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Messages - Cloxxki76

Pages: [1] 2
1
29+ & 27+ / Re: Custom 32er steel frame build
« on: August 12, 2026, 04:42:16 PM »
I went though almost the whole process with Waltly but didn't end up choosing them. Didn't ask them for a drawing.
I had some small requests and communication was less clear than I needed to gamble so much money.
A friend had just ordered a very basic 700C Gravel frame and it took longer than expected.
My friend got the Waltly, it looks reasonably well made. Not boutique builder level, but decent.

With similar uncertainty and communication, I decided to go with Marino in Peru for half the price and a custom steel fork (529/60 mm). No doubt much heavier, but supporting a smaller shop. I've always liked steel anyway, have no meaningful experience with titanium although I used to sell Litespeed and Merlin.

Within a few months the Trek bikes will be on the market. A complete OCLV hardtail bike with long travel dropper post and Rockshox for €1799.
I may buy that Trek and swap parts with my more high-end build, to have a heavy steel bike for the road and singlespeeding, and a quite light rigid Trek. Wheels can be exchanged, both Boost. I'll just use 180/160 mm brakes on both.


2
29+ & 27+ / Re: 32” MTB frames or wheelsets yet?
« on: August 12, 2026, 02:50:54 PM »
Quote from: Tijoe on August 12, 2026, 02:04:50 PM
I discovered today that Waltly has entered the 32er market.  They state they have developed their own 32er carbon fork, and offer 32er wheelsets.

I made an inquiry, and hopefully they will quickly get back to me.

Here is the link.

https://www.waltlyti.com/product/61.html
The fork is a good idea. I may have been a factor in that.
The frame...it's long enough to be used as a hardtail. You may want to get it one or two sizes smaller, if building it with a drop bar?

3
29+ & 27+ / Re: 32” MTB frames or wheelsets yet?
« on: August 03, 2026, 08:23:15 AM »
There are leaks out there of Cube's 2027 Aero 32" Gravel bikes, at their flagship level. Also full suspension and even supposedly hardtails, all at flagship level.

Trek brings hardtails and full suspensions.
It starts with the carbon Procaliber 9.5 bike at €1799. Mostly the same spec as their current 29" model. Price identical.
120 mm Rockshox Reba, 3 color ways. 170 mm dropper post in L and XL. Boost axles.

I have a custom steel frame on order and want a good carbon frame.
The Procaliber on paper has the philosophy I like: focus on comfort and efficiency more so than pure weight savings. Carbon frames don't get heavy anyway.

If the geometry works well enough for me, I may buy the entry level bike and transfer the parts from my steel bike. I may well run it rigid, as the forks are all 45 mm offset which is a huge let down. Sticking with the shortest offset from 29", for 32"? It's sad when a Chinese frame shop (who skip the prototype stage) does it, but more so when Trek does it.

There are still no proper 32" rigid forks, but you can add a crown race spacer to a 500 or 510 mm fork from the 29" world. The good thing: those at least come with 51 mm offset, for snappier handling and self centering.
Overall fork length in most cases will be shorter than the 120 mm Trek fork even after sag, so make sure you can deal with the BB dropping as a result. About 1/3 the difference hits the BB. There are seat position and Reach effects as well.

We don't yet know the geometry of the Trek, the may well have made the same error as Tideace, Tantan and many others: ignoring the effect of stack on reach. It's easy (when the designer doesn't check/listen) to end up with a 32"er that fits a full size longer than intended, and you are forced to use a 20-30 mm shorter stem than intended. At the same time, the front end gets longer than was deemed ideal for 29". Is that merely getting ahead of the trend, or jumping the shark?

Chinese brands, listen up: Make a carbon hardtail and full suspension, but don't lock yourself in a room to design it. Reach out to me, I've studied this thoroughly. You don't need to make the mistakes others did before you. Copying their homework is NOT a good idea, they also didn't study for this exam...

