Stooge Dirtbomb

Was planning on buying one Friday but looks like they’ve all sold out.

Shame but…

Who’s got one? What do you think?

I’ve got one! Looks lovely but is waiting for a headset and wheels before I can build it up. Went for the mustardy yellowy colour and really can’t wait to get out on it. Come on headset and wheels

I thought there were a couple back out there from cancelled orders?

Drop Andy a mail, see if there are any left

Ive mailed Andy in case of a stray one.

The odd ones that we’re left went up for sale and they’re all out of stock again.

Yes, all gone.

Great to hear that Stooge is doing so well but maybe it’s time they actually had frames in stock. Just a thought.

Why? It seems to work for Andy, small batches, preorders secures the majority of sales by the time the container arrives and brings the cash in promptly.

Perhaps there is no desire to have Stooge grow bigger, just a thought.

I suppose it does make my Stooge seem more niche.

Just, I might be tempted to buy another if a frame was available when I have (not very often) money available.

My current Stooge is built up as a singlespeed 27.5+ but I would also like a 29er xc geared build. Maybe someday.

Perhaps there is no desire to have Stooge grow bigger, just a thought.

I would guess the type of bikes they sell have a fairly limited market and they are wary of having excess stock but sounds like they may have underestimated it?
How many Stooge’s have even been sold I wonder and how many people want one that can’t get one. They may have an interested person list to get an idea?

Was it inspired by the Raleigh Bomber? Look like a cross between that and the old Kona Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apua’a

As I understand pre first lockdown batches of the Mk1, mk2, mk3 took the best part of a year to sell.

That first lockdown he quickly sold the few remaining mk4s.

Then he already had Scramblers on their way. Once they landed they almost instantly sold out.

So onto the Dirtbomb and I think he ordered as many as he dared / could – remember every bike company in the world was trying to order more frames…

Once landed they have sold out.

Remember this is one bloke in a shed, he never repeats an order – makes tweaks here and there for each batch to keep them unique.

This is obviously a “bike bubble” and won’t last forever, so understandable he is perhaps wary of risking his house on a massive order.

There is the Rambler gravel bike frame incoming if you fancy that.

They may have an interested person list to get an idea?

I suppose pre-orders solve that to an extent.

I’m guessing Stooge is a side project for Andy? It’s not like Cotic or On-One with big warehouses of stock. So selling almost everything via pre-order works the 80:20 rule in his favor, sell 80% of the frames you ever would anyway, for 20% of the effort/cost. If you order that stock, then put it on shelves, then put it up for sale it’ll sell probably all sell, but slowly over months/years. Which means your money is tied up in stock for a long time (so other frames cant be ordered) and you’ve got the costs of overheads to cover so you make less profit.

The opposite is true for Specialized or Trek and to a lesser extent Cotic or On-One. The consumer for those walks into a shop and wants a 120mm travel bike, they might have a preference for one or the other, but if the Cotic is out of stock they’ll buy a Trek, or a Specialized, so there’s a lost sale there if your product isn’t on the shelf.

Always worth keeping an eye on the Stooge Owners FB page.

The small volume niche frames are part of the attraction. I managed to get hold of a Mk4 frame via the FB page in the end. There’s a couple of Scramblers come up recently due to folks buying Dirtbombs.

Not heard the Raleigh Bomber referenced on here, surely one of the first uk mountain bikes. Wide bars as well!

Yes, mustard here. First ride was lots of fun – playful feel (and it looks cool!)

Feel quite lucky to have bought my MK4 back in January 2020, when Covid was but a twinkle in the eye.
Was able to source all the parts relatively easily too, including some bits from EU shops. Which would be much more expensive and tricky now.

I did momentarily consider doing a pre-order for a Dirtbomb a few months back, but I don’t want to sell the MK4, so it seemed daft.

Yes, mustard here. First ride was lots of fun – playful feel (and it looks cool!)

Pictures please? I have the mustard too but still waiting for my headset and wheels. Have all other bits ready to go and keep nipping to the shed just to look at the frame

A couple of night time errand pics…
IMG_20210421_204054 by David Wadesmith[/url], on Flickr
IMG_20210420_214436 by David Wadesmith[/url], on Flickr

Rambler gravel frame sounds interesting. I generally get my gravel kicks on a lightweight (ish) CX bike these days but I could always find room for another different bike 🤙

Just looked at the Rambler and it looks lovely but it’s at the wrong end of gravel type of bikes for me. I’ll just wait for the next batch of Stooge mountain bike frames to be announced. Or buy a Surly (or something else).

I’d rather have a Stooge but, this does look nice.

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/lowside

If you want a big BMX get one from a BMX company. Last year they seemed fairly well priced as £799 but notice they are now £1,000.

That thing has a very steep HA. The Stooge is a MTB disguised as a big BMX.

Just had an email from Andy Andy I’ve got one coming, happy days.

And a waay slack SA. No way you’d want to ride that in the hills all day or down some steep tech.

Can someone explain the difference between a scrambler, MK4, dirtbomb and speedball?

Trying to decide if I want something rigid and wierd (like a mk4) or a traditional XC bike (Stumpjumper, Scale, X-Caliber etc).

Already have a new Scandal though so not sure if either is really different enough.

If you want a big BMX get one from a BMX company. Last year they seemed fairly well priced as £799 but notice they are now £1,000.

