[Closed] What slack low tough 140-160mm full-sus frame & forks for 140mm hardtail rider?

See the thread about All mountain bikes earlier - the way people talk about the SB66 - that it's not a particularly plush ride until pushed hard - it might suit.

Sounds like the banshee spitfire v2 would tick all the boxes for you

[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rocket-or-bandit-or-mega-tr ]Here[/url] and [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/new-bike-blur-lt-bandit-mega-tr-strive ]here[/url]

If you are happy with no travel why do you want a big bike? Get a short travel bike to take the edge off the hits and save wheels. It's also considerably more fun than a big bike as you keep the responsiveness.

I've stripped my big bike. I have a ss and a 4" bike. Hours of fun

I have a small Norco lt for sale cheap if you want. I can't see when i'll build it up again. The small fs is so much fun.

SB66 and the Spitfire were the other two on my radar. Very hard to work out which have the higher or lower BBs because some quote height (tyre diameter varies too much for that to be useful) and some drop. Spitfire looks closer to Rocket but with a little less travel, whilst SB66 is a bit longer and steeper. Both have more complicated suspension - anyone taken one through last summer and winter and how did it cope?

It may not be the most desireable brand but... I'd say a Mega TR would fit the bill nicely...
http://www.nukeproof.com/products/complete-bikes/mega-tr

I'll recommend my own bike, and say a Turner 5-Spot, or Burner 🙂

No full sus pedals well stood up really, otherwise the suspension wouldn't be working. But... the DW-Link pushes the bike along instead of wallowing in the travel when stood up.

Proper stiff, proper tough, easy to maintain, long and low.

Big clearance and weather resistant bearings shouts "Single Pivot" to me, so I'd say Heckler or Orange 5. With a good shock with pro pedal, the bob can be countered, but a 160 fork is never going to be pedal friendly!!

In typical stw fashion, I reckon the bike you need isn't the bike you are asking for. If you want more grip and to keep up with mates, a 29er might be your new best friend 😯

My 2010 Enduro Pro frame wil be for sale shortly.

Large, in stealth black.

Remember when you saw my rocket in Freedom Bikes? Go onnnnnnn you know you want to 😀

Nicolai AC

Reading the OPs post, you obviously want a Rocket. You've had a Soul for years, and want to keep brand loyalty.

So, just do it! All reports say it's an awesome bike, and if the finish was anything like my BFe then it'll look rather tasty too.

The only question is... which colour?

[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

I'm a bad man.

Rocket surely.

I would go green for the rocket.

Blur TR.

@chiefguru - glad you are "ok" after the crash. I remember reading your Jedi blog - I managed a similar crash after by session. Personally I am not sure a FS would have made any difference FYI, IMO you would have still stacked it landing a little further down the trail but a worse crash going faster ?

With regard to your question I have a Transition Covert to go with with a BFe, it's my Alps / "big bike" and is a good companion to the Cotic. The Covert has my old (2006) 150 Fox forks (will upgrade to 160 when I can justify it) and the Cotic 120/150 adjustable Sektors.

I think the Rocket sounds (and looks great) but is it the right companion for a Soul ?

I also think you should think about putting the 140 forks onto the FS or sell the 140's and buy 160 for the FS and 120 for the Soul. Leaving 140's on the Soul is going to create bike which is a strange bedfellow for the FS

Other thoughts (and great value) would be a Nukeproof Mega (suggested above I notice) if you want a "jumpy" bike (frames are very good value and I've seen them in action in the Alps and also on normal Surrey Hills trails and they ride very well all round) or Transition Bandit if you want something more trail orientated than the Mega or Covert (which also pedals very well btw)

In a similar situation to the OP myself and coming from a 150mm BFe I'm going for a Rocket.

Once they get some more in stock...

The only question is... which colour?

Black plainly. And without the white detailing.

If you're buying a new frame and forks because you crashed when tired, there might be a better solution. Get fitter 😉

Loads of choice in the 140-160 range and not a turkey amongst them, so you'll need to be ruthless or you could spend the rest of the summer deciding 😀

I get tired too on longer rides (lack of fitness) and ride a [i]similar [/i]sort of hardtail. When looking for a fs to accompany the 456SS, i was swayed to the bikes that would climb easier and so flatter my lack of fitness.

