This project began with the desire for a modern steel hardtail mountain bike frame. It has been close to 12 years since I've ridding a hardtail frame so this project came up as a perfect way to ride one again and put my design and shop skills to use. The intent was not to "redesign the wheel"  but rather incorporate modern features on what is now considered a classic frame style.

 

Starting with the wheel size the 650b / 27.5” standard was selected to bridge the gap between the already established 26” and 29” wheel sizes. 650b / 27.5” is not a newly invented wheel size but rather a repurposing of an older standard for mountain bikes. It borrows traits from both existing wheel standards such as ease of turn-in and roll-over. The cycling industly has recently started to produce quality parts for this size and is no longer considered an odd ball size.

 

The next major design driver was the geometry of the rear triangle. The design called for a low bottom bracket height with short and tight chain stays. Incorporating these geometry traits lowers the riders center of gravity and brings the rider closer to the rear axle. All this gives the bike stable yet playful riding characteristics.
 

In an effort to future proof the frame, internal or “stealth” hose routing for a dropper seatpost was to be included in the design. The second generation of dropper seatposts with internal routing capabilities has recently been released to market and I wanted this frame to have the ability to use them.

All these design drivers plus a few other details came together to build a frame that is aggressive, fun and modern.

 

Special thanks to....

 

Peter Verdone             http://www.peterverdone.com/

Cameron Falconer      http://falconercycles.blogspot.com/

Geoffery Colburn         http://www.geoffreycolburn.com/