This is a special bike. This is what titanium should feel like. There's a real difference between a premium, top-shelf hardtail and a budge offering. This is a precision machine and it's such a joy to ride. Sorry for the squeaky brakes. I couldn't get these 4 piston XTs to get quiet. If it were my personal bike I would have experimented with different pads, but I don't have the budget to throw parts at review bikes that I only have for a short time.
You mentioned interpreting reviews in this vid. We would all be interested in seeing a whole video on this! Maybe a list of questions we should be asking ourselves when looking at a review, to know if it's structured properly and applicable to us? All the best!
Came here for the sunny views since it's raining in Tucson today lol. Gotta say though it's your channel that got me into looking at hardtail bikes and titanium hardtails the most. I ride a 6" travel full suspension bike and it's been my only Mtb for a good 10 years. I never even thought about getting a hardtail again till I seen your videos. Now I really believe that I would have blast on a good titanium hardtail and that it would be pretty much perfect for all of the riding I do.
Great review, looks amazing. I think I might be one of those "prefers old-school geometry" riders. I just bought a Lynskey Live Wire that is specced similarly to this bike and it is close to perfect. It's light enough...stiff enough...slack enough...upright enough to CHARGE the trails that I most commonly ride (old hand-cut rooty, rocky single track with occasional rock gardens and occasional flow sections). This bike looks really similar. I am really loving the slightly (but not dramatically) slacker head tube angle, but feel like the 130mm Helm fork makes a really big difference. It's very stiff and precise with the i9 trail 270 wheels. I love being able to just throw the thing in a general direction and it will find a line that works and there's not much I can hit that it won't absorb. After 100 miles or so I may take a spacer out and run the fork at 140mm to see how that changes things. Really appreciate this, excellent job!
That's a beautiful bike, of course I love Ti and own a custom Seven Sola built up as a full rigid SS. I had the 2016 Sir9 and honestly it was a steep HTA and full rigid was the only way to go with it that steep 71 HTA. The new one is 68 HTA and is not really slack enough for trail, more of a bike packer bike. I also never felt that the Reynolds 853 felt any better than 4130 Chromoly, actually worse when compared to my Esker Hayduke. I think that Sage is a really nice XC frame, the reason I wouldn’t consider it in the more aggressive trail category because I thing trail bikes should fit 29x2.6" tires which is nice on steep and chunky, especially if using Cushcore and wider rims. As a premium hardtail I defiantly feel Sage is one of the best Ti frame available but mountain bikes need full cables, cable stops and exposed cable is outdated.
I stepped away from my tab for a moment, when I heard the brake squeal, I wondered for a second who was riding outside my window, then uh, I realized it was from the video. DoH! I hate it on my personal bikes. Its not so bad on other peoples bikes. It warns me of their presence.
I can't extend the dropper all the way on my Laufey, so I use a piece of paracord looped through the frame with a small carabiner on the end hooked to a seat rail. The dropper stops at exactly the right spot when released, but if I want to fully extend for the work stand I can easily unclip it. A bit of a hack, but it works.
Full disclosure; this is my next bike. I'm a fan of a 130-140 on a more traditional STA and a bit slacker HTA. I prefer 2+ hour rides also so that lends to my opinion. I get the bummer on the dropper not being able to drop all the way but this bike is more of an all day rider than XC Racer with hand-ups at each lap or a DH bomber that turns short laps on lift service so the second bottle cage makes sense I think. I know it isn't for everyone but some still prefer water on bike than a pack on the back when out for more than an hour or two. My ARC only has one and I miss having the second enough I'm likely moving on after a few months, although it rides really really well. Anyway, food for thought. And yeah, taller folks need to consider not so tall folks when designing a frame. Dig the reviews!
Thanks for the review Steve. Despite the price of the bike, the key thing that you mentioned about this bike is what sort of terrain/environment it would be best suited for. Combine that with the geo of a more traditional/old school XC bike, it gives a very clear picture of what it's purpose is and who it would be good for. Here in Arizona, if I had the money, it will be the Ti MiddleChild. Arizona is too much for this bike.
Phoenix and tucson would be great for this bike, but if you seek out the black diamonds like I do, I recommend something a bit more aggressive/slack than this.