I'd not buy a bike to compensate for a particular area, I'd buy one that matches my style and enhances my riding 🙂

I.e. if you a bit of a porker and find it hard to climb, but love hooning downhill, why would you buy a 100mm travel race hard tail?

Play to your strengths, damage limitation on the things you're not so good with.

Given my facial injuries, stitches and open wounds, obviously I'm very good at falling on my face. I'm not sure there's a bike for that.

@buttscratcher - full face helmet and goggles for you ? 😉

I'd not buy a bike to compensate for a particular area, I'd buy one that matches my style and enhances my riding

I.e. if you a bit of a porker and find it hard to climb, but love hooning downhill, why would you buy a 100mm travel race hard tail?

A more suitable example: my shortened shortlist contained an enduro evo and a stumpy evo (amongst others). Both fairly similar and very capable but tailored to slightly different needs.

As a happy meta AM owner, i don't understand why anyone would buy anything else. 😀

if you a bit of a porker and find it hard to climb, but love hooning downhill

Have you been watching me?!

That's my rocket up there ^^^ (black and white one). It's a great bike. Not that's having it has stopped me getting something else 😉 Works best when going fast.

I would not go 4 bar linkage or vpp.

Single pivot or faux bar like the rocket will keep the instant response. Might just be me but having had a bullit, patriot, giant team DH, intense spyder, spesh s works enduro, ventana el Santa montes and now a spesh fsr comp after a few years off.

I really am struggling with 4 bar over faux bar. 4 bar works to well and wallows in my experience. Especially compared to a hardtail.

Try before you buy is the only way not to make a mistake.

My take would be Rocket, but go with the Bos shock.

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8648517011_72f2fbe3fd_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8648517011_72f2fbe3fd_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Rapidly becoming my favourite bike. Ridden the Uzzi once since building this and hated it - felt heavy, sluggish, high and steep - even on the DH runs. (the Soda is still lovely on the right trail though).

All the bearings have little custom made shields covering them, so bearing life should be pretty good, and it's as stiff as a stiff thing.

Uphill it's great - very neutral - grips great, but no chain tension related shenanigans that I can feel.

Mine (now with a lighter wheelset and smaller brakes than the pic) is 29.5lb including pedals & dropper post, which I don't think is too bad for a bombproof trail bike.

The Rockets do seem popular and get good reviews. Nice looking bikes too although I'd vote for the Spitfire (the bike that I should have bought instead of my Rune....I love my Rune but its probably a bit OTT).

I've been really impressed with the KS Link suspension; it feels more responsive than my SX Trail did and certainly pedals better out of the saddle but still soaks up the lumps and bumps well. I like the slack head angle (mine is 65.5 degrees) and steep seat angle, long top tube, low BB. They're pretty adjustable and future proof (can swap to 650b when the industry gets its way and gets rid of 26ers).

I'm too exhausted in my post-accident state of recuperation to string together an elegant reply so this will have to be some kind of stream of consciousness... I do not trust BOS to be able to support me with spares in a timely fashion when the inevitable happens, so they're out of the running! Orange. KS Link is appealing, Rune seems OTT, Banshee V2 looks good. Mud/tyre clearance?

A tiny part of me worries about 650b idiocy but it's only tyres that could be a problem and I don't see everyone making good tyres scrapping their moulds for a very very long time. Try before you buy is a funny one because every FS feels weirdly squishy to me - I wouldn't buy any of them without having one for days or weeks to get me used to it. Orange. Meta AM also looks nice but that shock position worries me with the amount of mud we get round here. Four bar is definitely the topology to avoid for my preferences.

I've always believed in getting better rather than spending money on gear - that's why my bass guitar is a huge awesome sounding monster which is not that easy to play and my bass rig shows up all your imperfections as well as your moments of brilliance. Orange. But I think I need to be pragmatic - I don't have all the time in the world to train, I have a wife and baby daughter and my own rapidly growing small business. And I don't think I'm a brave enough rider to progress as well as I'd like whilst sticking exclusively with hardtails. That rear suspension travel should encourage me to shift my weight more and also get me to carry more speed into jumps and drops knowing that I won't have such a skittery beast to contain on landing.

