After having just re-built my 29er hard tail (chumba HX2) after many years of neglect, and been out on it just twice for a proper ride, the arsing EBB (never used) has seized in the frame, and the internal bolt has snapped. Fine, but it creaks and clicks like a bastard and the LBS can’t get it out.

So, looking for a replacement frame, at a non-silly price, in 20″-ish seat tube and 25″-ish ETT, that’ll take a 120mm fork.

Seems my options are:
Buzzard (but they’ve got a wierd issue with mounting a derailuer
Solaris (seems tight for proper tires?)

And that is about it? Any other suggestions?

Really fancied a Dirty Harry, but 100mm is recommended fork, yelli screamy looks fun but is nuts expensive.

Appreciate any guidance.

kona honzo?
older version here
http://www.bothybikes.co.uk/shop/bikes-2/kona-bikes/

the newer ones look lush!

http://www.cycleaddicts.co.uk/kona-honzo-frame.html

Orange Clockwork fits the bill, fun, slack and takes 120mm fork. Bikescene had XL’s for £250 recently.

[EDIT] Make that £199 now. Bargain.

http://www.bikescene.co.uk/Orange-Clockwork-29er-Frame-5465-107-0.html

FF29?

I have a scandal 29er with a 1.5 degree slackest and 120 Marz 55s, i think its fun and the TT & ST are about right on a 19.5″ frame…

I’m very likely going to be selling my XL canfield yelli screamy in the next week or so if that’s of interest. Mail in profile if so. Ta

Funtimes to be had here

The bike you’re describing in your title is a Buzzard or a second hand Yelli Screamy.

Kona Taro, ali less weighty version of the Honzo.
Qh looks good value next to the Yelli (not even hugely heavier)

… Genesis Hi Latitude or Ragley Bigwig.

santa cruz highball aluminum

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/canfield-yelli-screamy-frame-2
😆 it’s 18″ seat tube .

Oh ****-bums, now I somehow have a bigwig AND a new pair of tapered 140mm Revs in my CRC cart.

Damn you STW! 😆

Singular Buzzard?

Edit : seems this has been mentioned already. We’ve got some images of how we’ve been mounting the front mechs if you’d like.

Voodoo. Cheap. As. Chips. If you can find one…

Give you £1 and a beer for the old frame…

Mythic Paradox great fun , I thought the Buzzard and Screamy were best with 140mm forks .

Get a Buzzard. You won’t regret it. Front mech is completely doable.

Front mech on a Buzzard is not a real problem, they come with a direct mount front derailleur adapter, so you can just use a direct mount mech with full length cable routing. From what people tell me they pretty much fit your criteria to a T.

Where is the geometry chart for the Buzzard? I can’t seem to find it.

Isn’t the aluminium Fireline supposed to be released soon?

Rover – it’s in the pictures on the product page. Need to update the geo tables.

Ah, so it is. Thanks, never thought of looking there. Seems quite small: 595mm TT for a large? But there is n XL too, so no big deal.

They come up a bit bigger than the numbers suggest because of the bent seat tube.

Right, that makes sense. So you’d still be looking at a large for a 6′ rider. Just idle speculation of course 🙂 although they do look like a lot of fun.

Thanks all, and Sam.

Sam, which length forks would you say are optimal? Will I pitch over the front if I use 120s or does it really need 140mm to get the best out of it?

Kev

I’ve got 130mm Revs on my Buzzard. Reckon it would be fine with 120 or 140

120mm on my Yelli Screamy (very close to the Buzzard in geometry), it works very well for general XC, ST, light trail. I’d probably up it to 130 mm for Wales/Lakes/Scotlandland rocky bits.

Yes, 120 is fine, but is really a minimum.

The aluminium SantaCruz Highball is certainly worth a look.

100/120mm, will run SS with different drop outs and is great fun to ride almost anywhere.

1, a decentengineering company- old school garage should be able to de-bolt your old frame, ( if you are near shropshire drop me a line)

2, buy a FF29, go for the slide fork deal Upgrade are doing.
I’m chuffed with mine.

Or the solaris will be good because Cy is no mug.
Buzzard, try before you buy, i was underwelmed by the one i tried, it was the prototype as reviewed in the mag, It might have me because i couldn’t get past how crap the Mazza forks were.

thanks Sam. still have not made a decision.

Speshpaul, why underwhelmed? This will be a distance decision as I live in CH, and hardcore hardtail frame market is underdeveloped here.

Yah, old frame is prob rescuable, in fact it rides OK for now except for the noise and fear of impending BB explosion. will pob put it towards trailer and chld towing duties with some old kit. But I definitely need a new 29er… 🙂

I am big and heavy, so I am little concerned that a solaris would be a bit too flexy (i have a roadrat, and it is like wet noodles when I honk out the pedals).

Onthe other hand, I am concerend that a Buzzard would be like a big dead bit of iron.

The more I look at this, the more I would like to run a 140mm based on riding here. which is leading me towards a bigwig or a buzzard.

Kev

Solaris (seems tight for proper tires?)

I run a 2.3 High Roller 2 out back on mine & its fine.

Feels superb with 120mm Revs! 🙂

Buzzard definitely NOT a dead bit of iron..!!!

Fun and lively…! Buy one, you won’t regret it….

2, buy a FF29, go for the slide fork deal Upgrade are doing.
I’m chuffed with mine.

I guess we are all different, but I wouldn’t recommend an FF29 to the OP. I have one and I’m chuffed with mine too, but I don’t think it fits the bill here. It’s a fantastic XC machine. Very fast and with 120mm forks it can handle most trails just fine. But I wouldn’t call it a fun bike. Obviously you can have fun on it, but to me a fun bike is a twitchy playful handful of a bike. The FF29 is stable and likes to keep its wheels on the ground and roll over stuff rather than bounce off everything.

Rave review in the mag, i was handed the actural bike and told to keep it for a weeks or so.
i really wanted to like it, i was 85% sold without riding it.
i have and have had serveral old and new era steel frames so i’m sold on the concept.
I don’t want to say anything negative about the frame, maybe it was the forks (that were with out a doubt the worst “proper” forks i have ever ridden- a Shockingly dead lump of pig iron.) but thats the forks.
I would wouldn’t want to buy a buzzard now with out riding a production model with some forks on that work. Hence my advice above.

If i could have got a deal on a solaris i would have had one.
But the Kinesis FF29 with slant forks was stuck a good deal and i was able to get via my LBS with a bit of tax relief.
And i’m happy.