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“I've been interested in the new BFe for a while but I'm not really sure if it'd feel like too much bike for the kind of riding a hardtail is best at”
I don’t have a BFe but my Moxie is v similar, just a notch gnarlier in its inclination if the bikepacking.com review is accurate. Yes, it doesn’t have quick/nippy handling like an old school XC bike but in terms of going out on big pedally rides it’s great, certainly better than the 27.5 and 26 hardtails I had before.
Last night’s ride was woodland singletrack, fast, so dusty, some jumps and drops and we had two singlespeed hardtails (a carbon 27.5 and my Moxie), three ~140mm full-sus bikes and one FS XC bike and it was in its element. But last winter there was a lot of muddy downland XC with a friend on his rigid titanium singlespeed - the only change being a waterbottle with a mud cover thingy.
These frames aren’t light and if you build them with parts to handle being ridden hard you don’t end up with a light bike - but they’re really not that heavy in the scheme of things and if you don’t go too OTT with the tyres they’re good at covering ground.
The mullet rear wheel option on the BFe looks so good if you’ve got any pumpy jumpy flow trails nearby.
”I'm signed up for a Glorious Gravel ride in the Lakes in September.”
I bet you’ll enjoy the descents far more than all the dropbar riders if the BFe is ready in time!
These frames aren’t light and if you build them with parts to handle being ridden hard you don’t end up with a light bike - but they’re really not that heavy in the scheme of things and if you don’t go too OTT with the tyres they’re good at covering ground.
100% suggest that OP spends a good portion of the budget on the very best, suitably light and strong wheelset and tyres you can muster. Fancy bars, groupsets etc can be lovely but nothing will make as big a difference as the wheelset.
not necessarily what the OP was after, and seems to be sorted, but anyone any experience of the 'off the shelf' marino's?
https://www.marinobike.com/product/tunki-hardtail/
and
https://www.marinobike.com/product/marino-chaski-bikepacking-frameset/
520 double butted tubing, probably not light but it's fairly well priced.
These frames aren’t light and if you build them with parts to handle being ridden hard you don’t end up with a light bike - but they’re really not that heavy in the scheme of things and if you don’t go too OTT with the tyres they’re good at covering ground.
100% suggest that OP spends a good portion of the budget on the very best, suitably light and strong wheelset and tyres you can muster. Fancy bars, groupsets etc can be lovely but nothing will make as big a difference as the wheelset.
it’ll get the parts I have! The budget is for the frame and it’s spent. I have a DT Swiss wheel set which is decently light. I’m interested in Schwalbe tyres for their recycling credentials so will aim for whatever XC tyres they do (Nobby Nics probably?)
I bet you’ll enjoy the descents far more than all the dropbar riders if the BFe is ready in time!
that is almost the point of this bike to be honest - some gravel rides I’ve done have some epic descents and sometimes it’d be nice to over bike for 80% of a route so you can enjoy the other 20% properly!
Also I’ve really struggled with middle back issues on my Camino and I’m wondering if a more upright position might benefit me over long distances.
I was in the same position as you recently, needed a Solaris ideally more than a BfeMax for a second bike (already have RocketMax) but the price difference swung it, went for BfeMax and no regrets it's a really nice ride and I use for most things swapping out fork and wheels dependng on when/where/what the current situation is. I'd love to mullet as I'm short and I may even end up with the new version at some stage.
These frames aren’t light and if you build them with parts to handle being ridden hard you don’t end up with a light bike - but they’re really not that heavy in the scheme of things and if you don’t go too OTT with the tyres they’re good at covering ground.
Yeah that's a "me" problem, I've always been tempted to overbike/overbuild even though the majority of my riding is just at Woburn or the local bike parks which are all hardpack jump trails. Current bike (29" hardtail with fairly conservative geometry) is pretty spot on for all that tbh but I do sometimes miss having a bigger bike that gives you the confidence to charge at everything. Especially if I ride somewhere else like Wharncliffe where it's much steep and rougher. Still not sure I can justify 2 bikes at the minute though, but 2 wheelsets and something like a BFe might be enough to be a good "all rounder" bike. Shame there doesn't seem to be any U-Turn/travel adjust forks around any more as well, would be perfect to be able to wind out to bigger travel and stick on a burly wheelset for DH days! Used to do that all the time with my old Trailstar and Pike U-Turn.
Oddly enough I was talking to a mate about my old rockshox psylos that could wind from 90 to 110 (iirc) yesterday. I said they needed to make a comeback!
Having ridden a lot of steel and alu bikes I don’t buy into the “the way it feels” by any real measure.
Steel rides better comes from road riders with 19c tyres and 120psi I think.
If you have 2.5” tyres at 23 psi I don’t think you will notice much difference.
Having ridden a lot of steel and alu bikes I don’t buy into the “the way it feels” by any real measure.
Steel rides better comes from road riders with 19c tyres and 120psi I think.
If you have 2.5” tyres at 23 psi I don’t think you will notice much difference.
It comes from the late 80's, early 90's when aluminium frames were appearing and were harsh compared to the skinny tubed Tange Prestige (or similar) tubed steel frames. Cheap pig iron frames were also rough but there was a significant difference between a decent steel or aluminium frame.
For what it's worth, I think a good steel frame these days can still feel smoother than aluminium from my experience.
“If you have 2.5” tyres at 23 psi I don’t think you will notice much difference.”
I don’t think it’ll change your life and it’s certainly nothing like having rear suspension but having gone from steel to alloy and back to steel, even with a pretty heavy steel frame that’ll take a 170mm fork I much prefer the feel of a good steel frame.