So this bike is to help develop and enhance my riding ability and thus enjoyment (whilst staying reasonably safe!) Something that allows me to attack trails which I don't know, either on enduro races or whilst riding out of my home territory, without having to feel 'on it' 100% of the time. Orange. My Float 32 140s don't have the damping control to cope well when I'm really pushing on, nor are they stiff enough. I've been thinking about stiffer and better damped forks for a little while. I could drop them to 120 on the Soul - maybe I'll try that when I get them apart to put a heavier weight oil in to add some compression damping and bring the rebound damping into a more useful range.

Part of me wonders if on a FS I'd have been less beaten up after a day of bumps, carried more speed over the roots and been happy to land rear wheel heavy on the drop? Who knows, I got away with it this time but still feel incredibly weak, can barely pick my daughter up. Orange. I'll be doing more bodyweight/weight training once I'm fixed because I think being reasonably strong might have saved my ribs from cracking, even if it was just luck that saved my neck. Seeing my mate in agony from a dislocation after an innocuous fall makes me want to make sure my shoulders are as stable as possible even if it doesn't make me any quicker uphill (care?)

If I'm carrying suspension around and I want a stiff slack frame then I might as well carry a decent amount of travel around. A 4X bike might be fun but again it comes back to how hardcore I am. Am I? Not enough. I think it needs to be enough of a step up from the way my Soul is built (basically BFe style) to justify itself. The Soul can then wear mud tyres when it get really soggy.

So, Rocket, yes? Yes. Orange, yes? Yes. What colour forks? These new Pikes have black stanchions. White/black/white/orange/white or black/black/black/orange/white. White?

How about a Knolly Endorphin? 140 travel but feels more than that, it climbs really well, descends like a bike with more travel, is nimble and so much fun to ride. With 160 forks it's 66.5 degrees - think more people run 150 forks but it's brilliant with the longer ones.

Orange and black always good. Mate had a knolly, went very well in the alps. ALthough every time we stopped and I had to look at it, I wanted to throw a blanket over it!

Had the bright idea earlier that having donated the transmission and brakes from my Soul to the probably-Rocket, I might as well singlespeed the Soul for minimum winter hassle and maximum 'fun'. ..

devinci dixon is a real nice bike, SP design does not feel like a wallowy beast, just smooths out the trail and it begs you to let go the brakes and take the manly line!

hope your recovery is going well!

cheers

ps a user review here

http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=121576

Orange Rocket with all black forks and other bits would look awesome. Maybe some white accents to match the swing arm bit on the rocket.

Orange with white forks looks good (IMHO)....

[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9239778637_098302a4b4_c.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9239778637_098302a4b4_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/77564901@N06/9239778637/ ]Pre-puncture. Larsens no use for the sharp loose stuff (schoolboy error I'm afraid)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/77564901@N06/ ]Metalheart-UK[/url], on Flickr

More photos if you follow the link and click on 'orange rocket set'

I have bought white grips and saddle but not fitted them yet, not sure if it's overkill or not... 😳

SC Blur or Yeti ASR sound like they'd fit the bill if you want to retain the feel of a hard tail.

I've just seen the pic of the black and white Cotic Rocket on the previous page.

Sell your kidney, your immediate family, even your chastity to fund one - that is an awesome looking bike.

PJM1974 - Member
I've just seen the pic of the black and white Cotic Rocket on the previous page.

Sell your kidney, your immediate family, even your chastity to fund one - that is an awesome looking bike.

No accounting for taste, is there? I thought the white rims and cables ruined it.

I went through a similar exercise late last year/early this year. I boiled it down to Orange 5 or Transition Bandit 26er, settling for the Bandit based on it being a better climber than expected and also not being quite as ubiquitous as a Five (understatement!).

I'm enjoying the Bandit. I find the weight distribution very different to the Five. The Bandit has a much more planted front end, which gives confidence but the flipside is that I don't find it as easy to "pop" as the Five. It may be that actually now my wheels are coming of the ground more balanced fore-aft instead of hoiking the front wheel and getting a little hop at the back 😆

The Bandit attacks technical rocky climbs so, so well. I much prefer a good full susser for technical climbing than a hardtail. Downhill it inspires more than enough confidence for my skillz and ability to cash in, hence a rather sore elbow this week 😳

I still think about the Five though, usually every time I have my bucket of warm soapy water and little brushes trying to clean all the pivots, nooks and crannies on the Bandit 🙁

how often do you ride away from brighton? you defo dont need more than 100mm locally to go really bloody fast and big if you want. the problem is finding the right frame. a decent shock/suspension design matters most. too long and it`ll be really crap in stanmer/wp once you get over the new bike feeling. poor susspension/damping and it wallows. some rear suss will help with fatigue on longer rides.

