Hey All,

Right here is a tricky situation for you so any help would be great – my current bike is a ellsworth moment and to be honest im not getting on with her after buying her in April – despite being built up reasonably well the geo feels like im not connecting with the bike at all – I’m loving the slack HA but the high BB ruins everything (specifically cornering – you really can feel the bike waver when your perched 16″ of the ground and im using the reccomended fork length! and maintence/mud pick/and to be honest boringness from a lack of zest in the ride are all very high, not ideal so I’m looking to get a new frame.

Much of my riding is just going out and messing around in wales were I live on local dh tracks and jumps for a laugh as we all do when we have a spare hour here and there. However I’m also spending more and more time hike – a – biking up the bigger rock slabs in snowdonia with a bivvy and bovril to mash down them again after a night out – I’m enjoying this so much so its starting to take over my life and hopefully in a few months time me and a bike are going to go travelling around pretty much anywhere to generally enjoying shredding mtn/trail riding/ playing around on a bike which we all love and enjoy. Consequently I’ve been drawn to the idea of building up a bike like the transition trans am singlespeed with a proper 160mm fork – low maintence/ much fun but will going back to hardtails from a 150mm bike be too much of a step backwards? And I’m not sure I’d enjoy the ride as much without gears to help the initial climbs and occasional road slogs….. am i wrong? I know some of you are proper bearded singlespeeders so thoughts please! Other bikes such as specifically the new Zesty 514 carbon for example are also very attractive offerings – strength and light weight and most importantly ‘pop’ and ‘fizz’ to make the ride fun! But will the abuse (specifically maintenance wise sleeping outside occasionally) I want to submit a bike like that too ruin it?

Essentially what are your thoughts on I suppose a mtn bike for general thrashing/reliability/fun factor many thanks
here’s a list to inspire some ideas:
Specialized enduro
Orange Five (am?)
Lapierre Zesty
Banshee Spitfire
Orange Alpine (too heavy duty tbh)
Transition Trans am
Orange P7
Dialled Alpine

My Initial thoughts on build are 140 – 160mm fork/travel, 1×9/1×10 drivetrain or singlespeed………….

what do you reckon I’m open to all ideas and if anyone wants an ellsworth moment….. unlikely after all ive just said! Many Thanks!

ohhhhh – stanton slackline steel/ti (like the sound of tapered HT as they do make a difference IMO and a removable mech hanger on the Ti version)…………

You sound just like me! I’ve been ss for 5 years and have been everywhere on it-but it does weigh 20lbs! Feeling the need for something grr (bmx/dh background) but still ridable/involving.
I’m thinking of a trans am,but with big wheels ,a 140mm fox 34 and 1×10.
A long legged,hardcore back country bike!

Why on earth would you want a singlespeed all-mountain bike? What do you do when you need a bit of extra speed for a jump etc. I don’t think a 1x would be much better for that matter. I know what you’re saying about maintenance but do you want a bike that isn’t as much fun to ride? I spoke to a bloke in a carpark the other week, he had a Tracer2 on top of his car and didn’t look like the fittest bloke in the world…I looked over his bike and made a few comments about his choice of parts etc. I asked why he only had one chainring, “to save some weight and to save on maintenance! he replied, “walking up hills is taking some getting used to after coming from a triple too” WTF! Why would anyone want to walk up hills for the sake of an extra chainring or two and wanting to save on maintenance but buys a VPP bike, crazy!
If you really are sick of sorting your bike out a hardtail might be the better option. I know a lot of bike guides use them with a long travel adjustable fork. Can you not have a go on someones to see if it’s for you? I would still prefer a full-sus though.
If you are more downhill oriented definitely look at the Banshee Spitfire…it’s know as the downhillers trail bike isn’t it?
I have a Mojo HD140 and a hardtail with 120mm up front. I like both, but it’s horses for courses and I don’t ride them in the same places.
These are my own opinions of course so you may not agree with what I’ve said. 🙂

rorschach, sc tallboy?

lumberjack, Dr Jon’s vertigo BA? (I mean get one built for yourself)

Many Tanks Everyone!

d45yth – fair comments my attraction to singlespeed essentially stems from a summer (trying) to get a permanent post in no less than three bike shops – I must be rubbish! – and spending the entire time sorting out gears for people…… there’s just a certain attraction for me to the simplicity of it and the increased liklihood of being able to bodge repairs with few reasources whilst abroad – i agree that many riders have gone down thre trailbike/chaindevice route for fashions sake but for me personally as a (reasonbally) fit person I enjoy the added challenge on the ups and specifically the lack of noise and security when bashing through rock-gardens on the way down – straightline silent guide creator I want to marry you!

