Evening all,

Following on from my recent what bike thread I have taken a liking to the Stooge steel hardtail frame.

However, I appear to have missed this whole 27.5+/29B+ tyre size thing.. Can somebody explain what it is before my brain implodes? Am I right in thinking the Stooge can run either a 27.5″ wheel or a 29″ wheel? Is this new tyre size merely down to the width / over all circumference of the tyre?

Ie.. Ride it on 27.5″ wheels with a wide larger circumference tyre and it is technically a 29er that doesn’t look daft? Or have I missed the point by a mile?

Also, at a smidge under 5ft 6 would I size up ok on the one size fits most frame?

Apologies for the maybe obvious question and possible daft conclusion! I’m an old fashioned 26er dude!

The stooge Mk 2 will run both, before you dismiss +tyres as daft try some. The grip and comfort are very good. Cheers 1 shed.

I didn’t dismiss them as daft. I asked what the difference was between them and normal tyres/wheels.

Anybody else?

Stooge was designed to run 29 in the rear and a larger 29+ up front for a bit more cushion and grip. I.e. old skool set up of slinky rear burlier front. Folks have since discovered that you can fit a 27.5 + in the rear and front which effectively gives you the same outside diameter of a 29 (give or take a smudge) but with more volume so you get a bit more grip and comfort. A wtb 2.8 27.5 + is actually about the same width as a 2.4 29erlike a racing ralph.

The new mk 2 frame has a little bit more clearance in the frame so a narrow 29+ like a fat b nimble on a 35mm rim will squeeze in with a fag paper clearance.

There is also a titanium proper 29+ on the way

at 5ft 6 you should be fine as the standover is huge but may need a nice 35-50 mm stem

so in summary, its a massively versatile frame (also goes great with a boingy fork) and what ever wheel size you use it will ride really well.

Thanks Tazzy, I was nearly correct then! It does appear to be very versatile, the ability to run normal width and wide tyres is good.

I’d definitely run it with 27.5″ wheels.. I think!

I did suspect I’d have to run a shorter than normal stem as the overall reach on the Stooge is 24mm more than the Cotic, I ran a 50mm on that and the ETT combined with stem length was 627mm. So I would need to run a 30mm to see how that felt.

I’d definitely run it with 27.5″ wheels.. I think!

27.5+ I think you mean, 27.5″ tyres might make the BB uncomfortably low (the +tyres tend to be taller)

eh up. Yeah, the Stooge MK2 was redesigned with the idea of being able to run 650B+ up to 3″ in the rear. As Tazzy said, the MK1 was designed around 29+/29 front to rear, but after trying out the 27+ wheels n tyres i was blown away by how well it rode, especially in the woods where it became super agile and hoppy poppy (?), so i upped the clearance substantially on the second gen. The size and dimension of the wheels and tyres really suits the frame, i run a 3.2 on the front and a 3 on the back, it rocks along. The 29+/29×2.4 combo works great for big days out on the mountains, but essentially the 27+ takes it to another level when it comes to fun and agility, especially if you like to fling your bike around a fair bit, plus the comfort from the big tyres genuinely does negate the need for suspension for most types of riding.

At 5’6 you’d fit great, as Tazzy said, run a nice short stem and you’ll get a great ride. where do you live 1981miked, you’re more than welcome to hop over to mine and try a few bikes out if the journey’s not too great for you. I always like to help getting a bike set up properly for the rider so if you’ve got any questions are just fancy having a general chat about the frames and set-up give me a shout at andrewj.stevenson@hotmail.co.uk. cheers, Andy

Plus, that Andy ^^^ bloke is a right nice chap.

Thanks for the reply Andy, nice to get the info straight from the guy who would know best. I like to chuck my bikes around a bit so running the smaller wheels is what I had in mind. How do they ride for Sunday saunters on the local cycle loop? Are the wider tyres really draggy? Or is it worth running something a bit narrower?