an orange 5 is a great bike but without adjustable compression on the shock I really wouldnt go there otherwise it will blow through the travel. i was amazed how differnt my orange felt once i got a shock with adjustable compression. and how much compression i needed to run!

i've also had had 2 4 bar bikes and they do work. my previous norco was a beast but by god it worked. it even pedalled fairly good uphill. my current one has a air shock and if im honest with myself ive never been happy with the shock. it pedals ok though.

i suppose 5" rear gives you more comfort for the odd away day. Im considering keeping my norco just because i might go to north wales in august and if im bombing massive rocks a bit more travel is welcome.

6" is overkill and really doesnt help locally and removes some of the fun a shorter travel bike will give you.

and remember suspension wont make you a better rider... it just rides differently

I should add that if the Soul is going singlespeed then I might as well move the chainguide and my signature bash across to the Rocket:

[img] [/img]

No accounting for taste! 😉

Regarding shorter travel options, what's actually out there? I know I want something stiff, I know I want something slack. I don't want a FS equivalent to the 140mm Soul but something less XC and more gnarr. If you're talking 10 or 20mm difference, how much difference does that make if both frames are the same sagged BB height, spring rate and compression tuning? Surely the longer travel frame would ride much the same until the shorter travel frame bottoms out?

I think you need to try a few out, they are all pretty nice bikes, geo/travel comparisons etc. are interesting but there is nothing like getting you leg over 😉

dont rule a bike out just on the numbers!

i guess if all things are equal 10mm will make sod all difference. but i think youd be suprised how different different bikes feel

but you cant really compare a rocket to an orange as the shock curves will be different.

its a bloody minefield buying a bike. everyone has the greatest bike and everyones taste in travel/damping differs/geo differs.

if the old hemlock was still about i'd like one of those if they'd warentee it for jumpy fun - short and long rockers depending on what you want to ride. i like the idea of teh genesis grapil and very nearly bought a trance but i'm kinda between sizes (even tho the shop was adamant i needed a large but what do they know) but if i had money to burn i`d buy a cannondale jeckyll.

I liked the idea of short rear travel, longer front travel a la Hemlock but Cotic's writing about the Rocket having the long travel but feeling more like a short travel bike has sucked me in... And thus I have ordered one, along with some Pikes and Flow EX hoops! 🙂

Excellent chioce, I'm sure you'll not regret it

What colour did you go for in the end, orange?

metalheart - Member
More photos if you follow the link and click on 'orange rocket set'

I have bought white grips and saddle but not fitted them yet, not sure if it's overkill or not...

Hope not. Once the new batch of frames come in mine will be orange with white forks, rims, saddle, pedals, chain device, and grips.

what, don't tell me you are going for [i]black[/i] cables.... 😉

Sadly, I'm still umming and arring over cables and hoses.

Might go for one each of green, blue and pink.

😯

you do know that white rims weigh more don't you... ?

Looking forward to seeing this in the flesh! Good call on the Pikes....

Here is mine with white seat and white grips, not so white now, more a shade of grey. [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/14440616@N03/sets/72157630582189140/ ]Clicky thing[/url]

Two days of uplift (Antur & BPW) on the Soul was hard work! Not going to buy anything until 2014 but there's no doubt that I need a full-sus. The Rocket is still in the mix but I'm wondering whether to go with a 27" because there's so little in it size-wise but the long-term parts (tyres!) situation could be better (for expensive tyres at least), and I've always preferred big tyres. Banshee Spitfire keeps coming back to me - with a 160mm Pike on the front, 27" wheels and in the slack setting it should be a downhill monster (for a 140mm bike at least). In the least slack setting it should suit my local woods better. Will try to sort out a test ride...

Have a look at a Kona Process 134, seems to be a great take on a very modern trailbike, long front centre so shoving it down steep shutes should be ok, long slack low and stiff.
The next generation on from the Rocket IMHO.

Process 134 looks rather steep at 68 HA! Thinking about the 66 degrees region, maybe half a degree steeper on a 27" wheel but no more as the greater fork offset reduces the trail.

