Recommend me a frame

[Steven Templeto]

Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.

I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a jack of all trades.

It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute on
it.

i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.

my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be putting
3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.

Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to get a good deal.

Thanks in advance

 

[..::Tbf::..]

"Steven Templeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
>
> I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a
jack
> of all trades.
>
> It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
> tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute
on
> it.
>
> i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
>
> my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be
putting
> 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
>
> Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to
get
> a good deal.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>

Planet X

 

[Bomba]

Steven Templeton wrote:
> Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
>
> I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a jack of all trades.
>
> It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
> tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute on
> it.
>
> i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
>
> my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be putting
> 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
>
> Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to get a good deal.

Hmm, gonna be tricky for that price. I know that may sound snobby, but there really aren't that many
frames that are any good around 150 quid - you're certainly not going to get "high quality". The
other thing you should bear in mind is that because you want a jack-of-all trades frame, it's going
to compromise on something.

What Bombers are you going to put on? Bear in mind that if you go for long travel, it will affect
the geometry, so take this in to account when making your purchase.

JOOI, why do you specifically want alu? For what you're looking to do, a decent cro-mo frame would
suit you better, I would have thought. Secondly, I'd be tempted to spend a bit more on the frame
rather than the Bombers.

With that in mind, have a look at the following. On-One Inbred (geared) 225. Top trails frame, that
should put up with some light jumping. Rock Lobster '02 - Reynolds 853 tubing makes a nice trails
frame. Again, designed for trails more than jumping. Currently going for 175 quid at Merlin.
Merlin's own brand Malt frames. Don't know too much about them, but they have a good rep for value.
Prices range from 100 - 200 quid. Best to give them a call to find out if they'll suit your
purpose. Coyote HT-5 - Easton tubing and built for strength. 180 quid from Chain Reaction. I'm not
a huge fan of Coyote, but it may suit your needs. It's out of your range, but from a function
point, it's ideal. The new DMR Switchback. Designed using jump bike geometry, but lightened
slightly and extended to allow for all-day riding. It's the one I'd go for, but it's 260 quid. I'd
consider saving

www.on-one.co.uk www.merlincycles.co.uk www.dmrbikes.com www.chainreactioncycles.co.uk

 

[Bomba]

..::TBF::.. wrote:

> Planet X

No, they don't really do an all round frame - they specialise more in jumping and trials. Besides,
the prices are well out of his range.

 

[Steven Templeto]

i want alu cos it's gonna be lighter and wont rust - i hate it when my bikes rust - siezed BB and
other nonsense !!!!

I am more prepared to compromise on the trials - i do that one my massive bike atm.

Bombers i will be fitting will either be 4" MX or the Z1 wedge

btw i just found this one -
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Frames&ModelID=946

Storm Corner Worker HT - u think it's any good ? and is it gonna fit me ?

thanks again for your help

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Steven Templeton wrote:
> > Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
> >
> > I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a
jack
> > of all trades.
> >
> > It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough
enough
> > for jumping and fairly tame trials, yet not so small that i can't
commute on
> > it.
> >
> > i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
> >
> > my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be
putting
> > 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
> >
> > Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to
get
> > a good deal.
>
> Hmm, gonna be tricky for that price. I know that may sound snobby, but there really aren't that
> many frames that are any good around 150 quid - you're certainly not going to get "high quality".
> The other thing you should bear in mind is that because you want a jack-of-all trades frame, it's
> going to compromise on something.
>
> What Bombers are you going to put on? Bear in mind that if you go for long travel, it will affect
> the geometry, so take this in to account when making your purchase.
>
> JOOI, why do you specifically want alu? For what you're looking to do, a decent cro-mo frame would
> suit you better, I would have thought. Secondly, I'd be tempted to spend a bit more on the frame
> rather than the Bombers.
>
> With that in mind, have a look at the following. On-One Inbred (geared) 225. Top trails frame,
> that should put up with some light jumping. Rock Lobster '02 - Reynolds 853 tubing makes a nice
> trails frame. Again, designed for trails more than jumping. Currently going for 175 quid at
> Merlin. Merlin's own brand Malt frames. Don't know too much about them, but they have a good rep
> for value. Prices range from 100 - 200 quid. Best to give them a call to find out if they'll suit
> your purpose. Coyote HT-5 - Easton tubing and built for strength. 180 quid from Chain Reaction.
> I'm not a huge fan of Coyote, but it may suit your needs. It's out of your range, but from a
> function point, it's ideal. The new DMR Switchback. Designed using jump bike geometry, but
> lightened slightly and extended to allow for all-day riding. It's the one I'd go for, but it's 260
> quid. I'd consider saving
>
> www.on-one.co.uk www.merlincycles.co.uk www.dmrbikes.com www.chainreactioncycles.co.uk

 

[Bomba]

Steven Templeton wrote:
> i want alu cos it's gonna be lighter

Not necessarily true. You can run a cro-mo frame with normal size tubing and have a similar weight
and strength to alu frames that use massive tubes and box sections.

