Colour? Looks brilliant. Don’t change it.1×9? No. If it is a bike for the mountains, a granny ring is a must for me. It opens up proper mountain riding which is what I suspect the target market is. I like to ride until It gets too steep iin the granny gear.

Long top tube, shorter stem combo I find works best for me.

on the other hand, i’m 6’2″ – i don’t have a problem with standover. that’s something shortarses worry about isn’t it?

i don’t really understand TT measurements, cos they’re dependant on seat tube angle, and this one is curved, so any TT measurement is just about meaningless (to me).

a short TT measurement might mean it has a steepish seat-angle, which will help with seated climbing.

and the higher the saddle gets above the imaginary horizontal line, the more meaningless it gets.

i do get reach+stack, my 20″ blue pig has a reach of about 430mm, which seems fine, not racey, not cramped.

anyway…

front mech: a bike like this (the buzzard) will likely get built a bit sturdy – i’d like a granny ring if possible please – i’ve only got skinny legs.

tyre clearance: i’d like to get a 2.4 advantage in the back – who needs a flexy frame when you’ve got a great big tyre at 25psi?

fork length: what forks are they above? 120mm? – would anything weird happen if i used shorter forks? – i don’t like loads of travel, i’d rather have nice angles and short forks. than nice angles and long forks – cos the angles change as the forks move (everytime you brake hard, or ride down a steep descent), and not necessarily for the better (at least, that’s what i like to think).

ton – Member
glad i did not buy a kona honzo……….

sorry Kona – you may still get a look in, but see my granny ring comment above.

Shandy – Member
The colour is a bit cheap looking. There are loads of strong colours that suit that kind of bike without going bright orange. All the existing Singluar range are really nice classy colours.

agreed, i’m very tempted by the cotic solaris, so the buzzard will need to be pretty to win me over.

(but it’s off to a very good start – thankyou )

Sounds like ahwiles is describing a different type of bike, maybe the swift…

i dont think i am*…

i think i’d like something like my blue pig**, but with 29″ wheels.

if i set my forks so that i use all 140mm, i find they’re a bit soft and divey for the steep/techy/swoopy riding that i like. so i set them a bit firmer, and end up using about 100mm.

so i’ve paid for 140mm forks, when i only need/want/use 100mm.

the kona honzo gets close, but, it won’t take a front mech, so i’d have to push it everywhere, and i hate the rear dropouts, and it’s massively over-priced.

(*but i could be wrong)

(**the best handling bike i’ve ever ridden – and the list is a long one)

I like the look of this, I agree with Sanny that a granny ring would be useful. I couldn’t imagine winching that type of bike up Carn Ban Mor, Lochnagar and the like without one, with the ISCG tabs a Hammershmidt could be used though.

Based purely on colour that’s the first Singular (other than that ti one) which I’d actually buy.

Based purely on colour that’s the first Singular (other than that ti one) which I’d actually buy

😆 ….oh,you are serious.

Could copy Ragley with cable guides and have single and double shipped for dropper compatibility cable routing

http://www.yozu.com.tw/en_products.php?cid=3

Sadly yes – I am that shallow.

I’ve always liked the look of them just not the colour schemes.

Looks great 8)spec wise and I’m not sure how ethical it is(to copy) but the new Transition Transam 29er has nailed it. Future proof and hitting all the right numbers. I reckon folks are going to be wanting to fit 140mm forks soon enough, the frame should at least accommodate those too. Nice work on those chainstays, chainstay length seems to be the new selling point taking over from fork size!

Could a direct mount front mech be used with a removable mount? So in 1X9 you get tyre clearance for bigger tyres but if you run a mech this will be compromised? If the mount is removable it’ll keep it fairly clean.

Looked at a trans am….then I picked one up (26″)….now my arms hurt 😕
I pretty certain canfield (and charlie) are getting my money

Hmm, it would appear to have made a large amount of sense if Direct mount had been developed to fit on to ISCG mounts…. So far as I can tell it’s on or the other….

Sam, were you saying there’s be a smaller-than-medium size in the works? Quite important info for those of us below 5’8″ 😀

stick with 1×9 of 1×10.. with the later you get a pretty low bottom gear 32×36…

if you need lower you need to work on your fitness or get of and walk – walking with be quicker than a 22×36!

Interesting direct mount reading
http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2011/09/direct-mount-411.html

Could a direct mount front mech be used with a removable mount? So in 1X9 you get tyre clearance for bigger tyres but if you run a mech this will be compromised? If the mount is removable it’ll keep it fairly clean.

In fairness I didn’t realise the swift had cable routing for the mech untill I washed it. I didn’t realise there was routing for a front mech untill I washed it the second time!