Having exchanged emails with KS himself (helpful chap!) the Banshee Spitfire with a CCDBair CS, 150mm Pike up front and 650B wheels is looking like a serious contender. Waiting to hear back from my LBS about a test ride!

catvet - Member
Have a look at a Kona Process 134, seems to be a great take on a very modern trailbike, long front centre so shoving it down steep shutes should be ok, long slack low and stiff.
The next generation on from the Rocket IMHO.

What makes you say it's the next generation on from the Rocket?
By all accounts there's not many bikes out there that ride and handle the way the Rocket does with 150mm of travel (maybe a yetI SB66) I.e. rides like a bike with less travel until you need it (not overly suspened..?).
The Kona Process does look like a good bike but I've not read anyone mention how lively abd easy it is to change line on etc.
Maybe that's because I've only looked at the Process 153.

my process 153 loves to be thrown about, corners really well, down to 32lbs since ive dropped the front mech n shifter and gone narrow/wide, also swapped HRII on the back for a nobby nic much less draggy

this looks intriguing

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/brandnew-commencal-meta-hip-hop-2014/

commencal hip hop
[img] [/img]

What were they thinking with that name?! Looks a fun bike, similar geometry to the Spitfire with 26s but 20mm less travel front and rear. However, as I seem to ride some of the muddiest places known to man and hate washing bikes that Commencal "let's put the shock right where all the mud goes" suspension design makes me paranoid...

Process 153 looks very good! How's the HR2 2.3 on the front? What's the real width in mm?

HR IIs come up pretty wide,for maxxis, ive literally just swapped it for a hans dampf 2.35 and they seem similar width

there was nothing wrong with the HRii, nice n grippy in the wet and doesnt wash out easy, im just trying out the HD ot of curiosity, riding on sunday so will know then

That commencal looks great!

Having carried out a test ride the other weekend I'm probably going for the Knolly Endorphin, it felt great. Amazing that on the rough stuff it felt nearly as stiff as my DH bike, despite only having 140mm. The head angle is only 67, whereas I'd also want around 66, but I figure with the 160 fork I have it will be around 66.5. So I'd recommend checking that out, I'm still staggered at how well it descends for a 140mm bike.

The only thing that will stop me ordering a Knolly is the spitfire, that does look tempting.

Carbon Stumpy EVO frame going cheap (relatively!) on Bikescene. Might be limited sizes though, can't remember. I've got a 2011 version and it's wonderful.

My Spitfire is ace, would definitely recommend. Of the other bikes mentioned, don't think you could go far wrong with a Rocket or a Stumpy EVO.

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al2000 - I'm kind of tempted by one of those spitfires. Is yours 26 or 650b?

What would your review of the bike be/what can you compare it to/what sort of riding do you do?

Looking for a tough, low/slack bike which is not too much of a chore to pedal, doesn't dull out tamer bits whilst being able to take big hits.

dean, drop keith at banshee bikes.com an email, he's the frame designer/engineer, knows his stuff, is very helpful and looks like he can handle a bike from pics I've seen. Seeing as Banshee refer to the Spitfire as the downhillers' trail bike and it's pretty hefty for a 140mm frame, I'd expect it to handle riders who go large!

It seems you are wanting exactly the same as I! I have a Ragley Blue pig with a build biased towards DH (even though I lack the skills to do it justice) and have ended up going down the FS route purely for those longer rides where there is only so much of a battering you can take. Wasn't looking for a squishy wallowy mess but rather something to take the edge off stuff and help with those bumpy climbs that can take it out of you on a hardtail. I was all set on a Rocket but since they have been out of stock forever I moved on and ordered a Transition Covert. I live in Devon and all the local shops sell are the main brands like Spec', Giant etc.. so short of 100s of miles and pounds to get to the midlands demoing is pretty much out for a lot of these brands. It's a 2014 model so should be arriving this very week so I shall report back with how I get on.

As you have said earlier on the talk of the Rocket being poppy and stiff at the rear really got me as that sounds like it may be a bit hardtail like and exactly what I want but as said earlier, who knows when you will be able to get one. Everything I have read seems to suggest the Covert is a similar proposition with regards to being "poppy" although this may just be a buzz word that doesn't mean anything at all but hey ho.

