Balfa Minuteman = Retro???

One of the first real hardcore "North Shore" hardtails and no longer made as Balfa went down the pan.

Also the hardtail frame that Russ Morell used to do a 35 foot drop for "Statement"



I've seen some long seatposts on small Kleins over the years but I think this one on my Balfa Minuteman is extreme...
Running at just past the maximum (and after two years it's now a little bent).

Great bike for the more stupid trails where I live and I doubt I'll break this, but a few seatposts will probably die :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Retro???

It's kitted out with an old Hope DH brake on the front and old hope splined hubs. No attempt at retro kit, it's just kit I have on the bike until I break it

Something a little different for a Friday

:shock: Thats some drop. lucky he had FS

I like that, very nice. Short seattube and massive seatpost is good enough for WTB bikes...

New wheels, brakes, handlebars, stem, seatpost, cranks blah blah blah





The BlackSpire seatpost is long enough to get me up to the woods, and sinks low enough into the frame for me to get really silly.

2.5" DH tyres on hardtails rule

Hope 6Pot Ti brakes enough for ya?

Frame is a long - 23" top tube if measure horizontal. BlackSpire seatpost is a mahooosive 425mm long and is not even at full extension to suit my long legged 5'11". It took some research to find a post this long... and two bent Roox posts . The BlackSpire is 6 months old and shows no signs of bendage (touch wood ).

Diabolus cranks are probably overkill but they were so cheap from someone on here as to be nearly free

The Pike forks have blown up a few times on big landings even after I changed to a firm spring . I'm now running the "Push" upgrade and I'm happy on a Firm spring and enjoying the performance ... must be the heavy langings to flat

It's a really solid feeling bike with this set up and really happy with it. I doubt I''ll manage to break it but that won't stop me trying

Gratuitous in use shot



I have other bikes but this is my workhorse which see's most of my stupid local forest action and almost never gets cleaned. Roll it out of the garage, ride it out hard, quick wipe with an oily rag, shove in garage, repeat. Local forest is a bike-breaker and my bikes have evolved to get tougher after breaking many frames and parts over the last 18 years of riding. I bit the bullet this year with new wheels and hand me down brakes from my big bike... I wish I had put better brakes on this years ago.

I love this awesome bike.


Frame: Balfa Minuteman – Large (long)
Fork: RockShox Pike Team with medium Spring and Push Upgrade
Rear shock: NA

Cockpit:
Handlebar: RaceFace Diabolus
Grips: Yeti Lock-on
Barends: Doh!
Stem: Cheap 50mm stem
Headset: Hope
Seat: WTB
Seatpost: BlackSpire 425mm humungous
Seatpost clamp: Hope

Drivetrain:
Cranks: RaceFace Diabolus
Bottom Bracket: Hope Stainless Steel
Sprocket: 22 and 32 with Bash
Chain: Sedis
Casette: Shimano XT 11-34
Pedals: XT SPD
Chain device: NA
Rear derailleur: XT
Shifter: XT

Wheelset:
Hubs: Hope Hoops
Spokes: Yes
Rims: Stans Flow
Tyres: Michelin Comp 16 (Mud3 on the back for winter)
Tube: No-tubes

Brakeset
Calipers: Hope Mono 6ti 205mm
Levers: Hope Mono 6ti 205mm
Cables: Standard
Brake fluid: Yes
Pads: Standard

Weight - Actual - 34lbs

I want to lose a little weight off it so I will be trying lighter tyres and ditching the Diabolus cranks shortly.

Everyone has their own definition of retro

Looking at the picture it perhaps wouldn't fit my own definition. Interesting nonetheless. When is it from?

It's from 2000 - Perhaps this should move into the modern bikes bit but I originaly posted this in 2007 before that existed.

I think it's an interesting frame since it effectively pre-dates the current rash of big forked steel hardcore hardtails by 10 years - Evil Sovereign, Cotic BeFe, Transition Tran-AM, NS Surge etc.

Designed for the first of the 120mm Bomber forks but many users ran triple clamp DH forks. Very slack head-angle but the rest of the geometry pretty standard... very much what many companies have been up to in the last few years.

Cult following as with all Balfa products - but not enough to save the company from going down the pan... :cry:

This is a hooligans bike. It doesn't so much whisper bad thoughts in your ear as shout them while tugging the handlebars towards the scary stuff.

It's a wild ride :twisted: