29er Steel XC/Trail hardtail frames with tapered headsets?

[Jpez]

Cromag have either come out with or are soon to be a 27.5+/29 version of the Rootdown called the Primer. Looks the Shiz!

A great source of all the latest all mountain hardtail goodness is Pinkbikes sexiest all mountain hardtail thread. There are a heap of amazing steelie hardtails out there now. Bit exxy though some of them. Especially being hand made in small numbers on the other side of the world.

 

[Zaf]

Cromag have either come out with or are soon to be a 27.5+/29 version of the Rootdown called the Primer. Looks the Shiz!

A great source of all the latest all mountain hardtail goodness is Pinkbikes sexiest all mountain hardtail thread. There are a heap of amazing steelie hardtails out there now. Bit exxy though some of them. Especially being hand made in small numbers on the other side of the world.

Yeah, Sexy is exxy!!! That's why i got the Honzo in the end, so many lovely bikes, but the Honzo has amazing geometry at a fraction of the cost.

wheel size wont determine frame size...

i'm 176cm and teeter on the edge of medium/large on my E29.

Sorry dude, I had to!

 

[takai]

Yeah, there are much more than i initially thought there were. Struggling with some to find dealers and stockists for them though.

The Ragley BigWig is relatively available though, at a decent price.

 

[99_FGT]

I've got a B-Side that is quite playful for what it is, what about a juice?
http://www.scvimports.com.au/soma-juice-frame-brownstone-p-8545.html

 

[Soul-Rider]

Rod at Crankin set me up with a sensational Canfield Nimble 9. The new Carbon EPO is another level, but I couldn't be happier with the steel nimble.

 

[droenn]

join ussssss

 

[takai]

Still a little torn between trail and XC geo, given i have a Charge Blender that is sort of setup as an AMish bike.

But i think if i go trail geo im leaning towards the Ragley BigWig, from an availability and cost standpoint.

 

[SF Trailboy]

Still a little torn between trail and XC geo, given i have a Charge Blender that is sort of setup as an AMish bike.

But i think if i go trail geo im leaning towards the Ragley BigWig, from an availability and cost standpoint.

That cotic Solaris above is probably a good compromise between trail and XC not sure what the sizing is like though. Easy to deal with and readily available.

 

[droenn]

re: solaris sizing

I'm 179cm and using a M. I have a really short stem on at the moment (45mm) to make it a bit more agile through corners. I probably could have gone an L with such a short stem, its edgeing on the cramped side. With a 70mm stem its spot on, but not as quick through corners. I'll play around a bit, depends on what I'm using it for - thinking of rigging it up for bikepacking soon, so might go back to longer stem if spending all day in the saddle.

Mine isn't current model though, have a feeling they upped the TT length a bit..

 

[Big JD]

why ????

Sorry but I just dont get it............................................

Why would you want an overbuilt/ tough/ heavy/ 29er / HT with slack angles. What it is for? What local trails would suit such a beast?

If it is for the chunk and stunts- there are FS bikes that fit the bill and are so much more capable. Why beat yourself up on a HT? You also have to beef it up to handle the chunk= heavier. Lets face it- most people can ride more challenging terrain on a FS bike than a HT- well I can.

For SSing- then you want light and dont need slack geometry.

One bike for everything? If it is a trail bike- a HT would not be my number one pick- purely from a comfort and capability stand. While a HT is all Ive had for the past two years I would take a quality FS over a quality Ht every day of the week.

If it is for XC trails- then why buy a heavy steel frame? Why carry all that extra heft around. You are going for the simplicity of a HT and yet the one area it should excel (climbing) is bogged down with heft.

If it is to experience the ride quality of steel- then Titanium is better. Basically- I get the romantic ideal of SSing on a rigid steel 29er but the reality is very different for us mere mortals. I have had HTs- steel, carbon, titanium and alloy and once you throw on 2.3 tubeless tyres, front suspension fork - the ride quality difference is minimal. The best upgrade to a HT is a flex post.

I just cant see the value in a slack, heavy, over built steel hardtail- Im sure others can (marketing say so).

What am I missing???

