The Calderdale steps scare me just looking at them. Fair play to you guys.

horses cant get up steps and so maybe those are not on bridalways…

i didn’t mean i wanted to cycle down them, they look like a nice walking spot. 🙂

theflatboy – i didn’t mean i wanted to cycle down them, they look like a nice walking spot.

yeah, yeah, yeah, I believe you

good news. now we’ve got that sorted, if anyone fancies divulging where i might find these lovely looking steps when i’m up that way in a few weeks then that would be lovely.

See this is the thing, I can well believe that slacker is better for steep, Calderdale down hills and doesn’t make much difference to the slow slog back up, but what I can’t quite fathom is how it is going to work slicing through woodland singletrack?

I’ve been riding my Ragley Ti a lot at Lee Quarry where there’s some great flowing singletrack as well as berms. Short stem / wide bars and aggressive riding style is where this bike is at and that combination means sharp handling fun and the option of hitting rock sections and way steep stuff as well.

Wow, it’s the “Jesus Bike”

Will it bring an end to world hunger and a cure for cancer as well? 😉

have I ever wanted a steeper head angle?

yes!

IMO there comes a point where the bike just falls from side to side as your turn the bars. Very confidence inspiring at high speeds, but felt woefull climbing in anything other than a straight line, felt like i was wrestling it upright after corners!

ed-o : interesting as i’ve said the same thing about my ti 456.

140mm Fox 32’s on a thomson 50mm stem + cnt dh 711mm’s 🙂

hmm, i’ve checked and according to the figures, the ragleys chainstays are the same length as mine – 16.5″. Not sure why they felt longer, they certainly looked longer – the f. mech was definitely further away from the tyre. Maybe it was the steeper seat angle??

I’m pretty sure slack angles have been around for a while. My old Cove Stiffee had them back in 2002.

I recommend building the test/demo bikes with a longer steerer and some spacers though. Takes a bit too much getting used to for people on non-on-one bikes otherwise (unless thats the idea, like making people use a shorter stem?)

horatio – the ragley’s HT is longer than the [very short @ 105mm] ti456’s……and my ti456 run’s a 50mm thomson 0 deg rise x4. 20mm of spacers currently – i do intend to drop to 10mm one day !

Ragley Ti discounted already?
15% off at CRC

Nice pics of CRC…it iz well buff, innit?

What are those little holes on the dropouts for?

I still have much love for my Ti456 so am not tempted. But looking forward to the build pics that will hopefully start surfacing. If its half as good as the Ti456, it’ll be awesome.

What are those little holes on the dropouts for?

So you can tell your wife you’re going to fit a child seat on it. Even though you’re probably not.

Has anyone ridden all three of the Ragley frames (Blue Pig, mmmBop and Ti)? How different do they feel? I assume at least Brant has 😉

See this is the thing, I can well believe that slacker is better for steep, Calderdale down hills and doesn’t make much difference to the slow slog back up, but what I can’t quite fathom is how it is going to work slicing through woodland singletrack? Most of my local riding is gently undulating forest trails, all twisty and narrow but fundamentally lacking in elevation changes

Great point. Most of us don’t live in the alps or even the peaks. What’s the slackest head angle you can live with for flat, twisty singletrack?

Only I’ve ridden all three.

The steel and ti are very similar in feel, until you pick them up.

When did you wish your steeering was faster/more nervous/more twitchy?

I ride an inbred with (I think) the older 420mm forks, so not very often!

Not trying to open a can of worms here, so how would I choose between the steel and Alu frame? What are the pros/cons, or is it just a case of personal preference (or prejudice…)?

Alu frame is stiffer, harsher, more direct, lighter. An ace thrash, blast, braap, rip machine.

The steel and ti ones are a bit softer and more subtle.

Not trying to open a can of worms here, so how would I choose between the steel and Alu frame? What are the pros/cons, or is it just a case of personal preference (or prejudice…)?

Steel is stronger, alu is lighter. Steel is possibly more forgiving, the alu one looks like it will be quite stiff.

If your doing dh tracks, drops and jumps then I guess the steel would be better.

you should have called it braap.

OK – here’s one we discussed on tonights ride. When was the last time you wished your head angle was STEEPER during a ride? When did you wish your steeering was faster/more nervous/more twitchy?

Last time I rode some proper single track.

I dont think any trails in the South warrant a slack head angle.

Reckon I would find it difficult to choose between the steel/alu without a test-ride then.

Re head angles, get a fork with adjustable travel for a bit of flexibility.

I like the feel of my ti456 with my revs at 130mm as I now like to muscle the bike around with wide bars and short stem. I don’t like the twitchiness of when I lower the forks, but a few years back it would have felt normal when I used to ride a Klein with steeper head angle and narrow bars.

Is it ‘new school’ or should it be ‘nu skool’? Can it take everything you can throw at it, or should it take everything you can throw at it and more 🙄
But since the ti 456 is the best hardtail ever, surely this must be better? the best’est hardtail ever!
OMG what could be next.

I quite fancied one of these, but having read this thread I’ve kind of swung back to a Handjob. Seems that something lighter and quicker is a better complement to my full suss.

How does Ed deal with mud and grit with his beard? Does he own a Afro-com?

rj – no way – ti456’s are phenomenal. and mine will take 2.4″ big betty’s for proper rock running 😀
not too sure the ragley will take a 2.4″ BB as that chainstay / BB interface thingy may foul……..?

” trails in the South warrant a slack head angle.”

Don’t be daft, there’s tonnes of steep in Somerset and Devon. It’s just that we also have tonnes of singletrack too.

The impression I’m getting is that all 3 bikes suit “plod-up, bomb down anything” rather than “pottering about” riding. Sounds ideal for Quantocks and Exmoor.

not too sure the ragley will take a 2.4″ BB as that chainstay / BB interface thingy may foul……..?

The Ragley tyre clearance is considerably bigger than the 456.

Don’t be daft, there’s tonnes of steep in Somerset and Devon

Surely that’s in the West, not the South 😉

could someone please just tell me where some of those yorkshire steps are?

TLR, you can fit a Big Betty in the rear of your Ti 456?

“Surely that’s in the West, not the South”

Last time I looked, I didn’t live in the North (more’s the pity) or the Middle 😀

Perhaps he meant South-East. I expect there are steep bits on the Downs and Chilterns if you go looking, they are a bit hilly.

How does a thread about a strangely controversial bike that nobody has ridden turn into a north vs south debate?

And why do I care?

How does a thread about a strangely controversial bike that nobody has ridden turn into a north vs south debate?

It’s all Thatcher’s fault I expect 😉

Haha, you’re probably right there actually.

I blame scruff; he started it – 😛

theflatboy – could someone please just tell me where some of those yorkshire steps are?

I could probably tell you where most of them are but I doubt you’d understand my directions unless you knew the area and in that case you’d know the steps. I think the whole idea is that you shouldn’t be there anyway so telling people its a bit wrong.

I want to see some one ride the steps at the top of Harley St in Tod

We all looked down the steps of doom- very wet/damp that day. Even Jason decided not to ride down them and he belted straight down Balti steps without checking first.