[Closed] Just killed my Explosif - help me find a replacement steel hardtail!

The new Explosif looks v.nice.

It does but it's 650b - I'll need to use my existing 26" wheels. Plus what's with the cable routing under the top tube? That's gonna hurt when shouldering the bike!

Cove Handjob XC is a very nice fast steel frame.
I love my Decade Virsa as it has quite "tight" geometry but it isn't the lightest.

No more new Rock Lobster 853's, sadly.
Merlin have stopped doing them.

Owch. 😯 You were lucky that wasn't a child's face.

leggyblonde - That Decade Virsa looks interesting - having the option of going single speed is nice, and one reason for buying the Explosif.

Rusty - I know, but not averse to picking up a lovingly used one!

Stanton Slackline? On One 456 Evo?

I can confirm that the new 650b Explosif is an incredible bike. Just completed 1000km offroad in the last 2 months. I have to carry it over at least 10 stiles/gates every ride and I've never noticed the cable routing. 26'' will fit fine. Especially with the sliding dropouts. Get one!

GNARLY DUDE!!!!

It does but it's 650b - I'll need to use my existing 26" wheels.

I can't see why slapping normal (26") wheels in would be a problem. Or am I missing something?

I love my Virsa and use it with 120mm forks. I bought it to replace my old Kona Muni Mula (1998 model) which was stolen.

I heart my skinny Duster, closest thing to my early 90s Kona I've found - though I suspect my Kona is a bit twangier than yours. Also porbably happiest at 100mm if it's an issue.

I had a Decade Virsa before and was very happy with it (especally ss)but it was a size too big (classifieds bargain I tried hard to make work) so I moved it on for the Charge.

Dont those new explosifs weigh something like 6lbs for the frame?

Go with a second hand 'classic' Soul you wont regret it. The Altitude and Breath seem pretty good too. Also check out Pipedream Scion or Sirius

Snap:

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonjohntaylor/4510226363/ ]Second death of my Unit[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/simonjohntaylor/ ]Simon J Taylor[/url], on Flickr

I went from my Unit to an Inbred, which felt like a tank in comparison although I love it now. Now on the lookout for a beaten-up Soul or Simple in need of a loving refurb.

Haha, in that case I blame the King headset! What was the first death?

Seriously though, I always thought that if the frame was going to break anywhere it would be there - it looks under-built.

First death was corrosion in the downtube which was uncovered after stripping back to metal (prior to the brown paintjob). I had a gusset plate added to cover the corroded bit which was up near the headtube, which may have been partly responsible for the extra stress in that area which caused the second and final death... To be honest, the HT was quite corroded inside. Bike was 3rd hand to me 😉

Also look at the Pipedream Scion or Sirius - they're lovely frames, lightish, toughish, twangyish but not too extreme in any direction - a proper trail hardtail.

I have a Soul for sale if you are interested. Medium, orange colour and have Magura Thors to suit also.

I went from a 2005 explosif to a Life, and prefer it. Great with 120mm fork.

mt - it's something I'll need to save for (I'm building up a track bike at the moment) but that sounds perfect! Out of interest, how much for the frame and/or fork?

Pace RC104, option of running gears or single speed, 26" wheel, and I believe they have them on special offer at the minute.

£250 minimum for the frame. Not to sure on the forks, given to the new price of the things I say £350 to £400.

Frame is a Mk2. 1 1/8 headtube. 27.2 seat tube. Its well used but well loved. Unfortunately I'm in the N-1 situation at the moment.

I echo the suggestions for Pipedream as I own one and that's the law.

Their Skookum I believe is a 29er but can also do 650b. Really good value. Had my Sirius for 4/5 years now. Very happy with it.

*cough* large RL 853 frame for sale - see my posting history (sorry) 😳

mt - cheers, not something I could buy straight away.
addy - good try 😉 I'd be after a 16" or equivalent.

Pace RC104, option of running gears or single speed, 26" wheel, and I believe they have them on special offer at the minute.

