Looks superb.
Is there any mileage in the short rear stays and standard geometry up front so you can run a rigid or shorter travel fork.
Looks superb.
Is there any mileage in the short rear stays and standard geometry up front so you can run a rigid or shorter travel fork.
How much difference does 10mm in the stays make to the way the bike handles?
TJ hit the nail on the head for me.
Big climbs like in the Lakes and Scotland benefit from having a granny gear when you are tired or things get steep. Personally, I like my knees and prefer spinning over grinding.
If the market you are aiming at is mountain types who like to climb as well as descend, I would expect that the lack of a granny ring option would rule the frame out which is a real shame. For me, it would definitely be a no go which is a shame as I'm in the market for this very type of frame. Had the gryphon had rack mounts, I'd be riding one at the moment and not the salsa fargo which I ended up buying instead. Still, you can't be all things to all people.
If you can do mounts and granny gear versatility, you potentially open up the product to more customers. Of course, at the end of the day it's your product and for you to decide on what feedback to take and what not to.
I wonder how many folk would want this type of bike for singlespeeding?
Design by Committee? Garrrr!
Surely if your riding consists of the enormous mountains of Scotland or the high altitude trails of the lakes, then you're fit/strong enough do do without a granny ring.
How many people who think they need a granny ring have tried 1x9/10 for a decent period of time? If you can't get up the vast majority of stuff with 32x34(or 36), then it's probably not the bike at fault.
doof doof +1, make it single ring
Another vote for single ring with iscg.
How much difference does 10mm in the stays make to the way the bike handles?
my blue pig has 430mm (ish) chainstays, and it's fine, if you can't ride everything with chainstays that long, it's probably not the bike at fault...
i can understand trying to keep the chainstays from getting too long, but why go to such trouble to make the chainstays unusually short? (even for a 26er, 420mm would be short).
it seems that there's not much in the middle ground, 29ers seem to have been mostly xc race bikes, but now there are a few coming out that have skipped right over the happy land in the middle, and gone straight to long forks, single-ring-only, and super-short-chainstays.
seems odd to me. but yes, it's Sam's bike, he can of course do whatever he wants.
if i bought one, i'd be in a very weird world where my Dh bike would be easier to pedal uphill than my xc bike.
(yes, my Dh bike has a granny ring)
"where am i riding today? - are there many climbs? - yes? - i'd better take the Dh bike then"
Duckman, that rigid Swift looks fantastic.
How's the ride? Is that a custom spray, or can you get them like that?
Cheers!
Crispy
swifts are horrible on 120mm, tried and rejected, forks saved for something more suitable

Swift by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr
this was fun though

5,4,3,2,1...GO!! by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr
Doof Doof
For stuff like Skiddaw, Helvelyn, Lochnagar, the granny makes a big difference for me in terms of walking / not walking. I love the fact that I can ride all the way up the likes of Skiddaw when riding a triple without having to get off and push. With a middle ring only, it ain't going to happen which for me defeats the point of a mountain bike. Personal preference I guess. I'd take my hat off to anyone that could do these climbs with a middle ring only as that would be seriously impressive in my book! I guess I just don't feel the need to make things harder for the sake of MTFU when there is an option that keeps me spinning. Ha! Ha!
If the final version can run a granny, I'll be ordering one. If not, I'll just keep looking for something that works better for me. The beauty of choice!
Cheers
Crispy; It was a colour they used to come in.
Duckman, that rigid Swift looks fantastic.How's the ride? Is that a custom spray, or can you get them like that?
Cheers!
Crispy
was mine
Not custom, that was the original colour.
Studio shot...

Buzzard in the studio by Singular Cycles, on Flickr
Any approx idea of pricing at this stage Sam?
Are short chainstays on 29er's to be a short lived fad as they were in the 26er elevated chainstay era?
PS. I have no idea... 29er virgin over here but just wondering if history is going to repeat itself (like a kipper burp).
What about a braze on front mech mount liek they use on road frames to solve the mech tyre clearance?
Bike looks good by the way.
Messiah - who can say. I think that for 29ers shorter stays do help a lot in making for a bike with a shorter turning radius, and help address issues some have with lofting the front wheel.
DavidT - couple of issues - primary one being that you would need to use a road front mech which is designed for (at best) 36-50 chainrings, whereas on an mtb chainset we would want to shift across 22-32 + maybe 42. For the two small rings the radius of the cage is wrong, and most road mechs won't have the throw required to reach teh outer ring of a triple.
looks lovely Sam, just needs some proper big boy rubber clearance in the back and I'd get my credit card out
Nobody told me elevated chain stays were dead, ,, damm just had one built
Theoretically, if I have the EBB on my Swift rotated all the way to the rear, this should shorten the chainstay length by maybe 10mm or so and steepen the seat tube angle. Just a thought!
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