I agree that just getting fitter will help with most things but I think there is only so much you can do. I am going to do the Mega next year and was all set to do it on the hardtail but the recent trip up to Scotland made me re-access. Whilst the event itself wouldn't pose an issue, I think the whole week of riding would. It will be tough and fatiguing on the body and it's those times where I think the FS comes in.

I don't think there is anything at all that can't be ridden and enjoyed on a Hardtail so I feel a bit of a wuss moving over to a FS for essentially a softer and more comfortable ride but I guess if it allows me ride harder for longer then it's a good thing. Either way let us know what you end up buying!

Cheers,

John

Incidentally, one of my mates just ordered a Covert. And I have just ordered a Spitfire!

Did you get the CCDB on the Spitfire? Be intesting to hear what you think if so.

You will love the spitfire great choice ! What colour did you go for? Ive had mine 8 months now and cant get enough of it ! after going1x10 it now wieghs 30.5ibs which is pretty good I think for a frame that isnt considered lightweight. The bike loves going downhill fast, pedals uphill well , has tons of traction due to the awesome ks link suspension and loves air time .since I built mine I havent looked at any other frames as I love riding it so much its my only bike and I use it for everything:)

[URL= http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m634/dawes686/banshee/20131213_1436240.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m634/dawes686/banshee/20131213_1436240.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Good stuff on the Spitfire. As much as I love my Rune, the Spitfire is probably the bike that I should have bought.

Did you go with the Cane Creek? I've been really impressed with mine so far although if yo fiddle too much, you can make it horrible! I much prefer it to the Fox CTD shock.p

Keith is massively helpful isn't he?

The only bad news I need to break to you, is that cleaning the KS link is a proper faff. There are lads of little places that mud collects. The good news is that my bearings etc are still smooth after some very wet, muddy rides.

Since we're putting up pictures of Spitfires, here's mine out in the countryside the other week.

It's a great bike, I'm running 26" wheels as the moment but the Pikes are 650b and obviously the frame can take the larger wheel size also when I feel the need....

I've got the CS version of the CCDB and find the climb position really helps when your mashing away at the hills. The Pike is as awesome fork, but you don't need me to tell you that.

I originally wanted a Rocket, but I couldn't wait any longer and went for the Spitfire. I've not for one second regretted it!

[img] [/img]

That's lovely....I was gutted when I found out that the a Rune no longer came in that colour.

I'm really excited about the Spitfire! Keith (designer) & Pat (distributor) & Freedom Bikes (LBS) have been very helpful. It's the gloss black decals on anodised black medium frame aka 'Stealth Black' with CCDBair-CS.

I'm planning to build it up with 650B Flow EX Hope Hoops, 150mm Pike RCT3, 1x10 (SLX cranks & BB with bash, Works thick-thin 34t, XT 11-36, Saint shifter, Zee mech, Vaults), Hope Tech3 E4 183/160 brakes, Hope headset, 711mm Haven Carbon bars (local trails are too tight for wider IMO), 50mm Renthal stem, Gravity Dropper Turbo LP, Charge Scoop, Trail King aka Rubber Queen 2.2 Protection (Magic Mary 2.35 as the muddier option for the front).

Now I don't like to turn this into a tyre thread (aarghhhh!!!) but I'm pondering the alternate choice for the front. Love the Rubber Queen on the back but it doesn't have big enough edge knobs to be the greatest all-year front tyre (although it's always decent). So what?

Magic Mary (Trailstar 2.35)
High Roller 2 (3C Maxterra 2.3)
Minion DHF (ditto)
Minion DHR 2 (ditto)

It seems the DHF is now a sensible width, 27.5x2.3 being as wide as the old 26x2.5 - I don't think the 60a variants will be sticky enough on tree roots compared to the Rubber Queen on the back. 42a seems overkill and rather slow compared to the 3C thingy? Any others to consider? 27.5 Butcher or Baron would be nice please, Specialized and Continental!

The Spitfire frame is here (and all the other bits bar the wheels and brakes)!

Looking forward to seeing this built chief.

Looking forward to seeing this built chief.

I shall apologise in advance for the state of my garden etc, the big ugly bashring and the Gravity Dropper's boot! Function over form (in the case of the bike at least...) The Pikes are 160mm btw, not 150mm, so it'll be even slacker, 65.6/66.1/66.6 depending on the dropout position.

It lives!

[img] [/img]

Love it.... Hate the dropper though. Spoils the aesthetic IMHO.