Hi guys.
I am looking to replacing my old dull kona Al xc frame with a more suitable frame for proper xc and trails, as in my country good mountain tracks are not a problem ( romania ) .
There are plenty Al options available at local BS’s, but steel frames are something of a myth around here.
My current setup is a kona fire mountain ( only the frame remained from the original setup ) , a recon 351 air with 130 mm travel that i adjusted to 110 mm , a mix of deore and xt transmission parts and fulcrum RM5 wheels. The bike is ok for offroad tracks and medium difficulty xc, but i feel the need for something more aggresive.
For steel frames, i could spend around the 200 pound target price, w/o shipping. It should be more oriented towards aggresive xc riding, with a recommended 100-130 travel for the fork . It should also be not too heavy ( max 2 kg ).
As cotic soul is not an option 🙂 i took notice of the following alternatives : on-one 456, ragley piglet, charge duster. I’d also appreciate other suggestions.
I would be grateful for your inputs on the matter. Thanks.

4.4lbs is a light steel frame and therefore £££! The frames you have listed are all heavier than 2kgs.

Sanderson Life if you can find a 2nd hand one. I would go for an On-One Inbred although they are 5.5lbs.

Well i admit i didn’t bother to convert from kg to lbs, and the “2 kg” value is something i took from the Al products. I’m not really a weight weenie and i would commit to a heavier frame if it has other advantages.

There’s a couple of P7 frames for sale in the classifieds.

They arent “light” but they certainly dont feel heavy when you ride them. Great frames.

I have a P7 and Kona Explosif for sale 21″ and 20″ respectively if your interested in either. Both well within your beudget.

Thanks for the p7 heads-up, but right now i’m just doing some reasearch. Later on, in late autumn or winter , i will make the purchase.
LE : i ride 18 inch , so i think a 16-17 inch steel frame is the right size for me.

I can’t recommend a P7 highly enough! They’re a fantastic all-rounder frame. I’m running mine in pretty much identical spec to your Kona

Not much new at that price point.

NS Bikes Surge 2 Frame 2012 £249
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=58190

Pipedream have some ex-demo frames for sale
http://www.pipedreamcycles.com/pipedream-bargain-bucket/

P7s vary from year to year but the heaviest ones are incredibly heavy, well over 6lbs.

Bikescene have Orange R8s in 17 inch for £270, that ticks most of the boxes and is as close as you’re going to get to your budget if you’re buying new.

TBH a lot of the cheaper/heavier steel frames end up being pretty solid lumps, just because of the sheer amount of metal in them. If you’re looking for the mythical springy, lively steel frame then you need to shop carefully. On One IMO don’t sell any IMO. (not to say they don’t sell good frames of course, but my Scandal and my C456 were more steel-ey than any Inbred or steel 456 I’ve ridden).

Material isn’t everything, there are lots of lumpy steel frames and lots of lively alu frames. And at your price point used carbon’s on the cards too. I’d say shop for the character you want rather than for a material.

@ northwind,
The ” mythical springy steel frame ” – 🙂 that’s what caught my attention in the first place, when i started searching.
I know that 200 is kinda’ low budget, but i may be able to increase that if the frame is really worth it .
Forgot to mention that i’m not against second-hand parts, just not now ( for those that come with business proposals 🙂 )

I had a piglet, it cracked after a few rides and in that time I didn’t really get on with the geometry (although I have to say I never got a chance to play with different stems and bars). There were no replacements available in the size I had so I was given a refund and got a dialled bikes Prince Albert.
http://www.dialledbikes.com/products/mtb/prince-albert.php
It’s a bit above your stated price range but I can’t recommend it highly enough. I tend to ride it with U-Turn pikes set at 140 but a lot of people say the sweet spot is around 130mm. It somehow manages to be zippy and nimble yet confidence inspiring an a way that no other bike I have ever ridden has been.

Edit: Ooh look, even better value… http://www.dialledbikes.bigcartel.com/product/dialled-bikes-prince-albert-reynolds-725-frames

+1 for the P7.

Blimey! Thats a bloody good deal on and R8. If I didn’t have a P7 already…..

