Looking to build up a single speed MTB for winter, milling about and half day XC riding

I have a spare set of brakes, bars and stem so why not build a bike around them?!

I have the use of a set of 27.5 single speed halo wheels with supadrive hubs for now

Where I’m driving myself insane is with frame and fork, I’ve been furiously looking around for a couple of weeks now to the point that I’ve looked at so many I don’t even know what I’m looking for any more

Ideally budget of £200 for frame, if I can get forks for that price too then I’ll call that a win

Someone…anyone…save me from insanity…tell me what small sized frame would make a beast of a single speed

Go…

The ss frames I can think of are 29er. Keep an eye out for a pipedream moxie or sirius- might struggle at that price though?

Might be worth keeping an eye out for when the on one hunts man come out as frame only.

Happy to go to a 29 wheel set if it’ll give me more options

Budget it’s tight currently but growing the longer I look

Ideally just looking for suggestions / recommendations to whittle down the massive amount of frames I’ve been looking at to a small handful of good ones

Brother Big Bro, Salsa Woodchipper, Spesh Fuse, SC Chameleon, Stooge?

Someone off here had a Big Bro in a rather smart gold if I remember rightly.

Why not build up a more fun jump type bike.

Not singlespeed specific but would make for a fun and cheap bike, you’d just need to use a tensioner.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FRPXJF25D/planet-x-jack-flash-25-year-anniversary-disc-frame

Not many new frames for that money, I guess. I would start by thinking about what kind of geometry you want, ignoring whether it’s got singlespeed details. Then once you know broadly what you’re after someone might suggest something with helpful dropouts/whatever. But for cheap your more likely to be using a tensioner anyway.

FWIW I ride a Moxie in the small size with a 27.5″ rear wheel, but a 29 Front and a 150 travel fork. I love it and although it excels when things get a little rowdier, it remains excellent on gentle stuff IMO. Also feels lovely, well finished, sliding dropouts. Way over frame budget though.

Thankyou again for all the comments

I had considered building up a jump bike / jump type bike but am a little concerned it’ll batter me on longer days out

If it’s worth anything for comparison, my geared mtb is an identiti aka and geometry / size / ride wise it’s just about perfect for me

Given the current budget situation, used frames are where I’m looking at the minute (and probably will when the budget is a bit more forgiving) if I can hold off long enough I’ll have more to spend but that’s just where I am currently

I’ve been looking at the on one inbred frames a fair bit and on paper, it seems to tick the boxes, haven’t found a used one in a small flavour yet though, but hasn’t stopped me looking at every other frame for sale ha ha

Karate monkey
Orange P7 and crush
Ragley
Kona
Stanton Sherpa
To name a few that I have been looking at but all the ones I’ve found so far are either the wrong size for me or massively over current budget

I’d keep an eye out for something like a second hand Cotic Soul or BFe, I got one in superb condition albeit as a 26” for under £200 which is now my commuter bike. Not single speed specific but I’m running it as one which a Surly chain tensioner which is great.

Although it was a 29er my Voodoo Bizango had sliding dropouts I think and was pretty decent, might be something similar on eBay?

Keep looking for Kona Unit frames, they should all have adjustable dropouts. Also Singular cycles frames, all have EBBs, though much rarer but some come up. Think if you go with a tensioner you’ll open up your options a great deal, there’ll be plenty more frames in your size to choose from…

Genesis io frames are good I’ve had 3. Sure the frame can take 27.5 wheel too 🙂

I found SS specific frames massively overpriced compared to a similar frame with a derailleur hanger. A lot of them were steel and heavy too.

Made 3 different bikes SS now with either a hanger tensioner, or bb mounted tensioner. The later looks neater and is quiet.

If you’re down on the South Coast there’s a couple of the Cannondale SS 29ers on Facebook marketplace for less than £200.

I’ve got one, they’re great. 👍

Thanks for the heads up, unfortunately I’m neither near the south coast or on the social media

On a 27.5 wheel in a genesis io does anyone know what the tyre clearance is?!

I found SS specific frames massively overpriced compared to a similar frame with a derailleur hanger.

Makes sense, they sell about 0.001% of the amount of geared frames. Has always been annoying though as I won’t ride a bike with a tensioner so have alway had to pay the extra.

If I get chance I’ll dig my io frame out attic(not for sale) I’ll pop a 27.5 wheel in and take pics 🙂

Ok it’s with boost rear so can’t get it in dropouts. 27.5 2.2 tyre loads of room even accounting for moving forward in dropout.

@plus-one thankyou for that, massively appreciated

Thanks for all the comments / suggestions folks, Think I’m whittling the search list down a little now

Liking the look of the following so far (in no particular order)
Genesis io
On one inbred
Kona unit

Apologies for the noob question but can anyone explain what a swapout dropout is?!

I just converted my Dartmoor primal to a rigid single speed. The frame doesn’t need to be single speed specific. Just buy a suitably priced frame off eBay, a £10 Amazon special tensioner and a set of rigid forks.