After years on On-One and Sanderson, the Swift is very definately designed by someone who knew exactly what they wanted rather than just a series of angles and lengths plugged into bike-CAD. Just little things like the cable guides are pretty much invisible, and don’t catch your feet.

Sam, were you saying there’s be a smaller-than-medium size in the works? Quite important info for those of us below 5’8″

Well, the current intention is that there will be one which has both a shorter and lower TT than the M Swift. If that fits the short blokes (and ladies) then great. Though to be honest I’m still of the opinion that below that sort of size then there’s not an awful lot wrong with 26″ wheels, and you run into various difficulties by trying to squeeze on to too big wheels. I won’t compromise the way I want a bike to handle just to appease the little people 😉 There will be a similar (though slightly less emburlened – think somewhere between Buzzard and Hummingbird/Swift) 26″/650 model at some point in the future.

TINAS – thank you – I think some may have missed that this is actually designed for 1×9/10 cable routing as it is 🙂

stick with 1×9 of 1×10.. with the later you get a pretty low bottom gear 32×36…

if you need lower you need to work on your fitness or get of and walk – walking with be quicker than a 22×36!

i’m a geek.

on my 26er my 26t/34t bottom gear gives me 9.2km/h at a thouroughly comfortable 90 rpm.

which is about twice as fast as walking.

bikes like the buzzard will get a little overbuilt – easy twiddly gears are a must (if i’m going to buy it).

Understood – that makes a ton of sense. Let me know if you ever want an oompa-loompa’s point of view on test stuff. I’m curious about 650b – it seems to make sense – but the only thing that hold me back are the availability and cost of rims and tyres.

PLEASE please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please… make it singlespeedable or have an SS option!!!

(If not can I buy the proto please?!?)

on my 26er my 26t/34t bottom gear gives me 9.2km/h at a thouroughly comfortable 90 rpm… which is about twice as fast as walking.

And 32-36 gives you 11.1km/h at 90 rpm on 29″ wheels. MTFU 😉 or pedal slightly more slowly at 80rpm and do 9.9km/h

Oxy – I think we are definitely going towards 73mm shell with ISCG. The Blackspire stinger tensioner mounts nicely to ISCG tabs for singlespeedability for those who must. Otherwise, yes, I could potentially sell (at some as yet undefined point in the future) one of the proto frames.

And 32-36 gives you 11.1km/h at 90 rpm on 29″ wheels. MTFU or pedal slightly more slowly at 80rpm and do 9.9km/h

too true.

Think the main point is ‘do you really need much lower gears’ probably not

think a 1×9 or 1×10 with a 32 and 11-36 / 11-34 should really give 95% of the people 95% of the gears they need..

I have 1×9 32×11-34 on my geared orange Swift – works fine for most stuff.

perhaps slight shame that you can not easily get a 30t for most cranks but hey.

if people wanted to SS the buzz could they use one of those EBBs that fit in a std BB shell?

if people wanted to SS the buzz could they use one of those EBBs that fit in a std BB shell?

True, but these are expensive and can only be used with external BBs (yes I probably am one of the few people still running square taper on a Raceface Turbine 😉 )

For those of us that are not race fit, like to do big climbs and like to sit and spin a granny gear is almost essential.

Not being able to fit a granny ring is taking these people out of your market. There is a good few of us. I was laughing about his the other day while I spent an hour steadily climbing in granny gear ( over 2000 ft continuous climb) with a couple of pals. We don’t all live and ride where the hills are short

22/ 34 granny gear allows me to sit and spin at 3 mph.

22/ 36 chain rings gives me gears from 3 mph to 30 mph – 1x 10 does not

For those of us that are not race fit, like to do big climbs and like tosit adn spin a granny gear is almost essential.

fair enough.

suppose in designing a bike you have to as part of that define your customer. I could see for a mass market manufacturer excluding some potential customers would be a big no-no but for a niche manufacture they could.

In gear inches:
For 700 X 56 / 56-622 / 29 inch tire

***22 32 36 ring
11 58.3 84.7 95.3
34 18.8 27.4 30.8
36 17.8 25.9 29.

It comes down to a decision between short chainstays and a few (OK, 7) gear inches. I realise some people never want to ditch their granny (so to speak) but I have to weigh that against people who are going to find 420 versus ~430mm chainstays an ‘attractive thing’. Overwhelmingly, on this board and others, people seem to be OK with a single chainring specific frame. No offense TJ, but perhaps (for this frame at least) you are not right in the centre of my target market. In any case, some experimentation is still required to determine whether it may be possible to make a front derailleur work even on this proto frame. It’s my hope that for production we’ll be able to tweak a few things to make it possible.

