Long story short my most favourist ever bike, a rigid SS Santa Cruz Highball, was stolen and I’ve never quite replaced it. It must have been awesome because I had a garage full of bikes and that was the only one taken 🙁

When I replaced it I couldn’t find anything similar and I am still stuck in that same boat. Can anyone provide any inspiration for a SS frame on the more XC side of the spectrum? It is a niche list but not the same kind of niche most SS’ers go for!

– Swinging/ sliding dropouts (I’ve had tensioners, Ebb’s, horizontal dropouts and the SC style was a breath of fresh air)
– Boost rear spacing would make life easier but I can compromise as that may be a demand too far!
– 29er, “normal” tyre sizes
– Not more than around £600 ish
– Not weighing an absolute ton
– Available in the UK
– 2 frame mounted bottle cages
– Not fussed on bike packing mounts out of every available bit of frame
– Internal dropper routing is nice but not a deal breaker
– Clean, simple, fast rigid SS fun ultimately!

I’m doing well at fault finding but not on replacing the SS Highball!!! Any inspiration or other ideas very much welcome!

The Pipedream Sirius S5 seems to be the only one that ticks those boxes except for coming in at almost bang on 3kg which is 1kg more than a alu equivalent or nearly 2kg more than a carbon equivalent (if such a thing existed!)

Stanton Sherpa is another contender. It looks tidier than the Pipedream IMO and is supposedly more than a pound lighter.

The Santa Cruz Chameleon would have been the frame to replace my Highball with and should be lighter than the steel frames, but only one bottle in the triangle and the short/ slack ST with the short CS ruled it out for me (fickle but true)

A Pivot LES SS would be right up my street and I could probably excuse the short frames if it were not well and truly out of my price range!!!

Salsa Timberjack is probably the bike on paper which satisfies my lightish SS desires but I just look at the frame and built up bikes and feel so uninspired.

I reckon a Superfly SS would have done nicely but finding one secondhand in reasonable condition would be tough.

Trek Stache?

I was very close to going for that but there seem to be lots of reports of people being very unhappy running them SS with popping/ dropping chains and finding the stays unnecessarily wide

Personally if my highball (built up very similarly to yours!) was nicked I’d probably buy the stache frame in the classifieds.

You’ve covered the major options I think- the chameleon would be top of my shortlist but I have largely the same problems you do.

Another option to consider would be the e brother big bro. Aren’t singular supposed to be doing a new run sometime soon too?

It’s funny, I was looking at the Brother Big Bro frame earlier today and that reignited my lust to properly replace my Highball SS. Not tooooo heavy, not the worst value with the matching fork and I think they look fantastic. It’s got about 52 more bolts than I need and old school solid geo but I think if I compare to the Highball it won’t be that far off. I will mull it over again 🙂

I’ve always been keen for a Singular but not an EBB again

Good shout too to explore the Classifieds. I’m trawling eBay but if I can brave navigating that section of STW there may be some gems fingers crossed

I’m not surprised the Pipedream is a bit heavy but I am surprised it’s *that* heavy. I’d have thought it’d be materially lighter than my Moxie.

It’s not the same frame but for what it’s worth I can tell you that mine is very nicely finished and the dropouts do their job.

My only slight annoyance with it I can think of right now is the lack of a BB drain hole.

Bit more than your stated price range, but: https://swishcycles.co.uk/product/soma-juice/

I’ve got a 17.5″ Gary Fisher Superfly Carbon SS frame and Niner carbon fork which are a crazy light combo. Been hung up in the garage for years… If of any interest, just let me know, but it does pre-date tapered steerers, and Boost spacing (it’s 135×10 which was fine for the bolt on DT 240 SS hub I ran on it).

Cheers,

Dave.

Why not another Highball?

I don’t know very much about them, but the Sour Bicycles ‘Pasta Party’ looks nice’ although it does have an EBB.