Oh, and also do an aero 32" gravel frame and fork. Don't even try to figure that out unless you really know a lot about 32" and about gravel racing and XC racing. 32" gravel looks to becoming a whole different generation of bikes than current aero 29" gravel bikes. The traditional geometries are staying with 29", 32" unlocks something new, probably better and faster.


4
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: July 01, 2026, 06:32:43 AM »
I'm hearing via-via that the Tideace fork is still not in production. But people have paid for it long ago?

Tideace are trying to offer a 490 mm 29" fork in stead. That's a bad, bad, bad, bad, idea, unless you actually understand what this does to a bike designed for 531 mm. The BB may still be tall enough (because it's made too tall to begin with), but the angles steepen ~2º and at the seat tube angle this poses a problem. Very few people can ride a bike fitting that way, and the L become long fitting even for an XL.

5
29+ & 27+ / Re: Custom 32er steel frame build
« on: June 26, 2026, 04:01:06 PM »
Quote from: JustinFox on June 24, 2026, 04:34:35 PM
Thanks for the detailed update, and even more thanks for putting in the time, effort and money to experiment for us all.

I'm ready to pounce on a 32" build, but it seems like the longer I wait the more options there will be. I'm also old (51) and have been mountain biking since 1990. I've seen how long, low and slack MTB's have become and it's taken me some time to get used to modern geometry.

All that said I recently sold both my hardcore hardtails (very long and very slack bikes). As much as I love the simplicity of a hardtail, the trails I love to ride are just way too rocky and technical to be taken at speed on a hardtail. Whilst a 32" hardtail is tempting I figure the extra rollover is not going to be enough for the kind of riding I like to do so I think I'll wait it out for a short travel dual suspension 32" trail bike. Will keep an eye out on your future projects!
Affordable custom full suspension 32"ers are being built, but they will obviously be HEAVY.
In terms of comfort, I've had decent success in the past with suspension seat posts. Not a true solution for rough trails, of course.

The Lenz Leviathan in 32" seems a VERY viable FS frame, but it's not a cheap chi-ti. Lenz were early with 29" and are early now with 32".

There are ways to make a frame that's too slack for your taste a bit steeper (angleset headset) in the head tube. The seat tube that some can't get use to, may require a setback seatpost/clamp (they exist for droppers). You might end up with a frame size smaller, especially if the designer copy/pasted the Reach number from a lower stack 29" bike and called it good.

6
29+ & 27+ / Re: Custom 32er steel frame build
« on: June 26, 2026, 03:49:33 PM »
Quote from: jefflinde on June 24, 2026, 10:45:26 AM
Some of my fit has changed since I initially built the bike.  I just put the stem on there as it was either that 110mm or a 50mm as my only choice.  I have since changed that out for an 80mm +6° stem. I don't like to be hunched over so I have a lot of spacers but that is just me. 

Let me first say that I do like the bike and love the wheel size.  As for the geometry, I would change a lot.  This will be an old man style rant about the new direction of bikes but they suck balls.  So I copied the Neuhaus Nova 32 size large.  I am not sure what they were going for but it is shit!  The position is super far forward and very short feeling. I had no idea how a 32 would fit and everyone was saying that the stack would be crazy high and we would need to have all these stupid limp penis looking stems.  So I went with a very short head tube which I would change right away. Maybe if you are a pro XC racer you need that low of a stack but it is not for me.  The seat tube is also way too steep.  It puts way ahead of the bottom bracket and makes the cockpit super cramped. I would slacken the seat tube by a few degrees and lengthen the reach.  I was also very worreiabout toe overlap based on all the people pontificating on the internet's so the head angle is slacker than I would like.  I would definitely steepen that up a degree or two. I have angle adjustment headsets but I have not tried them yet. The 2° will be the first one I try. The short feeling reach is what is driving the long stem.  It is hard to turn the bars and not hit my knees if I run a 50mm stem like the Nova comes with.