I appreciate it won’t be its natural terrain but as longs as it’s fun and not a drag I reckon it will be fine.

I was going to fire an email of in your direction next week anyway, what wheels are people running on the bike? I have always ridden 26″ on mountain bikes so this is a whole new experience for me and not sure where I should be looking.

Location wise I’m up in Scotland so nowhere near you or I would definitely be making a trip to see the bike and swing a leg over one. I was down that area a bit with work earlier in the year but working more oop north now.

I reckoned a 30mm stem would be a good start point to try and keep the reach on par with the Cotic which I always found fairly comfy, I would put some stem spacers on to raise the front end a bit as I did suffer with numb hands a fair bit so taking the weight off the wrists would be beneficial. Am I on the right lines? Still undecided on bar choice as yet, nothing too fancy, maybe a riser? Any progress on your motocross bar I saw mention of in a post?

Never ran an EBB either so I’ll do some research into that, I assume it runs a standard BB within the EBB?

Apologies for all the questions..

Ps, already decided it’s Magenta for the colour..

The ‘Moto’ bar samples are landing next week, really looking forward to getting a set on my bike and testing them out, i’ll post photos as soon as i have them, but if i love them as much as i’m expecting to then they’ll be available for sale in about a month or so. hey’ll suit your riding style perfectly.

I’ve been using my B+ bike solidly all summer. i know i always refer to ragging int he woods, but in reality my rides are just as likely to be a 3 hour spin over the moors above llangollen and i’ve never wished for a bigger 29er wheel. As you’re used to 26 i think you’ll be very impressed with the comfort and rollabilty (is that even a word?) of the B+. As for rims, go for a 30-35mm rim or over.I have WTB Scraper rims on one bike, on the other i’m using a set of Rovals which are thinner and much lighter and spin up loads easier. Either way, both are fast and not draggy.

EBB runs a regular 68mm bottom bracket.

re setup, at 5’6 with a riser bar, you’d probably only need 5mm of spacers. Start tall and work your way down, the truth will find you pretty quickly.

cheers, Andy

All sounds good to me so far, I’ll have a look at the recommended wheels, I’m inclined to go for the lighter set up as I’m not heavy on gear as I tend to take the faster and less rocky line.

Any ideas what I can get a set of pre built Rovals?

Good advice on the bars aswell as I was imagining I would need more height up front than 5mm spacer. That’s something that will work itself out I’m sure.

Is there anything of note on the BB side? How do I know what position to run it in etc? I’m I’m running 1×10 do I just treat it as a normal BB shell and fit it as normal?

re the BB, just treat it as regular, everything will fit fine. I run an XT 1×10 on one of mine, perfect chainline.

The Roval traverse wheels are £400 RRP, send me an e-mail, i should be able to get hold of a set if you wanted 😉

Will do Andy, I’ll email you next week. Have a good Sunday.

What tyres can the MK1 frame run?

Can you run 27+ on the back? Or is it just 29?

I presume the MK1 can run both 29 and 29+ on the front?

For a MK1 fraem what tye and rim combo would you recommend?

oli

Hi Oli, re your questions:

What tyres can the MK1 frame run?
It was originally designed around a 29×3 on the front, 29×2.3 on the back.

Can you run 27+ on the back? Or is it just 29?
Yes, a 27+ tyre up to 2.8 will fit fine on rims up to 45mm. The MK2 frame has a lot more clearance specifically for the bigger B+ tyres.

I presume the MK1 can run both 29 and 29+ on the front?
The geometry is designed around a larger diameter front tyre, so though a normal 29 front tyre can be used it will affect the geometry slightly, makes it less bulldozery on the downs, for regular trail riding the front becomes a little more reactive.

For a MK1 fraem what tye and rim combo would you recommend?
Either run the 29+/2.3 combo or run B+ with a 3.00 upfront and a 2.8 outback to preserve the geometry. With B+ it feels like a large BMX, very fast and lively, makes you want to ride down things.

Hope that helps, cheers, Andy