Looking for a frame

[JShort]

You might want to consider the Banshee Paradox V3. Marketed as a hardcore ht, but with a 120mm fork and light components it could be a killer xc bike.

https://youtu.be/aEx8_GdVXKg

It's a bit hard to track the frames down, but they go for 1k US and Dirt Merchant seems to be the primary US retailer

https://www.dirtmerchantbicycles.co...nshee-paradox-v3-frame?variant=23564726698042

 

[scott43]

Oh one other. Voodoo sells framesets and have some decent selection. I was looking at their 853 gravel bike..

Dambala Mountain Bike - Experience the Ultimate Ride

Take your mountain biking to new heights with Dambala mountain bike. It has lightweight frame, responsive suspension, and top-of-the-line components,

voodoocycles.com

 

[Tom K.]

@chris_the_wrench, a couple more that seem interesting:

Binary Bicycles tig up aggressive geo Maniak Titanium Hardtail Prototype w/ monster clearance

The Binary Maniak is the "Dream Hardtail according to Steve from Hardtail Party", materialized by the titanium experts at Binary Bicycles

bikerumor.com

Probably too slack for your tastes -- mine too.

Review: Litespeed Pinhoti III shapes ti tubes into trail-worthy hardtail MTB

We put the latest Pinhoti titanium hardtail mountain bike through the paces in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here's how it held up...

bikerumor.com

A bit outside your toy budget.

Inside joke: Chairs. Chairs will fill your toy budget a little bit further!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Well I had sometime today to research abit more while I iced my big toe. I think Ive narrowed it down to 4 options that are available now or within a couple of weeks. Theres a theme..

Lynskey Pro 29er -It has the kinda xc racey geometry 68.5 ht. I never really liked the look of their downtubes.
Litespeed Pinhoti III - Abit slacker 67.5
Sage Powerline- similar 67.5, 68/73 threaded bb
Turner Nitrous - Even 'slackier' at 66.8

Leaning towards the Litespeed as Ive owned a few and enjoyed them. The Lynskey is made in the same factory in Tennessee as the Litespeed. The Turner comes with the T47 BB shell, but is made over seas.

I'll be running a 120 fork, I like 29 x 2.4 front and usually 29x2.2-2.3 rear. I wasn't originally thinking about this, but Id like to be able to put some 27.5+ tires on(maybe studded) for a winter bike.

Anything else someone is seeing? I don't want to order a frame from a smaller builder and wait 6 months+.

-Chris

 

[Wilhelmson]

Has anyone out of curiosity inquired about the obvious scam bikes on Craiglist?

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Has anyone out of curiosity inquired about the obvious scam bikes on Craiglist?

Not me. But there are craigslist scams for almost everything. I was trying to buy a diesel powered welder for a job, so I searched craigslist. I think 15 adds popped up, all 15 were stupid low prices(like$800 for something that should be like $8k)… I dont know how they profit from those ads?? I ended up renting the big welder I needed…

 

[Wilhelmson]

Not me. But theirs craigslist scams for almost everything. I was trying to buy a diesel powered welder for a job, so I searched craigslist. I think 15 adds popped up, all 15 were stupid low prices(like$800 for something that should be like $8k)… I dont know how they profit from those ads?? I ended up renting the big welder I needed…

I did get a good deal on my kid’s Kona on Craigslist, but that was way at the beginning of Covid.

 

[scott43]

I did get a good deal on my kid’s Kona on Craigslist, but that was way at the beginning of Covid.

I saw Kona was being swallowed up by a sports conglomerate... Kinda end of an era... The North Shore boys...Brodie et al.

 

[Tom K.]

Well I had sometime today to research abit more while I iced my big toe. I think Ive narrowed it down to 4 options that are available now or within a couple of weeks. Theres a theme..

Lynskey Pro 29er -It has the kinda xc racey geometry 68.5 ht. I never really liked the look of their downtubes.
Litespeed Pinhoti III - Abit slacker 67.5
Sage Powerline- similar 67.5, 68/73 threaded bb
Turner Nitrous - Even 'slackier' at 66.8

Leaning towards the Litespeed as Ive owned a few and enjoyed them. The Lynskey is made in the same factory in Tennessee as the Litespeed. The Turner comes with the T47 BB shell, but is made over seas.

