Hey everyone. I am an old new member. (Between here, pinchbeck, mtbr.com, i could not remember passwords) I have not been on here for a number of years because i have had my head in this. I have been building my own line of bikes. I initially started going after a sweet gearbox design with a high pivot. But when it came down to machining prices and stuff, it was going to be way too expensive to do on my own. So I changed gears and decided to build these frames and from selling these hopefully can use the money to get to the gearbox setup.
The frames are a true temper steel and some 4130 steel. I personally love the ride characteristics steel has. It was immediately noticeable when i first switched over from an aluminum frame. It is hard to describe but i would say the bike feels very strong and stiff but soft at the same time. It is something you have to feel. The fatigue characteristics of steel, to me, make it very desirable for this application. These frames will probably out last your riding careers. Also, if in a rare event, you dent a tube, it is most likely easily repairable at a cheap price.
Carbon has since taken over the scene during the testing of these frames. I have not ridden a full carbon DH rig, but the price just for a frame set for me is a turn off. To see $6000-$7000 DH mtn bikes, boggles my mind. I am not a cheapskate, but that is a hell of a lot of money when one crash set you back a few grand.
The medium frame weight without a shock is 9.6lbs. Fairly easy to get to a 38lb build. I personally do not prefer too much lighter for DH. I am looking at where i can still get this down to 8.7-9lbs. And the frames seem bullet proof. I spent 2 1/2 years on the first prototype. Pivot and linkage bearing are still real smooth moving.
They are 26" wheels! I am not into the larger tire movement. I personally believe the whole 650b thing was started inside the industry to stimulate sales. I believe you actually want to use the smallest wheel necessary. Yes there are rollover benefits, and the touted traction benefits, but there are also the negative traits that i feel outweigh the positive. And then where do we stop, because 32" tires rollover things better than a 29'er.
I am not too tech savvy with running links and stuff yet. Here are some photos.
Here is the link to a video we put together with more to follow. Enjoy!
www.pinkbike.com/video/430700/
The frames are a true temper steel and some 4130 steel. I personally love the ride characteristics steel has. It was immediately noticeable when i first switched over from an aluminum frame. It is hard to describe but i would say the bike feels very strong and stiff but soft at the same time. It is something you have to feel. The fatigue characteristics of steel, to me, make it very desirable for this application. These frames will probably out last your riding careers. Also, if in a rare event, you dent a tube, it is most likely easily repairable at a cheap price.
Carbon has since taken over the scene during the testing of these frames. I have not ridden a full carbon DH rig, but the price just for a frame set for me is a turn off. To see $6000-$7000 DH mtn bikes, boggles my mind. I am not a cheapskate, but that is a hell of a lot of money when one crash set you back a few grand.
The medium frame weight without a shock is 9.6lbs. Fairly easy to get to a 38lb build. I personally do not prefer too much lighter for DH. I am looking at where i can still get this down to 8.7-9lbs. And the frames seem bullet proof. I spent 2 1/2 years on the first prototype. Pivot and linkage bearing are still real smooth moving.
They are 26" wheels! I am not into the larger tire movement. I personally believe the whole 650b thing was started inside the industry to stimulate sales. I believe you actually want to use the smallest wheel necessary. Yes there are rollover benefits, and the touted traction benefits, but there are also the negative traits that i feel outweigh the positive. And then where do we stop, because 32" tires rollover things better than a 29'er.
I am not too tech savvy with running links and stuff yet. Here are some photos.
Here is the link to a video we put together with more to follow. Enjoy!
www.pinkbike.com/video/430700/