I wouldn’t say I notice much difference when just sitting pedalling places but it feels like there’s a bit less chatter when you’re going fast on rougher downhills, especially in flat corners, and less than ideal landings (like hucks to flat or jumping into rock or root gardens) feel more dead and calm. Just less buzzy, more smooth. (As a mechanical engineer who works in audio and plays bass I wonder if there’s some stuff going on with resonant frequencies and Q of these resonators?)
(That’s running 2.4 tyres at 18psi front, 19psi rear, with an insert in the back).
Given that I've just dropped £650, I think we can definitely say steel is better and any other choice is wrong
@chiefgrooveguru I agree with your "less buzzy, more smooth"
I do also agree with general sentiments here that modern MTBs are stiffer than they used to be, frame material isn't an automatic guarantee of a particular ride quality and tyres, both construction and pressure, dictate ride quality more than anything else. But there is a difference...
For a couple of years I was using my aluminium Ragley Marley 290 as my XC bike. Built up with parts I find pretty comfortable - Spank 31.8 Vibrocore bars, Ergon GDH grips, Hunt Trailwide wheels and Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35 tyres in the really soft Super Race carcass at 20F/22R psi. It rode really well, but would definitely get a bit fatiguing on longer rides and felt harsh going fast down bumpy hills. I only had my Moxie to compare it to at the time which is a different build, so wasn't a fair comparison, but always felt more comfy and generally calmer.
Then last autumn I got a Stanton Sedona frame to replace the Ragley and swapped all the components straight over. Like for like there's clearly a difference. It still doesn't smooth things out like a full suss and an extra 5 or so psi in the tyres would probably negate the difference, but the steel frame doesn't start to feel harsh a couple hours into a ride or like your eyeballs are being shaken out down fast bumpy hills.
For what it’s worth, I’m not sure I’d have enjoyed my Camino as much if I’d gone for the alloy frame.
I know Ti is a whole other ball game in terms of cost and properties, but it seems to me frame material makes a cumulative difference rather than any noticeable difference in the moment. And I wonder if I’d have sold my gravel bike by now if it was alloy! Guess I’ll never know, but either way I don’t regret the extra outlay on my Camino Ti
that being said, the 30mm Rudys won’t hurt…
Bfe build finally sorted. Just on first shake down around the lanes, so far pretty comfy, lighter than I expected. Really need to change these tyres though!
- Pike Ultimate charger 2.1
- Deore/SLX drivetrain/brakes
- PNW Range Bars
- Ergon GA3 grips
- Bike Yoke dropper
- Bontrager 2.5” tyres (will swap to something more rolly down the line…)
I’ve had my BFe on holiday with me, also with big tyres inherited from another bike… I think it’s keeping the big rubber. It’s a riot to ride.
@colourofsound That's a very nice looking BFe! I still swear by the old 2.1 damper Rockshox, a great fork for a good hardtail.
I agree with you on tyres also - I always have more fun on a hardtail on something pretty fast rolling. They seem to come alive that way. My Moxie has spent the spring/summer on 2.6, Exo+ Rekons and they definitely won't cut it through winter, but I'm gonna miss zipping around on them.
Having never ridden an alloy Hardtail in 30 plus years of riding I couldn't comment. But steel now that I feel able to give my twopennorth . 95 Marin Tange tubeset , Kona DB tubes , compared to the Inbred DN6 🤔night and day . Fast forward Onza Jackpot compared to the 853 of the Curtis absolutely no comparison, then again I should hope not considering the price difference!
The onza jackpot was the weight of a small planet
I have a 2021 BfE that's been ridden through five winters. It's a big, heavy build with 2.6 tyres and feels pretty unstoppable. The last thing I'd call it tho was fast rolling 😉
This - Nordest Britango - was built to replace my gravel bike after 4 days on the Marches and Castles tour when it became clear I'd much rather ride a MTB. 140mm Pike, XT including single pot brakes, One Up/Nukeproof finishing kit, Hunt wheels with Barzo/Mezcal 2.35 tyres. It IS light (for a steel HT) and fast rolling.
Riding it in the Chilterns yesterday reminded me of just how much fun a well sorted hardtail is. It's definitely on the "sportier" die of handling compared to the rest of my slacker bikes, but perfect for zipping round forest Singletrack and climbing back to the top.
Whilst a skinny steel HT is definitely pleasing to the eye, I haven't ridden a modern one (my most modern steel MTB is a 2010's 26" Shan - which was/is undeniably fun). I can't imagine anything feeling noticeably 'that much' better than my alu Ragley that I like to wax lyrical about. Saving a few lbs has to negate some of the 'steel is real feel'.
Next HT will likely be Ti though - the looks and the weight benefits
The last Alu hardtail I had was a Nukeproof Scout. Looked amazing, rode great but absolutely beat me up even with 2.6 tyres. I'll take the weight penalty for the placebo/otherwise Steel is Real feel 🙂
On Ti bikes, I was chatting with a riding bud yesterday about those. We both had Cove Hummers and I reckon I'd still have mine if it wasn't for the epic chainsuck they all suffered.
Also that head angle looks quite steep! Must be 10 years since I sold mine.
The last Alu hardtail I had was a Nukeproof Scout. Looked amazing, rode great but absolutely beat me up even with 2.6 tyres. I'll take the weight penalty for the placebo/otherwise Steel is Real feel
That's the thing with the Ragley tough - it's really quite compliant. Other people have said similar. I don't know how they've achieved it
