@legometeorology thankyou for finding that frame again, agreed, out and out bargain but I’m hesitant as there’s a niggle that inside that wonders if I’ll only end up swapping it later due to the, as I understand, max 2.2 tyre clearance on 27.5 wheels, again, probably me being unnecessarily picky
@thisisnotaspoon thanks for sharing your thoughts on chain devices / tensioners, makes a lot of sense and quite helpful
I don’t have one yet, was more of a “I found so could use this” idea
Still watching that longitude on the ‘bay hoping someone buys my ss road bike before it goes
Totally understand, that's why I've moved away from trying to repurpose a 26er frame, as I'm sure I'll just end up wanting to run a larger 650b tyre or a decent size 700c gravel tyre
What I really want is a nice 650b frame with sliding dropouts, like the old Pipedream Sirius or Kona Explosive
@legometeorology snap! Since starting this thread I’ve done a fair bit of searching / reading with a bit more knowledge of what I’m after
Think you’ve nailed it really
Nice frame
Disc brakes
Sliding dropouts
Enough room for a decent pair of 27.5 tyres
Job jobbed
Someone I know(Moi) has a med genisis IO frame with a very nice dt swiss fork taking up space😉😉🤦🏼♂️
Someone been reading my mind. I have regreted selling my IO a couple of years and want to replace it. Maybe somethng a bit more modern for 6650b wheels though but importantly not something to slow handling. I am a bit of adinosuar regarding MTBs but find that modern full suss things handle like Peter Fondas Harley. I want something nippy and sharp not a barge. Thoughts anyone.
@sparkyrhino nicely stealthed ha ha I’d have been tempted but alas…
A) medium will be too big for me
B) I think I’d want bigger than 2.2 27.5 tyres, I’m also assuming the fork is for 26er also?!
@mattsccm unfortunately I’m not the one to be able to offer any valuable advice but hopefully someone with better knowledge than I will be along shortly…
Stealth add, me, never. Fork is 26 but takes 27.5👍🏼😉
How about trying half link chain?
My 2p
I had a Pipedream I bought to build a SS around and it was great. A geared Ti456 was my "big" bike.
Years later I have a FS as my "big" bike and the Ti456 is SS with a tensioner. I've also run other frames as SS with a tensioner and would say they're overall, maybe easier than a "better" frame, with sliding dropouts, EBB or anything else. Sure it might be a little tricky getting the wheel out, but how often does one get a puncture these days? A sprung tensioner will keep tension even when the chain wears, where my commuter gets loose and wobbly until it drops and I think "oh yeah I should adjust that"
TLDR; get the frame you want and put a tensioner on.
I found my blackspire style device much quieter than a sprung version. A bit more fiddly to set up but once it's on its easy to adjust. I can't hear it at all while riding. My old sprung hanger tensioner drove me mad with the noise.
https://ridefarr.co.uk/products/farr-atb-frame-kit?variant=40422944997537
Great VFM at £250. Looks a tad steep but can't be sure w/o the fork length on the diagram. 69.5 deg if sagged on a 29er's ok, a quick-handling XC SS is no bad thing.
damn that's stupidly cheap
Have since been doing a fair bit of searching about and am currently keeping an eye on
2016 (?!) Genesis longitude with forks
Or
Kona unit 29er without forks
Genesis would work out around £40-£50 more after shipping
This build is going to be a slow one with bits to build it up bought on a monthly basis
Opinions please all?! What would the STW hive go for out of the two?!
Whilst I await a reply from the kona seller
Does anyone know if a 2006 unit frame will take suspension forks up front?
https://m.pinkbike.com/buysell/3288628/
Google images suggest the 2006 Unit was designed around a short travel sus fork. Tbh though, that's not a great deal for such an old frame, in my opinion anyway
I doubt they'll be much difference between the 2016 Longitude or a Unit of roughly the same era (or older), although the latest Unit's are a much more low-long-slack modern geometry (although I'm not convinced that's all a good idea for a rigid build)
This is an obvious suggestion, but is the horizontal-dropout On One Inbred on your list? Those come up reasonably often and quite cheap
The old Genesis Latitude Alfine frame was damn nice too, but rare now
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/in-need-of-inspiration-show-me-your-genesis-high-latitude/
Does anyone know if a 2006 unit frame will take suspension forks up front?
They sure do, I had one many years ago, my first 29er I think, that I ran with a 100mm Rockshox Tora. One of the few frames that I regret selling, really nice bikes.
Thanks for the replies all
I have been looking out for an inbred (and many others) too but not coming up for sale in a small very often
Both the genesis and kona seem to be reasonably highly regarded frames, still undecided which to plump for, on a flip side, the genesis comes with forks already which would make the build a little quicker for now but the kona is 29er specific which would allow for wider tyres than if I put 29ers on the genesis (I’m guessing here)
I guess a lot of my current deliberation comes down to the fact the genesis auction ends tonight and am a little reluctant to let a potentially good deal slip by
As much as I regret selling my Kona Unit, I'm not sure £220 for a frame that's getting close to 20 years old constitutes a good deal, seems a bit steep to me.
Tis a fair point @bazz
I’ll be honest, I’m not often sure what is a good or not so good deal for bike frames, I always kind of figure, if I’d be happy paying that amount, it’s not a terrible deal, I think the genesis is still a forerunner for now u less I find something betterer before tonight’s auction ends
If anyone has any suggestions or has their google-fu skills honed in today, any finds or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
It was bad timing, but a day before I saw this thread, there was a small 2011 Unit frame + fork on ebay for £125 buy-it-now. So I think that 2006 one is way overpriced, but the Genesis is currently a bargin. Also, I would have thought 29er clearance would still be good on the Genesis with the wheel set back in the dropouts
This is almost certainly gone, but that would have been well worth it
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3337833/
@legometeorology that sir is a good find! Thankyou
Have sent the seller a message because…well, you never know
Apologies for continually bringing this up…
Still watching the longitude on eBay which I really like but have just found this which has piqued my interest a fair bit
-Designed for 26er but enough room (apparently) for 27.5 x 2.8
-100mm suspension fork compatible,
-Disc brakes
Price SEEMS reasonable
I like the look of it a lot, This could well be my new single speed project / build
I’m struggling to find a bad point, have I missed something?!
Anyone have any experience / comments / suggestions?!
Surly frames, I think, are renowned for being a bit heavy. But they’re well made, last a long time and for the price that looks like a great little frame and fork, you could do a lot worse than that.
@tuboflard largely what I suspected so that was all the confirmation I needed, many thanks
It’s got to be the one I think, pretty much the first frame I’ve seen since looking that had got me genuinely excited
What's the current tensioner of choice?
Currently considering the surly tugnut or something similar
This is going to be a (largely) slow build with getting a couple of bits a month until it’s rideable so if it takes a while to work out the tensioner situation it’s no real delay to overall progress
If you go for the Surly, post some pictures up of the build when you’re done!
Bought the surly!
Will be a couple of months or so (probably not this side of Christmas) but definitely expect pictures, a barrage of “wanted” ads and even more “help! How’s does this work / fit together / is this part right?” Posts ha ha
Thanks all for the replies and help…so far…
