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Hi,
Looking to replace my 29er HT Frame with something longer. Want a reasonably slack HA 68/67.5 ish and 120mm forks compatibility. Mostly for winter mucking about down on the south coast and Dartmoor. I would would love a Ti frame and have tried the Fireline Evo but found it a bit short even in 20" size, but the budget may not stetch that far! I am 6'2" with a long inside leg!
Options so far
Niner ROS
Cotic Solaris
Stanton Sherpa (or save up for the Ti version!)
Ragley Bigwig
Kona Honzo Ti frame - if I can find one in the UK
Transition TransAM
Anyone with any experience of any of these or thoughts/alternative suggestions do chip in. Unfortunately demoing any in this area (South Devon) apart from the Niner is difficult!
Ideally I would like a 31.6 seat post as well so my current reverb fits!
I've got a Stanton Sherpa with 120mm rebas for local mucking about in West Yorks. Prefer it to the Solaris it replaced. Had a spin on my mates Niner ROS 9 with 130 revs and the sherpa felt slacker, more stable and just nicer to ride but that'll be partly down to setup.
That said, the owner of the ROS preferred my Sherpa too, he'd just need the next size up and was a bit annoyed with himself for dropping £900 on the ROS frame.
I'd also look at the new ragley bigwig and nukeproof scout if I was buying again but have no desire to switch from the Sherpa, its ace.
For long and slack, I've shortlisted the Bigwig, Chromag Rootdown (once they release the tweaked 2017 version) and the Last FastForward, but I am running a 150mm fork, hence just those three.
+1 for Stanton Sherpa. Had one set up as 1x10 and 120mm Rebas, dropper and tubeless, weighed in at 27lbs. Absolutely loved it and of all the bikes I've had really regret selling it the most.
Zealous Division Mk2 is lovely. Ideal mud-plugger as the mud has nowhere to collect (other than the downtube - but it just falls off). Mk1 was nice, but Mk2 has better stand-over, is lighter and has way more rear tyre clearance.
31.6 post, 68HA with 120 fork. Runs DMR swapouts, so can be run 135x10, 142x12 or SS.
The Bigwig and Zealous MK2 are both really nice frames. Bigwig takes a B+, Zealous is lighter. Both would be tons of fun!
Zealous Mk2 also takes B+
Sherpa looking good, surprised the Solaris has no recommend given the following the Soul has!
I have 120 Revs to put on the new bike so it fits....
Did get a little carried away and had a look at Swarf cycles
http://www.swarfcycles.co.uk/spline-29.html Looks gorgeous but obviously pricey as hand built/ bespoke. Had read the review in the mag.
Yer a peewee 2.8 😉
Go 3" or go home 😀
Sorry for the hijack but what did you think of the Fireline evo?,I really like the look of it but can find no reviews,many thanks
[url= http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/titus-fireline-evo-29-review-894036.html ]Try this thread on mbtr[/url]
Another thumbs up for the Zealous Division. I bought the MK1 off a friend after about 10yrs of riding only full suss bikes and think it's superb. Confidence inspiring and feels bombproof, also climbs well. Like Sillyoldman says, the latest version is lighter, longer and has better clearance.
The Kona Honzo now comes in Steel, Aluminium and Titanium if accessibility and cost are an issue
I have a mk1 Solaris and think it's excellent. I can only imagine the mk2 is just as good, if not better.
As a Mk1 Zealous owner, I wholeheartedly endorse them.
I have a mk1 Solaris in a large, that I should really be selling.
Mail me if it tickles your fancy.
paul.sal AT btinternet.com
If Ti is on the radar, I've seen a Ti Sherpa in the flesh when picking up my Ti Switchback and it looks amazing - a seriously pretty bike if you have the cash.
having just swapped by steel Switchback for the Ti version, I'm sold on Ti if money isn't an issue.
Solaris - very happy owner so far 😀
Do you reckon the Solaris feels the same as the Soul just for bigger wheels?
The Soul is a great ride, but for me and the riding I do the Solaris is faster/more confident, sure the bigger wheels make a difference, but the Solaris frame feels a bit more like the Soul’s bigger tougher brother!
Cheers for all the feedback guys! Not sure it has cleared anything up though......
Icarus - The fireline is a great bike but The sizing seems limited. I tried a mates and it felt way too small reach wise. The reach is limited, specially if you like short stem and wide bars. Unfortunately the On One site does not really help as the reach measurements are wrong! So my advice would be size up and if you are 6' or more then this might not be the bike frame for you. Otherwise the frame is well made, good fun and calms trail chatter well. If I was a bit shorter it would be a great buy!
Hmm. If you've got the budget for a Niner ROS 9, you should consider one of these as well.[IMG] 
[/IMG]
Well if we're doing pics here's the Sherpa I sold:-(
[IMG] 
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Crashrash,thanks for that,i went ahead and ordered the 20" Fireline as they were 20% off on Christmas day,i'm 6ft.,average inside leg etc.so I reckon I'll be ok,looking forward to getting it.
So Scienceofficer - tried blowing up the picture but still can't make out what the frame is - put me out of my misery!
Icarus - no worries and hope you enjoy it.
Scienceofficers bike is a 2Souls Quarterhorse.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/musing-on-a-2souls-quarterhorse-1-yearish-on
Crashrash - always someone but.....selling my XL Quarterhorse frame if it's of interest. If you google search this site it brings up plenty of threads with comments on. I'm still in two minds about selling but anyway, link to the ad here ..
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2souls-quarterhorse-29er-frame-xl-1
Aye. That it is.