Actually….. hmmmmm…. they’ve got them in my size too

+1 for Prince Albert @ £249 new that’s a great deal, tempted to get another one now my gf is expressing interest in mtb’ing 🙂

Those are the last few Reynolds 725 Prince Alberts at that price. Once those are gone, I’m just doing the Prince Albert Classic Reynolds 853 frames at £425.

And the £249 includes UK mainland delivery.

That orange r8 looks damn fine, in my very limited opinion. I wonder whether there will be any discounts later in winter or spring, because that full price is waay out of my league.
Or how frequent do they pop up in ebay

I don’t think many people bought the R8 at its ridiculous full price, tbh. But at that price, if I didn’t have my Soda I’d be buying one I reckon.

Saracen Kili Flyer available new for £315.

Ooof!

Much cheaper second hand – I did see one on ebay for £150.

My Curtis was £200 on CRC 8)

The R8 is really quite special. Proper rare as well compared with all the Souls and P7s about.

Might be worth looking at the Pipedream Sirius? A bit over budget new but I`d have thought a secondhand one would be within reach.

My R8, bought frame only and built up, love it!

This Soul frame cost me sub £200 including fresh powder coat and new decals/headbadge.

@swingbing,
how did you get the soul at such a good price ? ebay or similar ?

up 🙂

Earl_Grey – Member

I had a piglet, it cracked after a few rides and in that time I didn’t really get on with the geometry (although I have to say I never got a chance to play with different stems and bars). There were no replacements available in the size I had so I was given a refund and got a dialled bikes Prince Albert.
http://www.dialledbikes.com/products/mtb/prince-albert.php
It’s a bit above your stated price range but I can’t recommend it highly enough. I tend to ride it with U-Turn pikes set at 140 but a lot of people say the sweet spot is around 130mm. It somehow manages to be zippy and nimble yet confidence inspiring an a way that no other bike I have ever ridden has been.

Edit: Ooh look, even better value… http://www.dialledbikes.bigcartel.com/product/dialled-bikes-prince-albert-reynolds-725-frames

Thanks. You just cost me £249 :/

Any opinions on On-One scandal ? It’s 230 on sale. With 100 suggested travel it would be just fine for xc purposes …. would it ?
As opposed to prince albert, for the moment .

Merlin rock lobster 853?

Oh wait, that’s aluminium 😐

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=75351

Another option at 270

I can’t speak highly enough about the Prince ALbert, best hardtail I’ve had by some distance, great bike.

So, a lot of votes for Prince Albert so far .
Keep in mind that i’m oriented more towards energetic 100 -120 mm xc ( climbing, tehnical courses ).

So far i’ve received positive feedbacks on the following :
Dialled Prince Albert
Orange p7
Sanderson life
Pipedream sirius
Rock lobster
I’ll add ( based on the general all-round positive reviews )
cotic soul – if i find a good second-hand deal

Bad / Not so good / Nothing special : ragley piglet , on-one 456, kona explosif .

What about charge duster ? People seem to appreciate them .

Add another vote for the Prince Albert, mine is fantastic.
Even more so for the barain price of £249

Pipedream Scion.

Love mine!!

Pipedream Scion too, my next MTB.

Buy mine!

I’ve got a P7, a Sanderson Life and an On-One Scandal (29er) – built with similar kit (though one is currently SS). Of the 3, the P7 is the least ‘zingy’ to ride, the scandal the lightest/fastest and the Sanderson the best all rounder.
Don’t know if that helps.

Breath, spoingy and nice. Mine was reet cheap from thebikechain

[/url] Comrie Croft pump jump track by matt_outandabout, on Flickr[/img]
Wee old railway shed and a Sanderson Breath by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

Where did the singletrack go? by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

Has anyone mentioned a used Genesis Altitude/Latitude? Very similar geometry to Cotic Soul and quite light (under 5lbs I think?).

Go on ebay for about £150

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genesis-Altitude-Mountain-Bike-Frame-/320999150129?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR

@mirciu88 Got my Soul from the Classifieds here. It is quite a few years old now, but it’s certainly polished up nicely. I couldn’t be happier with it really 🙂