So 2017 has come and gone. Typically I get a lot of requests for Huntsman’s. I heart is really in mountain biking and whenever a mountain bike comes into the list next… I can’t say that I do not get a bit more excited. Seems word got out in 2017 and I actually made 3 times more mountain bikes than I did road bikes! That’s pretty exciting I have to say. I love every bike I build but like I said above, I can’t help but get just a bit more excited when those wheels will be touching single track. Let’s take a closer look at some of these trail beasts!
First up is this frame set which is ironically the same color as my very first mountain bike: A Trek 830 Antelope! Built around a 27 Plus wheel set with the riders choice of gears or single speed. This one headed down to North Carolina and is decked out in some sweet kit. Here’s a few shots:
Next one up is a bikepacking rig that also shipped with two forks so the client could take it on long adventures or swap out the rigid fork for a suspension fork and go hit up trails.
A personal favorite, this Marauder is built around 27 plus tires but the powder changes as you move past it going from a deep blue to purple. Shimano XT M8000 drivetrain, Fox 34 Float 120mm fork, I9 wheels, ENVE cockpit, Thomson post and stem, Cane Creek 110 headset… The works! This bike is a beaut I will say that.
This next one is for a NH local who just loves to ride sweet single track. We went back and forth on wheel size and set up a bit but he settled on 29″ wheels and decided to also try out a dropper. Thomson takes care of the up and down in that case! Nice and reliable with a 2 year warranty for service if there is any issues. A good solid build in classic black!
And back to 27.5 with this next one. Super sweet red I9 hubs and a solid build kit including a Fox 34 and Shimano XT M8000 drivetrain amongst other parts. This ones tearing up California single track last I heard.
And this next one is another florescent “grellow” build and a repeat customer from England. Seems this color caught some attention as a handful of clients went for it with this color. But a classic Marauder built around 27.5 Plus wheels. Long top tube and short stem. I have a prototype in the works similar to this one presently. Really curious to test two frames back to back with slightly longer vs shorter top tubes.
This next one is for another repeat client but from Switzerland. This was to replace his current SS frame I built for him which he was having some issues with sheering off the drive side cup every season annually. Hopefully the T47 shell and extra material around the drive side BB cup helps to prevent that! This is a short color combo I think…
And skipping ahead a few builds is another bike that went to Switzerland. This sucker is BIG. Matte desert tan finish with an internally routed dropper and Sram Eagle GX with a mix of components.
Last but not least is a prototype of mine which was built in Titanium and sports two wheel sets (29×2.4 and 27Plus). I spent a good amount of time on this bike all season long and ran both wheel sizes. I was having fun on both sizes but if I really have to be honest with myself, I have to say I was having that much MORE fun on those 27.5 Plus wheels. The bike just is that much better with that wheel size and more fun is the goal isn’t it? So that had me kicking dirt and scratching my head a lot this winter as what to do for the next iteration and after a lot of thinking the next one’s going to be built around 27 Plus. To be continued!
Mountain Bikes of 2017
So 2017 has come and gone. Typically I get a lot of requests for Huntsman’s. I heart is really in mountain biking and whenever a mountain bike comes into the list next… I can’t say that I do not get a bit more excited. Seems word got out in 2017 and I actually made 3 times more mountain bikes than I did road bikes! That’s pretty exciting I have to say. I love every bike I build but like I said above, I can’t help but get just a bit more excited when those wheels will be touching single track. Let’s take a closer look at some of these trail beasts!
First up is this frame set which is ironically the same color as my very first mountain bike: A Trek 830 Antelope! Built around a 27 Plus wheel set with the riders choice of gears or single speed. This one headed down to North Carolina and is decked out in some sweet kit. Here’s a few shots:
Next one up is a bikepacking rig that also shipped with two forks so the client could take it on long adventures or swap out the rigid fork for a suspension fork and go hit up trails.
A personal favorite, this Marauder is built around 27 plus tires but the powder changes as you move past it going from a deep blue to purple. Shimano XT M8000 drivetrain, Fox 34 Float 120mm fork, I9 wheels, ENVE cockpit, Thomson post and stem, Cane Creek 110 headset… The works! This bike is a beaut I will say that.
This next one is for a NH local who just loves to ride sweet single track. We went back and forth on wheel size and set up a bit but he settled on 29″ wheels and decided to also try out a dropper. Thomson takes care of the up and down in that case! Nice and reliable with a 2 year warranty for service if there is any issues. A good solid build in classic black!
And back to 27.5 with this next one. Super sweet red I9 hubs and a solid build kit including a Fox 34 and Shimano XT M8000 drivetrain amongst other parts. This ones tearing up California single track last I heard.
And this next one is another florescent “grellow” build and a repeat customer from England. Seems this color caught some attention as a handful of clients went for it with this color. But a classic Marauder built around 27.5 Plus wheels. Long top tube and short stem. I have a prototype in the works similar to this one presently. Really curious to test two frames back to back with slightly longer vs shorter top tubes.
This next one is for another repeat client but from Switzerland. This was to replace his current SS frame I built for him which he was having some issues with sheering off the drive side cup every season annually. Hopefully the T47 shell and extra material around the drive side BB cup helps to prevent that! This is a short color combo I think…
And skipping ahead a few builds is another bike that went to Switzerland. This sucker is BIG. Matte desert tan finish with an internally routed dropper and Sram Eagle GX with a mix of components.
Last but not least is a prototype of mine which was built in Titanium and sports two wheel sets (29×2.4 and 27Plus). I spent a good amount of time on this bike all season long and ran both wheel sizes. I was having fun on both sizes but if I really have to be honest with myself, I have to say I was having that much MORE fun on those 27.5 Plus wheels. The bike just is that much better with that wheel size and more fun is the goal isn’t it? So that had me kicking dirt and scratching my head a lot this winter as what to do for the next iteration and after a lot of thinking the next one’s going to be built around 27 Plus. To be continued!