How did you get on with the steerer mounted TT bar adapter (sorry can't remember what it was called)?
My point was you still need the height somewhere, either in the headtube like the vagabond or in spacers like your TD-1 or in the fork like a Swift. They all end up looking a bit unbalanced. Here's (not my bike but same size and model) as an example of one that I think get's it more balanced (there's still plenty about the geometry to hate, but it get's me the 25miles each way to work and back).
theres 30mm of spacers in thereto optimise the TT position without compromising the regular bars . it goes to 10mm when im not using the TT bars -it is a race bike afterall.. - ive ridden it quite happily not quite slammed for years. what i cant do is slam it to the headset cap which is required to fit the siren fred bar above the stem on the kona P2 fork and then get down on the Tri bars - thats too low.
Ah, that Cooker looks a lot nicer than the one below that I had in my head... Hard to argue that those forks are not excessive!
May be I just like my front end low, or may be, as I went through a period of only road biking a couple of years back, I forgot what it's like to have a high front end when I returned to MTBs. I slightly older version of my current bike is below the Charge.
I'm with you that longer forks look better than a mountain of spacers.
Oh, I wasn't intending to put custom frames on the list (just posted the Hunter as it looks sweet IMO). Brother Big Bro is on now (the list at the bottom of the 1st page). I can't see any Inbred's for sale anymore.
The Koga should def be on (although I'm not a massive fan). The one below looks rather interesting though...
It's quite simple I think. I wanted a Genesis Fortitude, but I built up that weird 27/29" Latitude LT instead
Have always loved a rigid bike, being simplicity itself. The fastbimble was strong with the early Konas + P2. When my Cindercone finally rusted and I couldnt source a Mary SS I moved to a Kinesis Maxlight XC1 fitted with some unknown cromo 29er forks (below). It rode very well indeed albeit slightly too big for me. Finally sized down to a Vagabond (M) and the fastbimble continues (on wide curly bars for now)
Just to point out the stooge mk1-3 isnt suspension corrected.
Its designed to be fun as rigid as fk and stiffer than a victim of a Viagra overdose. You can shoehorn a boingy front end in and it will work (in a fashion) but that is not what is was ever designed for. #
The speedball is even more uncompromisingly pure rigid and the new Dirtbomb is pushing rigid geometry as far as it will go and is a mad as a bag.
Andy will build full bikes for customers as well, so its not just a frame only deal either.
Anyway. surly are ace, genesis are always good, but heavy old boats, but for pure rigid experience the answer is Jones,
the last Koga picture is basically the beachracer with flat bar rather then the normal dropbar set up, really nice bikes
Legometeorology I only mentioned the Beinn 29 as I remember one of the Hey-Wow magazines ( MBUK?) doing a £500 quid shootout a few years back and they rated it quite highly, 2" tyre clearance, cromoly forks, decent-ish parts for the money. You could call it a gravel-mtb if you wanted?
That Koga looks quite nice too, I like how it's described as being "particularly easy". I have to admit, I've never been interested in the XC-racing scalpel type bikes, but the Orbea Alma and Olympia do look lovely.
I do like the look of those weightless carbon things, but a steel or titanium custom thing would still be what does it for me...
https://www.sklarbikes.com/blog/2016/8/13/sams-rigid-29er-colorado-trail-bike
has no one mentioned shand yet or did i just miss it ?
nice - yes .
affordable - not rediculously un.
Well finished. and speced - yes