Damn, you made me look at the RC104 and then the RC129...E Type vs Austin Allegro 🙁

leelovesbikestoo - Member

I'm not rushing to sell so get in touch later I may still have it.

mt - will do!

Dialled Albert Classic 853? Love mine 😀

Cotic Solaris.

if you get something with a tapered headtube, I'm shorlty selling some 120mm Velvets with tapered steerer 🙂

Surly Troll?

Loving my new Cove Handjob build with 120mm - got the (bright yellow!) frame from CRC for £220 a few months ago, dunno if they have any at that price now.

Cheers guys, lots of good recommendations. Interestingly though, not really much new on the market in the last few years!

If I weren't riding what I'm riding, this is what I'd be riding. Comes in all three flavours too.

[URL= http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/mangatank/97373349dcc21a13fb52d1cc9f10db1f.jp g" target="_blank">http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/mangatank/97373349dcc21a13fb52d1cc9f10db1f.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

I've seen that Ritchey before - It truly is a thing of beauty. A nice [massive] nod to the early ones.

We ex-Explosif owners know class when we see it 😉

Haha <knowing wink>

EDIT - what the hell happened to 26", Genesis?!?

Dialled had some Albert Classics 853's for £200, might be all sold now

Cotic BFe will ride fine with 120 but will take more travel, I have 150/120 Sektors and the bike rides well in either setting. Cheaper than Soul (not sure why really), bit stronger but not heavy IMO and not "overly stiff" is my finding.

If your near Gloucestershire, I'd weld that frame for you. Wouldn't be pretty, but I can't see why it wouldn't work fine.

Thanks for the offer, but I was thinking about a newer frame anyway. Just a bit sooner than I was planning.

I thought I'd recommend a P7 as I bloody love mine, but that Ritchy looks retro-tastic! And so do the new Explosif's

So that's absolutely no help at all, is it? 😀

P7's high on the list. What year is yours?

I'd love another Explosif in the future, but I think I'll go for something a bit butcher this time as a 'do everything' bike. It felt a little feeble in the Cairngorms over the weekend, and I want to do more big mountain riding.

My 2010(?) 853 Genesis Altitude felt pretty close to how my old Kona feels, but with some useful tweaks for more demanding trails.

Dunno where you'd get one tho'.

Mine is safely packed in the bike store pending the day I rebuild it as a fully rigid SS (which'll probably be the day my Kona snaps - assuming I can still get 26" sized components then 😛 ).

^^^ Well, that's a puzzling picture!

EDIT - wat hapnd..

Ha, that's the wrong picture!

😀

I was trying to post one of it out and about, not that one of it just dumped in the bin, and cut-n-pasted the wrong URL!

I'd like to be a bin man on your round 😯

OP, I have a small (16") black Mk2 Soul that I was going to put on the classifieds in a few weeks time. Very good condition, I've no idea how much to ask at this point though. Mail me (in profile) if you're interested.

Even if you don't buy mine I'd recommend a Soul. I'm only selling mine as I'm going down to one bike soon.

Op take it you didn't buy it from new as no mention of warranty replacement?

if a jobs worth doing...:

[img] [/img]

had a 2010 P7 too. have an genesis alpitude now and it's markedly lighter and more enjoyable than the P7. don't ask me why about the 'enjoyable' bit - just feels more fun.

I had a 2004 Explosif and a muni-mula before that.

I replaced it with a steel (18) Voodoo Wanga, which has a much taller headtube so is a little different but has the paragon dropouts so you can single speed it if needed.

I recently picked up a voodoo bizango (18) 853 steel frame from ebay for 80 quid. It is in need of a respray and I am going to have to fabricate some bizango decals for it, but that has to be the best option for an Explosif replacement being that it is also a Joe Murray design.

