Tonicfab and Bystickel were two frames I wanted to throw my money at back in the day. I always could get what I wanted from Oscar though, if I had patience.
Custom hardtail builders
- Thread starter HAB
- Start date
It's funny this comes up.
I love my new Pipedream Sirius, I do...but I'm really not enjoying the effort needed to loft the front end on my size 'longer.'
I'm starting to wonder if a custom mullet frame (with a rigid fork and 29" wheel, or a longer-travel fork and a 27.5 up front for same effective stack) might hit the geometry cues I want to make something a little more precise and poppier and maybe sharper-tracking uphill than the Sirius is. Or if there's a production frame meeting those characteristics, I'd be super psyched. Thinking like 490 reach, 66.5-67ish HA with the 29er, steepish seat tube, sliding drops...
But I'm gonna ride it for a good long while before trying something like that.
I love my new Pipedream Sirius, I do...but I'm really not enjoying the effort needed to loft the front end on my size 'longer.'
I'm starting to wonder if a custom mullet frame (with a rigid fork and 29" wheel, or a longer-travel fork and a 27.5 up front for same effective stack) might hit the geometry cues I want to make something a little more precise and poppier and maybe sharper-tracking uphill than the Sirius is. Or if there's a production frame meeting those characteristics, I'd be super psyched. Thinking like 490 reach, 66.5-67ish HA with the 29er, steepish seat tube, sliding drops...
But I'm gonna ride it for a good long while before trying something like that.
Are you going to get him to make you an evolved version of your mullet?
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any pics of it built up?
Haha, It's been in his hands and he pedaled it around a bit. LOL I've been poking him about building me a concentric pivot 100mm travel SS trail bike/DJ for a long time. I sent him an old Kona A frame a year ago. Now that the Mullet has arrived I am hoping we can push some of these mullet numbers into this frame I've been tossing around. The thing is, he wants one of these concentric DJ's also so if I wait long enough and help put ideas in front of him, there is a chance this may happen.
Seriously though, why does anyone want a big long steel hardtail, when an aluminum frame can be just as flexy(but much easier to tune flex on) at many pounds less mass?
How many custom alu builders are there as opposed to steel? In my mind custom =steel/titanium (unless you’re going to FTW)
I got a hankering to design some hardtails for some homies again- we have been building them out of Ti, because I can't ever convince anyone that aluminum rules and everything else drools.
The one with the novelty fork also has a pretty dang fancy 3D printed headtube. Excited to 3d print more stuff to add unneeded expense and complication to something that should be aluminum anyway!
(these were built by Simple in PDX, but will probably use a different vendor for the next overpriced ti wizbangers(Cuz plenty of people are willing and qualified to do good Ti work domestically right now)).
I can think of another half-handful of domestic fabricators that would have fun doing a really out there aluminum hardtail frame, but, do ya wanna pay!? Getting dope bikes made to sell to people is def different than getting dope bikes made to play with ideas with your friends.
The one with the novelty fork also has a pretty dang fancy 3D printed headtube. Excited to 3d print more stuff to add unneeded expense and complication to something that should be aluminum anyway!
(these were built by Simple in PDX, but will probably use a different vendor for the next overpriced ti wizbangers(Cuz plenty of people are willing and qualified to do good Ti work domestically right now)).
I can think of another half-handful of domestic fabricators that would have fun doing a really out there aluminum hardtail frame, but, do ya wanna pay!? Getting dope bikes made to sell to people is def different than getting dope bikes made to play with ideas with your friends.
I told myself I was done with aluminum hardtails but I put my foot in my mouth and am loving the Mullet.
What’s with the ritte decals? Bikes looks sweet - always love seeing your creations.I got a hankering to design some hardtails for some homies again- we have been building them out of Ti, because I can't ever convince anyone that aluminum rules and everything else drools.
The one with the novelty fork also has a pretty dang fancy 3D printed headtube. Excited to 3d print more stuff to add unneeded expense and complication to something that should be aluminum anyway!
(these were built by Simple in PDX, but will probably use a different vendor for the next overpriced ti wizbangers(Cuz plenty of people are willing and qualified to do good Ti work domestically right now)).
I can think of another half-handful of domestic fabricators that would have fun doing a really out there aluminum hardtail frame, but, do ya wanna pay!? Getting dope bikes made to sell to people is def different than getting dope bikes made to play with ideas with your friends.
Okay, I'm intrigued. I haven't ridden a modern super aggro aluminum hardtail that rides particularly well, but I definitely think that's more down to few people making them, rather than it not being possible.