These reviews awesome. You're able to put into words many things that are difficult to describe. I think you used more adjectives in this video than I have in a whole year. The sensory words make me feel like I'm there on the bike
Very similar geo to the ORA Ti frame that bikesdirect has (had? doesn't seem to be in stock). Identical travel fork, HTA, similar chainstay and STA and tire clearance. Theirs is $2 -3k for a complete build, which leaves you a lot more budget to make it light and zippy. I'm at $3.5k with two carbon wheelsets and sub 24lbs with mine which I'm happy with. I also wasn't expecting it to be great quality, but the welds are beautiful I just don't have any gripes at all. I'm sure the "Sage" brand is cooler at group rides and all, but I think the prices on these boutique brands can be a bit of a meme and without being willing to compare them to the off-brand competition I don't think it's fair to just assume there truly is a $3000+ difference in quality.
I'm guilty as charged in regards to being worried about slack seat tube angles! I have been working with Steve trying to zero in on the best modern frame for me. I have been riding steel hardtails since 1991 and wanted to try something more modern. I understand most of the numbers but that really doesn't mean much until you have a way of referencing those numbers to ride qualities. Steve's bike fitting services has been a great help. He has the knowledge and experience to help weed through the options.
This would fulfill my requirements for my dream bike.....I just can't afford my dream 😕 A Titanium plus hardtail is something I have wanted since Plus tires came out.
bro, I'm all over the place. I've seen so many videos of yours (and others) to try and find the right frame. Neohaus Hummingbird (I think it's too heavy for my liking), Sage Powerline, Optimator, Stormking GP, Richey Ultra or Ascent, lynskey is nice but too pricey for it's weight. I know I know, pay you for your time for assistance. I don't think I am there yet. I need to narrow down some specifics on exactly what I want. Soon.... These trails you're riding in this video is my style. XC technical climbs with easier going descents. EDIT: I wish I could ride the hummingbird and powerline in the same day, one after the other
Great review Steve, ahh titanium what dreams are from 😝. Another honest review an great seeing the different trails and landscape in Arizona!!! 👍👍👍💪💪💪🙌🙌🙌
This frame design allows for more water bottles, bigger bags if you ever go bikepacking, and longer seatstays. Fortunately for you, there are lots of bikes out there that match your preferred athletics. One good thing about longer seatstays like this is that they can provide more flex/movement than short stays. Personally, I'd take this look over a straight line from head tube to cs, but that's what makes this sport great: we have a diversity of opinions and lots of models to chose from.
@@hardtailparty true, everyone prefers different designs and its great to have lots of options to choose from now the only limiting factor is my wallet lol
Nice review... Keep up the good content.... Question-- Why to HT's make good bike packing bikes?? I never could wrap my mind around the concept of HT over FS frames for long bike backing adventures...
many reasons: 1) Suspension adds complexity and weight. 2) There are fewer moving parts on a hardtail. That means there's less to go wrong (no need to worry about pivots, rear suspension, etc. breaking in the field) 3) Hardtails can carry more bags/gear 4) The goal for many when bikepacking is to enjoy the journey, not ride as fast as humanly possible. Hardtails can be ridden anywhere a full suspension can be ridden. We're not looking for ultimate performance, we're looking for adventure. 5) Suspension doesn't work great when you're on a loaded bike. Plus, the weight changes every time you eat, pack your bags differently, or resupply your water, etc. Because your weight is always changing while bikepacking, your suspension is never dialed unless you're constantly tweaking it 6) Most bikepacking routes don't require full suspension. 7) A hardtail rides better when it's loaded up. You don't notice the vibrations as much. 8) Rear suspension often means more bags rubbing on compression/as travel is used, and more things shifting and moving around. The truth is, you can bikepack on any bike. There are plenty of people who still bikepack with full suspensions. I tried it my first time bikepacking, and I found there to be zero advantage to having rear suspension. My next trip was on a hardtail and it was night and day better.
Its' 100% illegal, but people don't seem to care. I care, because it endangers access to my local trails. If the forest service catches them, they'll get a hefty ticket.
A lot of the geo numbers on this bike are very similar to the why s7. I would think if someone was looking at the sage they would cross shop it with the s7. Both titanium, both higher end.
Thanks for the honest review, you just saved me a bundle of money. I was waiting for this one and really wanted this bike to be more capable on some slightly steeper trails. Did your ride start on Long Canyon, then Deadman's Pass? What's the most advanced trail you would take this on in Sedona, would you be comfortable riding the Hogs? Still looking for a bike that splits the difference between this Sage and the BfeMax at the other end of the extreme, would the Nimble 9 fit the bill, or something else?
