As we had announced earlier, we have a Singular Cycles Gryphon on test here at Twenty Nine Inches. We received a size Large frame and a fork to match it. The Gryphon is available in three sizes: Medium, Large, and Extra Large. Before we get all techy though, let’s have a look at this drop bar specific frame and fork……….
The color is a nice shade of creme and the panel is done in a rich green hue with red lettering.
The fork is not corrected for a suspension forks length and features smart, forward facing drop outs for disc brake use.
Okay, now that we’ve had a look at the frame and fork, let’s dig into some of the finer details. We’ll also explore some of the reasons this is a “drop bar specific” frame. First up, let’s take a look at what the Singular Cycles site has to tell us about this frame and fork:
A drop barred, rigid, big wheeled, singlespeed – it’s not for everyone but some may find it just perfect.
- Drop-bar specific design, shorter and taller than the Swift (Editor’s Note: The Swift is a standard hard tail 29″er model)
- Phil Wood eccentric bottom bracket insert for gears or singlespeed
- Brake and gear cable guides
- Reynolds 520 steel fork, non-suspension corrected
Okay, now that we have a very basic understanding, I’ll take on some of the particulars here. Before I delve into that, I have to take a moment to introduce you to Sam, who runs Singular Cycles. Sam lives in the U.K. and rides and races a fair amount. He knows a thing or three about bikes and has a particular vision for Singular that you may, or may not identify with. Without taking up a huge amount of this post, I will instead ask that you take a moment and read this page. Really. Read it!
It will give you a greater understanding of why Sam has designed this Gryphon the way he has, and yes- why he uses an eccentric bottom bracket versus sliders. You don’t have to agree, but at least you will know why. I will also add that the geometry information is a bit dated in concern to suspension fork offsets, but that doesn’t affect us here with the Gryphon, as it isn’t meant for a suspension fork. More on that in a bit. Still, the trail figure idea is carried over to the Gryphon.
The eccentric is a Phil Wood, it is relieved for some weight savings, and very highly polished. A shame it has to be mostly hidden! The drop outs feature a hooded design and a nice, curved brake brace on the disc side. Oh yeah……it is a disc only frame. This gives the Singular Cycles Gryphon a very clean, sleek appearance. Along with the panel graphic, it makes me think, “classic”. Steel and classic meet modern touches like disc brakes and 29″er wheels.
So, what about that fork? Well, it is a 445mm axle to crown fork with a unicrown construction that features forward facing drop outs to assure the front wheel stays put during hard applications of the front brake. Because this frame’s geometry is optimized for use with this forks length, a suspension fork is not recommended at all. No, this is a rigid frame design all the way. The fork is constructed from Reynolds steel tubing, so that is a nice touch.
The fork also has two cable guides on the back of the non-drive side fork blade with an International Standard disc tab. With an uncut steer tube, the example we have weighs in at 1090 grams. Not bad, really, for a steel fork, and it should go under a 1000 grams when we do cut the steer tube down.
The frame features cable routing for the rear brake that runs just off center to the left on the top of the top tube. It also has full housing cable guides down the center of the down tube and right chain stay for a rear derailluer and a cable stop is brazed onto the bottom bracket shell for a bottom pull 28.6mm clamp diameter front derailluer. So, full housing runs are necessary if you want to run gears, and for a bicycle coming from a U.K. design philosophy, that shouldn’t be too surprising. Other braze ons include two water bottle mounts placed in the usual locations. Weight for our size Large example, including the EBB insert and seat collar, is 5lbs, 11oz. MSRP is U.S. $590.00 (See the Prairie Peddler for U.S. sales)
The head tube is extended a bit to accommodate getting a drop bar high enough for a proper set up. (I will post a drop bar tutorial on proper off road set up as a part of this review later.) The top tube has been designed to be a bit shorter as a result of the drop bar theme. Sam has also penned his bit on drop bar set up, which you can read here, but I have gleaned out this excerpt for you:
As to why you might want to ride off-road with drop handlebars, there are a number of good reasons.