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Sorry but I just dont get it............................................



What am I missing???

Probably...like me...it's your youth that's missing.

If I lived somewhere with topography then my inner 25 year old hipster would harken for a steel hardtail trail bike but the grumpy old nut he's trapped in would be looking for something like a Focus Spine...

 

[SF Trailboy]

Sorry but I just dont get it............................................

Why would you want an overbuilt/ tough/ heavy/ 29er / HT with slack angles. What it is for? What local trails would suit such a beast?

If it is for the chunk and stunts- there are FS bikes that fit the bill and are so much more capable. Why beat yourself up on a HT? You also have to beef it up to handle the chunk= heavier. Lets face it- most people can ride more challenging terrain on a FS bike than a HT- well I can.

For SSing- then you want light and dont need slack geometry.

One bike for everything? If it is a trail bike- a HT would not be my number one pick- purely from a comfort and capability stand. While a HT is all Ive had for the past two years I would take a quality FS over a quality Ht every day of the week.

If it is for XC trails- then why buy a heavy steel frame? Why carry all that extra heft around. You are going for the simplicity of a HT and yet the one area it should excel (climbing) is bogged down with heft.

If it is to experience the ride quality of steel- then Titanium is better. Basically- I get the romantic ideal of SSing on a rigid steel 29er but the reality is very different for us mere mortals. I have had HTs- steel, carbon, titanium and alloy and once you throw on 2.3 tubeless tyres, front suspension fork - the ride quality difference is minimal. The best upgrade to a HT is a flex post.

I just cant see the value in a slack, heavy, over built steel hardtail- Im sure others can (marketing say so).

What am I missing???

I agree to some point.

My ritchey weighs in at around 11kg. Not heavy and very comfy and of course could be lighter. I would say the kilo penalty I pay for the frame is more than worth the ride quality, but it horses for courses. It's definitely hands down the best riding hardtail I have had - other than wanting more travel at the front, but instead of getting the Cotic or the Stanton I think I'm gunna chuck a 120mm fork on it and be done with it.

I understand the allure of steel and love it. I do only ride xc however and don't pretend that I am anything other than within my limits and capabilities most of the time.

I only have one mtb and it rides 90% of my requests with ease. The other 10% is hairy and slower than it could be.

I would no way advocate a hardtail over 12kgs however....

I'm also sure good titanium is much better than good steel but my budget doesn't allow that testing. I would however choose the good steel over average titanium every day.

 

[Big JD]

Sf
Your Ritchey is a sensible steel XC HT option. I wasn't slagging of all steel frames - just wondering what the allure was with big hard hitting slack long and low HTs.

Light, got natural zing and zip (technical term for ride quality) isn't over built, slack, long, have super short stays or trying to be a trail bike. There are few off the self steel frames that really compare.

It is not trying to be more than it is- it fits a niche beautifully.

Perhaps it is simply my youth is missing.

 

[JTmofo]

Sorry but I just dont get it............................................

Why would you want an overbuilt/ tough/ heavy/ 29er / HT with slack angles. What it is for? What local trails would suit such a beast?

If it is for the chunk and stunts- there are FS bikes that fit the bill and are so much more capable. Why beat yourself up on a HT? You also have to beef it up to handle the chunk= heavier. Lets face it- most people can ride more challenging terrain on a FS bike than a HT- well I can.

For SSing- then you want light and dont need slack geometry.

One bike for everything? If it is a trail bike- a HT would not be my number one pick- purely from a comfort and capability stand. While a HT is all Ive had for the past two years I would take a quality FS over a quality Ht every day of the week.

If it is for XC trails- then why buy a heavy steel frame? Why carry all that extra heft around. You are going for the simplicity of a HT and yet the one area it should excel (climbing) is bogged down with heft.

If it is to experience the ride quality of steel- then Titanium is better. Basically- I get the romantic ideal of SSing on a rigid steel 29er but the reality is very different for us mere mortals. I have had HTs- steel, carbon, titanium and alloy and once you throw on 2.3 tubeless tyres, front suspension fork - the ride quality difference is minimal. The best upgrade to a HT is a flex post.

