Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)
  • What’s hot in the world of rigid steel bikes these days?
  • core
    Full Member

    I’ve a hankering for a new bike, steel, just because I like it, rigid, for less faff, 29/B+, to use for mixed local rides and bikepacking. I’d like something versatile, probably with lots of mounts and bosses.

    So what’s about these days? STW used to be awash with this type of thing, but Singular seem to be having a hiatus, on one have got some new stuff but I’m screwed if I can actually tell what any of it is, and getting hold of salsa/surly stuff seems hard work and expensive!

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    Stooge look fun!

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    Stooge.

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    cromolyolly
    Free Member

    On one big dog/bootzipper?

    MadBillMcMad
    Full Member

    deleted

    Stevelol
    Free Member

    Genesis Tarn.

    qwerty
    Free Member

    Genesis – Longitude, Brother Cycles – Big Bro, Surly – Krampus.

    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    Stooge Speedball – massive, silly, capable, grin inducing thing.

    TheGhost
    Free Member
    Clink
    Full Member

    Stooge, new Kona Unit/Unit x looks good.

    PJay
    Free Member

    There’s meant to be a new Singular Swift in the offing although it was first touted as arriving in the Spring, then the Summer and I’m not aware of a current ETA (does anyone know any different?); there should be a touring fork option too.

    I rather like the look of the Brother Cycles Big Bro.

    Have a look here – https://bikepacking.com/index/rigid-steel-off-road-touring-bikes/

    sillyoldman
    Full Member

    Longitude

    Clink
    Full Member

    Yeah info on new Swift would be good.

    TimP
    Free Member

    2020 Mountain

    True to STW, recomend what you ride!! I am on a Beyond+ but I do have suspension. I have run it rigid and it was great fun but the front always felt a bit low

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    +1 Longitude, is exactly that and not a bank-breaker. But if you want 29+ plus you’ll need to bag a Mk1. There’s a couple of medium MK1s on FB marketplace at the minute. One built, one F&F

    Why I like it (growing to love it)

    Lovely frameset
    You can run it single-speed or geared (horizontal dropouts)
    Bags of room, loong top ags of standover.
    All of the fixing points (except seat-stay bridge, you’d need to drill the plate for rear guard fixing, or rig something between the top rack mounts
    Understated appearance
    Stable/balanced even when loaded with cargo

    Running mine 2×10 which works well for rough touring, limited to about 2.4 rear tyre with front derailleur. Go 1X (or SS) for 29 +
    Currently running either One One/PX ‘Geoff’ bars (mucking about,touring/bikepacking/groceries etc) or straights with Ergon bar-ends for gravelly stuff/fitness. It’s a good climber too.

    Fire-road mode:

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    *edit ‘loong top-tube, bags of standover’

    OP. Check out this thread:

    Rigid won’t die? Show us yours!

    core
    Full Member

    Bootzipper looks the best value new option. No info on B+ compatibility though?

    Have spotted a Marin Pine Mountain second hand in my size though…

    supersessions9-2
    Free Member

    Stooge mark 4.

    Flipping brilliant.

    Here’s mine.

    null

    kaiser
    Free Member

    Love the look of the stooge fork above but surely with all that rake it can’t have much trail ?Do they get round that with a slack headtube angle ?
    I presume the fork is very comfy ? Sorry if I’m going off topic here!

    supersessions9-2
    Free Member

    Slackish head angle and large fork offset means the trail figure is probably on the short side for a modern bike. But it’s rigid so that trail does not change with suspension compression. It’s very nimble feeling bike at low speeds, but at high speeds and rough terrain feels really stable. It’s some kind of dark magic and it’s infectious. I love it. I leant it to a friend who’s only 5ft 8 and a bit anti 29er and he was smitten.

    I think the big curve gives a nice forgiving fork but I’m sure a 3″ front tyre helps enormously.

    holdsteady
    Full Member
    stwhannah
    Full Member

    I have a test Stooge landing on Monday!

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    Hannah.