I

It must be a recommend the bike I ride thread...But getting a ride on bikes is where it is at. I like the Sanderson, and did not get to ride before other than a 'gis a go' on one for 5 mins round Comrie jump park. As ever, wheels, forks, bars etc have a massive effect on how the bike is.
So, some sprightly steel it is for:
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/9458722375_2d7e5fac41_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/9458722375_2d7e5fac41_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/9458722375/ ]IMAG0241[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/matt_outandabout/ ]matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7824034278_1553950bdc_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7824034278_1553950bdc_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/7824034278/ ]Comrie Croft pump jump track[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/matt_outandabout/ ]matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9225410120_3e02a17a61_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9225410120_3e02a17a61_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/9225410120/ ]Beinn a'Ghlo munro's by bike[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/matt_outandabout/ ]matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr

Pace RC104, option of running gears or single speed, 26" wheel, and I believe they have them on special offer at the minute.

Damn, you made me look at the RC104 and then the RC129...E Type vs Austin Allegro

I'm just finishing putting my RC129 together, just waiting for the sprocket then it's time to get it muddy, hopefully it's better than allegro, otherwise I need a funny shape set of bars like the allegro steering wheels of old 🙂

Luv my 853 Inbred, still going stong since 2007 and on its third colour scheme which is back to it's original matt black, light, strong and cheap to!
Like those Ritcheys though.

I'm sorry Benji! 😳

I totally get the physics, but I struggle with the aesthetics!

Anyway, how about a pair of these?

[url= http://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bar.html ]Clicky[/url]

😈

Genesis Altitude in the free ads, not read all the above posts! But looks like a good option!
Looks very nice, think its a 16"

Why not get your Kona welded? Sounds cheaper than any of the other options.

johnhe - the work plus a re-enamel would be more than a replacement, I'm just going to let it go gracefully (plus it means I can buy a new frame!)

Mangatank, those Jones bars are hideous looking, got a nice set of crank brother cobalt carbons on it 🙂

Lee - Having had the P7 about 18 months I really can't recommend it highly enough. Since I bought it, my Intense hasn't had a look in. Its just such a brilliant all-rounder. Its eclipsed my previous favourite - A SC Chameleon. And praise doesn't come much higher than that

I run 140mm forks on it and you can chuck it down anything, its great for climbing (I'm not though), And its comfortable enough to ride all day

Honzo, Stache, stumpjumper evo HT or frame from On One/Ragley? Don't see the point in 26" hardtails after riding a 29er one - my jeycore one felt as composed as a bouncier 26" so a mildly rad 29er might be a good shout; not as many handling compromises as a full suss one.

That's amazing isn't it - the P7 in the 90s was an incredible frame (I always lusted after them, but never got one), and it continues to be awesome despite changes in riding styles, trail centres and fork lengths.

I've been swaying that way for a while so might just get myself one!

mafia - I'm a gangly 5' 8", not sure a 29er would suit my 31" legs.

I'm an average 5'8 with 30" legs running an 18" race 29er. I found it fine for most stuff but I do like longer bikes (I used to run a large prophet). I would recommend giving one a go if you get a chance but obviously if you're used to a 26er and enjoy them no point taking a risk.

Yeah? Well I might just try one!

Anyone near Glasgow with a 29er fancy giving me a shot?

Genesis Alpitude. Any good to ya?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/genesis-alpitude-steel-frame-sizemedium-similar-to-bfe-dialled-all-mountain

Yeah? Well I might just try one!

I was giving this thread a lot of thought on my lunchtime droveroad thrash...

I 'downgraded' from full-sus to a ti hardtail at the beginning of the year to bring back some of the sensation of adventure that full suspension can deaden. I did give the 29 format a lot of thought but my entire backup parts list is 26" based, so I stuck with it. I've never felt like I was missing out on anything after all.

If I was buying [i]right now[/i] however...I'd have to say I'd really look much harder at 29. I'm 5'8" with a 31" leg too, so I'm in the grey area between fitting 29" nicely and riding my big brother's bike.

