Looking for something as follows:

29er
EBB or
PF30 to run a Problem Solvers EBB or
Standard BB with a Trickstuff Excentricker
Steel (cause (I think) it’s more compliant than Alu and any bod with a gas torch can fix it)
Short stays i.e. 430 or under
Slackish HA i.e. 69Deg with 475mm rigid forks
Best suited to riding fully rigid with 29+ front tyre

Now that my riding is almost all rigid with a 29+ front end I’m looking for something with a weight bias towards the rear thus easing some of the pressure on my hands whilst making the bike a bit more ‘poppy’ for clearing fallen trees / stuff without having to work hard to get the front end up and over things.

The PF30 bit is so that I can use a EBB to run my Rohloff without all the rear swinging / sliding faff. (I already have a ‘customised’ Solaris with paragon swingers on the rear and it’s just not cutting the mustard…not ‘poppy’ enough / too steep HA with 475 rigid forks)

Does such a frame exist without going custom?

Thoughts thus far….

1. Stooge: Ticks all the boxes and I have a ‘test’ ride coming up soon.
2. Stanton Sherpa: Not sure how it will handle with a full rigid fork
3. Yelli Screamy: It’s not steel / rigid forks? / expensive.
4. Nimble 9: If I could get over the already fitted rear sliders it may work / rigid forks? / expensive.

Any other suggestions gratefully welcome.

The stooge is the one you want! It’s the most playful and poppy 29er I’ve owned. I’ve also had a yelli with 100mm fork but it was nowhere near as fun.

er..Stooge obviously!

I’m going to get my pile of parts for my stooge sorted today I hope.

If you want that set of geo numbers, the Stooge. If you want a bike that has those ride characterisics with other numbers in other places and the same elsewhere, the Jones is worth test riding, if only for a reference point.

What exactly is your definition of “poppy”? From your list of requirements it doesn’t really sound like you have a grasp of what actually makes a rigid bike poppy.
it certainly isn’t down to having a 69deg head angle.

Personally I’d split “poppy” into two distinct characteristics

1) ease of front wheel lift
2) ease of rear wheel lift
but also ability to pump

smaller wheels are better for all of the above.
smaller/shorter frames are better at 1 (& to some extent 2)
shorter stays are better at 1&2 and are more manual friendly
lower BBs are more stable.
higher BBs are more manual friendly and offer better clearance for obsticles.. and BB height can also relate to “pop”

Sounds like you want a frame that is easier to manipulate (hop, manual, pump) which are all manouvers that are down to weight shift/weight distribution and timing. Cockpit set-up is kinda more important than any one other frame characteristic in giving these attributes.

How long have you been talking about this frame for? 😀

Curtis?

Also, the whole ‘buying a slightly smaller frame for more “flickability”‘ thing that gets put down regularly on here is actually in some ways very true. The problem here is that some of the most vocal advocates of such a ploy don’t really have a clue what they are talking about and end up bullied into ridicule by the forum sheep.. you’ll probably recognise who I’m referring to even if they don’t. 😉

your Solaris in a smaller size with a short stem and high(ish) bars may well have been all you’ve needed all along. (far too difficult to say without knowing you or your bike set-up)

Sounds like you want a frame that is easier to manipulate (hop, manual, pump) which are all manouvers that are down to weight shift/weight distribution and timing.

Agreed, which is why I see the short stays + slack thing as simply associations with rather than drivers of that kind of handling. It can give you what you want, or it may need other compensations that don’t work so well. There’s measurements I see as more influential than CS and HA and weight distribution is the main thing, that’s not easy to read off a geometry chart. Best to test a few bikes and spend a while feeling how they work and ignoring the numbers.

How long have you been talking about this frame for?

How long have you known me for?! 😀

your Solaris in a smaller size with a short stem and high(ish) bars may well have been all you’ve needed all along. (far too difficult to say without knowing you or your bike set-up)

Current set up: Height: 5′ 11”, Medium frame size, 50mm stem with 6Deg rise with 20mm spacer underneath, 710mm carbon riser bars in place. Result, still not ‘poppy’ enough and too much hand slap. By that I mean easy front wheel lift and as I mentioned earlier…it needs to be more rear biased to a) remove some of the weight off my hands and b) make the front end easier to lift.

Having had several conversations with at least 2 well respected custom builders, both have highlighted a rear bias as a probable necessity to unweight the hands. I just can’t afford to have a full custom frame built for myself at the moment (new business and all that!)

short chainstays and higher than norm bb = more nimble and imo fun.. but also more difficult at speed (look at a bmx geo.)

it needs to be more rear biased to a) remove some of the weight off my hands and b) make the front end easier to lift.

Won’t putting a higher rise on the front end do both of these? i.e riser stem or bars?

Dude. You’re not listening.

A small Solaris would fill your criteria pefectly. it’s an inch shorter than your current Medium and has a front centre (or Top tube if you prefer) in the correct ballpark for a dirt jump frame for someone of your height. I’m also 5’11” BTW.

For trail riding you’ll need a 410mm seatpost though.

<EDIT> what rise are your bars?
I’d want at least 20mm of spacers, at least a 50mm rise bar and probably a 40mm stem. (and that’s talking about the Small, Solaris)

short chainstays and higher than norm bb = more nimble and imo fun.. but also more difficult at speed

Depends what you find most fun.
lower BB = better cornering and more stable at speed
short chainstays = stiffer and better for manualling.
high BB = slightly easier to initiate a manual.
more nimble = less weight, samller size and good bike weight distribution.

I’d always want a low BB over the miniscule benefit from initiating a manual.

Jones obviously