I quite fancied the Cotic Rocket, but it looks like thats a no go, anyway I am not so tall (5ft 5″) and I often think Cotic are designed for tall men.
Then there is the DMR bolt, but that is one size, I think its too big for me. Whilst it looks nice and I like the idea of concetric swing arm/bb for the single speeding, it has only got a 27.2 seatpost so that limits dropper choice.

Is there anything else? In 26″?

If you got the cash, I guess BTR will build you something in steel.

Apart from that, there’s not much else out there FS in steel.

The pinner is ugly and expensive.. I like the looks of the bolt and the rocket.

Why a steel FS?

Atomlab Trailking FS if you can find one. The Superstar Zinger tensioner works pretty well if you’re set on running singlespeed on a FS frame too – have one on my Hooker.

Why a steel FS?

Niche, innit.

I like the slimmer frame tubes. Aluminium frames are too chunky.

It’s too niche to have much choice..

5’5 isn’t that short really plenty of small frames out there if you move away from steel as a requirement.

Can you not get a demo on a Rocket? 18 bikes up north, Plush Hills is sunny shropshire.

1) doesn’t the dmr bolt comes in 2 sizes? – short and long?

2) you’re 5’5″, which is more or less nearly average.

i’d be surprised if you couldn’t get comfy on a small Rocket/Bolt

(35mm stem, in-line post, if needed, etc.)

In a slightly less burly vein:

Charge Duster (love the skinny one, but it is a bit Marmite)
Singular Hummingbird (if you can find one, have seen the odd small on EBay)
On one 456 has to be considered at least

1) Can you even buy a rocket? Its dead in the water isn’t it? My friend has an XS cotic BFe, that fits me perfectly. The rocket only goes to small. I would be happy to demo one in small and see if it works.

2) Bolt short and long are still quite high standover for my dainty pins.But I don’t like the 27.2 seatpost as I want to use a reverb or lev. The 27.2 lev appears to be less reliable than the bigger ones, cannot get a reverb in 27.2.

Mr dbcooper has a small covert which is nice, but still feels a little big. Anyway I wanted more like 140mm travel.

Ok so I am happy to take your advice- what small 140-150mm travel fs frame would you recommend, that I can buy today?

PS Brassneck – not hardtail – ouch..

Orange 5 , Mrs beanZ is 5’2″ on a 14″ frame . Giant trance is another option .

How about 2nd hand? [thinly veiled ad alert!] Mrs Yak has finally decided to get rid of her small yeti 575 that she never rides nowadays. It’s an 07 model (new in 08) and has pretty slim straight tubes. Nice condition due to not much use.

Only interested in new sorry.

ignore this post, i’m an idiot.

In true STW tradition I’m going to ignore what you’ve said and recommend what you don’t want, so look at alu frames.., for FS steel doesn’t bring anything to the table apart from weight, the ‘steel feel’ is lost to the rear suss anyway..

🙂

Ok I like the look of the banshee spitfire, its hard to tell thoughh does that take a 140 or 150 fork?
The issue with the spitfire is the 30.9 seatpost, I already have a reverb at 31.4..
I do like the 650b future proofing.

What else?

Right so you’d rather a bike that fits how you think a bike should look, rather than one that actually does a good job? Small, steel FS frames are very rare because it really isn’t a very good material for them.

I could be wrong about this, but I would have thought it will be very hard to find a steel frame with a seattube much more than 27.2mm internal diameter.

As the diameter goes up, to keep the weight from getting out of hand, the thickness has to go down. But if the frame designer does that, it then starts to get very prone to denting and probably insanely hard to weld reliably or to attach pivots.

Aluminium starts out lighter so you can make it thicker with a wider diameter.

However, I know virtually nothing about bike frame design so I could be talking rubbish.

Hmm Dragon I’m not sure either of us are qualified to comment on bike design and materials.

I’m not trying to tell the marketplace what to do or how to design a bike. I am just wondering if anyone has designed a bike that fits my wants, just what exactly is your issue with that?

Given that we place our trust in designers, its up to us as consumers to select the bike that fits our wants, I have faith that the material selected for a particular bike will do its job.
So my preference is for a bike where the designer has used steel, it looks nicer. All other things being equal, it is as good a reason as any to choose a bike.

Anyway to counter the idea that steel is not a good material for a small FS frame I would point out that

1) Even with my limited engineering knowledge I do not think that just because a frame is small that steel is the wrong material, so we can discount that assumption.

2) There are three steel fs frames out there that I know of. One of which (rocket) I would buy in a heartbeat if it were

a) available, and

b) slightly smaller.