I have a Kona 26″ frame with sliding dropouts that I run with 27.5″ wheels and 2.1″ tyres (I could squeeze in 2.25″ if I didn’t have full mudguards fitted). I got the frame off here for £60 four years ago. Very versatile, I’d be looking for something like that.

Apologies for the noob question but can anyone explain what a swapout dropout is?!

Something like DMR offer on their frames (I think Kinesis uses the same system).
You have a modular dropout system that can be bolted onto the stays.
For my DMR Trailstar and Bolt Frames I have 135 QR, 142 thru axle, 142 thru +8mm, and SS droputs. Gives lots of options.

Rock solid, never budged. Whatever axle type your wheels have, and whether you end up having to buy new ones to suit a frame, is going to affect choice and cost, I guess.

A few years ago I ran a Dialled Alpine frame as a SS (using a tensioner) and it would accept a 27.5 x 2.2 tyre.

They come up fairly often secondhand and aren’t too expensive.

In fact here’s a Mk4 27.5 frame in eBay under £200…
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325354032989?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=QzlzOKE_SSC&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=KHvd_PGgSqe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Here is a good thread of “current” SS frames which may give some inspiration.
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/singlespeed-bikes-and-frames-fy22.1198687/

The tough part is your small budget but any frame can run SS with a tensioner or EBB. P_ersonally I would go for sliding or swinging dropouts every time but that will be tricky in budget.

Once again, thanks for all the helpful comments and links

After some consideration, I think I was looking at ss specific frames as, in my head, a bike without a tensioner just looks…cleaner

Some internet searching later and I found one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394150441042?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ytoVDgIIQI2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=Is4lULm9TOW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I don’t think it’s looks too bad at all and it opens up a “pretty much any frame” option too

Anyone have any experience with them?

Maybe I’m being picky Looking for a cleaner looking bike?! I don’t know for sure

Have sold some bits over the weekend and will be putting my no logo ss road bike up for sale soon so budget is starting to look a little healthier too

Need to get this itch scratched ha ha

The Blackspire is a chain guide not a tensioner. Not designed for SS purposes

I use a BB tensioner on my SS’d Ragley BigWig. Absolutely no issues, works a treat, looks clean (enough for me)

The Blackspire is a chain guide not a tensioner. Not designed for SS purposes

It can absolutely be used as one though …

The BB tensioners don’t take up much slack IME so you have to be quite close to the right tension to use one.

An eccentric BB would be a better bet IMO but more faff. There are versions for the various standards such as PF and BSA but will eat some budget

The Blackspire is a chain guide not a tensioner. Not designed for SS purposes

It works really well though. Using a different brand version for my SS. Because its not applying sprung tension like a hanger style tensioner, its very quiet. Just needs adjusting as the chain wears. Much the same as a SS specific frame needs adjustment as the chain wears.

I’m looking for the same kind of thing at the moment but in med/large

This may do you?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195373851564

There’s also a small Genesis IO around somewhere, Facebook perhaps

Following on from that last eBay link, I’d be all over this if I was the kind of midget who rides medium frames.

@legometeorology ooh that sir is a nice find! I know a car sprayer who’d give that a new lick of paint for beer money

Have sent the seller a message, does anyone know what size wheels these are for?

Budget is increasing and I now have someone who “definitely wants” my no logo flip flop bike (not holding my breath tbh) so we’re getting there…slowly so all being well, I’ll be able to get a SS specific frame as originally hoped

Still in no huge rush so options are still very open

Found some more I for on the longitude frame on t’web, good wheel size compatibility, says disc brakes but…not going to lie…all the holes are confusing me…

https://i.postimg.cc/bNdz8f25/70-A65540-E739-4244-B84-C-8-E68-FFEE04-BC.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/W4mVS2Qd/D82-AD775-B24-C-4-D5-D-BCD4-D518-AF2443-A8.jpg

@donslow I think that’s a 2016 Longitude, which looks to have come with 650b+ wheels

The BB is pretty low…
https://geometrygeeks.bike/bike/genesis-longitude-2016/

So I’d want to be running 29er for more techy riding, but for gravel/monstercross, some 650b 2.4-2.6″ would prob be fine

It would almost certainly take a 29+ front too, and some years of the Longitude also took a 29+ at the rear (not sure if the 2016 model was one of these)

The disc brake mounts would all make sense if you had it in front of you, for sure

I also have my eye on the Singular that @montgomery linked, but I only need a frameset

If I were taller, I’d snap this up…
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234708480393

Absolute bargain

@legometeorology I saw both of those but alas, too big for the little pins that hold me up

Keeping an eye on the longitude for now, looks just the ticket, I would possibly be looking at sticking some bouncy forks on it and keep the rigid ones “just in case”

hopefully I’ll have enough to snap it up before someone else does ha ha

@donslow ah, well if you are going for suspension, that may be the only model year of Longitude that will suit: I’m pretty sure most of the others have straight headtubes and shorter (non-sus corrected) forks