Other than that, it is great.  I really want to get a suspension fork on the bike asap.  It is very fun to ride but the rigid fork is definitely a limiting factor. The rollover is really only noticeable on rock gardens and roots that are over 6-8". Getting up that stiff is super easy on this bike. Little roots and rocks feel the same as on a 29er.  No magic carpet ride there.  I was also worried about how it would handle in tight technical situations but I have been pleasantly surprised.  The bike is long so I have run into things I would usually be able to clear just because I forgot I has more tire out front. The steeper head angle will help shorten the bike up.  The steering also feels a bit floppy due to the huge trail #s so again, a steeper head angle should help with that. 

I will make some changes and then I will likely order another frame from Marino. I have been very happy with the bike.

If you feel the seat tube is too steep and the reach too short...why not fit a setback seatpost of sorts? There are even some dropper pots options.
I've had to research this because some of the carbon hardtails are also too steep for me, and I will even be putting in a shorter fork to somewhat make sense of the frame, such as the TideAce.

I recently bought a seat with 3D printed top, and it turned out useless for my current bike, it shifts my position way aft and on the existing bike I can't have that, need it all the way forward. Such a seat would already help you out probably.

From that picture, it looks like the sliding dropouts might well have 25 mm between fore and aft :-D

7
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: June 26, 2026, 03:43:23 PM »
Quote from: RiP on June 19, 2026, 03:37:14 AM
My frame is apparently on the move, finally!



@Cloxxki76, do you know the rear hub spacing for that Bigrock frame?
148 mm.
Lots of developments on the Big Rock. I think I may have part of an effort by many to convince them to put greater effort in the design.
Just like the TideAce and Tantan, the Big Rock fits a full size longer than what you think you're buying. You're going to end up stretched out or with a much, much shorter stem than on flagship 29" bikes.

I just published an article on Reddit to explain where designers go wrong. Tideace knew about it, but didn't adjust their plans. They did change their BB drop from 58 mm to 82 mm and did raise their seat tube length to at least fit better for the people that the top tube/reach will actually work for.

https://www.reddit.com/r/32inchbikes/comments/1ufqzwa/reddit_exclusive_the_basic_work_that_professional/

8
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: June 13, 2026, 11:50:22 AM »
Cheers!
I would have expected someone to just go for the Intend Samurai or Wren forks.
Perhaps there just were very, very few orders and all included the fork.
Weird to not have any steel/alu prototypes before it, accept people's money before a mold is made, and then run so late with what seems a relatively simple and established product in a fork.

44 mm offset is on the short side for 29", for 32" in my opinion really too short. Else I'd be waiting for the fork as well.
When going rigid, I may just get a 500/51 or 510.51 fork and add a crown race spacer and/or external lower cup to get to ~520-530 mm.


Meanwhile, Big Rock has the Small 32" for sale now on Alibaba. They don't plan to offer an XL, perhaps their market focus is all on Asia.

T1000, 980 grams painted.
15 mm shorter chainstays, 1 degree steeper head tube, shorter head tube.


9
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: June 09, 2026, 05:43:48 PM »
This thread started December 24, 2025 with the promise for shipping by end of March.
In just two weeks, it will be half a year since december and 3 months past end of March.

Has anyone received their frame yet? Please report here or private message. Love to get your PM either way.

I've asked Tideace with questions to understand to which extent they could update their mold(s) to make it an easier product to choose and endorse, but no response on that.
Some clever tweaks could make it the hottest thing on the market, like 22 years ago the Surly Karate Monkey, then the only viable 29" frame set. It was weirdly tall, but it worked and came in 4 sizes.

Meanwhile, Big Rock on Alibaba has a 900 gram T1000 32" frame on sale...size Small only...
Pricy, but it gets a lot cheaper if you order together with a few friends.

The Tantan Saraph frame is $299 (order only via email) but really requires a 120 mm fork and the geometry is more restrictive than Tideace's. Longer chainstays and all about long climbs and long downhills, not as suitable for flatland trails IMO.