1. A more natural angle and position of the hands, allows you secure purchase on the bars without needing a death grip.
2. A more secure feeling on the bars, no tendency to slide off the front. In rough terrain the hands are simply forced further into the hooks.
3. Variety of hand positions. Riding long distances with the hands in one position can cause them to become numb. Drops allow you to sit up and ride on the hoods or the tops to rest both hands and body.
Now as I wrote here, I will delve into the drop bar theme in a bit more detail later, but it should be noted that certain “alt bars” may also be fitted with some success, which opens up the use of mountain bike controls and grips. Titec’s H-Bar and J-Bar come to mind here. However; due to the shortened nature of the drop bar specific top tube spec, you may find highly swept bars problematic for optimum off road positioning. This bike really will shine with an On One Midge, an Origin 8 Gary Bar, a Soma June Bug, a WTB drop bar, or Salsa Cycles’ own Woodchipper Bar, which is what will go on our example here.
Here is the geometry for the size large from Singular’s site. Pretty standard fare for what most 29″er geometry has today, as far as handling cues here. I suspect the Gryphon will be fairly neutral handling, but numbers can be misleading, so I wouldn’t read too much into that right now. As for the build, I will be setting the Gryphon up as a single speed bike as a foil for the inevitable comparison to Salsa Cycles Fargo, which is a geared only, drop bar specific mountain bike/tourer. Look for a more detailed report on the build and a drop bar set up guide in the near future.
Now I’m off to go buy some parts!
Note: The reviewed frame and fork is being provided to Twenty Nine Inches at no charge for review. We are not being paid or bribed for this review. We will give our honest opinion or thoughts through out.
I’ll be interested to see your comparisons to the Fargo once this is completed. After trying out the drop bar set up on my Karate Monkey, and going back to flat bars, I think I’m going to be giving the drop bar setup another try once I convert the KM over to single speed. I found the bar ends, for me, didn’t work so well for racing, and I really didn’t know how any other controls would feel.
I have ridden Sams prototype a while ago and really loved it. The look is marvelous and the feel on the trail just perfect. I had never tried drop bars before, but now I consider to build a proper gryphon for me too.
I’d like to see a comparison to some cyclo-cross bikes, like the Surly or the Redline. I ride a cross bike with drop bars on the local trails most of the time and have come to appreciate the range of positions they afford.
Sam of Singular Cycles really has succeeded in making his bikes aesthetically pleasing. Even a non-traditional style bike like the Gryphon still has a nice classic look.
It will be interesting to see the inevitable comparison to the Fargo. I ended up with a Fargo mainly because of its extra rack and bottle mounts, but the Gryphon is still an interesting bike.
Almost 6 lbs for a large/medium. Should have called it “Hypo”. I know the EBB must be a boat anchor! Seat collar not so much…
Like the geo though!
Willie, I will let you know how heavy it feels in the next day or two. The fork felt a bit heavy in my hand but the fork works with the entire bike and it is hard to say since this part is heavy the bike must be a barge. I am expecting a mountain goat.
Outsider, I went out for 50 on the Fargo yesterday anticipating a Gryphon ride this morning. I am not sure the bikes are suppose to match against one another. The Fargo rides as nice as anything I have ridden. It rolls so smooth and I notice the hills and 29 wheels conspire to reduce effort. I climb as easily as I do on a bike 10 lbs. lighter. I had a bit more gear with me than I will put on the Gryphon. I figure I will come home most days with the Gryphon. No telling where I will end up on the Fargo.
Come on Woodchippers!
Gted,
Did I see a reference to 2.3 max tires? I was thinking 2.4′s would fit but not sure geared.
Would the OS Blackbuck fork play well with the Gryphon? Similar geo, right?