A 26" bike is [i]not[/i] a broken or redundant format, and they always look well proportioned and often quite beautiful, but it's hard to argue against the physics and maths of the 29" format. Wheels and forks aren't too expensive either, so the sooner you go in, the cheaper it'll be.

I hate to say it but you should probably book a ride on a demo bike before pulling the trigger on a 26er.

A 26" bike is not a broken or redundant format, and they always look well proportioned and often quite beautiful, but it's hard to argue against the physics and maths of the 29" format.

Interesting point, and one that I mooted over at length a few months ago when ordering a Soul. In the end I stuck with 26, as although 5ft 10 I have short legs, and I like a shortish chuckable bike for tight trails.

I do wonder though what the balance is like for the frame only suppliers such as Cotic - do they now sell more Solaris than Soul, how has the ratio changed etc

Yeah, 29" isn't as straightforward as 26" is. Standover and headtube height [i]could[/i] get silly for anyone under 5'10". I've had a couple of bikes slightly too large for me, and though the ride was great on both, you could just tell they were too big. And that top tube sat there waiting to pounce!

mangatank - that was my issue exactly; I rode the Soul and sat on the Solaris, both great but Solaris just a bit close to the undercarriage when not actually sitting on the saddle, which is quiet common for me on tecky natural Scottish stuff that I ride most often 🙂

Steel hardtail with classic Kona-like qualities? May I reccommend a Curtis? If you hunt around you might find someone (daft enough to be) selling one of the ones CRC were knocking out at £200 last year. I've had a load of steel hardtails but the Curtis is head and shoulders above everything I've had. Ticks every steel frame superlative you can think of. The only frame I've had that came close was a mk1 Inbred SS weirdly enough. The 'inbetween' stuff (other Inbreds, Cotic Soul, Dialled Love/Hate etc) all felt very average...

If I was buying tomorrow though, for the price, a Pace would be hovering around the top of the list. Think theres a couple on eBay at the moment too. Really want an RC129 with the colour coded one-piece bar/stem and fork...

just a bit close to the undercarriage when not actually sitting on the saddle

I've experienced an extreme and sudden top-tube/Gentleman's Region interface and it is [i]not[/i] to be taken lightly.

Similarly, the other day I managed to utterly cock-up a rocky and precipitous descent on the local mountain and ended up straddle-waddling the Ti Evo down it like some 18th Century Gent on his Hobby Horse. The first thought I had was 'Thank you Brant, for understanding how important my goolies are to me'!

FS
Cotic Soul Mk 2 frameset 17.5" medium in black, Hope seat clamp,used as second bike ,only as a 9 speed, therefore has never had a front mech attached.
Can add in FSA cartridge headset if required @ £15.
£ 200 posted
phwill77atgmaildotcom

Thanks catvet, but not in a position to buy a frame just yet!

Bloody hell under cut already on me 2nd hand soul frame, mind you black looks rubbish compared to the lovely bright orange frames. Factoid!

Another vote for an 853 Genesis Altitude here - I picked a frame up on here a while back and love it.

If I was buying tomorrow though, for the price, a Pace would be hovering around the top of the list. Think theres a couple on eBay at the moment too. Really want an RC129 with the colour coded one-piece bar/stem and fork.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the bar/stem never went into production, wanted one as well, but when I asked Adrian told me they had never released it, there were 2 made, one is in there office the other is with one of his friends. Might be worth looking at the 650b they have just sent to What Mountain Bike for test, it's supposed to be retailing at £500 when they release it later this year. Close to a 26" but with the new wheel size.

As for sizing on a 29er I'm 6' tall, and am riding a medium RC129er, with a thomson elite seatpost stuck out the top, it gives me the standover clearance so no broken knackers for me. It's worth thinking about a size down on a 29er, and using more of a long post.

Hmm you've got me thinking about considering a 29er now, when it hadn't really crossed my mind!

Someone mentioned the possibility of using 26" wheels in a 650b frame (with a P7 I think). Would I notice any geometry changes, and could it be a safe option to move away from 26", with the option of going back to 26" if I really didn't get on with it?