I'd love to have a well designed alu frame, quite frankly, if the price is fair.
How'd you guys consider a 100 mm corrected alu frame? I could order batches of 50 per size, but I really don't look forward to the logistics.

10
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: June 05, 2026, 09:08:42 AM »
Quote from: Asco on June 03, 2026, 07:54:17 AM
Because there is way less competition in the 32'er space? They can't charge 200€ extra on 29'ers because there's a million identical frames people can buy instead.
Tantan just asks $299 for theirs.
They're angling for OEM deals now though, so only selling via email. I don't have a desire for a suspension fork just yet and only the very expensive Intend is a viable option at the moment.
With shorter chainstays and less extreme steep/slack geomtry, I would have ordered the Tantan anyway. It's great for someone's riding, but perhaps not for my local trails.
The Tantan has even longer chainstays than the Tideace, even steeper seat tube and designed around a 120 mm fork. This makes the Tideace for my use case easier to setup in a way close to my needs, as long as I keep it on a slightly shorter rigid fork.

If the Tideace would be a more middle of the road design I might be promoting it on my 32 inch bikes subreddit. Alas, it's quite long so perhaps takes sizing down and suit mostly taller riders.

Next is Big Rock. They've shown of a size Small bike that has short chainstays and bespoke VERY low bar/stem combo. If anyone know how to actually get in touch with them...supposedly they're working on 4 sizes.


11
Metal Frames / Re: Chinese Titanium Frames...
« on: June 02, 2026, 06:30:13 PM »
Quote from: AFE on May 29, 2026, 03:25:38 PM
Finished my Waltly Gravel Smooth built yesterday. Love it so far.


Beautiful!
What lead time did you experience?

12
29+ & 27+ / Re: 🔔 Pre-Order Now: Tideacebike NEW Mold 32er XC Carbon Hardtail Frame
« on: June 02, 2026, 06:26:30 PM »
Does anyone know why the 32"er is ~€200 extra over the 29" offerings?

Main difference I see is the in-frame storage, but it's also well heavier, much more than the wheel size would account for.

Did anyone recently order the frame and receive one? This pre-order process started a while ago, was anyone supplied already?
Curious what a realistic delivery time might be.


13
29er / Re: carbon short travel 29er - XL options?
« on: May 22, 2026, 06:51:01 PM »
No need to shorten the fork to speed up the handling but also dropping the BB, necessarily.
If the head tube is short enough (limit might be 120 mm), there are  anglesets", special headsets with offset bearings, to steepen or slacken head tube angles by up to 2º.

You could make a point of finding a good fork with 51 mm offset, that also helps over a 44/46 mm one.

If there is a longer travel bike you like, and the head tube is short enough for an angleset, you need not worry as much about getting used to the handling.

I'm turning 50 year and going the other way. From a hardtail to a rigid 32"er. Eventually there will be a fork I can shelve out for, but right now I really like the idea of having a simpler bike with wider rims and bigger tires than I'm used to, and just making rigid work on my not so aggro trails.

14
Component Deals & Selection / Re: chinese carbon saddles
« on: May 19, 2026, 08:55:08 AM »
aliexpress.com/item/1005007509109152.html

I bought 3 more of these when the first one worked pretty well for me.
I don't do very long rides. Big guy.

Not a perfect seat but I can endure it and it's light and cheap.
Around 130-132 grams.


15
29er / Re: Looking for a carbon 142x12 hardtail with >450 mm reach
« on: May 18, 2026, 04:29:31 PM »
Quote from: CycOps on May 18, 2026, 04:19:31 PM
Trifox SDY21 has 12x142 rear and biggest size 450mm reach.
But 120mm fork needed.
Other Trifox non Boost frames are limited to 412mm reach.
Thanks for the tip. 482mm fork length listed on the first page I see it on is actually well shorter than I usually see for 100 mm forks. Could be a typo.
We prefer a tad longer a frame anyway :)

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