I just cant see the value in a slack, heavy, over built steel hardtail- Im sure others can (marketing say so).

What am I missing???

Have you ever ridden a long (ish) travel, slack, overbuilt, heavy steel hardtail?

 

[SF Trailboy]

Sf
Your Ritchey is a sensible steel XC HT option. I wasn't slagging of all steel frames - just wondering what the allure was with big hard hitting slack long and low HTs.

Light, got natural zing and zip (technical term for ride quality) isn't over built, slack, long, have super short stays or trying to be a trail bike. There are few off the self steel frames that really compare.

It is not trying to be more than it is- it fits a niche beautifully.

Perhaps it is simply my youth is missing.

Cheers mate - I was just suggesting there was sensible steel so to speak and hadn't taken offence. I think the allure is its something different.

I admit I'm curious.... BUT there is no need for me based on my riding realities.

 

[takai]

To be honest, im in the same position. I took my Charge off the rack tonight and had a pootle around, and it is a hell of a lot of fun (needs some stuff fixed though). But im also wondering whether i might be better suited by a slightly steeper geo bike (like a Niner) than a big and slack BigWig. After all i have a slack steel 26er (and the Pike 409s go up to 140mm), and the dually.

 

[Zaf]

Sorry but I just dont get it............................................

And you never will!!!
It's running down the slide and face planting the sand at the bottom compared to sitting on it and gliding down, it's falling off the top of the monkey bars instead of clambering beneath them, it's getting three mates to rocket the smallest guy off the see-saw. It's dumb fun, it's rough and simple, but it puts a smile on your face in a way that everyone else who's playing in a "sensible" fashion will never fully comprehend.

If you're looking at weights, or appropriate application vs full suspension, or climbing speeds, you've missed the point of bikes like the Honzo, the ROS and Nimble 9's, the Rootdowns and Surfaces, etc. etc. etc. They're not about being a member of the athletics team and saying you scored however high on the beep test, you don't care about the extra weight (to be honest, you don't even know it's there), and if you've got time to think about those things whilst riding bikes like that, you're doing it wrong!

 

[Aussie_Ryder]

I recently bought a Salsa El Mariachi frame for $550 online. For me it ticked all the boxes and it's versatile with the alternator drop outs. I'm currently running it SS rigid and loving it.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[Big JD]

Have you ever ridden a long (ish) travel, slack, overbuilt, heavy steel hardtail?

only a ROS 9

The biggest issue for me is that I just dont fit on many bikes- and these slack HT have been really short in the top tube in the past. Hopeful the trend of slack, long and low will trickle across from FS. Seriously there are no off the shelf XL HT frames that fit me- without a long stem and set back post- which defeats the purpose. I ride XXL frames

 

[Big JD]

And you never will!!!
It's running down the slide and face planting the sand at the bottom compared to sitting on it and gliding down, it's falling off the top of the monkey bars instead of clambering beneath them, it's getting three mates to rocket the smallest guy off the see-saw. It's dumb fun, it's rough and simple, but it puts a smile on your face in a way that everyone else who's playing in a "sensible" fashion will never fully comprehend.

If you're looking at weights, or appropriate application vs full suspension, or climbing speeds, you've missed the point of bikes like the Honzo, the ROS and Nimble 9's, the Rootdowns and Surfaces, etc. etc. etc. They're not about being a member of the athletics team and saying you scored however high on the beep test, you don't care about the extra weight (to be honest, you don't even know it's there), and if you've got time to think about those things whilst riding bikes like that, you're doing it wrong!

well written and fair enough Zaf. Our sense of "fun" may vary.

The most fun HT I have owned was a Yeti Bigtop (alloy front with carbon rear) and could switch to SS with dropout change to mix it up. Why was it fun? Light, stiff, good fit and was an all rounder. It was the one bike where travel adjust forks where useful. I beefed it up with strong wheels, dropper post and wide bars/ short stem and also slimmed it down for race whippet and it still rode well.

My current HT Highball C- is amazing but in all honesty doesnt suit being beefed up- it is an XC rig through and through