NSMB - 2022 - Hardtail Thread...

Posted by: Kenny

How's the forge so far? Seems like a great frame on paper.

It's been a lot of fun to ride. When I got my Cotic I was looking for that "long bike" experience and went too far. With the Forge M/L it feels long in the right ways without taking it too far. It's got that supple Steel is Real ride quality I enjoy. With the low BB and long [for me] WB it corners really smoothly like a nice pair of skis. The plush fork, supple frame and almost-Plus tires give it a very comfortable ride. When I have looked at GPS data for trails I ride a bunch it's a bike that feels slower than it really is. It's a great ride all day and tackle any trails that come along bike. It's easy on the body and feels very efficient.

In terms of downsides the BB is quite low. With a 140mm fork and 170mm cranks it's as low as I can ride. If I was tweaking this bike I think a BB 5mm higher would be better, but it's not something I would bother doing anything about and admittedly my bikes tend to have high BBs so I am biased in that direction. The Forge is rated for 140mm-160mm forks so you could raise the BB that way and/or go with shorter cranks/thinner pedals as well.

It's a lovely frame that I can't see ever selling. I'm glad I stumbled on it.

Here's one of the big yellow Chromag Rootdown from the blur of last night...

Posted by: yardrec

Here's one of the big yellow Chromag Rootdown from the blur of last night...

Nice. I'm glad you got out for some darkside fun.

I busted out my lights to help my old man eyes last night. Fully charged they lasted 5 mins before they went out. **sigh** They batteries are around 10 years old so they owe me nothing. I just need to get something sorted before the fall.

I can't remember where we were talking about mounting stuff to a frame without braze ons. I'll just throw this up here since it's frequently HTs that get pressed into service for long rides.

https://bikepacking.com/index/add-cage-mounts-bike/

I'm fine with electrical taping a cage to the frame for a 2nd or 3rd bottle, but if you are not the link provides a bunch of other options for attaching water/cargo to a frame without braze ons.

Posted by: Vikb

Nice. I'm glad you got out for some darkside fun.

I busted out my lights to help my old man eyes last night. Fully charged they lasted 5 mins before they went out. **sigh** They batteries are around 10 years old so they owe me nothing. I just need to get something sorted before the fall.

What lights do you have Vik?

Posted by: thaaad

What lights do you have Vik?

Dinotte Lights XML-4. Although they get updated continually so I assume my head units [I have two] are not as powerful as what you can buy now. I think they will upgrade the LEDs if you want, but I am fine with the head units. So I'd basically need two new batteries. 

https://store.dinottelighting.com/

Posted by: Vikb

In terms of downsides the BB is quite low. 

Wow, I checked the geo and that's a super low BB. Do you find it's less responsive in tech stuff, harder to bunny hop etc?

Posted by: Heinous

Wow, I checked the geo and that's a super low BB. Do you find it's less responsive in tech stuff, harder to bunny hop etc?

I have tried a bunch of different hardtail geo options the last few years. More than most people, but still not enough to feel like I have tried all the menu options. In a general sense I'd rate Front Centre and Rear Centre as more important to a bike's agility and playfulness [seems to be what you question is getting at] than BB Height.

The Cotic BFeMAX I had last year had a fairly high BB and was long front and rear. It was certainly not a playful bike. It was a sled. The Pipedream Sirus I am riding now has a high BB and is inches shorter than the Cotic and wants to pop off every trail feature. I suspect that if I dropped the fork on the Sirius from 140mm to 120mm and lowered the BB as a result it would still retain most of its playful character.

Coming at it the other way I can ride the Forge down the trails I am going to find on Van Isle without any limitations that aren't rider skill related. Like all longer bikes I have tried it comes alive with some speed. If I ride it super slow it gets through the features on the trail, but not as trialsy as a shorter bike. OTOH its stability/composure at higher speeds/steeper terrain is nice.

One of the main reasons I got rid of the Cotic was I found the overall ride experience too much sled and not enough shred despite the high BB. The Forge strikes a much better balance [for my size & preference]. If I wanted a more agile version of the Forge I would have bought the Medium size instead of the M/L I am on.

Posted by: Vikb

Posted by: Heinous

Wow, I checked the geo and that's a super low BB. Do you find it's less responsive in tech stuff, harder to bunny hop etc?

I have tried a bunch of different hardtail geo options the last few years. More than most people, but still not enough to feel like I have tried all the menu options. In a general sense I'd rate Front Centre and Rear Centre as more important to a bike's agility and playfulness [seems to be what you question is getting at] than BB Height.

The Cotic BFeMAX I had last year had a fairly high BB and was long front and rear. It was certainly not a playful bike. It was a sled. The Pipedream Sirus I am riding now has a high BB and is inches shorter than the Cotic and wants to pop off every trail feature. I suspect that if I dropped the fork on the Sirius from 140mm to 120mm and lowered the BB as a result it would still retain most of its playful character.

Coming at it the other way I can ride the Forge down the trails I am going to find on Van Isle without any limitations that aren't rider skill related. Like all longer bikes I have tried it comes alive with some speed. If I ride it super slow it gets through the features on the trail, but not as trialsy as a shorter bike. OTOH its stability/composure at higher speeds/steeper terrain is nice.

One of the main reasons I got rid of the Cotic was I found the overall ride experience too much sled and not enough shred despite the high BB. The Forge strikes a much better balance [for my size & preference]. If I wanted a more agile version of the Forge I would have bought the Medium size instead of the M/L I am on.

I have had a similar experience to Vic. I have two hardtails with identical chainstays, bb's are both about the same with a 50-60mm drop. The difference in ability to manual/bunny hop is all in the front centre (shorter = more fun). Can't comment on cornering as one is 29 and the other 27.5 so it's an unfair comparison.

One or two more rides on this beauty of a bike before my new ride get's here!

Looks interesting

https://chromagbikes.com/collections/29/products/surface-voyager

Posted by: fartymarty

Looks interesting

https://chromagbikes.com/collections/29/products/surface-voyager

Really interesting... but really expensive for what it is!

Posted by: yardrec

Posted by: fartymarty

Looks interesting

https://chromagbikes.com/collections/29/products/surface-voyager

Really interesting... but really expensive for what it is!

Sure, you can find cheaper frames made overseas or in South America. You'd be hard pressed to find a better priced Vancouver/Canadian made steel frame with this level of detail, at $2,480 CAD for the frame, it isn't a bad value. Primer/Doctahawk/Arcturian are 2K.

Posted by: rnayel

Sure, you can find cheaper frames made overseas or in South America. You'd be hard pressed to find a better priced Vancouver/Canadian made steel frame with this level of detail, at $2,480 CAD for the frame, it isn't a bad value. Primer/Doctahawk/Arcturian are 2K.

I don't see the value for a steel production frame. You are basically in custom Canadian built bike territory where you can specify the exact geo you want. I'm of the mind that I want to spend about half that for a production Asian frame and compromise a bit on the geo or pay the same sort of price for a fully custom frame made in Canada/US. This frame occupies that weird no man's land of custom price and with production geo.

That said I know some people will pay extra to ride a Chromag. I was touring with a buddy on a Chromag and I was on my custom Daambuilt. People stopped us to give him props on his sweet Chromag while ignoring me...so brand status can matter depending on your perspective.