1: Introduction
I have a Canyon Strive CF 9.0 Enduro (full suspension, 29 inch wheels) on which I love nothing more than blasting around Bike Park Wales and some other challenging rides. More locally, this is a bit excessive as the rides I tend to go on are long but not overly challenging.
So I began to research for something I could build which would meet my requirements for a bike which would cope handsomely with the local area, and could also be a second option on more difficult terrain.
My brother Steve has ridden mountain bikes only for the past couple of decades (or more) whereas my background is more road orientated, with the occasional foray off road: now I wanted to avoid congested (and oft dangerous) roads and get dirty!
Our conversations about options and choices nailed down the basics: hard tail, alloy/steel frame, 140mm fork, 27.5 inch wheels.
I also wanted to go British wherever possible.
There are a number of suppliers with hardtail frames: Planet X, Ritchey, Dartmoor, Ragley to name but a few… but I opted for the Cotic BFe Reynolds 853 downtube frame.
As this was to be a project bike I wanted it to stand out, and oh boy, doesn’t it just?
Next Week:
Components Pt 1.