@Willie: On weight: This isn’t really out of sorts for a double butted steel 29″er. A Karate Monkey, for instance, weighs over 7lbs in a 20″er size with the KM fork. Redline Monocogs are in a similar weight range.
@justanoldhobo: Yes, but take that with a grain of salt, and be aware of combinations that will and won’t work. For instance, a 2.3″er/2.4″er may fit on narrow rim with some clearance. (Minimal- no real mud clearance) Some wider rims may be where you’ll see some clearance issues. Smaller riders may also get away with bigger tires without rubbing the stays.
I plan on putting a few tires in to estimate more closely what will and won’t work.
@Willie: The Blackbuck fork would probably cross over as well as the Fargo fork, (the 50mm offset one) However; unless you somehow got a Gryphon without a fork, or damaged your Gryphon fork, I don’t see why a change to the Blackbuck fork would be an advantage. The Fargo fork- now I could see going that way for more water carrying capacity, but otherwise this seems like a step backwards in the looks department at least.
FWIW, I can get Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4′s front and rear on the Gryphon, mounted on Salsa Delgado race rims. That’s arguably the biggest tire on the market for general XC riding. There’s even a bit of room for mud at that point too.
Martini,
Will the Racing Ralphs 2.4 clear a Front Derailleur?
Gted,
The Gryphon is built and tweaked. I spent four days riding and playing with different wheels and bar adjustments. The build is a double SLX with bar-ends on a woodchipper sitting on Xc One wheels and Panracer 700/45′s.
The guy at the bike shop said,” you must really like the Fargo, you are building one just like it”. I said I don’t think so and sure enough it is not a Fargo. There are many similarities between the Gryphon and the Fargo, there are just as many differences.
The wind and Panracers conspired against me in the first couple of days. It was too wet to ride trails so the pavement was it. Going 11-14 mph with too much resistance and tire vibration had me wondering where I was going to hide the Gryphon. I did have a couple of good moments racing a train to a crossing. The Gryphon loves power! It is not a bike to loaf on if you want to get it’s best feel. The Gryphon accelerates better than the Fargo but does not maintain momentum as well in my view.
I swapped to the Fargo wheelset for a long ride yesterday and that is where the Gryphon got sweet. The stock set from the Fargo was the Semi Disc and Vulpines. The Gryphon is really quick and precise in turning. I took turns much faster than the Fargo with less steering and more leaning. On what trails I have been able to ride the Gryphon kind of dances through, very graceful handling. I went through a fallow field I had ridden on the Fargo and the Gryphon felt a little less deliberate than the Fargo. The Fargo is more hot rod Jeep with great handling. The Fargo really moves you with confidence. The Gryphon handles the terrain best with power input, a sports car feel. Like a 1965 Austin Healey 3000 with all wheel drive that likes to climb.
I am glad I don’t have a choice to make between having one or the other. I feel the bikes are enough different it will come down to what you want to do and how you want to spend your money. The Gryphon is a more fanciful ride while the Fargo is more focused and deliberate. The Gryphon replaces almost all the skinny tire rides while the Fargo will take me those places I want to go with all my stuff. The Fargo is a joy to ride.
The Gryphon frame is really based on running SS, geared hub, or a one nine. It can be built geared with no problem but the guides and routings speak SS. The 2.1 Vulpines fit fine with a front derailleur but it would be close with anything bigger than 2.3′s. The frame color and graphics are beautiful, I don’t want to chip the paint but know it will come.
I have some pics but no 13 year old in the house to show me how to post them. Off the library to find a For Dummies tutorial.
Singular shines bright with the Gryphon for me but I am certainly not a credentialed bicycle reviewer. I do know when you merge a good steel bike with that power input and it produces a give back as good as it gets feeling it is a good frame.
Hi there, …
I wonder if a Racing Ralph 2.4 on a semi disk rim (30 mm) would fit the front fork?
On the rear end i can live whith smaller options but i would love to use the mentioned front combo.