Which one am I going to pull the trigger on ????

Being built SS and Rigid.

Liking the classic look of the Singular .

Like the style and theory behind the Stooge but the colours aint doing it for me .

AHHH

I am thinking along a similar line ATM…

Stooge looks great, I like the thinking on the geo (besides slack STA) and is well priced but is one size only (effectively a medium?), doesn’t look to have a tidy SS option (?) and you could never run a 29er sus fork should you change you mind on rigid (designed around 465mm AC height IIRC). I think I’d be all over it if the twin top tubes were used for internal cable routing like some English bikes 😀

Swift is more traditional in looks, has an EBB for SS, again well priced and reviewers always seem to remark on the tough paint which is a nice bonus. People who have them also seem to describe them as more 26 like than most 29ers which either means “playful” if you ride a lot of twisty stuff or “twitchy” if you ride a lot of flat out straighter trails.

I do like the idea behind Stooge but I think on balance, the practicalities and the reported sharper responses of the Swift edge me towards the Swift.

Both look great, I guess it just depends where you ride and what you want out of the bike. Would be great to hear some owners thoughts 😀

I have a mk1 Swift and a Stooge. I’ve yet to build up the Stooge but it’s a lovely frame. It has an EBB so can easily be SS’d and that’s what I’ll be doing. I’m also planning to run it with a 29+ tyre up front. It’s definitely more solid (and heavier) than the Swift. It will take a 100mm fork but only if you can find one with a straight steerer, which is getting tricky.

My Swift is built up geared for bikepacking and lightish XC. The Stooge will be a year-round rigid SS to replace an Inbred 29er which was great but not as fun as I expect the Stooge to be.

And how can you not like the Stooge colours?

I’ve just bolted a few more bits to my Stooge this afternoon. I’d echo what Cheezpleez says, it’s a lovely frame (both colours are stunning in the flesh) but a very different beast to a Swift … although they’re both rigid steel 29ers, I think it would be difficult (and a little unfair) 😉 to try and draw any comparisons between the two.

My first post was hastily bashed out and didn’t cover my main concern.
I’ve gone off mtb a bit I’m thinking bollocks to all the technological advances and want to get back to basics…
This build I want to be able use for general local riding mainly farm tracks bridleways woodland local village pub rides that sort of stuff.
Now the Swift I know will be bang on for that but I guess I also am worried about it being too XC and getting bored I like to get my wheels off the ground, manuals drops etc. So I see this stooge thing.

Love it, read the premise on the site and I’m like yep that’s what I need! But I’m worried this thing whilst being all the fun I need might be a bit of a pig for XC stuff… Also the weight it’s a bit heavier than the Swift isn’t it..

Re: colours the colours are nice I do like them but I sort of made my mind up on this classic looking bike in a nice bland boring pastel shade.

It’s not that much heavier than a Swift. I’ve not ridden mine yet but I’m sure it’ll be just fine for general XC. My suspicion is that the Stooge is going to get ridden a lot more than my other bikes. We’ll see.

I’m tempted by the Stooge. One question I have is that someone who’s ridden one described it to me as a ‘trail’ bike – what does that mean? Is it that thing Spectabilis mentioned about wheels off the ground and jumps/stunts? My riding would be a lot more genteel than that! I’d want it for long distance stuff, covering varied terrain. Having said that, perhaps the slack angles would make it more reassuring on the rougher and steeper descents.

Cheers for you responses guys…
I’ve decided to plum for a Stooge… If I don’t get on with it I’ll shift it for a Swift.

I’ve quite fancied a Swift for a couple of years, but recently rode the Stooge demo bike around Llandegla – not technical, but very fast and loads of fun. I rode it directly after a lap on my El Mariachi SS* and they felt very different despite both being rigid 29ers.
The spring of the triple (count ’em) butted KungFu tubing on the ElMar makes it the smoothest rigid bike you could wish to ride, but the geometry makes for a racier, position.
The Stooge achieves its speed in a different way. The angles are more relaxed, meaning that the rider is too as his position is less racy. Once it’s heading downhill, it’s about holding tight and enjoying the ride. The high front-end lets you ride with less weight over the front when things do get technical.

As for the colours…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/nxX1BY]Stooge in Plum Crazy[/url] by placid casual, on Flickr

Suffice to say, I came home with a new frame.

*I know this post doesn’t answer the question!