Always thought that ti and steel were used for custom frames over aluminum as there is much less of a penalty using straight gage tubing.
3d print all the things, because the cool kids are doing it. hahahah
All this talk of steel and flex seems like a carry-over from the 90s xc days. My sovereign was stiff as can be. 31.6mm seatpost probably had a lot to do with it. Big fat tubes all around (for steel anyway).
Very much so, but I know that realistically I don't have the time to devote to it right now. But it is something I want to take a crack at eventually.
Cool! That will be fun one day.
PVD’s latest build with his latest frame jig. That’s a lotta printed parts. I would like a table like that.
PVD’s latest build with his latest frame jig. That’s a lotta printed parts. I would like a table like that.
Pole Taival 4130 frame seems pretty close, would needs a angleset but not available... and Pole, but maybe there steel frames are ok?
polebicycles.com
Taival - Pole Bicycles
Riders and press praise the Taival as a hardcore hardtail mountain bike for its aggressive trail riding and enduro capabilities. Available in hot colours.
polebicycles.com
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I believe the table design is his own and open source?
Edit: you’ve already stated it is his table, my reading comprehension is off today
Yeah my old .243 frame was at least as stiff as many aluminum frames and my last POS was made in 853 and rode like shit. My Marino is pretty stiff too but I asked them to use the strongest tubes they could use because their off brand Chinese welders and cheap frame prices scared me, white people problems I guess.
At the other end of the spectrum, when I was racing my old On-One I'd have to pump the brakes after a rough-ish high speed section because the frame flexed so much it would make the pads retract.
I have cracked a few aluminum frames but have only damaged one steel one when I hit a tree with my BB/chainring at speed.
Yeah, he made a few versions of that welding table/jig. I think this is the third version based off of a Siegmund welding table.
Siegmund Group WELDING TABLES AND CLAMPING SYSTEMS
www.siegmund.com
i'd think his super slack ST / stubby CS designs would be *terrible* to actually ride (at least for my usage case). be looping out all over the place on the climbs (and likely struggling for front traction on the downs). curious what his design philosophy is. regardless, i assume it serves his needs just fine, and it's cool to see people dabbling outside the norms to see "what if".
"let's just try it and see what happens"
I completely agree. The geo and theories aren’t for me either but I like to see how he makes them. I’m looking at the tools, jigs and techniques when I check out his stuff.
Yup, we can agree to disagree on geometry, but I'm not going to hate on a guy going and building what he wants, and it's cool that he shares so much info on the process.
The rad thing about Pete Verdone is that he's been around "the mtb industry" since Inception, working at Fat Chance with a freshly minted enginerding degree. Pete was probably one of the first people to leave the mtb industry.
But man, BIKES ARE AWESOME. Once you start, you just can't stop.
But man, BIKES ARE AWESOME. Once you start, you just can't stop.
Pole Taival 4130 frame seems pretty close, would needs a angleset but not available... and Pole, but maybe there steel frames are ok?
Taival - Pole Bicycles
Riders and press praise the Taival as a hardcore hardtail mountain bike for its aggressive trail riding and enduro capabilities. Available in hot colours.
A friend of mine had one of those and the rear end would flex so much that the tires would rub despite having significant clearance when static. Steel was too real in that case.
I remember that BTR helped Pole to build their first full suspension prototypes. I doubt that BTR would build a batch of Taival and I wonder who did build them?
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All about that feel
The Creative Director at Ritte was a shop grom of mine when he was in middleschool(he was a masterful 13y/o Ridemonkey dh forum troll) and an enthusiastic consumer of my hand-me-down Sinisters. After starting a custom apparel business in college and selling it off, he moved from MA to Los Angeles and started working for Rapha, and then he got hired to incubate a new version of the Ritte brand after the founder left.
When yer homies have the opportunity to sell uber deluxe custom bikes, you gotta help them out. I kinda supervise the geo on the custom ti bikes(especially the mtb's) and noted(recently retired) custom frame builder Tom Kellogg of Spectrum supervises the geo and tube selection for the production drop bar bikes. Fun little hobby for me. When I visit LA it definitely feels like work though.
That’s a good recommendation. Adam Prosise makes some really nice stuff. Incredible fabricator!
https://instagram.com/adam_prosise?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Interesting story and connection - the bikes just seemed unlike the Ritte I know (especially the Trust equipped one), the change in ownership and direction makes sense.