Long travel hardtail frames

rockmonkeysc

I have decided that my 456SS frame is too small, I originally built it up as a DH/FR bike ahich it was perfect for but now that I have built it lighter for xc it's just too small.
I need a frame which will fit a 140mm fork with 1 1/8" steerer, 68mm BB, 135mm QR drop outs.
Other than that I'm not too worried about seat post or front mech size.
Needs to be lightish, reasonably strong and no more than about £350.
456 Carbon looks ok, Cotic Soul looks good.

welshkev

i've got a cove stiffee fr, fits up to 150mm forks....i love mine



obvioulsy bear in mind mine hasn't got any decals on it

rockmonkeysc

I have tried a Stiffee, little bit too harsh for long xc rides but a lot of fun downhill. I would prefer something a bit less stiff.

.blitz

Ragley of some description or a Stanton Slackline. Dialled Alpine?

bails87

Got to suggest the Carbon 456. It's a 73mm BB shell, but I don't see that it should be that much of a problem. If you've got a 'modern' BB then take a spacer out (free), if you've got an 'old' one then a new BB is pretty cheap.

welshkev

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have tried a Stiffee, little bit too harsh for long xc rides but a lot of fun downhill. I would prefer something a bit less stiff.

really? i rode the 46km skline trail at afan the other day on it no probs..ah well, each to their own

rockmonkeysc

.blitz wrote:

Ragley of some description or a Stanton Slackline. Dialled Alpine?

The Stanton Slackline & Dialled Alpine both look ideal other than they don't make them larger than my 18" 456SS

rockmonkeysc

welshkev wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have tried a Stiffee, little bit too harsh for long xc rides but a lot of fun downhill. I would prefer something a bit less stiff.

really? i rode the 46km skline trail at afan the other day on it no probs..ah well, each to their own

I'm old, I need a bit of comfort

jairaj

Its hard to recommend anything but a carbon 456, its light, strong and cheap (are they still going for £250?). I've only had mine for a bit so still getting used to it but I find its very good for a little bit of everything. The long top tube and light weight make it good for going up. The slack head angle makes it good for going down. Its clearly been designed to handle rough terrain so I'm sure it won't mind a little bit of DH or FR action either.

ps don't believe the Bike Radar review when they say it super stiff and uncomfortable, its not. It's fine. I came from a nice compliant steel frame and I didn't find any issues when I switched to the C456.

The Northern Monkey

Cotic Soul?

Slow Loris

Genesis Alpitude? CEN rated up to 160mm -

http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do?method=view&n=3549&g=260471&p=260480&c=215&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Hardtail%20Frames

welshkev

Orange crush, Saracen zen/zen x,

Jomox

Evil Sovereign . No contest.

Slow Loris

16.5" Alpitude on eBay for £139 BIN. Too small?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genesis-Alpitude-Frame-Reynolds-853-like-stanton-slackline-cotic-BeFe-/190714843848?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2c677d92c8

rockmonkeysc

16.5" Alpitude on eBay for £139 BIN. Too small?

Far too small. I'm on an 18" 456SS at the moment and thats too small

I have no doubts about the carbon 456's strength after last night. Chatting to a lad on a carbon whippet about strength of frames he demonstrated the strength of his light weight xc bike by launching it off a 6' drop!
The Cotic Soul is also very tempting.

DodgeT

Loving my c456, its as do it all as my enduro and comfy (although not endruo comfy of course) enough for long jaunts.

felix.london

Sunn Tzar;

Giraffoto

Since you say that . . .

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I have decided that my 456SS frame is too small

. . . although this hasn't stopped plenty of other people coming up with suggestions, it would probably be useful to consider how it's too small - height, length, etc. There are loads of frames that only come in what I'd consider very small sizes, and the carbon 456 is only available up to a 20" size (622mm effective top tube length) that's not very big.

rockmonkeysc

It's an 18" frame

A Head Angle (°) 65.7
B Head Tube Length (mm) 115
C Effective Top Tube (mm) 603
D Seat Angle (°) 71.2
E Seat Tube Lenght Centre to Top(mm) 457
F Chainstay Length (mm) 427
G Standover Height (mm) 805
H Stack (mm) 592
I Reach (mm) 397

Top tube is too short (by about 20mm) & I run the (400mm) seat post at full height

welshkev

any good for you?

viewtopic.php?f=40089&t=12872479

rockmonkeysc

Not really, I only want a frame and the sizing is only marginally bigger than my 456SS.

The Northern Monkey

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Cotic Soul?

rockmonkeysc

The Northern Monkey wrote:

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Cotic Soul?

Looks like the frame of choice I think. Can't find anything bad about it.
Geometry looks pretty good, weight isn't bad. Looks great in orange. Might be worth the extra cash.

jairaj

Are you aiming to do any DH and FR on it again?

If not the Soul is a good shout, gets great reviews every time. Otherwise look at its slightly burlier bother the BFe or the C456

rockmonkeysc

I have a downhill bike for downhill so it will just be used for aggressive xc riding at most.

allthegearnoidea

the Soul is a cracking choice for a do it all bike, i run mine at 130mm and its Such a great ride, The 'springy' rear end takes a little getting used to! though it was broken first few times!!
i'm no downhiller but do like to give it some abuse, no major drops but foot high log jumps etc. regularly, had mine coming up for 3 years this winter, and can honestly say if i ever broke it i'd simply buy another!!
they do pop up quite often on STW classifieds and occasionally on ebay if you dont fancy the price of a new one, but the new ones now have a larger seat tube for dropper posts and tapered head tube iirc.