After some time riding the Paragon, or not as the case may be, I decided that I don’t need two hardtails. So earlier in the year I started looking around at the various full sus 29er frame and whole bike options. Of which there’s a remarkable number that are either not available in the UK, out of stock for long periods, have quirky geometry, or are too expensive. That really only left the KHS Flagstaff, available here after a short wait with no quirky geometry for a very reasonable £1200. Some companies are charging more than that just for similar frames. Steve from KHS UK was great to deal with, answering all of my questions, keeping me up to date, getting the bike here on time, setting it up and even delivering it himself last Saturday. I believe this is one of only two in the country, and the only Large. First ride was Sunday morning up Leith Hill, after a few days of rain. Even with the minimal 80mm Rock Shox Reba and 3.5in Specialized licensed Horst Link driven Monarch 3.1, it still delivered a very smooth ride. Not only a smooth ride but a surprisingly efficient one from the rear suspension. I haven’t had a Rock Shox equipped bike in a very long time…and never anything but Fox rear shocks. So it’ll be interesting to see how they perform in the long term. A common complaint of full sus 29ers is frame stiffness, but the Flagstaff is far from a noodle. Sizing seems spot on and the ride position is nicely centred, just how I like it. It is a bit heavy though, I think with some lighter rotational components it has the potential to be a rocket. In the mean time I’m just going to install the non stock components I had on the Paragon. Hopefully I’ll take some better and up to date pics soon, the rest are in this Flickr set.
4 comments:
Looks good! I've just bought a Salsa Big Mama for $599 (plus shipping etc) from states. Can't wait - will be my first full sus.
That sounds like an amazing deal! The Big Mama was one of the frames where I had concerns about the geometry, although everyone who's ridden one seems to love it.
How's the bike going mate?
It’s going great! I’ve put a pair of Maxxis Aspen tires on it…lighter, faster and more supple than the ExiWolfs. Magura have taken over the braking duties. The front wheel has been upgraded to Mavic/Hope. Also, the rear wheel will be an 11spd Alfine when it shows up. I quite like the geometry and ride although the rear suspension isn’t amazing, but not bad. As a RS fan you’ll be happy to hear that the Reba has been really impressive, easily better out on the trail than my Fox F29. Blogging has ground to a halt at the moment but I'll keep uploading to Flickr.
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