Bit more than your stated price range, but: https://swishcycles.co.uk/product/soma-juice/

When I was last looking for this sort of bike the Soma came out on top. In fact I bought one. Just a shame it had to be cancelled because the shop wanted more than the frame was worth to ship it from the US, and that was before customs. But if they’re available here that’s what I’d be after.

Get Waltly Titanium in China to build you a custom frame in titanium – should be in the region of $900. You can specify all the tube sizes, frame angles, drop-outs, BB etc. I’ve had them build me a couple of frames – very easy to deal with. They make frames for a number of ‘brands’

Have ridden a rigid Soma SS when I was over in Colorado. Decent bike, but a little agricultural. Don’t think they’re very expensive bikes there (bit like On One really?)

I posted a very similar thread last Spring. I looked at all/most of the brands that you have mentioned. Had tons of great ideas on here including the Big Bro, which I ended up buying for a variety of reasons. I absolutely love it. It’s heavier than my 26er alu frame that I was running with a tensioner, but I don’t weigh bikes so I don’t know by exactly how much. Also don’t bike pack, but it’s nice to know I have the right bike if I ever want to 😉 Brother have their new 2021 big bro frames out soon, yellow and I think, forest green or black.

I bought the 10 year anniversary black and gold frame.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kt4LuE]IMG_5327[/url] by Bindylou, on Flickr" alt="" />

previous SS thread

might be helpful

On weight, my current gen Solaris was a whisker under 2.6kg in medium with the rear axle. Sliders must add a bit so I could see the pipedream heading for 3kg.

Custom ti from China (or via someone like spanner.bike?) or the sonder are good shouts.

What size do you need, I’ve got a medium Highball which could probably do with a new home?

I ride a surly krampus ss and it’s just awesome, it won’t be as nimble as a carbon sc but so much fun!

Ibis Tranny?
I love mine!

https://swishcycles.co.uk/product/soma-juice/

Like another poster here the only Soma I saw in the wild had me thinking of an On_one. I think they were on ebay in bulk a few years ago for around £300 so all in all there’s no way I’d stump up £800 for one. It does fit the bill in a lot of respects though!

I’ve got a 17.5″ Gary Fisher Superfly Carbon SS frame and Niner carbon fork…

That is a kind offer Dave but I’m on Large frames so it will be too small unfortunately.

Why not another Highball?

Santa Cruz stopped making the Highball AL so there is no Highball with swinging dropout any more. I haven’t seen anything come up secondhand for ages either 🙁

Sour Bicycles ‘Pasta Party’ looks nice’

It does indeed. Pricey and no easy SS but like it

Get Waltly Titanium in China to build you a custom frame in titanium – should be in the region of $900.

It is an interesting idea but especially in the current UK/ World climate I can’t see a custom import being good value or without significant pain 🙁

I bought the 10 year anniversary black and gold frame.

The Big Bro is really appealing and it is great to see the special paint job built up. I am most certainly not a bikepacking hipster either but it is the one grabbing me so far.

I’ll have to browse your thread too- thank you for that!

the sonder are good shouts

Do Sonder do an SS-able frame?

What size do you need, I’ve got a medium Highball which could probably do with a new home?

My Highball was a Large with an 80mm stem and still a bit on the short side, so a Medium would be too small 🙁 That and your Whiskey fork if you still had it could have been ideal!

I ride a surly krampus ss and it’s just awesome

Everyone with a Krampus or Karate Monkey seems to love them but the rear axle/ tensioning really puts me off along with the high price and weight. Stock at the moment seems non-existent too 🙁

Ibis Tranny

A modern 29er one in budget would be awesome 🙂 But I don’t see it happening sadly

It is an interesting idea but especially in the current UK/ World climate I can’t see a custom import being good value or without significant pain 🙁

Lots of reviews of ChiTi on Spanner.org.uk – I’ve bought numerous custom frames direct from China – usually 6-12 weeks delivery and rarely got charges duty + VAT – just a big box turned up at my front door. Or buy a Waltly-made Travers Angus II for 2-3x the price.