@@hardtailparty great review of this bike. Just out of curiosity is this frame made by lynskey as I own a lynskey livewire and they look very similar ?
@@hardtailparty is the 2021 different enough that it would change you mind from the previous version?? I've been staying away because you didn't really like the honzo st
@@djjazzynic i haven't ridden the 2021 honzo st. If it's got the same rear triangle as the honzo esd, it's significantly different and definitely worth looking into.
@@hardtailparty I know, and many of them to me are ugly big fat things that suck on roads, I'm looking for a sleek nimble and powerful thing for real all terrain use.
New subscriber here. Really enjoy your channel. I have a quick question for you. I’m 5’11” and weigh 250. I really like this titanium frame as well as the Why Cycles Wayward V2. What are your thoughts on lateral flex in the rear? Am I going to experience noticeable flex as a heavier rider? Now although I haven’t ridden a Ti bike I have ridden other bikes of different materials at my current weight and I haven’t noticed any noticeable flex that includes my carbon Giant Defy. I plan on bikepacking so that’s going to add even more weight. Peace
@@hardtailparty As someone who has reviewed numerous hardtails, Could you give me a recommendation for someone my size? Even though I prefer Ti, the material is inconsequential as long as it’s strong enough for extended backcountry cycling like say the tour divide.
We can build any style of bike you like. We have made quite a few SS bikes for our customers over the years. It's a special request we are always happy to fulfill.
I like your videos they’re really good. Question I noticed that you’re always wearing a long sleeve shirt and hood for sun protection may I ask what brand it is and how it breath’s in the warm weather I have skin cancer issues thank you
@@hardtailparty I'm just an inch taller than you at 5'7" but my proportions may be different but from full extension I don't need my saddle to be more than 5 or 6 inches lower for it to be out of the way enough to shift my weight around. In fact, on many occasions I don't even slam it all the way down. On rock gardens I probably lower it just a couple of inches so that the saddle is out of the way enough for me to move around but still allow my thighs to lean on the tip of the saddle to help move it round. Now, I'm on the east coast so the trails and riding styles may require the rider to ride a certain way that folks out west don't need to.
Slacker isn't always better, and there's a point where too slack is an issue. Head angle is one of many geometry figures that come into play joe a bike rides. So I don't have a blanket number that works perfect on every bike. It depends on what the other numbers are doing. XC races are won on the clombs, not the descents. So whatever geo makes a bike climb as efficiently as possible will win more races. Sometimes that's a slacker head angle, sometimes it's steeper. Depends on the rider and their style.
Maybe I'm just used to it at this point but I see no negative for hardtails such as this to have 64ish HA or similar. Makes the bike feel way more capable and doesn't really hurt performance when climbing or on flatter trails.
I think it depends on where you live and what your trails are like. For flat terrain, I'd actually pick a 66* hta over a 64. But fortunately, i don't live in flat terrain so i gravitate closer to 65*
No sliding dropouts, poor dropper clearance, interrupted cable routing, cheap stickers... Ride quality aside, not seeing a whole lot of "premium" in this frame aside from the material and clean welds.
Ride quality is the hardest part of a bike to master. It's funny, in the last video someone commented that theyd never buy a bike with sliding dropouts. You can't please em all. That said, i agree that the dropper issue is s major issue, one we've seen on s lot of bikes lately. With s few tweaks, they could have a fantastic bike here.
@@hardtailparty That's a good point - Can never truly judge a bike on paper. I can forgive the dropouts and even the dropper clearance, given the use case for the bike (lightweight XC-ish bikepacking rig) - But what's with the cable routing? That's a really odd choice, I'm failing to see the reasoning there. Different strokes, I guess.
This is a special bike. This is what titanium should feel like. There's a real difference between a premium, top-shelf hardtail and a budge offering. This is a precision machine and it's such a joy to ride.
Sorry for the squeaky brakes. I couldn't get these 4 piston XTs to get quiet. If it were my personal bike I would have experimented with different pads, but I don't have the budget to throw parts at review bikes that I only have for a short time.
Is a Lynskey LiveWire a budget bike?
@@leeseoWestport hardly
You mentioned interpreting reviews in this vid. We would all be interested in seeing a whole video on this! Maybe a list of questions we should be asking ourselves when looking at a review, to know if it's structured properly and applicable to us? All the best!