    I see from an article that you were smitten with the Stooge. You really won’t be disappointed. It will ask the question of whether you really need suspension, it defies logic and sets the bar even higher in what a rigid bike is capable of.

    idiotdogbrain
    Free Member

    New 2020 Kona Unit X is where I’ll be looking soon hopefully.

    fudge9202
    Free Member

    Re the Swift was speaking with Sam last month and the planned release has been put aside because of tooling costs.

    Clink
    Full Member

    Re the Swift was speaking with Sam last month and the planned release has been put aside because of tooling costs.

    Fair enough – wish he would post something so we knew.

    PJay
    Free Member

    Re the Swift was speaking with Sam last month and the planned release has been put aside because of tooling costs.

    Does that mean that they’re not happening or have just been postponed? Have the other steel models gone the same way?

    Fair enough – wish he would post something so we knew.

    The website could do with a bit of an update (especially the large frontpage link to the Shop which gives “Error 404 Not Found”). It would be great to know future plans.

    Have spotted a Marin Pine Mountain second hand in my size though…

    Large and Medium at CRC too with a good discount if you want something new.

    rubymurry
    Free Member

    Stooge

    fatbikedog
    Free Member

    Stooge. Its a kind of magic!

    mrhoppy
    Full Member

    Stooge. I had a MK1 which was ace, only got rid to get a mk4 which I’ve just finished building tonight.

    lotto
    Free Member

    You have just exactly described a Jones Plus. I would look there before a Stooge.

    paton
    Free Member

    Design and build it yourself

    https://thebicycleacademy.org/pages/education-1

    then get it painted an colour you like.

    BruiseWillies
    Free Member

    Bibi Bikes Bunker looks quite interesting.

    jameso
    Full Member

    It will ask the question of whether you really need suspension, it defies logic and sets the bar even higher in what a rigid bike is capable of.

    I’d say the same about the Jones, if you’re committed to a rigid bike it’s been the/a benchmark for a long time. Not cheap but very well made and the fork / front wheel combo is something else. Worth a test ride for perspective at least.

    pirahna
    Free Member

    There’s quite a few rigid steel bikes been through my garage in the never ending search for biking heaven, there’s three I’ve kept hold of that will be with me until I die. They are:

    A Niner Sir 9. Bought as a secondhand frameset from Ebay, it’s running singlespeed. I can’t pin down what I like about it other than it’s really nice to ride. I’ve owned the usual suspects, Charge, Cotic, Genesis etc, none are a patch on the Niner.

    Jones. I bought this specifically for the Divide but it’s so good at just about everything I’ll never get rid of it. If I only had one bike this would be it. It’s the original 29er before the LWB/SWB stuff came out. The do occasionally come onto the secondhand market, it’s always worth asking on the Facebook group. The new SWB fit’s the OP’s brief perfectly, it’ll take B+/29er wheels and has bosses galore.

    Lastly I’ve got a Jones Spaceframe. It’s as capable as the diamond and rides exactly the same, mine as a 3.0 front tyre, just because. It gets a lot of comments when it’s parked up, wifey seems to have first dibs on it as her bikepacking ride. The frame bag is smaller but we never carry that much stuff anyway.

    sv
    Full Member

    Stooge, so versatile. I has a Mk1 and now a Mk4, love them 😊

    vondally
    Free Member

    Stooge

    Own a mk 1 ( which will be sale soon) as a half day

    The a ti fat with a truss fork, just brilliant.

    rumbledethumps
    Free Member

    Love the Unit when I get chance to ride it.

    happybiker
    Free Member

    I’ve owned a Stooge mk1, liked it but reach was a bit short and rear Tyre clearance was lacking, now have a Singular Rooster which is a great long distance bike, I really rate the big 29+ tyres for covering ground, and I’ve just got a mk 4 Stooge (B+ wheels for now), it’s brilliant, playful, fast, comfortable. I’d say you can’t go wrong with the Stooge.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)

The topic ‘What’s hot in the world of rigid steel bikes these days?’ is closed to new replies.