Hardtail with silly wheels...Stanton Switchback

All finished....

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Can't wait to take it for its maiden ride tomorrow.

I think I chose the wrong colour decals...I should have gone the white ones which are actually white and black. The gloss and matt black jobbies just look like big black blobs.

It's also going to need be front brake pads because when I took the old, too short brake line off I dropped it and splashed mineral oil everywhere. Oops.

A new chain and cassette are I order at some point too...these ones are pretty nailed but I'll try and get these ones to last until the weather improves. I don't know why, but I hate putting new chains and cassettes on when the trails are grotty.

I'm pretty pleaded with it...in fact, I'm really happy with it. It's actually lighter than the Slackline too.

Will post up so early more pics tomorrow and a ride report.
 
Oh, full spec.....

Stanton Switchback frame, cherry red, 18 inch
Fox 34 Float CTD FIT, Kashima coating, 140mm travel
Hope pick n mix headset
50mm Thomson X4 stem
780mm Answer Pro Taper DH bars
Rock Shox Reverb, 125mm dropper post
SDG Ti Fly saddle
Hope seat clamp
Race Face Turbibe wheels
Conti Mountain King protection tyres, Black Chillu compound (yet to be converted to tubeless)
Race Face Atlas AM cranks
Shimano Saint BB
Superstar Nano pedals
32t Race Face narrow wide chain ring
Shimano Zee shifter
Shimano Zee rear mech
Sram 1071 chain
Shinano SLX cassette
Shinano Deore discs 180/160 rotors with Superstar hoses
Easton grips
 
Gotta let me know how she rides, I'm tempted although still more inclined to stick with 26" wheels and go for a slackline or 'similar'
 
First ride out today at Cannock. It was really dry (benefit of the wind I'm guessing) but also really, really busy. Wasn't a bad day though. And my knackered chain didn't snap and introduce my nads to my stem either. Win win.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the bike and how it rides. It's much faster on flatter sections and on fire road climbs. I'm not sure if this is the increased wheel size or the fact that the new wheels and tyres are circa 450g lighter than the ones that were on the Slackline. The overall bike is lighter too because the 34's are lighter than my Z1's.

It feels really good on the descents and likes to jump. I was a bit worried that it may feel like hard work in the tighter stuff due to being so slack (65 degree head angle) like the Rune sometimes does but somehow it stays pretty nimble. It's not quite a playful as the Slackline but I think that's because it's bigger and longer. It somehow feels slightly softer on drops. The extra reach was nice too because it gave me more room to move around and I found it easier to keep my weight centralised in corners whereas with the Slackline I sometimes ended up with my bum over the back.

The 34's with the Mojo Pro Bike Clinic tube are so much better than the ones I've ridden in the past. They may possibly be a bit too stiff but this could be them needing to loosen up. I ride them in the descend setting mostly.

The only negative I can come up with is that I keep catching / rubbing my heels on the chainstays which I think is down to the 142mm rear end. It's not an issue on the Rune, but they're kinked. I'll wrap some more inner tube around the none drive side one.

Can't wait to get out on it for a night ride this week. Here are a load of pics...all on the drive unfortunately. With it being so busy, I didn't want to look silly snapping away at my shiny new bike.

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I did Cannock on Saturday morning, sounds like it dried up a bit over the weekend it wasn't as muddy as expected but it was proper slippy. Sounds like you're enjoying her!
 
Sounds great, looks great! You're right about the cow print forks though, a bit strange but also quite non showy too. Easy to play with if need be.

So for a fair test you need a very similar specced 18" Slackline. You will of course grow into it too, I'm sure it will feel more nimble in time as you get used to it.

Just to make the test even hard can you tell in any way the difference in tube material? I bet not but I still expect there to be a difference! This is probably though for me with the Soul being slimmer than teh Bfe, whereas Stanton have built them all tough.
 
Re:

The fork decals look ok in the sun, rubbish elsewhere. They'll get changed at the end of the month.

My new tyres should be here today. The 2.2 Mountain Kings roll wheel and are light but I'm not that confident running them at lower pressures. I've ordered a 2.4 for the rear and a 2.2 Trail King for the front which are supposed to be a bit more aggressive.

Your right though, it's not a fair comparison due to the size difference and the difference is spec. It feels pretty similar to the Slackline though. It was nice to have a dropper again.

I couldn't notice any differce with regards to the tubing. Any clues on what the difference between 853 and 631 is? I did notice a big difference between the BFe and Slackline though (the latter uses more 853).
 
Hardtail with silly wheels Stanton Switchback

I have always liked the look of wide front tires/wheels on a custom vw. You have the tuck to pull it off and look good.

Steering is a little different isnt it?

At parking lot speeds I am getting a work out.
 
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