3) Are you a better bike designer than Cy at Cotic, because he seems to think steel is a great material for a FS frame.

Oldanpastit I can see your point, but the Cotic Rocket has 31.6 seat tube, with pivot mounts welded to it. So does the Pinner.
Again, I’m not an engineer or bike designer, I’m a hopeful consumer with a want.

steel FS frames are very rare because it really isn’t a very good material for them

+1

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/07/19/steel-is-real-meet-the-one4all-a-steel-full-suspension-amenduro-mtb-by-caminade/
It took a little while to find another one…

Anyway i’d be buying carbon these days.

I quite like that. The S/M is not as small as the rocket (I think).

Anyway for all you steel doubters read this from Cy at Cotic.
Selected quote

I also have to come clean at this point and also admit that I love how it looks too. There, I said it.

I don’t doubt that you can make a decent FS out of steel but very few people bother so there is a very limited choice. It one of the 3/4 doesn’t quite fit right or isn’t perfect it doesn’t leave you with a lot of choice.

The list of things I want from a frame starts with
Fit
Feel
Performance

finally we get to materials but I’d take the better performing bike over a material every time.

Cove Hustler 650b – not sure on the seat tube though.

I don’t doubt that you can make a decent FS out of steel but very few people bother so there is a very limited choice. It one of the 3/4 doesn’t quite fit right or isn’t perfect it doesn’t leave you with a lot of choice.

I think this is the issue. Looking at Aluminium Frames..

Like the Hustler, thanks.

fit and ride first over material. Choosing steel simply because it looks nice is a silly idea. While Cy is very talented there are plenty of other very good designers out there who will give different arguments for other materials. Cy was designed a very specific bike and has had to work very hard to make steel work and it is obviously still causing them problems. I like the Rocket (it’s on my ‘list’) but I wouldn’t say it is very classic thin steel tubed like an old Kona. Remember the swing arm was aluminium because steel was just not the right material and a FS bike requires different properties from it’s frame to a HT.

3) Are you a better bike designer than Cy at Cotic, because he seems to think steel is a great material for a FS frame.

TBF the Rocket isn’t made entirely out of steel, it uses aluminium at the back…

I think what people are trying politely to point out is that you’re actually after quite a niche product, a new, off the peg FS frame available in suitable small sizes with a 30.9mm+ ID seat tube isn’t uncommon, its when you add the requirement that it’s made from steel that things get dicey, Dare I say it you need to decide what you might be willing to compromise on:

-Seat post dia: The bolt might be a goer if you can stomach finding a 27.2 dropper, not impossible there’s Gravity dropper, and I use a 27.2 X-fusion HiLo, so I know it can be managed.

Material: the obvious one and once you accept the idea of Aluminium or Carbon you’re almost spoilt for choice…

Cost: BTR will build you whatever you want (within reason), their Standard ‘Pinner’ frame is £2.5k (not sure on lead times) but it seems to tick all your wants including material, suspension travel, 26″ wheel compatibility and seat tube dia’ plus they do offer custom geometry I believe (at further cost)… Or they’ve been known to graft the back end of someone’s preferred old FS bike onto a custom steel front end… and they’re really nice chaps.

How’s that grab you?

TBH fewer and fewer companies have been using steel for FS bikes over the last 15 years, and those that have are typically small, low volume or custom builders

If your rather partial to a skinny tubed bouncer: http://kenteriksen.com/bikes/mountain-bikes/ whadda bout Ti? Not sure who else builds in it these days.

qwerty, thanks, that looks great.

I appreciate all your input thank you.

To be honest I think we should bring this thread to a close. I’m not cut out for STW.

I’m not cut out for STW.

Really? I thought you were doing OK…

This is actually the “Shallow end” of the internet; generally its polite, middle-class, IT professionals and accountants, barely any swearing or name calling, just the odd lightweight Grammar and spell Nazi, with occasional sarcastic memes and images of kittens…

There are some much Darker Places masquerading as cycling forum’s out there…

I’d get something like this Mountain Cycle Battery and then paint it rusty.

What about one of these?

http://www.swarfcycles.co.uk/index.php/products-swarf/curve

I’ve been following the development with interest in getting one in the future..

How about a Swarf? Steel front end, carbon rear, hand built in Dorset.

Edit: I’m a slow reader, ok? 😉

How’s about the aussie company that built that custom steel AM bike for someone on here/southern downhill. That looked pretty great – I’ll see if I can find it.

edit: Descendence: http://ride.io/forum/index.php/topic,248084.90.html

No idea if they’re still going though.

Upgrade Bikes have just listed an FS Trailking on their site – reduced to £399. I’ve bought reduced frames direct from them before – top folks to deal with.