I'll leave it there before the thread degenerates in to a cro-mo vs. alu war

> and wont rust - i hate it when my bikes rust - siezed BB and other nonsense !!!!

You need to treat your bikes better

> I am more prepared to compromise on the trials - i do that one my massive bike atm.

Yeah, but the point is, all of the jumping / freeride stuff is best done with a small frame (~14"),
but this is useless for all day riding because you'll never find a seat post long enough or strong
enough. It's all about the compromise I discussed earlier.

> Bombers i will be fitting will either be 4" MX or the Z1 wedge

The MX should be fine on all the bikes, but the Z1 wedge adds another inch. This will slacken the
head angles of all of the trails bikes. Now, although you can probably cope with the sloppy
steering, the headtubes will be undergoing stresses that they weren't designed for, so I wouldn't
advised it.

> btw i just found this one -
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Frames&ModelID=946
>
> Storm Corner Worker HT - u think it's any good ? and is it gonna fit me ?

I quite like Storm (one of my mates used to ride DH for them), but I'm not sure about their presence
in the UK any more (warranty issues could be a problem). The other problem is that the bike is
14.5". Great for trials and jumping, but sod all use for riding XC.

It's tricky giving you a size recommendation, because you end up compromising. A 16" should be ok
for you, but it will be cramped for XC riding. An 18" would be better for this, but possibly a
little large for chucking through your local jumps. Anyway, you should be looking for something
between 16 and 18" IMO.

 

[Steven Templeto]

hows about the coyote dual then ?

its 16" and is available for £140 from merlin ? - but it has horizontal dropouts - are
these a pain ?

also the coyote ht5 is £110 from merlin - but i'm not too sure about sizing - and do you think it
can stand up to jumps ?

regards

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Steven Templeton wrote:
> > i want alu cos it's gonna be lighter
>
> Not necessarily true. You can run a cro-mo frame with normal size tubing and have a similar weight
> and strength to alu frames that use massive tubes and box sections.
>
> I'll leave it there before the thread degenerates in to a cro-mo vs. alu war
>
> > and wont rust - i hate it when my bikes rust - siezed BB and other nonsense !!!!
>
> You need to treat your bikes better
>
> > I am more prepared to compromise on the trials - i do that one my
massive
> > bike atm.
>
> Yeah, but the point is, all of the jumping / freeride stuff is best done with a small frame
> (~14"), but this is useless for all day riding because you'll never find a seat post long enough
> or strong enough. It's all about the compromise I discussed earlier.
>
> > Bombers i will be fitting will either be 4" MX or the Z1 wedge
>
> The MX should be fine on all the bikes, but the Z1 wedge adds another inch. This will slacken the
> head angles of all of the trails bikes. Now, although you can probably cope with the sloppy
> steering, the headtubes will be undergoing stresses that they weren't designed for, so I wouldn't
> advised it.
>
> > btw i just found this one -
> >
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Frames&ModelID=946
> >
> > Storm Corner Worker HT - u think it's any good ? and is it gonna fit me
?
>
> I quite like Storm (one of my mates used to ride DH for them), but I'm not sure about their
> presence in the UK any more (warranty issues could be a problem). The other problem is that the
> bike is 14.5". Great for trials and jumping, but sod all use for riding XC.
>
> It's tricky giving you a size recommendation, because you end up compromising. A 16" should be ok
> for you, but it will be cramped for XC riding. An 18" would be better for this, but possibly a
> little large for chucking through your local jumps. Anyway, you should be looking for something
> between 16 and 18" IMO.

 

[Spademan O----L]

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> ..::TBF::.. wrote:
>
> > Planet X
>
> No, they don't really do an all round frame - they specialise more in jumping and trials. Besides,
> the prices are well out of his range.
>

They do one called the compo which is supposed to be an all round frame, but looks damn ugly IMHO.
Anyway you're right, they're a bit out of his price range.

 

[Bomba]

Steven Templeton wrote:
> hows about the coyote dual then ?
>
> its 16" and is available for £140 from merlin ? - but it has horizontal dropouts - are these
> a pain ?

Hmm, not sure how that would work with the rear mech hanger. Horizontal dropouts are usually
designed for singlespeeds. Besides, it's actually only 14" C-C, although it might work for you.

> also the coyote ht5 is £110 from merlin - but i'm not too sure about sizing - and do you think it
> can stand up to jumps ?

