Hi guys, I’m looking for a fast, fun, hardtail frame to build up either ss or 1×9 with 90-130mm travel adjust forks for forest singletrack (in Suffolk so no hills!) and light commuting. I’ve done a bit of research and the Tranny seems to be exactly what I’m looking for, but I could really do with something cheaper! Any ideas anyone? Doesn’t have to be carbon, but I dont want a harsh ride. Have looked at Cotic, On-one and Ragley. All seem to have nice steel frames but at £600 to £1k cheaper would I be missing out on alot?! I guess what I’m really asking is is the Tranny worth the extra money?

Diminishing returns innit?

Expensive bikes are not worth it unless you can easily afford it or are a teenager.

No experience of the tranny but a quick look at the ibis website says it optimised for 100mm forks. Don’t know how it would be at 130?

Something like the Cotic Soul would certainly fit the bill on 1×9. Ran mine at 100 for years, currently at 120mm. Its got up to 140 these days (old ones like mine to 130). It’s certainly not harsh! Drawback is that it’s 1.3 pounds heavier but if you are mainly no hills then this shouldn’t be a problem. You could spend the extra £700 on light wheels and finishing kit. there are a lot of happy Soul owners out there. We can’t all be deluded.

For the kind of riding you intimate I would probably run the soul back at 100 which gives more than plenty up front and keeps the bike fast in the twisty. Leaves you 30mm spare for the days you get some hills to come down…

I’m sure there are other frames out there worth considering too, don’t have any experience of them though.

Would you be missing out on a lot? Can’t really see how. Except if that’s the bike you fancy then what the hell. Logic goes out the window in these situations 😀

If you could limit yourself to 120 forks then the Whippet would seem a good option.

Kona Explosif with slidy dropouts for 1x or SS use?

On-one whippet? Presume it will run both ss and geared dropout. Max 120mm fork.

Edit – ooops! Slow posting 🙂

Good point dave, with the carbon 456 from £299 as well, well, I’d not be spending the extra on an ibis.

Saw a c456 single ringed up in the flesh the other week and it looked really really nice. Definitely a lot lighter than my soul! I could be tempted myself if I didn’t already have 2 HT’s…

IIRC the tranny has the same geometry as a soul, with a max fork length of 120mm.

thought the on-one’s were meant to be stiff and harsh rather thsn a more complying carbon build.

There’s nothing “complying” about a Tranny. Must be the stiffest thing I’ve ever ridden.

Fast and fun though!

The only downside I noticed with running the C456 as a singlespeed is that due to the deep chainstays, the chain needs to be super taught to stop it slapping noisily on the chainstay.

That was with a 32/14 ratio, might be better with a larger ratio.

Thanks for the help guys, what about the Ragley Piglet? Anyone have any experience with that?

Are there any nice soft and springy SSable carbon frames?
I’d love one myself.

Trannys are a very harsh stiff frame! Very light and strong though!