On my shortlist for a future Hardtail
I'm guessing they were metal pads and not organic pads. I always run organic pads and never get that squealing problem.
Came here for the sunny views since it's raining in Tucson today lol. Gotta say though it's your channel that got me into looking at hardtail bikes and titanium hardtails the most. I ride a 6" travel full suspension bike and it's been my only Mtb for a good 10 years. I never even thought about getting a hardtail again till I seen your videos. Now I really believe that I would have blast on a good titanium hardtail and that it would be pretty much perfect for all of the riding I do.
13:57 Amen, brother. Let's be nice to our fellow trail travelers so we all can keep having fun outside.
Great review, looks amazing. I think I might be one of those "prefers old-school geometry" riders. I just bought a Lynskey Live Wire that is specced similarly to this bike and it is close to perfect. It's light enough...stiff enough...slack enough...upright enough to CHARGE the trails that I most commonly ride (old hand-cut rooty, rocky single track with occasional rock gardens and occasional flow sections). This bike looks really similar. I am really loving the slightly (but not dramatically) slacker head tube angle, but feel like the 130mm Helm fork makes a really big difference. It's very stiff and precise with the i9 trail 270 wheels. I love being able to just throw the thing in a general direction and it will find a line that works and there's not much I can hit that it won't absorb. After 100 miles or so I may take a spacer out and run the fork at 140mm to see how that changes things.
Really appreciate this, excellent job!
This bike has twisty/techy New England singletrack written all over it!! Thanks for another great review Steve!
100% perfect bike for that terrain
That's a beautiful bike, of course I love Ti and own a custom Seven Sola built up as a full rigid SS. I had the 2016 Sir9 and honestly it was a steep HTA and full rigid was the only way to go with it that steep 71 HTA. The new one is 68 HTA and is not really slack enough for trail, more of a bike packer bike. I also never felt that the Reynolds 853 felt any better than 4130 Chromoly, actually worse when compared to my Esker Hayduke. I think that Sage is a really nice XC frame, the reason I wouldn’t consider it in the more aggressive trail category because I thing trail bikes should fit 29x2.6" tires which is nice on steep and chunky, especially if using Cushcore and wider rims. As a premium hardtail I defiantly feel Sage is one of the best Ti frame available but mountain bikes need full cables, cable stops and exposed cable is outdated.
I agree about 853 Vs 4130 I've tried a few now with 853 and prefer the feel of my old inbred over them, I'm a cheap date I guess. 🤓
I stepped away from my tab for a moment, when I heard the brake squeal, I wondered for a second who was riding outside my window, then uh, I realized it was from the video. DoH!
I hate it on my personal bikes. Its not so bad on other peoples bikes. It warns me of their presence.
Tommorow i am putting maxxis minions on my 200 dollar 90s stumpjumper aluminum. Thanks for the 300 dollar challenge to inspire me
I’d love to see more reviews of this style of bike for this type of terrain, but more in the $2500 price range, vs 7k.
I review all hardtails of all prices. There are plenty of my viewers who are in a market for this bike.
That is a good looking set up. Probably the bike we could all get comfortable on by the sound of it.
I can't extend the dropper all the way on my Laufey, so I use a piece of paracord looped through the frame with a small carabiner on the end hooked to a seat rail. The dropper stops at exactly the right spot when released, but if I want to fully extend for the work stand I can easily unclip it. A bit of a hack, but it works.
Full disclosure; this is my next bike. I'm a fan of a 130-140 on a more traditional STA and a bit slacker HTA. I prefer 2+ hour rides also so that lends to my opinion. I get the bummer on the dropper not being able to drop all the way but this bike is more of an all day rider than XC Racer with hand-ups at each lap or a DH bomber that turns short laps on lift service so the second bottle cage makes sense I think. I know it isn't for everyone but some still prefer water on bike than a pack on the back when out for more than an hour or two. My ARC only has one and I miss having the second enough I'm likely moving on after a few months, although it rides really really well. Anyway, food for thought. And yeah, taller folks need to consider not so tall folks when designing a frame. Dig the reviews!
Thanks for the review Steve. Despite the price of the bike, the key thing that you mentioned about this bike is what sort of terrain/environment it would be best suited for. Combine that with the geo of a more traditional/old school XC bike, it gives a very clear picture of what it's purpose is and who it would be good for. Here in Arizona, if I had the money, it will be the Ti MiddleChild. Arizona is too much for this bike.