3 months delivery (if not more with the current unpredictable leads times on parts/ materials/ labour/ etc) plus gambling on Brexit duties, plus slow global shipping currently… the potential stress doesn’t interest me one bit I’m afraid. I would rather go down the UK custom steel route if I wanted to spend that kind of money as well I think

Soma are about as similar to On One as Salsa or Pipedream. But yeah that’s expensive, was less than half that before shipping when I tried to get one about three years ago. Otherwise the Pipedream looks good, if the sizing works for you.

Spot Brand recently brought out a rather nice carbon singlespeed, but it’s about the same price as the Pivot.

Specialized Fuse
Canfield Nimble 9
RSD Middlechild

Is a boring, clean, not too expensive SS frame too much to ask for? 😀

Specialized Fuse

No frames in the UK? If you can find one I am all for it!

Canfield Nimble 9

It is designed around a long fork so with a rigid fork in the STA would be crazy steep. The cost and availability in the UK isn’t great either

RSD Middlechild

7lb frame! Not cheap or readily available plus designed around a longer fork. I’m looking more XC than that

Any reason the Stanton Sherpa isn’t making the grade makes the grade but not in the shopping basket? I’m persevering with literal old school 26er SS hardcore hardtails atm out of necessity – yet if was looking at 29ers the Sherpa would seem to tick the boxes. Ideally I’d personally be looking at a next gen SS Orange P7, but that bike didn’t happen yet. So Sherpa would get my dosh, in lovely 853. What’s not to like?

Sonder Broken Road Ti – seems to tick most of your requirements

Can run SS with rear sliding dropouts, 27.5+ or 29er

It’s a quality all round hardtail – highly recommended

I’m have a similar wishlist to you OP and Pipedream Sirius and Stanton Sherpa are the two that stand out to me. Geometry differs but I don’t think there’s that much weight difference – was quoted 2.69kg for a Sherpa without dropouts/headset cups when I enquired. I’m not 100% sure they have singlespeed dropouts yet (when I asked they were on the way though). Ideally I’d like something a bit skinnier, but these two still appeal more the few others I’ve seen out there.

This thread has some nice stuff on the Sirius in geared mode…

I bought the LES. It’s amazing. Very pricey though.

Have you considered a Giant XTC?

Sonder Broken Road Ti

Minor detail on being double what I’d ideally like to pay

Any reason the Stanton Sherpa isn’t making the grade makes the grade but not in the shopping basket?

853 is £940! Cheaper Taiwan frames due end of March. I’d need to check the details on the SS dropouts (Boost?) and costs as well as it isn’t really clear on the site. Weight would be be another reason to not jump straight on it

DanW
My Highball was a Large with an 80mm stem and still a bit on the short side, so a Medium would be too small 🙁 That and your Whiskey fork if you still had it could have been ideal!

Yeah I did think that. I do have a Fuse which I don’t use as well but that’s an XL so that won’t work either. Although singlespeeding the Fuse with the Whisky fork isn’t a terrible idea now I think about it!

Just an FYI ref the Waltly frames, I was speaking to them yesterday and they were quoting a 2 month timescale and they airfreight rather than ship so the delivery aspect only takes about a week.

Have you considered a Giant XTC?

I feel I’ve considered everything at this point and only find faults 🙂 I don’t think Giant do the adjustable dropouts any more but I have been keeping an eye on ebay

http://shop.vassagocycles.com/MooseKnuckle-Frame_p_257.html

More than you want to pay but still fun to look

https://www.shandcycles.com/shop/bikes/bahookie-single/

Have you seen the price?!

Niner EBBs are supposed to be pretty good aren’t they? And the air9 (not the carbon one) looks pretty nice. Otherwise you might be running out of options!