NBD – I designed a singlespeed…

…and got Titan to build it.

I’m well pleased with how it turned out, the finishing has exceeded expectations and it rides really nicely – 120mm xc/trail hardtail.  I’m less pleased with how wheezy I am on long climbs but that’s not really the bikes fault.

blimey, those pictures are big…

No kickstand?

I love that!

Look at that. Bike of the Year! How do I vote for this then….?!

I never knew that CK did seat collars.

Tidy ride that!

Fence looks tidy, no green algae on it, most of the fallen leaves cleared up from the floor but let down by the lone weed in the bottom right on the second pic.

Bike looks nice too.

That’s a really clean and simple looking bike, that is. Very nice.

Seat collar and headset combo has muddled my senses.

Nice

You need to take a hacksaw / file to that dangly bit by the rear axle though!

I keep mulling over a Ti version of my Scandal from XCAD/Walty, but with an EBB.  I can’t figure out a neat way of doing the rear brake otherwise. Phill Wood style EBB would I think allow it through the shell and keep the caliper inside the triangle.  Or it could exit ahead of the BB and run along the stay like the Scandal.

Cheers all, yeah apologies for the weed – I was tempted to edit and crop that image and play dumb…

I’m surprised nobody makes singlespeed hangers, or at least I’m surprised I’ve never seen them – I am very tempted to get rid of that bit.  The seatclamp thing wasn’t intentional really, for some reason I don’t particularly recall I specifically didn’t want the CK T47 BB so bought the MaxHit HS & BB.  Then CK bought the seatclamp out a couple of weeks later and I fancied the matte black against the silver frame and the rest is history.

I’ll put a kickstand on the mk2!

I’m surprised nobody makes singlespeed hangers

https://www.paragonmachineworks.com/hangers-inserts/12-mm-right-side-conventional-sliding-no-hanger-choose-color.html

Paragon Machine Works for the gear hangerless slider.

TINAS – you could ask them how they’d do it?

I disappeared down an EBB rabbit hole with this at one point tbh – Titan would build me an EBB shell based on whatever EBB I wanted to use but I didn’t really know which system I’d prefer.  I’ve always liked the Niner system but I wasn’t completely convinced by the measurements I found for it.  I then started thinking about the First Components external EBB which I’ve got on a road bike but although that’s good enough on-road I’m not sure how it’d fair under heavy strain when off-roading.  I ended up going round in circles for a couple of weeks before chinning it off entirely and deciding on a simple set of sliding dropouts.

CK seat collar – where from ?

@singlespeedstu – no idea how I’ve missed that!

@dartdude – anyone with a CK account will be able to get you one, it’s nice but hefty.

Hefty weight & /or £

Both tbh!

Beautiful Bike!

That’s a lovely thing

TINAS – you could ask them how they’d do it?

I think the sensible way is how you’ve done the dropper, exit in front of the BB and hide it along the chainstay.

I like the way Singular and Stooge do EBB’s, but singular at least use a split shell on their Ti ones so maybe it doesn’t work. I’ll have to look more closely at a Ti Stooge at some point.

Rear tyre clearance looks tight at the seatstay bridge?  Is it just the photo?

Yeah, there’s plenty there – just the angle on the photo

I like that a lot. My SS is a rigid 29er but I always liked the idea of a playful woodsy HT with a light, silent back end.

I like the way Singular and Stooge do EBB’s, but singular at least use a split shell on their Ti ones so maybe it doesn’t work

The radial bolt EBB isn’t a great idea though it works ok in practice. I’m not sure if Ti would stand that method as well as steel BB shells can – probably, as long as the shell is the right thickness. Maybe why Singular use a split shell in Ti though. For a custom frame with an EBB I’d have a 54mm ID shell and a Bushnell insert, or a good split shell (good = very close tolerances and bolts going into rotating inserts).

Tidy, that!

Bike looks good, too!

Very nice!

My singlespeed also has that mech hanger (because I thought it was going to have gears when I ordered it). I’m not sure if it’s identical although it looks the same, but Pipedream do/did sell a singlespeed version of the right hand dropout.

Couple of options for dropouts then – might get the hacksaw out first and then when I balls that up I’ll probably give the pipedream version a punt

I would leave it personally.

Its nice to have options. My duster doesn’t have a hanger (and its a fuxed drop out) and on occasion it would have been handy to throw a 8speed on.

that’s nice!

Stooge Ti are also split shell EBB. Split shell EBB is a bombproof design that has taken a right old beating on loads of my Ti bikes from singular, Stooge, etc… but a lovely paragon machine works sliding dropout is a thing of slinky loveliness.

I’ve got a split shell EBB going into my new Ti attentionvortexegowhorespecial as well (photos of that will go up once it’s had it’s official outing in April)

I thought about the split shell design, it was one of Titan’s first suggestions and they drew up the specs for it etc but the only experience I’ve had with that way of doing it wasn’t particularly solid.  It does seem like it should be a good option so maybe I’d just got a dodgy one.

Purely outta acting like a cat, frame cost ?

Approx £850 inc shipping etc.

I paid about £350 as a “not a time-waster” deposit ahead of the first drawings and then the remainder pre-shipping.  Payment was via Paypal.

Mmmmm that’s really worthy of it having seen your pics so far.

I’m still in shock after looking up cost of your seat clamp :O

Yeah, almost a bit of buyers remorse about the seatclamp – def an unnecessary addition!

[IvanDobski]

@IvanDobski

I think I might have a set of dedicated single speed Paragon sliders NOS in the spares box if you want them.

Had them a while so they might be QR rather than Thru axle. I’ll check tomorrow.

Wow…..that’s a very nice thing indeed!

@solarider – thanks for the offer, I’ll hold off for now as the current setup seems really solid so I’m reluctant to change anything other than hacksawing it in situ!

That’s lovely.

Good price too, same as I paid nearly four years ago now for something very similar from Waltly.

I’ve oft thought about getting a really clean, classic looking dedicated SS made. Tidy cowl dropouts, EBB, no superfluous guides etc.

Trouble is, it only really looks good for the initial build pics, then I’d ruin it with mudguards, bags, lights and whatnot.

Still…

FWOOOARRRR!!

That’s really nice. I had a Waltly frame a few years back which I sold (and regretted), you’ve inspired me to get in touch with them about another!

Now that’s a bike. Stunning. Simple, refined, elegant.