Phoenix and tucson would be great for this bike, but if you seek out the black diamonds like I do, I recommend something a bit more aggressive/slack than this.
These reviews awesome. You're able to put into words many things that are difficult to describe. I think you used more adjectives in this video than I have in a whole year. The sensory words make me feel like I'm there on the bike
Thanks Rockwell, that's very kind of you to say.
Keep it up! You are the best reviewer out there!
Very similar geo to the ORA Ti frame that bikesdirect has (had? doesn't seem to be in stock). Identical travel fork, HTA, similar chainstay and STA and tire clearance. Theirs is $2 -3k for a complete build, which leaves you a lot more budget to make it light and zippy. I'm at $3.5k with two carbon wheelsets and sub 24lbs with mine which I'm happy with. I also wasn't expecting it to be great quality, but the welds are beautiful I just don't have any gripes at all.
I'm sure the "Sage" brand is cooler at group rides and all, but I think the prices on these boutique brands can be a bit of a meme and without being willing to compare them to the off-brand competition I don't think it's fair to just assume there truly is a $3000+ difference in quality.
If ORA wants to send me a bike for review, I'll happily review it.
I have a lynskey pro 29 and Couldn't love a bike more than my Titanium bike..
I'm guilty as charged in regards to being worried about slack seat tube angles!
I have been working with Steve trying to zero in on the best modern frame for me. I have been riding steel hardtails since 1991 and wanted to try something more modern. I understand most of the numbers but that really doesn't mean much until you have a way of referencing those numbers to ride qualities. Steve's bike fitting services has been a great help. He has the knowledge and experience to help weed through the options.
Thanks so much for the kind words. It's been fun working with you to find your next bke.
This would fulfill my requirements for my dream bike.....I just can't afford my dream 😕 A Titanium plus hardtail is something I have wanted since Plus tires came out.
I'm kinda thinking of leaving the hardtail gang but every time I see these bikes I'm just not sure
bro, I'm all over the place. I've seen so many videos of yours (and others) to try and find the right frame. Neohaus Hummingbird (I think it's too heavy for my liking), Sage Powerline, Optimator, Stormking GP, Richey Ultra or Ascent, lynskey is nice but too pricey for it's weight. I know I know, pay you for your time for assistance. I don't think I am there yet. I need to narrow down some specifics on exactly what I want. Soon....
These trails you're riding in this video is my style. XC technical climbs with easier going descents.
EDIT: I wish I could ride the hummingbird and powerline in the same day, one after the other
Great review Steve, ahh titanium what dreams are from 😝. Another honest review an great seeing the different trails and landscape in Arizona!!! 👍👍👍💪💪💪🙌🙌🙌
I could almost feel how light and zippy this bike was through the video.
I would like to see you test a hardtail Lynsky 29er.
Now I want to see a hardtail party chumba vs sage, american made comparison!
I've been trying to get a chumba for a while. They look beautiful.
Great review, very objective and superb detail.... and what a beautiful bike
nice bike but wouldve been better aesthetically if the top tube and seatstays were alligned
This frame design allows for more water bottles, bigger bags if you ever go bikepacking, and longer seatstays. Fortunately for you, there are lots of bikes out there that match your preferred athletics. One good thing about longer seatstays like this is that they can provide more flex/movement than short stays. Personally, I'd take this look over a straight line from head tube to cs, but that's what makes this sport great: we have a diversity of opinions and lots of models to chose from.
@@hardtailparty true, everyone prefers different designs and its great to have lots of options to choose from
now the only limiting factor is my wallet lol
Nice review... Keep up the good content.... Question-- Why to HT's make good bike packing bikes?? I never could wrap my mind around the concept of HT over FS frames for long bike backing adventures...
many reasons:
1) Suspension adds complexity and weight.
2) There are fewer moving parts on a hardtail. That means there's less to go wrong (no need to worry about pivots, rear suspension, etc. breaking in the field)
3) Hardtails can carry more bags/gear
4) The goal for many when bikepacking is to enjoy the journey, not ride as fast as humanly possible. Hardtails can be ridden anywhere a full suspension can be ridden. We're not looking for ultimate performance, we're looking for adventure.
5) Suspension doesn't work great when you're on a loaded bike. Plus, the weight changes every time you eat, pack your bags differently, or resupply your water, etc. Because your weight is always changing while bikepacking, your suspension is never dialed unless you're constantly tweaking it
6) Most bikepacking routes don't require full suspension.
