I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them!
Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Hope though (especially weight).

My other half is Russian.
I fear for my life daily.

Amazing.. seems poor form on Sams part.

I took a gamble on ordering from Stooge Cycles- new company, no reputation, one man band, little details.
Andy was fantastic! Kept me updated and answered all Q’s along the way. This was for 100 frames, not 56. The frames were also sent from the East by boat and were only 2 weeks later than the original ETA but Andy kept me updated. Why is an established company struggling to much to keep it’s customers updated? Especially a kickstarter venture.

Hope these frame materialise at some point for you guys. I won’t be touching Singular.

I’ve run tubeless and tubed for years.
I haven’t had a puncture with either system for a couple years now.
It’s easier to change tyres with tubes though and you don’t have to refresh the gunk.

My Kona came with 2×10, inc. clutch mech. I found that I never used the granny but the 38t outter was a bit much. All I had to do was remove rings, shifter and front mech, attach thick/thin chainring and remove a few links.
Cost me £35, saved some weight and have a more suitable gear range.

Bought some £1.79 luggage scales from ebay.
Weighed the Kona Explosif 650b yesterday… 29.12 lbs 😯

I’ve had an X9 type 2 for over a year and it’s been perfect. Haven’t had to adjust it. I’ve also got a 6 month old XT+ and the clutch has been fine.

Phil Wood make something useful; http://www.philwood.com/products/bbpages/philcentric.php

Turner is very good, as is Leatherman.

I had a fatty and got on with it okay but that’s it.
It was no more fun than my other bikes. I got bored of how slow it goes and how glued to the ground it was. Maybe when I’m older it’ll suit me more.

Topped up on saddles for all family/friends bikes. Would be rude not to!

Swinley on a FS bike? 😆
Swinley is so groomed! I love riding a HT there because it’s all so smooth. I think it’s a lot more fun than an FS bike because you can pump, jump, manual more etc. Unless its a short travel XC FS bike it’s overkill. Why ride a sofa on trails no more rough than a canal path?

Frame arrived at my sisters, hence the poor photos. When I’m back in the country I can start the build! Agonising two weeks.

Not me.. Haven’t ordered everything yet 😥

Kona Explosif 650b!

Sadly mines a 17”.
Can’t seem to find any in the UK, but bikeman is a great shop. Send them an email. Nice chap.
http://search.bikeman.com/search/index?query=explosif+frame&x=0&y=0

Fantastic. I’ve owned mine for a year now.
The geometry is spot on and the finish is really nice.
120mm forks suit it perfectly. It’s subtle enough to do 60+ mile rides comfortably.
I’ve been looking at selling ONLY to get the Ti version. Love it!

Kona Explosif 650b- has sliding dropouts and you can buy SS specific ones. Can be bought as frame only from various places.
I love mine!

I received an email from Andy..

Just to let you know the frames are arriving this afternoon. I’ll need a day or so to organise them, but you should have yours by the weekend.

Excited.

I’d find a flat carpark and just practice.
I found having the saddle up a touch higher helps to start with.
Once you’ve found the balancing point drop the saddle again.
I don’t think it takes that long to wheelie, but to wheelie for long distances takes time.

Note: Do not practice them having just fitted new brakes euro style..You wouldn’t believe how fast/hard you can propel yourself into the floor. I should probably upload the gopro clip of that.

Yeah, manual and wheelie happily.
I can now manual the CX bike for a few seconds and wheelie it reasonably well too. Once you find that balancing point on a bike it becomes pretty easy. I always make sure there is a good back brake though, especially when clipped in 😯

I don’t mind the delay. Gives me a chance to buy all the bits.

Withersea- I didn’t have a clue! I don’t even want to add up my upgrades. Don’t care though. Love buying/building/riding/crashing/socialising

tomohoward- thats crazy.. What have you got?

2003 to date.

Total spend of £19,840 (not counting upgrades/consumables).

Edit: Currently have 1. Kona Explosif 650b, 2. Pinnacle Arkos, 3. Stooge Cycles (not arrived yet).

Blender!

Edit: or if you really are ‘too tall’ for 26” then the Explosif 650b.

Thanks for all the help!

I thought the same thing! Was just about to post it..

Kona Explosif 650b

They remind me of Surly.
Don’t think I’ve ever had a Brewdog!

They are heavy, eh! I’ve had a set in my basket for a while but wasn’t sure about the weight. Think I’ll go for Arch Exs instead. ‘Enduro’ wheelsets should be down around 1700g or less for 26”.

Our new puppy, Mimi, who arrived on Friday! She’s a crazy 9 week old Chihuahua girl.
She’ll be aloud out next weekend, can’t wait.

An N+1 bike

You should change it for him whilst he’s working.
Would be a nice surprise to come back to.

Lovley bikes in this thread. Especially love the BMW. Reminds me of the Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman trips.

Picked up this yesterday.

As Flange says- it’s a threaded nut.
It’s for sale now if you’re interested!

Forks arrived today. Very pleased. They are incredibly stiff and light. No flex with gentle squeezing.

Postage time was brilliant from the producer but Parcel Force/HM Revenue are a joke. It took 4 days to hit our shores and then 12 days to reach me!

HM Revenues and customs took a lovely £23.65 on a product market at little over the same value.

The axle is brilliant. Was a nice surprise. I was expecting a solid axle with a nut, but no! It’s a direct copy of the shimano through axle.

The proportions of the fork are crazy. The legs are huge and the crown dwarfs the tapered steerer. Yes, thats tapered! Very light. Kitchen scales indicate 700g. Once the axle is in the fork has absolutely no flex at all. The steerer is plenty long but doesn’t come with a carbon bung. Face brake mounts which are nicely built up too.

Photos once they’ve been installed and a mini review once ridden.

Big thanks to Hellen at XMIPlay!

Why not pick up a 2013 26” five frame?
Plenty of frames turn up on here or ebay.

Kingdom Brigante with those 650b wheels.
Feel free to have a test ride if you’re near Colchester.