balfa minuteman or evil d.o.c.

[metallica1049]

which one is the best for a do it all hartail singlespeed beast
please give any other suggestions

[oscerthegrouch]

DOC has those special little dropouts for single speed and seems bomb proof

[cowman]

DOC dropouts are way better, with the balfa sometimes you have to take off your rear break to take of the rear wheel. Get the DOC, it is soooo cool

[eknomf]

The dropouts on the doc do make single speed nice and easy... but on mine I've had a bit of trouble with them moving around. A bit of locktite on the adjuster screws should fix this. So far the DOC seems like a really nice frame. The only downsides so far for me is the headangle seems a bit too steep with dual 26's and the paint chips rather easily. Ive never ridden a minuteman so i cant really compare it to that... but the DOC is one of the nicest hardtail frames ive ridden.

[dexter]

and the fact that the balfa has a head angle of an orange county chopper

[metallica1049]

The dropouts on the doc do make single speed nice and easy... but on mine I've had a bit of trouble with them moving around. A bit of locktite on the adjuster screws should fix this. So far the DOC seems like a really nice frame. The only downsides so far for me is the headangle seems a bit too steep with dual 26's and the paint chips rather easily. Ive never ridden a minuteman so i cant really compare it to that... but the DOC is one of the nicest hardtail frames ive ridden.

how long is the fork u are running on it currently

and if u have any pics of your setup could u post them!

[eknomf]

no pics right now since i have no camera. My fork is a 5 inch 03 dj1 with the black 04 crowns... im not sure of the length though.

[biggins]

:) apples and oranges anyone?

[Leethal]

The minuteman is my opinion is more versatile, it can be ridden as a big hit hardtail and dirtjumped without mercy... It is the perfect bike for Whistler.... plus it is made in Canada and not Taiwan... The Minutemans stays are way nicer that that plate the use on the DOC... there are a lot of little differences in them that point to why the minuteman cost(ed) so much..

[oscerthegrouch]

ya well the DOCs are made in america :eviltongu Evil says the DOC is a freeride/urban/DJ so Im sure there will be a few riding around whistler this year.

[Cash-Money]

pretty sure the DOC is made over seas and the soverign is made here. the balfa has a slacker head angle, with a 4 inch fork, good for street, park, etc, with a 6inch, good for HTDH.

[metallica1049]

thanks for the advice
but also what do u think about the 243 the fr one

[scurban]

Neither, get an Endless!
:thumb:

[Leethal]

ya well the DOCs are made in america :eviltongu Evil says the DOC is a freeride/urban/DJ so Im sure there will be a few riding around whistler this year.

:nono: they are made in Taiwan....

[eknomf]

:dancing:they are made in Taiwan....
this is true... but when you get such a well designed frame for such a good price... who cares?

[oscerthegrouch]

all i know is my evil is made in america so i figured they all were guess i shouldnt have figured that :rolleyes:

[Mattoid]

For dirt jumping, freeriding, dh, AND trail riding the DOC is what your going to want to get, by far the most versitle of the bunch due to the ability to be riddin xc. If you arnt after logging any miles on xc riding your best bet would be a 243. Its perfect for jumping or park riding, and it makes a steller (well at least for my east coast techy DH riding) downhill bike. If it was me id be temopted to try the new DOCs, but im still in love with my 243!

Ive never neen on the balfa but it seems like an allright option.

[Leethal]

all i know is my evil is made in america so i figured they all were guess i shouldnt have figured that :rolleyes:

If you have an Imperial it was made in Canada....The soverign will be made in the US..

[Mattoid]

DOCs come form taiwan

[oscerthegrouch]

my imp says made in USA on it.... go figure maybe canada became a state when they came out but isnt evil located in boston so y would it be made in canada.

[ufdff15]

my imp says made in USA on it.... go figure maybe canada became a state when they came out but isnt evil located in boston so y would it be made in canada.
Yours is one of the first generation Imps. I beleive they were made in the usa. I'm sure DW will be able to clarify.

[Toshi]

Yours is one of the first generation Imps. I beleive they were made in the usa. I'm sure DW will be able to clarify.
no. all imps have been made by devinci, in canada. oscarthegrouch, where on your frame does it say it was made in america? :confused:

[Superdeft]

semi-threadjack:

I think commenting on where a frame says very little about it (other than how long it takes to ship) Despite companies inviting consumers to assume that "made in USA" means better quality, it isn't necessarily the case. Work done in the states is more expensive, so companies seeking the best builds with no regard for price may choose to build their frames here, or they may go overseas to equally good facilities, in their case it's about raw quality and nothing more. Those looking for a less expensive solution will probably look overseas, but they may do it for cheap in the americas as well.

Even with it's bad reputation lingering around from years past, at present Taiwan has some of the world's most advanced frame building facilities, on par with those in the states/canada. It's become an epicenter of precision welding and fabrication for the world, and many US companies choose to move their expertise over there to take advantage of lax regulations, less expensive labor, and a lower cost of building the factories themselves. Saying, "oh, that's made in place X" means very little, it could be an abandoned chicken farm with people welding outside and eye-balling stuff, or a pharmaceutically clean facility with career workers using the latest equipment.

It seems the only real way to judge is to look at the frame, it's history, and the plant where it's made, so I tend not to worry about what country the building it's born in sits on. just my .02 :)

[Deep in Cider]

Good thinking... when all the manufacturing jobs are over seas we'll all have more time to ride out Taiwanese bikes. At least I will because I'll be out of a job. :rolleyes:

[Leethal]

Or made in the USA could mean the people making the frame actually care about cycling and not just profit motives...If your buying a bike and it is your primary hobby why not spend a little more for something handbuilt... for example A Yamaha guitar and a Martin Guitar both make music.... A surfboard is just a piece of wood..I could go on...I suppose you could keep buying bikes from large manufacturers and wonder why all the bikes look the same, have the same geometry and come in the same set of sizes and colors...

[dhmtbj]

Or made in the USA could mean the people making the frame actually care about cycling and not just profit motives...If your buying a bike and it is your primary hobby why not spend a little more for something handbuilt... for example A Yamaha guitar and a Martin Guitar both make music.... A surfboard is just a piece of wood..I could go on...I suppose you could keep buying bikes from large manufacturers and wonder why all the bikes look the same, have the same geometry and come in the same set of sizes and colors...

catalog bikes may be something that is common with taiwan factories...but there is nothing like the doc available in any catalog. it was designed from the ground up. And having owned a minuteman, and knowing a handful of people with docs, the minuteman is a joke of a frame in comparison. Not only is the geometry far better on the doc but the build quality is near perfect. And the DOC is being sold for way less than most other steel frames...you want to talk about passion for cycling, weagle is putting out a KILLER frame for an affordable price. to me that says he is getting more people out riding and that is a good thing!

[eknomf]

\if u have any pics of your setup could u post them!

Finally got some pictures this weekend.

http://www.thundergoat.org/bike/rm/doc.jpg