The HT-5 is a frame that I mentioned in my initial reply. I've really no idea how it will stand up
to jumping, but it looks fairly well built. As I originally mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of Coyote
- I think their finishing and attention to detail is a bit weak. However, beggars can't be choosers,
and for 110 quid, you can't really argue. A quick look at the reviews on CRC and BikeMagic shows
that most others have no problems throwing it around. Just keep an eye on the welds around the head
tube and expect the paint to fall off.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rank.asp?modelID=721&category=Frames&model=HT%2D5
http://www.bikemagic.com/review/reviewproduct.asp?sp=&RGN=1&RCN=82&RPN=4540&v=2

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/ambfaq.htm

b.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

 

[Spademan O----L]

> "bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news
> > It's tricky giving you a size recommendation, because you end up compromising. A 16" should be
> > ok for you, but it will be cramped for XC riding. An 18" would be better for this, but possibly
> > a little large for chucking through your local jumps. Anyway, you should be looking for
> > something between 16 and 18" IMO.
> >
> >

I agree with what Bomba has said so far, my recommendation would be save up another 100 quid and buy
either the on-one or the DMR. Size wise the on-ones have a lengthy top tube so you might get away
with a smaller size to give better clearance for trials etc. I think the DMR is sorted for a LT fork
up to 130mm though, but this might give you handling problems if you run a shorter fork.

If you don't do serious trials and jumping then I reckon you would be better off getting a frame
that fits for xc, its gonna be much more of a pain having a small frame for xc than having a too
large frame for trials. I used to have a Ti XC bike that I did everything on, XC, trials DH and
jumping, and it was fine. Fair enough its cracked in three places now mind.....

Steve E.

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

spademan o---[) * <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > ..::TBF::.. wrote:
> >
> > > Planet X
> >
> > No, they don't really do an all round frame - they specialise more in jumping and trials.
> > Besides, the prices are well out of his range.
> >
>
> They do one called the compo which is supposed to be an all round frame,
but
> looks damn ugly IMHO. Anyway you're right, they're a bit out of his price range.

_BASE_

Well, mine does everything from XC to uuhhmmm, well, I can't do jumps and trials, but the bike is
more than capable...........

Shaun aRe

 

[Jd]

"Steven Templeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
>
> I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a jack of all trades.
>
> It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
> tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute on
> it.
>
> i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
>
> my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be putting
> 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.

With that kind of budget, good luck.

JD

 

[John Spann]

Steven Templeton wrote:
> Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
>
> I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a jack of all trades.
>
> It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
> tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute on
> it.
>
> i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
>
> my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be putting
> 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
>
> Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to get a good deal.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>

What about your outside leg?

John Spann

 

[Kent]

"Steven Templeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
>
> I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a
jack
> of all trades.
>
> It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough enough for jumping and fairly
> tame trials, yet not so small that i can't commute
on
> it.
>
> i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
>
> my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be
putting
> 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
>
> Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to
get
> a good deal.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>
DDG AXIS!

 

[Mian]

I would say specialized hardrock, but I doubt it's in your price bracket

"Kent" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Steven Templeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi folks hope you can help me with this one.
> >
> > I am after a high quality aluminium hardtail frame which is a bit of a
> jack
> > of all trades.
> >
> > It needs to be not so heavy that XC and dayrides are out, and tough
enough
> > for jumping and fairly tame trials, yet not so small that i can't
commute
> on
> > it.
> >
> > i am 5' 11" - and have a 32" inside leg.
> >
> > my budget is around £150 (definately no more than £200) and i'll be
> putting
> > 3.5 inch travel front forks on it with an aim to upgrade to bombers.
> >
> > Hopefully some UK based folk will can help me out - ideally i'd like to
> get
> > a good deal.
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> >
> >
> DDG AXIS!

 

[Clydesdalemtb]

www.habcycles.com

 

[Clydesdalemtb]

Stephen Baker wrote:
> ClydesdaleMTB says:
>
>
>>www.habcycles.com
>
>
> Looking for a discount on the next bike, John?

No more bikes for me for a while..... (At lest not untill Mark figures out the proper geometry for a
Ti 29" SS ;-)

 

[Technician]

ClydesdaleMTB <[email protected]> spoke thusly...
>
> www.habcycles.com
>
>

Why must you be so subtle ;-)
--
~Travis

http://www.megalink.net/~farmers/

 

[Bomba]

ClydesdaleMTB wrote:
>
> www.habcycles.com

Well done John. The guy lives in England, is looking for an alu frame around the 150 GBP mark (and
even with the weak $, you're still nowhere close), and is looking for something that will be mainly
used for dirt jumping with some trail riding and that can take long travel forks.

I imagine a $700 titanium XC frame that's only available in the US would be ideal...

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/ambfaq.htm

b.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

bomba <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> ClydesdaleMTB wrote:
> >
> > www.habcycles.com
>
> Well done John. The guy lives in England, is looking for an alu frame around the 150 GBP mark (and
> even with the weak $, you're still nowhere close), and is looking for something that will be
> mainly used for dirt jumping with some trail riding and that can take long travel forks.
>
> I imagine a $700 titanium XC frame that's only available in the US would be ideal...

Hey, you can't blame the guy - he's got a serious fixation.

Price aside though, Mark does make custom rides, and no doubt could come up with a most excellent
DJ/XC mix.

Shaun aRe