Been looking at one of these to replace a 456. Wondering how folks are getting on with them and what they are like on long XC rides. Wondering if I should wait for the Sherpa.

You’re too late, they’re no longer In.

Who says?

They.

Website says avaliable.

In fashion I meant- you’ve missed the wave of STW approval.

I’m slow in more ways than one. So should I be looking for something aluminium with 100mm forks and the saddle slammed? On second thoughts I couldn’t handle something like that.

They’re like unicorns. No-one’s ever seen, ridden, reviewed or owned one. But they’re on everyone’s shortlist… If you grate one over your cornflakes you can see into the future and good luck will follow you around like a slightly overweight labrador… 😉

I want one.

I made up the thing about seeing into the future you know. Mostly your cornflakes will just taste of iron filings. Good if you suffer from low iron levels though.

Had one on my shortlist but the frame sizing wasnt quite right for me. Bought one of these instead..

I’ve got one.

It’s a great bike, and has capability way past my limitations. I use it for all sorts of things, including my fantastic Delamere Monday Night Ride and lots of my multi hour Peak and North Wales rides. It’s fine for all dayers.

Superb toy, and great value as well.

Recommended.

Dave

Slackline = £400
BFe = £329

Simple mathematics.

thought about one when i was looking. in the end decided there wasn’t much to differentiate it from 4 or 5 other similar frames out there, at all the money.
i went with an alpitude in the end. fat ( 44 ID ) headtube and it came in a nice colour. 😀

wrecker – Member
Slackline = £400
BFe = £329
456 = £160

Simpler Simple mathematics. mathematics

Slackline is also full 853 isn’t it? Where the new BFe is 853 and chromo – not knocking the BFe as I’ve got one, but £400 for a full 853 frame isn’t a bad price at all.

If I was buying again it’d be on my shortlist – although they need to stop trying to replicate Charges branding.

I bought on a couple of weeks back.
So far I’m impressed. Great geometry, price is good for 853 frame.
Finishing is ok.
If I could have I would have liked to have held out for the Ti version – but the price difference just wouldn’t have made it affordable.

Mate has got one with Pikes up front and loves it. He’s a properly quick ex DH racer type so his only complaint is ‘could be slacker’. He also got the maroon which is an old giffers colour, blue is much nicer IMO

Haven’t Stanton missed a trick by having a 1 1/8″ head tube and 27.2 mm seat tube ?

Future compatibility with forks & dropper seat post choice certainly drove my choice – Blue Pig X – a few months ago.

Slackline is also full 853 isn’t it? Where the new BFe is 853 and chromo

Slackline has 853 main triangle and BFe has 853 downtube.

Slackline = £400
BFe = £329

Slackline comes in loverly shiny blue!

Slackline = £400
BFe = £329

Simple mathematics arithmetics.

Arithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word ???????, arithmos “number”) is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics

Being the most elementary branch of mathematics, arithmetics would be:

Simple mathematics

Wondering if I should wait for the Sherpa.

I enquired about the Sherpa a couple of weeks ago, and this is the reply I got from Stanton Bikes:

The Sherpa has taken a little bit of a back seat at the moment as we’re unsure whether to bring it out in a 29er. We need to prototype a few samples to make up our mind.

1 1/8″ head tube and 27.2 mm seat tube

I like it even more now.

Looks nice and is/was “on trend”… but I agree with this ➡

Haven’t Stanton missed a trick by having a 1 1/8″ head tube and 27.2 mm seat tube ?

Haven’t Stanton missed a trick by having a 1 1/8″ head tube and 27.2 mm seat tube ?

Think the Slackline would look kind of odd with a 44mm headtube and a bigger seat tube… but yes it limits compatibility with dropper posts. Although probably not the intended use for that kind of frame – it seems like a bit more of a 4x style ragger rather than an all dayer xc ride (although I’m sure people use theres for exactly that).

The new BFe can just about pull off the bigger headtube it now has because of the bigger tubing used.

I’ve got the nice shiney blue one and love it. The stanton boys let me have their demo bike for a weekend and i blasted it round cwm carn. Was extremly impressed. My endruo sometimes felt like a bit of a barge in comparison to this. VEry short chain stays which makes it feel really flickable.

Got my talas set at 130 and it feels spot on

awesome bike

Slackline has 853 main triangle and BFe has 853 downtube.

And I bet none of us could tell the difference!

I think it’s the tubes with the 853 stickers on that don’t rust?

Mate has one too and he loves it, seems like a fun bike. Similar to my NS Surge, the Surge not having the pixie dust 853 of course.

And now there are unicorns running around all over the shop…

Just to add the Surge was £150 cheaper…

(I have a Sanderson Life too so of course I can tell the difference, yep the 853 sticker!)

wrecker – Member

Slackline = £400
BFe = £329

Simple mathematics.

Slackline and BFe not exactly the same. Your simple mathematics aren’t neccesarily relevant.

And now there are unicorns running around all over the shop…

Unicorns are old hat, Pegasus is the new mythical steed of choice.

I wouldn’t let a mere £71 price difference have any bearing on the decision, that much gets frittered away on all many of incidental MTB costs every year or less! The Slackline is 853 throughout, the BFe is now 853 downtube, Cotic Fm (725 equivalent, definitely not basic chromo) everywhere else.

Slackline and BFe not exactly the same. Your simple mathematics aren’t neccesarily relevant.

Blind test either of us and I bet neither of us find the slackline 25odd% better.
Entirely relevant.

But a frame on its own is no use – the real % cost difference is that of the final bike and is thus much smaller.

Something to consider about chainstay length – the shorter the more nimble and easily manualed, the longer the more stable AND the smoother the ride (due to lever lengths, ignoring frame flex).

Any thoughts on seatstay length too? Brant mentioned something about them bending out the way so they must have an influence too, 853 here make more of a difference?

Seatstay length just has to be enough to finish the seat tube / chainstay / seatstay triangle! 😉 The steel alloy makes no difference to the feel – the tube diameter dominates the stiffness with the larger tubes but as you go thinner (ie the stays) the wall thickness has an increasing effect. You could drop some weight and maintain stiffness and strength by using fancy steel like 853 in a larger diameter thinner walled tube but only if you can get tubes in that exact profile / butting, otherwise ‘plain’ chromo will feel and weigh the same and be as tough, more tolerant of chainsuck (thicker walls) and give more clearance (thinner tubes) and cost less.