Comments on: Bontrager Switchblade G2 Rumor

By: Dirt McGirt

Dirt McGirt — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:13:51 +0000

I please to aim!

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:08:22 +0000

Dirt: You never cease to amaze me.

By: Dirt McGirt

Dirt McGirt — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:43:39 +0000

That’s cuz we invented mountain biking.. duh….

And we did that whole “Tea Party” thing on your asses.

“NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRENESTATION!!!”

“NUGGA NUGGA NOOOOOOOOOCH!”

I don’t know if that was exactly what they yelled that fateful day in Boston Haaaabaaah, but it probably was. I am from New England, afterall. It’s like in my blood and stuff. Maybe that’s why I’ve been getting headaches lately…..

By: jeremy Uk

jeremy Uk — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:06:50 +0000

I think one or two americans might have Singulars but I don’t think Sam has targeted the States, although he does pop up on the forums.
We don’t have many steel frame builders in the MTB world, Chas Roberts and Dave Yates are the only active ones, and it seems that most of their work is bespoke road frames. I know we are a tiny country with fewer people but at 60 million here it surprises me just how many more frame builders the USA appears to have relative to it’s population.
It seems that in the USA a lot of the innovators make their own frames, whereas in the UK virtually all of the production is outsourced as in the Niner business model. Hardly any of the guys here with a talent for design have ever made a frame, certainly not commercially

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:08:37 +0000

jeremy Uk: Hey, I didn’t “draw the lines”, I’m just pointing out where they are at. As for Singular, (which have some mighty tasty looking bikes, by the way) are they even available in the U.S.?

G2 is a part of a Fisher “complete package” as you point out, but don’t think for a minute that folks won’t be mixing and matching the 51mm offset with other bikes. In fact, they already are.

Cloxxki: I like the “egg ” example. I’m with you- salt and pepper please! But don’t stop there, pass the salsa as well!

By: Cloxxki

Cloxxki — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:58:09 +0000

My friend runs an On-One with alu Switchblade fork, and is very content about the front end. He’s also ridden all of my 29″ers and some others, so has seen more 29″ bikes than 99.9% of the 29″ fans.
It’s not all bad of course, short offset. The pre-G2 Fishers all had slightly slacker head tube angles than the current On-One, and still managed to convert many thousands of us to the big wheels.
That said, we now know there’s more to be had, at the same cost. Like eating an egg without the pepper and salt. Nice as well, but just not the same. I’ll have mine WITH the pepper and salt, please.

By: jeremy Uk

jeremy Uk — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:05:49 +0000

Further to the above [yawn] it’s Fisher’s espousal of more offset with a slacker head angle that sets G2 apart. Almost all other volume manufacturers seem on 71/72 head angles

By: jeremy Uk

jeremy Uk — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:57:15 +0000

Hi Ted, I don’t think On One at 1mm more [47] can really be thought of as outside of new trends. UK’s Singular also match 72 head angles with Sam’s own designed 48mm offset forks. As they are the only two UK 29er firms one could say that they are the ballpark!

By: Guitar Ted

Guitar Ted — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:03:15 +0000

DZ: The Raleigh XXIX+G rear replaceable drop out with hangar is a direct swap for the XXIX’s right rear drop out insert. There is your derailluer hangar. The cable is simply in a full run housing zip tied into place along the frame tubing.

jeremy Uk: As far as On One bikes and 38mm offset goes, I can understand Brant’s dislike of that combination. I tried a Switchblade (38mm offset) on my On One 29″er and it was not a good match up. It steered very oddly in the fast single track and it was difficult to keep on line.

I think that the current range of 44-46mm offset offerings will be quite popular. This seems to be what most fork manufacturers are settling on as a “standard” for 29″ers, if I dare write such a thing. The radical G2 offset and Brant’s Superlight forks being the only ones falling outside of this ‘umbrella”. It would seem that the 38mm offset is being abandoned for 29″ers. It will be interesting to see what Marzocchi does when it re-enters the 29″er market. I’m betting they will be in the 44-46mm range as well.

By: jeremy Uk

jeremy Uk — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 10:32:57 +0000

A lot of the earlier head angles were designed to at least work acceptably well with the current aftermarket Rockshox fork, even if the frame designers didn’t think that fork was optimally set up as regards 29er offset as it used the same figures as 26″ forks
Brant Richards of On One doesn’t like his bikes being tested with it. Fisher had the power to get the sus forks made to their spec, so they didn’t have to make their frames compatable with that fork.
The jury is out as regards G2. It’s known to work well but it isn’t , as Ted and others say, the only good quick handling option.
The new Rockshox appears to be around 46mm offset, a slew of other new designs appear to be on 44. These are all likely to sharpen up the handling of quite a few establised frame designs, {if that’s what any particular rider wants]
What appears to be most important is the trail figure. That can be arrived at by various combinations of head angle and offset.
It’s not the be all and end all but it’s more significant than just quoting the head angle or offset on their own.
I know this is old ground. But a lot of us still haven’t grasped this; not surprising since it was pretty much never mentioned in 26″ circles.