But at this price it would be rude not to..

just ordered myself one of these:

16″ unbranded Alloy 29″ XC frame was €337 now €29!

Price keeps alternating between €25 and €29, 4 left in stock.. including shipping and tax from Luxembourg it has cost me £37 delivered!

Material: Aluminium hydroformed / Triple butted / XC geometry
Travel: 100mm
Headtube: 1 1/8 Semi integrated headset compatible
Seatpost diam: 31.6mm
Front derailleur diam: 34.9mm
BB: BSC
Disc Postmount
Rear axle: 9x135mm
Color Silver
Weight 1637g

What fork are you gonna use?

Ooh and what paint/lacquer?

Oh and if anyone can help identify which “very famous brand from southern Europe” manufactured it that would be much appreciated!

Geometry?

I can’t tell if that’s an old school steep n long tt, or a mistake that only fits 1.9 rear tyre, or a sorted, longer lower slacker frame…

I have no idea – I presumed a straight steerer 1 1/8th 29″ fork would fit? Or have I missed something?

Looking at the top tube it’s a specialized isn’t it.

Going against the grain having the top tube curved towards your plums!

I have a straight steerer 29″ Rockshox Reba RL from my Superfly 9.6 I could be convinced to part with, if you need one… 🙂  Will need a different crown race as it was fitted with a 1.5″ adapter race.

straight steerer 1 1/8th 29″ fork would fit?

Yeah it would, it’s the availability of such things that would be of concern…

I was thinking keeping it plain and then custom stickers off ebay? Think I’d mess up any paint job.. or will it go weird if I keep it raw?

My point was that it says that there’s no paint or coating, which suggests it might corrode fairly quickly without at least something covering it.

BTW it does say 16.5″ c to c on the chart so I presume it’s gonna be about 18ish to the top of the seat tube.. so hopefully big enough for me if I stick in a 400mm post..

Yeah I’ve never had a raw finish so honestly wouldn’t know.. does it just get a bit of surface corrosion or does it affect the strength long term?

I think even raw finishes get a coat of lacquer to stop corrosion. Not sure I’d take the risk personally as it would always be at the back of my mind. Have you got it yet? What’s the finish like?

It’s been dispatched but not turned up yet – will post pics when it turns up (prob a week or so)

Aluminium does not corrode, it oxidises and therefore will just look sh1tty unless stripped properly and then coated or anodized.

Cheap, but rubbish head angle

Pretty such my raw turner is exactly that – raw. Also surface corrosion is where it says it is on the tin – would you be worried about scafolding failing?

Famous brand from southern europe…? Orbea Alma?

urgh – looking at the orbea.

I’d be turning that frame into a pub bike with a rigid fork. The days of 72 deg head angles off road, even on a 29er have long since past.

Is that just an xc angle?  Admittedly I don’t know much about bike geometry.. That’s all I’ll be using it for anyway.. not too bothered about looks, my current bikes are a right state.. just as long as they don’t break on me..

 The days of 72 deg head angles off road, even on a 29er have long since past.

true its literally impossible to ride a bike with that angle off road these days

I would certainly not be building a DH bike with it

Stick some forks on it along with some wheels, a drive train and finishing kit and what you will have there is a fully working bike.

Might not be up to date ‘standards’ or fashionable  but it’ll be a bike regardless of what anyone else says.

Bargain really. As long as you don’t spend a fortune on the rest of the kit.

true its literally impossible to ride a bike with that angle off road these days

Well clearly you can but…..I have the pleasure of owning one – a nice one at that. mk1 Niner Sir9. It was a bit emperors new clothes when I first got it (2nd hand) – thinking it must be me as everyone raves about them. Then a year or two past and slacker 29ers, still of the xc/trail variety, came along and I rode one or two and realised I was right all along – it really was a stupid idea.

Mine is currently undergoing surgery with a brazing torch and like a phoenix out of the fire will re-emerge as a long distance flat bar roholff tourer for road and a little gravel. Best place for it.

Agreed – a bargain, if you build up cheaply…

Stick some forks on it along with some wheels, a drive train and finishing kit and what you will have there is a fully working bike.

Might not be up to date ‘standards’ or fashionable but it’ll be a bike regardless of what anyone else says.

Bargain really. As long as you don’t spend a fortune on the rest of the kit.

Yeah that’s what I’m intending to do, hopefully second hand / sales / spare bits and I can do it all in for around £350ish 🙂

Damn it I knew I should have sold those rigid carbon forks I had lying around before I went and bought something like this.

Ah well N+1 again

Looking at the photo and the description “Headtube: 1 1/8 Semi integrated headset compatible”

I reckon that might be a 44 mm headtube that will take a tapered fork if you use an external bottom cup.

Orbea do that curve down to the top tube / seat tube join.

Looks a lot like these from a few years back: https://www.bikerumor.com/2011/01/27/orbea-adds-hydroformed-alloy-to-29er-hardtail-mountain-bike-lineup/

Almost definitely??

Clear pics here –

http://forums.mtbr.com/orbea/orbea-alma-hydro-build-thread-816673.html

Thread from 2011

Seems to have all the same hose lugs.

Further down there’s the fella’s review – pretty realistic I reckon.

Oh dear,  I could see some sort of rigid SS / 1x hack MTB, or some flavour of drop bared monstercross build…

Nope, I shall resist! Cheap frames always end up costing a significant sum to equip (the spares bin never quite covers it all)… I have enough projects and a 1 in 1out policy to consider.

Good luck to those who go bargain hunting…

Thanks DezB, scotroutes, simon_g, orena45 and anyone else who helped identify it 🙂

Edit: Ignore me.

”Aluminium does not corrode, it oxidises and therefore will just look sh1tty unless stripped properly and then coated or anodized.”

I’ve got a raw Liteville 301 and it’s not coated or anodised, nor does it look shitty.

Is that website legit? They have some very cheap stuff in the Sale section!

Raw aluminium is the optimum finish for an mtb IMO. Liteville owner here too.

With regards to the head angle, assuming it is a 44mm head tube works components do a – 2* for 1-1/8″ steerers, add a longer fork and yo might be able to rake it out to 69* ish?

Obviously the headset costs near enough twice the value of the frame but still it’s doable…

What he said about the headset ^

RCZ is legit. Best place for DT Swiss wheels if you are happy with OEM. Absolute bargain compared to retail, although they don’t seem to have many of the wider xm1501s in this year.

I’d use them again but be aware, many things won’t come with the usual adapters that you’d get with a retail product.