7) A hardtail rides better when it's loaded up. You don't notice the vibrations as much.
8) Rear suspension often means more bags rubbing on compression/as travel is used, and more things shifting and moving around.
The truth is, you can bikepack on any bike. There are plenty of people who still bikepack with full suspensions. I tried it my first time bikepacking, and I found there to be zero advantage to having rear suspension. My next trip was on a hardtail and it was night and day better.
Great review thanks, I agree Sedona is getting busy I was there a month ago also, folks riding Ebikes on the trail not sure if that is illegal or not.
Its' 100% illegal, but people don't seem to care. I care, because it endangers access to my local trails. If the forest service catches them, they'll get a hefty ticket.
@@hardtailparty I agree, was riding Hawes trails today (Mesa) the Wild horse Trail clearly posted no Ebikes I watched one ride right past the sign!
A lot of the geo numbers on this bike are very similar to the why s7. I would think if someone was looking at the sage they would cross shop it with the s7. Both titanium, both higher end.
I've ridden both. The sage was more exciting to ride, but the s7 isn't a bad bike at all.
Thanks for the honest review, you just saved me a bundle of money. I was waiting for this one and really wanted this bike to be more capable on some slightly steeper trails. Did your ride start on Long Canyon, then Deadman's Pass? What's the most advanced trail you would take this on in Sedona, would you be comfortable riding the Hogs? Still looking for a bike that splits the difference between this Sage and the BfeMax at the other end of the extreme, would the Nimble 9 fit the bill, or something else?
No, I would not be comfortable riding this on the hog trails.
@@hardtailparty great review of this bike. Just out of curiosity is this frame made by lynskey as I own a lynskey livewire and they look very similar ?
May i ask what trails this video is recorded on? Would like to take my chameleon on there next trip up
What trail is this?
Zipp 3zero moto with a 2.4 rear tire on a hardtail or something other with a 2.6? 29er that is. Specialized fuse.
I have a 2021 Kona Honzo ST build that I’d love for you to review. If you’re ever in St. George Utah let me know.
Id love to, thanks. What size is it? I visit st george ever 5-6 mo
@@hardtailparty is the 2021 different enough that it would change you mind from the previous version?? I've been staying away because you didn't really like the honzo st
@@djjazzynic i haven't ridden the 2021 honzo st. If it's got the same rear triangle as the honzo esd, it's significantly different and definitely worth looking into.
@@hardtailparty Size medium
@@djjazzynic The 2021 Honzo was a complete re-design and is an amazing bike. They got rid of the steep head tube angle finally.
Done any emtb reviews on titaniums? hard tails for bike packing but handles a trail too, like this one? Mid drives...
Ive never ridden an ebike hardtail before. There aren't many
@@hardtailparty I know, and many of them to me are ugly big fat things that suck on roads, I'm looking for a sleek nimble and powerful thing for real all terrain use.
Nice I love these bikes top of the line!!
New subscriber here. Really enjoy your channel.
I have a quick question for you. I’m 5’11” and weigh 250. I really like this titanium frame as well as the Why Cycles Wayward V2.
What are your thoughts on lateral flex in the rear? Am I going to experience noticeable flex as a heavier rider?
Now although I haven’t ridden a Ti bike I have ridden other bikes of different materials at my current weight and I haven’t noticed any noticeable flex that includes my carbon Giant Defy. I plan on bikepacking so that’s going to add even more weight. Peace
Riders over 200 lbs get more flex out of a frame than lighter rider's.
@@hardtailparty As someone who has reviewed numerous hardtails, Could you give me a recommendation for someone my size? Even though I prefer Ti, the material is inconsequential as long as it’s strong enough for extended backcountry cycling like say the tour divide.
Great review! That thing is gorgeous. It didn't look like it has adjustable dropouts. Does sage offer one that does for the SS riders?
Great question! I don't know of a model with sliding dropouts. I wonder if they could add them to a bike...
We can build any style of bike you like. We have made quite a few SS bikes for our customers over the years. It's a special request we are always happy to fulfill.
I like your videos they’re really good. Question I noticed that you’re always wearing a long sleeve shirt and hood for sun protection may I ask what brand it is and how it breath’s in the warm weather I have skin cancer issues thank you
see this video: ua-cam.com/video/2hZAyZacrR8/v-deo.html
Thank you
“Ooh look at the havalinas”
Me: is that a giant pig!?!
