes won't have TTs as long as 23.5" but they wouldn't be too far off if you get the in their invariably named 'long' size.

Cotic?

Hustler? I don't know…..

Banshee Spitfire is 127mm rear travel, adjustable head angle but not sure of the TT

TT will depend on frame size. The Hustlers about that in med and large. BB height is 'about' 13"
Not bad for a bloke that jey-lite.

Nicolai Helius CC with custom frame geo option, 90 – 130 out back, upto 140 up front, can be built to weigh 26lbs easily – kinda pricey though 😉

Banshee Spitfire is 127mm rear travel, adjustable head angle but not sure of the TT

That's absolutely the bike you want mate! Forgot it existed.

Worth looking at a Cotic Hemlock (medium or large) – fits the bill apart from maybe the BB being a bit higher than you're after. I was worried that it was higher than I wanted but it has been fine, probably helped by running quite a bit of rear sag (30+%).

1.5 headtube means you could use angle adjuster headset to slacken it further, which apparently has the additional side effect of lowering the BB a bit too. I'm quite tempted to try it.

I've just stripped a Kona Dawg frame that I was running in a similar configuration- 140mm Pikes on the front and 100mm travel at the rear. It rode brilliantly like that. I don't know the weight of the frame but its a 17" with a TT of 23.3cm or similar.

The frame was intended for 100mm forks so the 140mm slackened it out nicely, no idea what the resulting HA was, but it rode brilliantly and was great on climbing yet confidence inspiring on the descents.

pic from flikr

as I say, I've just stripped it down to move the parts on to something with more travel and will be putting it up for sale soon once I've given it a clean.

I'm playing with a hustler at the minute that is pretty close if a bit heavier that I would like, Ideally I'd like it to be a 7lb ish 26/27lb bike frame, mainly for riding more technical xc than anything jumpy or droppy

The Banshee Spitfire springs to my mind too. Long, low, slack, light, right travel. Looks very good on paper.

thinking a full suss 4x bike like the Commie Meta 4x (in long)

sssimon – Member

want to build a bike 110-120 rear travel, 130-140 front, slack head angle 68degrees ish but with a low bb 13 inches and a 23.5 ish top tube?

so is there a bike out there to do it that doesn't weigh a ton?

sounds like my Cotic Hemlock, i'm not sure on the BB height – i've never measured it, but i still clout the odd rock so it isn't silly high.

s'good for wheelies too…

even a long 4x bike is 22.5 at best and a meta 4x is in the weighs a ton category.

custom nicolai it is then………………

I looked at this a while back too. Seems to me that there is a gap for people who want a short travel frame with a longer fork. Something along the lines of a Cotic Soul but with some bounce at the back.

The Hemlock seems to be one possibility but I've had one of them and wanted something else.

I've ended up going with a Meta 4.2 and stuck my Pikes on it. Seems fine so far.

Sounds like mine. Norco fluid set on short travel. No pics unfortunately.
Spesh FSR XC with longer forks?

had a meta 4 with a 130 mm rev and it was close but not a great riding bike

How about an Orange ST4?

Like my Anthem X with 130mm Dt Swiss Forks… But it's not stiff and slack as I'd like.

Orange ST4? *beaten to it*

st 4 with a 2010 rev at 130m would be pretty close too I reckon, concerned it would have that dead meta feel but that might have been down to it being a heavy frame

For some reason I didn't think about my own bike! – Nicolai Helius AC.

Adjustable 120-150mm on back, not too heavy, 140-150mm fork up front.

I run the 120mm at the back and Pikes. Slack at the front, low BB. Great fun. Not cheap though!

Chumba VF2 isn't far away from what your talking about.. 127mm rear travel and takes a long fork .. up to 160 at the front.

SSimon – sounds like the 4x idea is a non-starter then. The custom Nic would be soooo cool although to be honest, the Helius AC in stock form is going to do what you ask. The large comes in at around 23.3" for the TT, sub 13" for the BB and can be set to offer 120mm of travel and still work with a 140mm fork. The HA with a 140mm fork is going to be around 67.5-68 degrees, right were you want it.
The only thing I would customise is the seat tube; I'd ask for a large frame but with the seat tube from a medium or small; that way you get the length without the height of the ST. It doesn't give you any more clerance but it does allow you to drop the saddle lower and stops the bike looking like a gate.

Shame on you Ferrit! ANy chance you can post a picture of your AC?

Large size is 600mm top tube = 23.6"

BB height very much depends where you're measuring from – Nicolai measure relative to the axles which are fixed points but not sure how you're measuring 13".

On the AC BB is +11mm and doesn't change when you adjust the rear travel (but should always be run with a 140-150mm fork).

You might also want to look at the CC where adjusting the rear travel *does* affect the angles and BB height. CC bb height is 14mm and measurements are based on a 130mm fork. Dropping the rear travel one notch (to about 115m) would lower the BB and slacken the head angle. Adjusting the fork to 140mm will slacken it another 0.5 degrees.

geetee – here you go. This is in middle travel setting – 130mm. Options are 120/ 133/ 146 mm.

And yes, I'm a lanky beanpole!

More info here too:

http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-helius-ac.html#heliusac

my 07 trance is 4.2" rear, 130 revs up front, head angle is 70.5 standard but the extra 30mm in the forks tips that back to 69 ish. low bb too.
the large size (which looks like a gate apparently) has a top tube in the range you want…

The Chumba VF2 is 127mm at the rear with a 68 HA at 140mm with a 13.5" BB height and will weight between 28-30lb with a reasonable spec.

sssimon – Member

"want to build a bike 110-120 rear travel, 130-140 front, slack head angle 68degrees ish but with a low bb 13 inches and a 23.5 ish top tube?"

Sounds like a Hemlock to me as well. Bb slightly higher than you're after, 13.5 with 130mm fork. 68.5 degrees HA and 23.25 TT for a medium. I've got no objectivity at all, I love mine to bits, I can take it for XC rides or razz round glentress or mince my way down the fort william DH course on it and it just gets on with business.

If you wanted to get the lower BB and slacker head angle a HA reducer headset would make it almost bang on what you're after I think. But it's very close as standard.

ST4 is a tad on the shorter travel of that, but would be on the money for weight, handling and FUN!

The Spitfire could be very slightly slacker than you want at the front, but its very close to what you've described. With two shock positions and a range of options for lower headset cups you would be able to fiddle about until you got it the way you wanted it. You might not be miles off your target weight either, mine is 30lbs with flats, without trying too hard at all.

Get a Spitfire!!!

Mine is 29lbs and a bit.

Matches a SC blur 4x me thinks 4x geo

I have a large ano silver frame for sale (with xt front mech and spare dropout and HV rp23)

£600

mail me Andytoop@hotmail.com

prophet sl

did i say Blur 4x

Thread resurrection…

Meta 4.2 with 140mm fork?