I do really like the Stanton’s but it’s just a lot more money, and the BFE has plenty of nice touches, 853, oval top tube etc and in my opinion the best paint job out there, for alot less money.

The BFe isn’t really an 853 frame; only the down tube is. Yes Stanton’s are a lot of money, but there are reasons for it. The Morf is £500 for boggo 4130.

I had a BFe and didn’t really like it. Looked pretty but wasn’t that nice to ride because I thought it was a bit dead, stiff and harsh. The Slackline that replaced it was a much nicer bike to ride in my experience.

The Production Privee bikes are lovely in the flesh.

Stanton make some cracking looking bikes and have feverish fanboys who seem convinced they are the best regardless of what anyone else makes. Would still like to try one though.

The same can be said of Cotic around these parts… 😉

I get that the BFE isn’t really an 853 frame but the rest of the material is well thought out. Similarly the Switchback isn’t really a 631 frame yet costs almost 60% more than the BFE so it’s much of a muchness.. The Morf is only 4130 but has some nice features like the 12 gauge chainstay. The Privee is also 4130 but almost as expensive as a Stanton.

The numbers are all very similar between them, the Moxie is the only ‘out there’ geo

The Switchback is a 631 front triangle and 525 stays, so that’s more Reynolds steel than in an 853 Soul!

However, my understanding of the Cotic Fm is that it’s basically their own brand version of 631, thus less expensive but equally strong. And they’ve only ever used 4130 stays because they’re strong enough. The BFe is a very clever design for getting maximum strength for minimum weight and cost. They probably do more direct sales than the other companies too, so tighter margins through their few dealers.

Having ridden an alloy hardtail for coming round to two years, I’m struggling to convince myself of the extra weight and cost for steel (ignoring very long term durability).

The numbers do vary a fair bit – it doesn’t take much change in BB height to make a bike feel quite different to another. Likewise chainstay lengths.

If you can tell the 1mm difference in BB height between those frames you must be a riding god!

If you can tell the 1mm difference in BB height between those frames you must be a riding god!

Even I wouldn’t notice that little difference! But being hypersensitive to handling and fit doesn’t make me a riding god, it’s more an annoyance if anything…

The BB drop on the Switchback and BFe are pretty close – 45 and 40mm at sag with a 150mm fork. The Shan is at 50mm with the same fork. I’d say 10mm is a pretty obvious difference. My Zero AM is at 57mm, again with the same fork and sag.

I think the Moxie’s numbers must be quoted at sag judging by how slack it looks so it is viable with 27.5 not plus (but bloody low – 64mm BB drop).

Where are you getting those numbers from? Stanton lists it as 43 same as the BFE @140. Companies quoting sagged and non sagged measurements make it pretty hard to get a clear idea! Beginning to think a demo is the only way here! That or just go with the one that looks best