yea, on the side is rubbish, but the mind boggles what exactly you’d have to be trying to do to your bike, while remaining legal, to catch your nuts on top tube mouted cables?
Is it a yorkhshire thing, you know, a bit like the welsh and their sheep?
I think it looks pretty good and I think the 1.5inch headtube is a good idea, it aint fun snapping a headtube off a frame so anything that makes it stronger is a good idea.
I still reckon the steel version is nicer and it seems like a bargain for a decent frame that looks like its had some thought put into it.
Surely Soul and Ragley are completely different geometry/end use?
They are, but I can only afford one decent bike, and if this’d been around at the time I think it’d probably have got the vote. Not suggesting they’re the same, don’t worry 😉
is it harsher than the Armadillo you designed brant? as that frame must have cost people a fortune in Chiropractors to sort their backs out after riding them.
Cables on top “I’ll catch me nuts on them”, cables on side – “I’ll catch me knee on them”, cables underneath “i’ll catch my shoulder on them”.
Which is why I prefer them all under the down-tube. Then the bolt on cable guides make sense too.
🙂
I’ve been umming and ahhing about saying this, so here goes (This is meant to be constructive criticism 🙂 )…
Brant you’ve designed some good bikes, and some good looking bikes, in your time, (and indeed probably one of the classics) but that is a horrible thing to look at, sorry. Maybe it’s the colour, maybe the lack of graphics, but it looks like a cheapo motorists discount centre bike: Looks like it’s over inflated. (And I like odd looking bikes like the Ti456 and my old Yeti 575)
I’d like to see one in a darker, classier colour I think…..
We like our tictac colours cos they are fun. The steel frame – blue pig – will be in an alt.colour of BLACK, and this model, the mmmbop will be in (it says here) Blue. Though I can’t remember which blue.
1.5″ headtube means the best of all worlds in my opinion, I can’t think of a good reason NOT to have one on an alu frame. Why limit the adaptability of the bike because some people fear the look of change?
Is the 3.7lb with all the bolt-on guides and the paint? If so that’s only half a pound heavier than my old Cannondale frame. Colour me impressed.
Just looking at the spec’ sheets (for all that I’d be able to tell from them) but the Blue Pig and 456 Slacker seem quite similar (maybe a degree steeper HA?).
How does the ride compare between the two? Are there any other significant differences (is Blue Pig double butted rather than plain gauge?).
Never mind the ally ragley, i’m very keen to see the steel pig!
Cheap, tough, bit-o-give, 20″ frame (?), geometry that works downhill, numbers that add up for climbing, room for big comfy tyres, shortish top-tube for a gate.
Brant, you’re a bad man.
resume thread… – the ally ragly looks lovely. Daft colours are the new black.
now i just need re-inforced ankles before i get back on a hardtail.
What’s the theory behind not dropping the TT for more standover clearance?
Yeah, I’d be interested in this too. I like low TTs for nad clearance, and the way they make the frame feel a bit more ‘chuckable’ and wotnot. And they do look better too, since we’ve mentioned aesthetics.
That’s the only thing I’m not wild about. But Brant knows a lot more about bike design than me, so I’d be interested in the reasoning for not doing it on a bike like this…
thing is brant good riders can easily compensate for frame issues, whereas crap (average) riders need all the help they can get, so a dropped TT and its illusion of less nad mashing potential is a nice touch.
I like the colour, it will be interesting to see how the frame looks when it has graphics on it.
Could someone please tell me if the bolt on cable guides suffer from the same stresses and points of weakness that have been mentioned in previous threads refering to bosses for a crud catchers?
As the positioning of one the cable guides looks quite close to the headtube.
As the positioning of one the cable guides looks quite close to the headtube.
Yes. But it’s in a more neutral axis/area of less stress, and is surrounded by gussetry.
It’s the top and moreso the bottom surfaces of the tube that are highly stressed in that region. Not the sides. Not that you can go drilling holes willy nilly.
Also a nice round hole is quite low on the stress levels.
Mr P-Shift, if this new frame can pass the new CEN force/fatigue tests, then you can rest easy.
if anything, its arguable that these tests are too agressive. frames which have stood the test of time/rocks/drops/sketchy-fat-lads have also failed the CEN test.
I personally like the look of a low top-tube. I’m only 5’9″ and can easy get the saddle up to pedalling height on a 14″ frame (Dialled Holeshot with a 410mm Thomson).
I’ve never seen the point of the raised and braced seat towers you get on a lot of bikes: why not just have a longer post? Though I guess they would make sense if I had loooong legs and wanted a short reach