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I'm your basic east coast slut...

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
Well, in the end Sinister subbed out the work on the Gruitr to Devinci. Maybe similar deal by new owners? Frank is welding the road and CX frames for Spooky, I believe.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,659
1,237
Nilbog
Yeah I don't get it at all, when I saw the release i was like :twitch:. What would make anyone want that thing?

Bigtime old school spooky fan here because like you I am an eastcoast slut. I actually almost had Mickey build me a hardtail back when they relaunched.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,411
4,959
How many times is spooky going to relaunch before they finally end it for real? The nostalgia of the old days will only last so long.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
We built Eraser to remove preconceived notions about what a trail bike can be. Eraser exists for the rider who wants to descend like he's on a long-travel all-mountain bike but also pedals himself to the top to do it again.


Huh.

That second sentence is pretty much exactly what my preconceived notions are of what a trail bike can be.
 

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
As far as I know, this is "relaunch II". Mickey was involved in I. I remember buying Spooky shirts off him at Windham in '10 to help with said relaunch.
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
That brand gets worse with every iteration.

That bike looks like an Astro rear end mated with a GG Trail Pistol front end.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,659
1,237
Nilbog
How many times is spooky going to relaunch before they finally end it for real? The nostalgia of the old days will only last so long.
I think this is it honestly, I know evil pulled it off but they had way more behind them. I hope the new guys behind spooky do well with this, it can't have another death/re-birth.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,659
1,237
Nilbog
We built Eraser to remove preconceived notions about what a trail bike can be. Eraser exists for the rider who wants to descend like he's on a long-travel all-mountain bike but also pedals himself to the top to do it again.


Huh.

That second sentence is pretty much exactly what my preconceived notions are of what a trail bike can be.
So true...
 

Fool

The Thing cannot be described
Sep 10, 2001
2,888
1,640
Brooklyn
How many times is spooky going to relaunch before they finally end it for real? The nostalgia of the old days will only last so long.
*clutches a worn, tear-stained photograph of my old Junebug while wearing a threadbare Spooky Rise Above tshirt*
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,635
6,841
borcester rhymes
Well, in the end Sinister subbed out the work on the Gruitr to Devinci. Maybe similar deal by new owners? Frank is welding the road and CX frames for Spooky, I believe.
they seem to be doing reasonably well on the road / cx side of things.
the road frames have the cachet of being FTW welded. I don't fully understand a 2300$ aluminum road frame either, but that's just me. This bike is made by ventana, which is a good, hand built US company, but this frame is pretty much a LENZ or ventana with different stickers and steep, generic geometry. 650b and no boost, but with a PF bottom bracket. This bike is like a checklist of things riders have not been asking for.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,095
26,437
media blackout
the road frames have the cachet of being FTW welded. I don't fully understand a 2300$ aluminum road frame either, but that's just me. This bike is made by ventana, which is a good, hand built US company, but this frame is pretty much a LENZ or ventana with different stickers and steep, generic geometry. 650b and no boost, but with a PF bottom bracket. This bike is like a checklist of things riders have not been asking for.
it's also not missing a link.
 

shirk007

Monkey
Apr 14, 2009
531
402
If I recall this relaunch is by the guy behind Bicycle Crumbs. https://bicyclecrumbs.squarespace.com/ Roadie/CX graphics guy.

When they first posted a pic on Instagram I called it a Ventana with a pretty paint job and the guy replied that it wasn't....but it's a Ventana.

I don't think they are going after the OG Spooky fans, this relaunch is aimed at the roadies that bought frames the last time Mickey had it up and running.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,411
4,959
Bicycle crumbs illustrations are cool.

That trail bike is a hard sell. The name/explanation makes them look like they've been living under a rock. Trail bikes climb, trail bikes descend rowdy trails. e-racer.
 

Jim Mac

MAKE ENDURO GREAT AGAIN
May 21, 2004
6,352
282
the middle east of NY
Never really understood what the big deal about Frank welded frames was in the first place.
Part of it was his legend/history, welding BMX frames from the 70's to now. Part of it is similar to the phenomenon of local craft brewers. You can go there, see the process, etc. I had 2 bikes from Frank (Sinister R9 and FB-10) and almost got a BMX frame made by him too. Still planning a road trip there next year with kid - he's about 2 hours away.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,095
26,437
media blackout
Part of it was his legend/history, welding BMX frames from the 70's to now. Part of it is similar to the phenomenon of local craft brewers. You can go there, see the process, etc. I had 2 bikes from Frank (Sinister R9 and FB-10) and almost got a BMX frame made by him too. Still planning a road trip there next year with kid - he's about 2 hours away.
not to mention he is an MTB hall of famer for his work in the early days of Yeti (he is largely credited as the first dude to weld an aluminum mtb frame) and his contributions to the development of the threadless steered system (made the first threadless stem)
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,420
6,304
UK
(he is largely credited as the first dude to weld an aluminum mtb frame) and his contributions to the development of the threadless steered system (made the first threadless stem)
Didn't realise either of those... really surprised it was him who did the first Alu frame. When was that?

I still happen to think threadless stems and steerers should be splined tho.. ;)
 

shirk007

Monkey
Apr 14, 2009
531
402
Isn't Charlie Cunningham credited with the first aluminium mtb frame in 1979 with his CCPROTO frame?
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Isn't Charlie Cunningham credited with the first aluminium mtb frame in 1979 with his CCPROTO frame?
I remember it definitely being someone out of that circle.

http://cunninghambikes.com/ccproto/

If you read frank's bio on that hall of fame link john posted he mentions a tubeset from Easton being handed to him and it being his first alu welded frame. They were already being done.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,635
6,841
borcester rhymes
FTW's stuff is just like any other custom builder's. Just represents a smaller scale production method and a little bit of work done by hand vs. in a factory somewhere. I have doubts that there are intrinsic riding properties inherent to such a frame vs. a control-tech welded yeti homegrown, but it's cool bragging rights and neat nontheless. He's an eastcoast legend nowadays.

I wasn't really trying to make a treatise on FTW, just saying the the spooktana doesn't even carry his name with its cost.