I'll be running a 120 fork, I like 29 x 2.4 front and usually 29x2.2-2.3 rear. I wasn't originally thinking about this, but Id like to be able to put some 27.5+ tires on(maybe studded) for a winter bike.

Anything else someone is seeing? I don't want to order a frame from a smaller builder and wait 6 months+.

-Chris

Those all look reasonable. The Lynskey/Litespeed frames at least used to have a rep for cracking, though I have no first hand experience with this.

I've got a previously explained inclination towards the Turner, but yeah, maybe overly slack. That made-right-here Sage looks intriguing and they have a great rep. Again, no firsthand knowledge.

Thumping for Turner a bit: DT really stands behind his stuff. I broke a chainstay in Moab once, and he had his local dealer pull one off a showroom bike for me. That started a LONG relationship.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Those all look reasonable. The Lynskey/Litespeed frames at least used to have a rep for cracking, though I have no first hand experience with this.

I've got a previously explained inclination towards the Turner, but yeah, maybe overly slack. That made-right-here Sage looks intriguing and they have a great rep. Again, no firsthand knowledge.

The Sage frames are built by Lynskey, so it looks like the new bike will be coming out of Tennessee just not sure which decals will be on it…

 

[martyg]

LIKE Durango Outdoor Gear Exchange on FB. I have seen a few.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

For those keeping score at home, I ordered the Sage yesterday. I've managed to track down and order about half the components so far, got the tricky stuff like cassette and long cage derailleur(not many out there).

 

[Tom K.]

For those keeping score at home, I ordered the Sage yesterday. I've managed to track down and order about half the components so far, got the tricky stuff like cassette and long cage derailleur(not many out there).

Awesome!

Now post all your component choices, so we at Ski Talk can critique the living crap out of them.....

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Awesome!

Now post all your component choices, so we at Ski Talk can critique the living crap out of them.....

well ‘choices’ are kinda limited these days.its kinda like a scavenger hunt.

Xtr der, shifter, chain
Xt 4 pot brakes, cassette
Fox 34 130(ridden lots of fox products but never actually bought one….)
Wolftooth oval chain ring
Probably xt direct mount crank

gotta check with King in abit here to see what of their stock is like for jiblets.

Havent decided on rims, seatpost, cockpit.

parts bin is overflowing with saddles.

Tyres, I just purged probably 10-12 about 4 weeks ago(bad timing).

 

[chris_the_wrench]

So here is how this bike is currently living after a season of riding. I originally installed a Sid ultimate, I REALLY liked the dampening but unfortunately the bushings lasted about 2 weeks. Sram sent me a brand new fork, I sold it. I replaced it with a stepcast 34. I don't love it. Either small bump sensitivity or big bump depth, choose one- not both. Next bike, maybe even this bike, I'll step up to a 130 pike. Overall the frame is decent. BB/Chainstay are nice and stiff, but top tube flexes more than I would like.

I've been through 3 or 4 different bars and another 3-4 stems. Im dealing with outer wrist pain, that I've never had before, and I still don't have any issues with on my road or gravel bikes. I originally set the bike up with a 110 stem, 35 diameter 10mm rise bar with about 40mm of drop, and since then I've been working my way back and higher. Im currently riding a short stem(80) w/ a lot of rise and some SQ Lab bars 16deg. I currently have nearly zero drop from saddle to bar vs my road bike has about 10cm and my normal mtb fit is about 60mm of drop. Im almost about to swap to a bar kinda like a Surly Corner Bar or possibly adding some of the sq lab inner bar ends. It feels like I need more hand positions regardless of bar sweep/height. Or im going to take an older bar and chop it down narrow and give that a try. Its really effecting my ability to ride long and go back to back days.

So anyone with wrist insight? Anyone personally riding significant alt bars with mtb brakes/shifters on single track?

Edit: Just realized my last post in this thread was I ordered the Sage. I did, I got it, I took their suggestion on sizing, I measured it about 50 times and there was no way it was going to work for me. So I sent it back and ordered the Lynskey. Very similar looks to the Sage(Lynskey builds Sages).