Dude, can you test the GT zaskar LT?
If they'll send me one, I'll be happy to review it. I haven't had luck convincing them to send me one.
What about the Salsa Fargo Ti?
What trail is this? Especially around 13:00.
Curious also...not familiar with this trrail.
I don't think a saddle needs to be slammed all the way down to be out of the way. But that's just me.
How tall are you, and how much drop do you like on your droppers? I find 125mm isn't enough for me. I'd much prefer 150-200mm.
@@hardtailparty I'm just an inch taller than you at 5'7" but my proportions may be different but from full extension I don't need my saddle to be more than 5 or 6 inches lower for it to be out of the way enough to shift my weight around. In fact, on many occasions I don't even slam it all the way down. On rock gardens I probably lower it just a couple of inches so that the saddle is out of the way enough for me to move around but still allow my thighs to lean on the tip of the saddle to help move it round. Now, I'm on the east coast so the trails and riding styles may require the rider to ride a certain way that folks out west don't need to.
Have you tried a Vassago Optimus Ti or Radimus Ti? Vassago is a Phoenix company and extremely popular with us idiots who ride singlespeeds.
I've only tried the mooseknuckle
question sir, what if you put your self in the place of a pure xc mtb racer, is slacker HA and shorter stem much better? thanks
Slacker isn't always better, and there's a point where too slack is an issue. Head angle is one of many geometry figures that come into play joe a bike rides. So I don't have a blanket number that works perfect on every bike. It depends on what the other numbers are doing.
XC races are won on the clombs, not the descents. So whatever geo makes a bike climb as efficiently as possible will win more races. Sometimes that's a slacker head angle, sometimes it's steeper. Depends on the rider and their style.
@@hardtailparty thanks a lot sir:)
How is it that the bike weighs way less the aluminum bikes if titanium is heavier? Is it that you have to use less of it because it’s stronger?
Ti frames are often lighter than aluminum frames. You don't need ti to be as thick as aluminum for the same strength.
Ok thanks for the explanation. Love the vids btw
I may have missed it, but I'm assuming this bike is 27.5?
29er
@@hardtailparty Oh sweet! Even better
Maybe I'm just used to it at this point but I see no negative for hardtails such as this to have 64ish HA or similar. Makes the bike feel way more capable and doesn't really hurt performance when climbing or on flatter trails.
I think it depends on where you live and what your trails are like. For flat terrain, I'd actually pick a 66* hta over a 64. But fortunately, i don't live in flat terrain so i gravitate closer to 65*
should see if you can test ride a moots hardtail
Ive been trying to get the new womble in. No luck.
@@hardtailparty dang ... that would have been an awesome video ... well hopefully when the world settles down they'll start doing demo days again
When you help someone find a new bike, do you consider UK frames? Or are they not good considerations because of import duties?
Absolutely! Some of the best hardtails are out of the UK. I help people from all over the world.
Chain Reaction Cycles pays import duties on their bikes. I just (yesterday) bought my 2nd Nukeproof Scout from them. This one is the Scout Pro 275....
No sliding dropouts, poor dropper clearance, interrupted cable routing, cheap stickers... Ride quality aside, not seeing a whole lot of "premium" in this frame aside from the material and clean welds.
Ride quality is the hardest part of a bike to master. It's funny, in the last video someone commented that theyd never buy a bike with sliding dropouts. You can't please em all. That said, i agree that the dropper issue is s major issue, one we've seen on s lot of bikes lately. With s few tweaks, they could have a fantastic bike here.
@@hardtailparty That's a good point - Can never truly judge a bike on paper. I can forgive the dropouts and even the dropper clearance, given the use case for the bike (lightweight XC-ish bikepacking rig) - But what's with the cable routing? That's a really odd choice, I'm failing to see the reasoning there. Different strokes, I guess.
100% agree.
Dude! You are hung up on super low droppers. That bike has plenty of dropper space for xc riding.
I'm hung up on proper seat height. I can't get it with this bike.
@@hardtailparty Dropper post with less drop???
Bike is over priced. I have a revel so jefe!. Set up as ss! Fabulous!!!
Jefe is made in China. This is made in US. Price reflects it.
For that kind of money, surely they'd give you brakes that don't squeal so terribly. Kind of reminds me of my ex-wife...lol