That’s a wheelie bike for kids to cruise arround town centers on scaring old ladies. I’m sure it’d be fun in an absolutely terrifying way to take it off road a few times but it’s not going to be fun to ride it regularly.

I think kerley is referencing the low side with his WTP comment

“Can someone explain the difference between a scrambler, MK4, dirtbomb and speedball?”

right here goes: (Im sure Andy will make any minor corrections to my drivel if needed)

The speedball was originally designed as a 29+ enduro event and marathon bike, that was still a hoot to ride as would keep me rubber side down at daft O’clock in morning. Also turns out its right giggle with huge drop bars on really loose chossy gravel downhills where everyone else is panic breaking.

MK4 was a steel bike very heavily based on the Titanium dirtbomb prototype gemoetry, but 29+ front and 29 chubby rear.

steel Dirtbomb is the successor to the mk4 with some minor geometry tweaks and 29+ front and rear plus a different visual vibe

Scrambler was a 27.5+ do it all bike with more zits than a teenager so you can use it play in woods or strap every bag know to mankind on it and take it around the world.

Rambler Prototype is is a 27.5 Chubby gravel/adventure/true drop bar mtb thing that can be built either fast or rowdy , so far it has been surprisingly capable over really silly rough stuff in the peak district and is still a happy comfortable place for spinning the road and lanes bits together as well. If anyone midlands or north west/north wales wants a play on my rambler give me a shout on here on on the stooge owners facebooky thing

Trying to decide if I want something rigid and wierd (like a mk4) or a traditional XC bike (Stumpjumper, Scale, X-Caliber etc).

Stooge because reasons 😀

Just had an email from Andy Andy I’ve got one coming, happy days.

Fantastic news OP. Now where’s my headset? It’s stopping me from having Stooge fun

I think kerley is referencing the low side with his WTP comment

Yes I was, in their blurb they call it a big BMX. I can only think that anyone that says their MTB is like a big BMX has never actually ridden a BMX. The WTP still wouldn’t be like a BMX but would be closer.

I think he means fun like the BMX in your youth rather than actually handling like a BMX in any way

Don’t forget folks I think the MK5 is due to land in August so keep your ears out!

Cheers Tazzy, so presumably the Mk5 will share geometry (marginally more conservative than the mk4) with the dirtbomb but with a siouette closer to the MK4?

I’ve got not-boost hubs, +ish 40mm rims, and some cranks set aside so I’m kinda thinking I might keep an eye out for a mk4 frame being sold.

Scrambler is the one that appeals to me the most. Any alternatives out there to that?

Gary Fisher (1979): ‘It’s come a long way since then and it’s going to go a long ways…’

Cheers Tazzy, so presumably the Mk5 will share geometry (marginally more conservative than the mk4) with the dirtbomb but with a siouette closer to the MK4?

I’ve got not-boost hubs, +ish 40mm rims, and some cranks set aside so I’m kinda thinking I might keep an eye out for a mk4 frame being sold.

Mk5 will be like Mk4 geo and looks, only it will be two sizes one either side of the mk4.

Fork offset will be reduced a bit to get more “pop” (at the expense of stability and a bit of compliance I guess).

Will be boost spacing.

I’m pondering selling my mk4 in a month or so to jump on the smaller size mk5. I suppose the mk5 will be in medium and large, and the mk4 was I guess something like a “medium long” to equate to Bird sizing. I’ve just felt its a little bit long for me.

I’m pondering selling my mk4 in a month or so to jump on the smaller size mk5. I suppose the mk5 will be in medium and large, and the mk4 was I guess something like a “medium long” to equate to Bird sizing. I’ve just felt its a little bit long for me.

let me know / I’ll keep an eye on the classifieds if you do.

I’ve been curious about them but always assumed I’d be too tall for the “1 size fits all” then watched that video on RAD geometry and it kinda made sense, especially on 29/29+ with longer chainstays giving you more weight over the front wheel naturally.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/lee-mccormacks-guide-to-perfect-bike-set-up.html

Wouldn’t you want your weight further back on a rigid bike though?

Wouldn’t you want your weight further back on a rigid bike though?

Kinda:

Taking a FS bike as a baseline, if you keep your weight vaguely central over rough stuff you go fastest as the suspension gets to work effectively.

Moving down to a hardtail, there’s speed to be gained by putting your weight just at the tipping point of an OTB happening to maximize the work the fork can do.

Going to a rigid bike, you’re kinda back at the point of riding it like a FS bike.

So yes, you do want your weight further back than a hardtail. But that’s not what I meant. On a “modern” bike you’re pitched forwards by the long reach to put weight over the front wheel. It used to be called head down arse up by cool dudes slagging off XC, now they’ve adopted basicly the same position, just with 80mm added to the reach and taken off the stem.

Stooge/Andy (and Jones, but let’s not get into that argument because Geoff Apps was making use of the same principles decades before) use a shorter than fashionable reach, but longer headtubes and 3″ rise bars to make space between the pedals and bars. Part of the advantage of that is you’ve actually got more scope to push your weight around relative to the wheelbase because when leaning back your arms aren’t already straight out to the bars. My thinking was that this suits the inherently ‘not short’ chainstay of a bike with 29×2.6-29*3.0 tyres coupled with a slack head angle as the upright riding position doesn’t naturally weigh the front wheel for grip in corners but moving the BB forward a bit makes achieves the same effect.