Sam – no offense taken at all. Its just a point to make – there is a group of us for whom a bike with no granny ring will never be a possibility simply because of the terrain and riding style.

Sometimes I think people forget that their local riding is not the only type of riding in the UK. Terrain varies a huge amount across the uk with some areas being twisty thru the woods stuff in the main, some being short sharp climbs, some being rocky and some of us liking the big climbs

Sometimes I think people forget that their local riding is not the only type of riding in the UK. Terrain varies a huge amount across the uk with some areas being twisty thru the woods stuff in the main, some being short sharp climbs, some being rocky and some of us liking the big climbs

just for interest, what would you consider a really big offroad climb in the UK?

Si

just for interest, what would you consider a really big offroad climb in the UK?

Si

The Fungle road above on the way to Aboyne from Tarfside in Angus.Or Mt Keen from Tarfside.

/\ obviously made up with a silly name like that.
Mine is The Zippy street on the way to Aguurll in Beeftown

The Fungle road above on the way to Aboyne from Tarfside in Angus.Or Mt Keen from Tarfside.

interesting not far from where my dad lives (near Portlethen on the way to Maryculter).

main reason I asked TF about climbs was that he seems to assume that people only know about their local riding conditions and that whilst I imagine most people ride local most of the time quite a few will have experience of riding all over the place.

Looks superb.

Is there any mileage in the short rear stays and standard geometry up front so you can run a rigid or shorter travel fork.

How much difference does 10mm in the stays make to the way the bike handles?

TJ hit the nail on the head for me.

Big climbs like in the Lakes and Scotland benefit from having a granny gear when you are tired or things get steep. Personally, I like my knees and prefer spinning over grinding. 😀

If the market you are aiming at is mountain types who like to climb as well as descend, I would expect that the lack of a granny ring option would rule the frame out which is a real shame. For me, it would definitely be a no go which is a shame as I’m in the market for this very type of frame. Had the gryphon had rack mounts, I’d be riding one at the moment and not the salsa fargo which I ended up buying instead. Still, you can’t be all things to all people.

If you can do mounts and granny gear versatility, you potentially open up the product to more customers. Of course, at the end of the day it’s your product and for you to decide on what feedback to take and what not to.

I wonder how many folk would want this type of bike for singlespeeding?

Design by Committee? Garrrr! 😀

Surely if your riding consists of the enormous mountains of Scotland or the high altitude trails of the lakes, then you’re fit/strong enough do do without a granny ring.

How many people who think they need a granny ring have tried 1×9/10 for a decent period of time? If you can’t get up the vast majority of stuff with 32×34(or 36), then it’s probably not the bike at fault.

doof doof +1, make it single ring

Another vote for single ring with iscg.

How much difference does 10mm in the stays make to the way the bike handles?

my blue pig has 430mm (ish) chainstays, and it’s fine, if you can’t ride everything with chainstays that long, it’s probably not the bike at fault…

😛

i can understand trying to keep the chainstays from getting too long, but why go to such trouble to make the chainstays unusually short? (even for a 26er, 420mm would be short).

it seems that there’s not much in the middle ground, 29ers seem to have been mostly xc race bikes, but now there are a few coming out that have skipped right over the happy land in the middle, and gone straight to long forks, single-ring-only, and super-short-chainstays.

seems odd to me. but yes, it’s Sam’s bike, he can of course do whatever he wants.

if i bought one, i’d be in a very weird world where my Dh bike would be easier to pedal uphill than my xc bike.

(yes, my Dh bike has a granny ring)

“where am i riding today? – are there many climbs? – yes? – i’d better take the Dh bike then”

Duckman, that rigid Swift looks fantastic.

How’s the ride? Is that a custom spray, or can you get them like that?

Cheers!

Crispy

swifts are horrible on 120mm, tried and rejected, forks saved for something more suitable

Swift by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr
this was fun though

5,4,3,2,1…GO!! by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

Doof Doof

For stuff like Skiddaw, Helvelyn, Lochnagar, the granny makes a big difference for me in terms of walking / not walking. I love the fact that I can ride all the way up the likes of Skiddaw when riding a triple without having to get off and push. With a middle ring only, it ain’t going to happen which for me defeats the point of a mountain bike. Personal preference I guess. I’d take my hat off to anyone that could do these climbs with a middle ring only as that would be seriously impressive in my book! I guess I just don’t feel the need to make things harder for the sake of MTFU when there is an option that keeps me spinning. Ha! Ha!

If the final version can run a granny, I’ll be ordering one. If not, I’ll just keep looking for something that works better for me. The beauty of choice! 😀

Cheers

Crispy; It was a colour they used to come in.