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Go find your own niches 🙂
Plenty of full suss bikes with bb dangling on a couple of tubes and an "e stay" sort of position swingarm - nobody worries about the bb dropping off those. Anyway, I'm only 65kg so don't think I'm in major danger of rapid failure or excessive flex.
2010 - 20th anniversary e-stay revival!
Have you thought about Justin Burls ( http://www.burls.co.uk/index.php)? I have a custom titanium 29er from him which I am very pleased with. I wanted a 29er(my first one) for xc/long rides/light touring and firstly looked at Dave Yates and did some basic enquiries and got as far as being told they would be willing to make one. By chance one of the mtb mags did an article on custom titanium frames and one of his frames was featured and rated well. He makes the steel frames himself but designs then subs the titanium build out to someone in Russia, which I was initially nervous about. I went with him because the yates and burls came in around the same price but the burls was titanium.
I don't know a lot about angles etc but I have owned a few different bikes and I am more than impressed with the bike. It does everything I wanted very well and exceeded my expectations. There were a few minor niggles such as I asked for full cable routing and I got standard plus I had to do a bit more polishing to the frame. This didn't bother me at all but I thought i'd mention it because from what you read on forums to some people it would be the end of the world At the end of the day it's a custom titanium frame for £1000!
I know my experience is with titanium and your after a longer travel steel but it would be designed by the same man and if he is building it you wouldn't get the minor niggles I had which probably arouse from a translation issue. There is a picture of my bike in the review section (Dave Ti 29er MTB). This is my first post and if I manage to work out how to post pictures and your interested i'll post dims of the frame.
Bonesetter - Sorry to ask but are you thinking of selling your Paradox. If so can i ask you to keep me in mind as I'm definatly interested in taking it off your hands, my e-mail address is in my profile if you need to contact me 😉
Sorry to butt in 😳
Thats the one. Sorry not very good with forums, trying to work out how to post pictures etc!
Clink & Burls - That is one nice looking bike 😀
Any idea what fork length its running ?
It's a 100mm F29. The bike was designed around its a2c with 30% sag so I can also run an on-one carbon fork.
What size frame is it 23" ?
Geo looks very much like the Swift except the TT - DT gap is bigger 😕
From the centre of bb to top of seatube is 24". I don't know much about correct angles etc just told him the height of the seat and distance to bars with 90mm stem etc and left the rest to his judgement. First bike I have had which acually fits me rather than me trying to fit it.
Wow i can see why you went for a custom build at 24".
Its great when you ride a bike that fits properly 😀
Here's my back boiler Burl's... which has just had the heat turned back up on.
Thanks for your feedback Burls 72. Haven't heard from anyone who has actually had one of these frames from Justin. I had decided on steel, but in 6 months of trying I cannot find anyone to make a super short CS, slack 29er trail bike, so this fall back option is ripe
I'll watch out for any anomalies before final approval, when I go ahead
Bigsi - I'll bear you in mind... it's soon
bonesetter - Member
Bigsi - I'll bear you in mind... it's soon
Cool. I really shouldn't but prob will given the chance 😉
I'll watch out for any anomalies before final approval, when I go ahead
Looks ok that.
Thanks Brant, that's very reassuring.
My only doubt was the use of 'standard' straight gauge 3AL/2.5V grade 9 titanium tubing with a 'big' for a 29er 120 TA Reba and if this would make for a flexy ride...?
Hi Bonesetter
I don't want to burst your bubble about Burls but I left a message for him regarding a prospective steel mtb build and I didn't get the courtesy of a reply.
Suffice to say I won't be contacting him again!
He doesn't build steel anymore. Says for the price it's so worth spending a little extra and going ti, so that's his focus now.
Make of that what you will
I was in contact with him for a time last summer both on the phone and email and he seemed a top gent.
he's about to get my order
Well good luck with it all chap.
If he doesn't build steel frames anymore what does his do all day, if the Ti frames are built in Russia? Maybe he'll have more time to return people's calls?!...


