After reading this articleSingletrackWorld click bait shortly before my 50th birthday, and being pressured into giving an answer to "What do you want for your 50Th? The family are asking" My answer was "A bike frame built in the UK and made of steel, and make it purple" I didn't actually expect a positive response, but I got one, and so the process began.
Simon at 18Bikes was great through the whole process as I was bothering him a lot on whether stuff would transfer from my donor bike or not, as I didn't have much of a budget for new everything.
Frame arrived a few weeks before the big day so sat unopened in the garage until early June when I got to start on it.
Only thing I have to live with is the dropper post being too short, but it isn't a massive problem, and possibly the most expensive mistake was the cassette. I love it when it is in my hands and drooling over it, but I am still not convinced with the violet colourway when on the bike. anyway, can't do anything until it is worn out so have to suck it up. Edit: There is one other issue, the cables. For some reason they are insisting on heading out at an odd angle on one side. I think I need to start again with tidying them.
Final thing to say is that I had a mare with getting the chainline set up and went off into a meltdown, there is a thread, but if anyone is in Hampshire and needs a good bike shop, Refresh Cycles saved me.
Now for the pictures, it has been a long time since I have bothered to upload any pictures on here because it is always such a faff. But, @martinhutch convinced me this was the way to go, so here goes.
If the first image works then I will add a few more and hopefully a link to a folder if anyone is interested in the whole journey
Not the best quality image.....it looks like a purple version of my custom Marino - Pike ultimates and a very low top tube with skinny steel tubes!
I normally just upload images to ‘post images’ and then link them and it’s quite easy / free / quality seems to come out fine
@joebristol it is giving me too many options to link to, which is the one that puts a nice fat photo in the thread? Edit: By process of elimination I found it
That's very nice!
Steel hardtails are the best 😍
Very nice, every time I walk past the 18 window I salivate a little at the one in the window!
Ah you worked it out - good lad!
Looks really nice - when you say the seatpost is too short can you not just put in a longer dropper post if it’s sitting too low? Or do you meant the seat tube and you’d rather it he been taller?
@joebristol, I like to have the dropper right inside the seat tube and only use the extension for the height so I get max clearance. This is only a 125mm which worked with the previous frame, but would need a 150 or even longer for this one. It’s no real problem, it gets far enough out of the way.
Like this 👍
Ah ok - so when budget allows you could easily fit a longer one. My Marino has a 395mm seat tube and I’ve got a 180mm one up post in it. Could actually do with putting a 210mm on it to get more insertion of the lower post in the seat tube.
Yours looks ace with the seat stays and the top tube lining up perfectly.
That looks awesome and thanks for the heads up on Refresh as I'd never heard of them and they are local to me. I might see if they can overhaul my Camber's bearings etc as they are probably overdue.
Love a steel hardtail and having started MTB in the purple Pace era the colour is spot on. 🙂
FWIW I think the cassette looks good.
Happy 50th! Nice bike!
That is nice.
ps. Brand X Ascend XL are under 100quid on CRC at the mo +extra £10 off that 😀
pps. A bike shop in Leigh Park?? Sweet! 😀
Lovely bike, cool silver accents too 🙂
Looks lovely and all though uncomfortably slack
@desperatebicycle, Not a traditional shop, more a workshop. Chris is great, he can collect and return your bike or you can drop off. Lost my trustworthy spanner when Jonno closed Blackout cycles but turns out Chris is even closer so all good.
@notjustacyclingaddict, geometry seems ok so far. Only been on a 12 mile road/coastal path ride to test it and it was comfortable. I had to move the seat back a little mid ride, and tilt the bars forward a few mm (I might get a 40mm stem instead of 35) but comfort was a problem. Time will tell when I hit 20+ miles though 🙂
@johnjn2000 that’s a lovely build, I was initially sceptical when you said purple at the start of your post, but having seen the pictures it’s lovely and I’d consider that colour (even as a die-hard black frame fan😃). Drool-worthy colour for sure.
I’ve got a 200mm Brand X XL dropper on my hardtail (which isn’t as custom nor as pretty as yours) and it’s amazing, so much better than the 125mm dropper it came with (seat tube is 425mm on mine so pretty low for someone who’s 5’11), only problem is it needs about another 10mm of insertion (but seems to fit me, just), I think that longer is better and doubly so on a hardtail when you want the saddle and back end well out of your way.
Is it custom or standard geometry? And if custom then what did you go for?
Now I’m jealous and want to upgrade my hardtail (for no logical reason as it runs great). Lol
@zerocool, thank you for the kind comments. I have come from having a anodized black AM160 and a anodized black Zero29 to a raw AM9 and a purple No9 🙂 I did consider the black version of the new frame but fell in love with the purple in the STW article written by @ben_haworth. Ben is to blame for the hole in a number of bank accounts right now 🙂
The dropper situation is annoying. Due to my short legs I am usually right on the edge of a 150, and for my previous bike the PNW 150 was just a little too big so I went to the 125 which had an inch or so out of the seat tube. Now on this bike I really need 150 or 180, and I recently sold a One Up 180 as it was too big for me gahhhhhhhhhh
It's not a huge problem though, due to the short seat tube the seat is still out of the way enough when dropped..............I think..............need to find something steep to find out if it whacks me in the ar$e
Not custom just took the middle size as it was close to the Zero29 donor bike
Looks awesome!
Hope it's fun to ride🙂
It looks awesome. And you don't need a longer dropper, tiny I’d definitely add it to the list of early upgrades. Just measure how much post you have sticking out see.
Loving the purple
And I wish you hadn't posted that blasted link....😏 Now wondering what I'd have to sell/dispose of and how many years it would take for forgiveness.
I do like a steel hardtail and mine is need of modernisation.
@garage-dweller, I know exactly what you mean. The true cost of the bike was hidden as I only mentioned the frame cost......................it is going to be a few months before I am out of the financial hole it created..............but it was worth it..........I think 🙂
Gorgeous! And I do like their approach to sizing - great for those of us who are stumpy of leg 😂
That geometry needs a Lyrik or a 36, not a Pike IMO.
Like that. Nice build and component choices. Their frames always look good and are well received and were one of the few alternatives I looked at when choosing my current steel hardtail. Enjoy!
@scienceofficer, what’s the thinking here? I don’t think it will happen certainly not short term as it was a donor fork but interested to hear for the future of an opportunity pops up.