Bit of background use my old kona caldera 26er (has been run as single speed in past and like the idea of simplicity)as a general workhorse pub bike,trailgator tow bike etc last week discovered a crack in one side of the seatstays so needed to replace the frame so which one of the above would get your vote ( money is not a big issue which ever one i get will be going on 0% card)but can’t quite stretch to complete new bike hence frame only

cant stretch to a karate monkey ? that would be my choice over a 1×1 – much more versatile.
edit – for some reason i thought the karate monkey did 29er and 26er …. seems its actually a full bhuna 29er….. Being as im a 29er only rider im going to still suggest get a karate monkey and rebuild your wheels to 29er rims 😀

Surlys are better made, Inbreds are cheaper. I have a Troll, which is a 1×1 with more braze-ons, and an Inbred. I also find the Inbred much more fun to ride as a mountain bike, it just feels livelier, but I don’t think that matters too much in a pub bike!

1×1 has been my most versatile bike so far. It’s been the platform for all sorts of changes and experiments.

You can fit 29er wheels, 650B+, 26″ wheels with 3″ tyres (or ordinary), or 24″ with 3″ tyres. And you can get a Fat B Nimble 3.5″ tyre in the standard front fork.

Which is why I have hung on to a bike built in 1998.

Update just pressed the button to order a surly1x1 from Charlie read the above thought about it all day at work and decided the versatility of the Surly won the day 😀