You might be able to "patch" it with some epoxy?

Good luck with it. and thanks for the information.

Thanks for the reply. What size tyres are you running now?

I assume you have the frame with the original geometry that had the 48mm BB drop, not the newer one with 24mm drop?  I really like the frame and the only thing holding me back is the low bb height, I'm trying to work out if the newer version is actually a different front triangle or just a trick on numbers by increasing the drawn axle to crown from 531.9 mm to  551mm.

If you can afford the new build, I would go the new build.  The problem you will have with the mix and match will be the low BB height.  Changing your hub will be fine but the non plus tyres means you loose height.  Of course you could run a plus on the back and non plus on the front but I think that would be ridiculous.  Using your existing fork only makes the problem worse because you are loosing both the extra height of the tyre and also the axle to crown length.  If you look at the new P8 geo drawing you'll see that it is based around a 150mm 27.5 + fork or a 140mm 29er fork, that's going off Fox specs at least.

Others may say differently but that's my thoughts on it. Sorry. I know how you feel, I'm itching to pull the trigger on a P8, particularly with the higher bb on V2 but I'll need new wheels, fork and  complete drivetrain which makes it a very expensive exercise down under now that many of the big on-line shops won't ship major brands here.

Hi Boss, thanks for those detailed replies and the pics.

I'll start by saying that Melody has got back to me and confirmed that there has been a geo change, that she has now updated the Ican website to reflect the new geometry but she didn't go on to ask exactly what had changed. So, you are on the money and are obviously correct as far as those little tweaks go.

I'm currently riding a circa 2013 On-one Carbon 456 with 650b wheels on a 26", 3 position Talas. At 120mm the bike has a bb height of approx 342mm.  I'm in Sydney so we have lots of sandstone ledges and step ups that have to be cleared and even at that height I am conscious of timing to avoid pedal strike, given that is with a hardtail I'm sure you can see why I was holding off going to a dually with 20mm
 less un-sagged clearance.

Like you I am looking for a bike that I can do most things on and whilst I will be keeping the 456 I want to make sure whichever bike I am on I enjoy whatever I might encounter on that ride. I'll be getting rid of a 2006 Spec Enduro Expert and a circa 2008 Titus Racer-x to help fund this project, not that I am expecting much from those.  I did have a checklist I wanted, including BSA, and this is about as close as I have been able to get with any of the frames I have been looking at.

As for tires, Realistically I probably won't go bigger than 2.8's, everything I am reading seems to suggest that is the sweet spot for finding the best combination of grip, pressure and weight but I have never ridden plus size before so that may change.

Anyway, Melody is now communicating with me so we will see what comes of it. Unfortunately the $A is doing so well at the moment against the US$ so that also plays a factor.

Again, thanks for the help, it is appreciated.

Oh and as a note, Melody claims they don't sell on ebay. That may just be to make sure she gets my sale, I didn't push her on the Ican-bikes or Imust-bikes accounts.

Does anyone know if the P8 has had a geometry change?  I ask because the chart I have been given for the P8 is different from that on the Ican site.

Of note, the BB drop seems to have changed from 48mm to 24.1mm, the 48mm was what was holding me back from getting one. I would be interested at 24mm.  Have asked Ican but not received any response.

https://www.icanbikes.com/html/MTB/27_5ER_frame/334.html#bk_desc_tab

Edit 28/10: ammended the title.

I've been trying to get in touch with him since last week as well. No response here not email, using several different accounts.