Many Tanks Everyone!

d45yth – fair comments my attraction to singlespeed essentially stems from a summer (trying) to get a permanent post in no less than three bike shops – I must be rubbish! – and spending the entire time sorting out gears for people…… there’s just a certain attraction for me to the simplicity of it and the increased liklihood of being able to bodge repairs with few reasources whilst abroad – i agree that many riders have gone down thre trailbike/chaindevice route for fashions sake but for me personally as a (reasonbally) fit person I enjoy the added challenge on the ups and specifically the lack of noise and security when bashing through rock-gardens on the way down – straightline silent guide creator I want to marry you!

Carbon 456 (geared, 2 rings and bash) SLX kit with Wotan’s.

Only because that’s what I’ve got.

Appears to work though and I hate fiddling with and cleaning bikes.

Love the sound of your bike Jambon – have never seen one in the flesh yet so will have to sort that one day – when it was released I can remember hating the lines but now I think its pretty bloody awesome….. especially with the red graphics 🙂

Get a hub gear – low maintenance and you’ve still got gears.

Forgot to say, have a look on Bike and Bivi if you’re liking your bivvying so much. Also Bear Bones Bikepacking, there are quite a few write-ups of some trips around Wales on here. Might not be what you’re looking for but plenty of advice on the non-biking side of it too.

I SO want Dr Jons BA!
I’m building a steel 29er with a fat front and a 2 speed (schlumpf) transmission.A riding gear and a climbing gear with all the simplicity of ss and some extra Cush up front without the bother of a boingy fork.
If it works then I’ll sell a kidney and get in touch with Mr Cheney :0)

The C456 IS as ugly as sin, but it works. A good way to get a ‘light’ all mountain bike – mine’s 28Lbs with a heavy build. The Wotan’s are heavy but can be serviced on the bike in less than half an hour and are soooo stiff and plush. A good hike a bike really as carying it is pretty easy.

Replace the Trans Am on the list with an Evil Sovereign. 1x Drivetrain or singlespeed with the sliding dropouts, 140mm fork, 50mm stem and a decent lightish wheelset and you’ve got yourself one of the most fun bikes anywhere ever. EVER.

I’ve ridden faster and lighter bikes in my time but nothing as engaging and fun, which is sort of the point of a mountain bike.

Fontmoss-I don’t do glue and string!

rorschach, um good? (why are you telling me that?)

EDIT: ah the tallboy!

I use a Moment for that sort of thing and love it, but I am hoping to replace it and no questions asked I would go for a 5 with 160mm forks.

My go-to bike though is an Evil Sovereign with Pikes. Without doubt the best bike for this sort of thing- dependable, but monumentally exciting and far more capable than you’d imagine.

Tallboy-plastic tat
edit-apart from the Ali one :0/

Oh, and 1×10 all the way here. Almost all of us in our riding bunch have done it and no one’s looked back.

single speed all mountain bikes are ace. I loved mine to bits.

yeah I thought there was an alu tallboy!

or get a jones for the ultimate rigid all mountain bike

Got any pics of the bike? How older frame is it?

Else what tyres (and size) have you got on it?
I’m guessing 160mm fork?
How much does the headset stick out of the frame (At the bottom?)
What shock have you (any dimensions?) got on it?

16″ BB height?
Ellsworth site claims 14″ with a static fork length of 560mm? (Fox 36 or RS Lyrik/Domain are 545mm at 160mm (Wotans @ 160mm = 540mm)

I can’t see anything on headtube internal diameters, or shock stroke on there either

Just thinking a combination/choice of angle slackening headset*, if possible a shorter i2i shock with the same stroke, maybe some offset shock bushings depending on shock axle diameters might help to drop the BB enough (though also slackening so udge your saddle forward a bit) to make it feel more normal?

*maybe something by works components would be much much cheaper than a cane creek