I'm thinking of buying the frame only and building up a 29er... Anyone own one and can give feedback ?
Main concern is the Steel frame could add a bit of weight ? Is the standard bike heavy ?
It’s on my list of possible bikes. I emailed them and they said a medium frame weighs 2.94kg.
A little more than a Cotic or a Pace.
I emailed ragley a few weeks back to ask the frame weight of a large: Approx. 2.94kg. Which is near what my genesis tarn weighs. It's certainly not light. Guess there is the alu option if you favour weight over comfort.
That’s pretty heavy for a large frame considering cheap Aluminium frames are around 2kg. Is there a Ragley Alu option ? (can't see that option on their website)
It's all in the grade of steel and the extent to which the tubes are manipulated (butted). The Cotic Solaris Max weighs in at 2.22kg for the frame, mainly because it uses Reynolds 853 for the main triangle. Whereas the Ragley is standard 4130 (which is 520 in the world of Reynolds). Whether or not the difference in weight bothers you is a personal thing, probably less important than geometry, quality of build etc. However, given there is only £100 difference between the cost of the Ragley and the Cotic, I would go with the Cotic hands down..
We have had a range of hardtails in the family including an older style Big Wig. They are heavier than some of the Alu frames (Octane One Prone from CRC) but not significantly different from say a Yelli Screamy. For that type of bike I wouldn't get too hung up on frame weight as it still builds up quite light and rides well.
I've had steel HT 29ers for 8 years now. Anything in a large that is capable of a bit of hammer is always 2.5kg plus.
Frankly, given the kit you'll hang on it, it doesn't really matter very much.
No direct experience of the Big Wig but I have had a lot of steel hardtails including a Ragley Blue Pig and I'm now riding a Chromag Rootdown which is actually heavier than the big wig.
I wouldn't worry about frame weight too much. By the time you add proper forks, decent carcass tyres and strong wheels it'll be about 30lbs give or take but it'll will ride nicely and be an absolute hoot.
