Builders you would recommend for custom MTB/29er

[raygunner]

Looking to plunk down for a custom MTB/29er (or maybe 650b) and I've been looking at several prospective builders but I was curious who YOU would recommend for a custom builder.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[bargainguy]

Feeling like staying relatively local? I recommend Gunnar (Waterford, WI).

You'll get one of the most extensive fittings available if you decide to make the trip instead of relying on a bike shop/fitter.

Now if you want a boutique builder, I'll let others chime in.

[jtakeda]

Based on the thread below that Tomii looks rather nice.

[RedRider]

K. Bedford. Steel or Ti.

[roguedog]

Hmm..

Steve Garro/Cococino bikes
Black Sheep
44 Bikes

Take this with a bag of salt since I'm not a mtn biker. Simply as an observer of their craft, these are the ones that speak to me.

Steve just seems to be a wickedly cool guy.

[happycampyer]

Hard not to include Kent Eriksen on your list, or Moots for that matter. I've also been very impressed with the work by Drew at Engin Cycles.

[Jack Brunk]

I'm biased,

FS a Highlight ST by James at Blacksheep is just about perfect.

Hardtail titanium Firefly. Best bike I've ever been on. Ever.

I love my Primus Mootry steel SS 29er. Great builder.


Jack

[William]

There are some very good candidates in the Builder Spotlight area! Top Notch. As well as some others appearing soon.:)






William

[rounder]

Kelly Bedford. He will build what you want and he will build it on time. Plus, you will end up with a bike that is drool worthy.

[pdmtong]

K. Bedford. Steel or Ti.

I wonder about this. Honest question and not intended to start a religious battle

Serotta not known for mtb

So by inference Kelly not known for mtb

I get the build quality (tops) but he wouldn't be on my list

Kinda like asking Garro for a road bike

Those genres just not in their wheelhouse Too many other choices available

[christian]

44 Bikes. I think Kris is just killing it.

[RacerJRP]

Hard not to include Kent Eriksen on your list, or Moots for that matter. I've also been very impressed with the work by Drew at Engin Cycles.


I would second a Ti MTB from Kent. I have also been in Drew's shop and seen some of his work and it is top notch. Two very solid recommendations.

[JAGI410]

Waltworks - tons of experience, great dude, and best deal!

[raygunner]

I think steel is definitely the way I want to go for me but photos of Jack's Firefly make me weak in the knees!

I was leaning towards Igleheart but I've been really digging the stuff from Six Eleven, plus they were super cool to talk to at NAHBS.

[Steve in SLO]

Todd at Black Cat does amazing work with sensational paint
http://www.blackcatbicycles.com/

[alexstar]

Here's my steel 29er from Rock Lobster. I love it! It handles great. Paul Sadoff knows what he's doing.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/8970783900_5d560db82e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/)
Rock Lobster (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/) by soradical (http://www.flickr.com/people/soradical/), on Flickr

[Peter P.]

I second alexstar's rec' for Rock Lobster. Mountain bikes, when used as intended, will get beat up. In that respect, you want something that's not so nice or expensive you're afraid to use it. Paul Sadoff builds TOOLS meant to be used.

He delivered my frame on time, got all the details right, and was a pleasure to deal with.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2764/4504553415_fdec6cabae_z.jpg

[HenryA]

I wonder about this. Honest question and not intended to start a religious battle

Serotta not known for mtb

So by inference Kelly not known for mtb

I get the build quality (tops) but he wouldn't be on my list

Kinda like asking Garro for a road bike

Those genres just not in their wheelhouse Too many other choices available

I get your wondering on this but I assure you that Bedford has all the design knowledge needed to build a knock-out MTB. He's done it before and not just once.

[Tyler Evans]

Looking to plunk down for a custom MTB/29er (or maybe 650b) and I've been looking at several prospective builders but I was curious who YOU would recommend for a custom builder.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

For steel, I would second Kris at 44 bikes. Hands down. Get on that list quick.

[gearguywb]

Waltworks
Strong
Moots
Eriksen
Firefly

In no particular order.....

[SlackMan]

Waltworks - tons of experience, great dude, and best deal!

^^^ No personal experience with this guy, but I was extremely impressed reading his website and blog. He seems to be a real "thinker" when designing and building frames.

[oldpotatoe]

Looking to plunk down for a custom MTB/29er (or maybe 650b) and I've been looking at several prospective builders but I was curious who YOU would recommend for a custom builder.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Either Gunnar or SoulCraft..for steel

For titanium, Moots, of course.

[pdonk]

Chris dekerf.

Ti
welded steel
Fillet brazed

Plus forks stems and cool paint options.

And while they look pretty they can take a thrashing.

[sales guy]

I have been dreaming over the Enigma Ego 29er ST. British builder. Gorgeous paints. Highly rated.

Enigmabikes.com

Only problem is I would have to get one from England. They don't have a US distributor. And they won't sell to the USA due to insurance worries. Which sucks. Cause the steel frame is friggin hot.

[rice rocket]

For steel, I would second Kris at 44 bikes. Hands down. Get on that list quick.

Wow, isn't that THE endorsement!

I'll third this, there's so few that make a good, short chainstay hardtail. There's a whole world of nimble out there that 29er riders never knew about.

[christian]

Here's my steel 29er from Rock Lobster. I love it! It handles great. Paul Sadoff knows what he's doing.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/8970783900_5d560db82e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/)
Rock Lobster (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/) by soradical (http://www.flickr.com/people/soradical/), on Flickr

That is pretty much my definition of "perfect mountain bike." Very nice.

[lookout2015]

Waltworks - tons of experience, great dude, and best deal!

Agreed - great builder, great bikes, and priced at the practical end so you don't feel afraid to ride it hard

[gdw]

Waltworks would be my choice for steel. His frames are well built, reasonably priced, and he has more experience building 29ers than most, if not all, of the folks mentioned in this thread. Riders on Waltworks frames have won the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, Arizona Trail Race, and Stage Coach 400 so you know they'll stand up to hard abuse.

[crownjewelwl]

another vote for bleakley at black sheep (although his wait might be prohibitive)

[William]

Waltworks would be my choice for steel....Riders on Waltworks frames have won the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, Arizona Trail Race, and Stage Coach 400 so you know they'll stand up to hard abuse.

I can't argue with that, Waltworks certainly knows his stuff. He was also more than willing to spend time answering a mulititude of question regarding rigid forks for me. Good guy for sure.




William

[jh_on_the_cape]

Why custom?
I would (and did) get a stock frame. I don't see the need for custom frame in a mtn bike unless you are very odd shaped.

pro for stock: you can test ride, will not have unforeseen wierd issues, no wait, save money, can resell and get something different down the road if your needs change or it just does not work out
.
pro for custom: fit should be perfect (less of a big deal on a mtb because you are not sitting and spinning for hours). looks cool and you can choose the color.

check out (in no real order)
niner
salsa
spec. and trek.
cannondale with the lefty.

so many great offerings in a stock bike for a hard tail 29er these days.

whatever you decide, post pics! 44bikes looks pretty cool....

[MattTuck]

For me, the big reason I like customs is just to have something unique and that has personal meaning to me in the connection with the craftsman that built it. Sure, some people will get custom because of specific fit needs, but I suspect most are just looking for something a little different.

Why custom?
I would (and did) get a stock frame. I don't see the need for custom frame in a mtn bike unless you are very odd shaped.

pro for stock: you can test ride, will not have unforeseen wierd issues, no wait, save money, can resell and get something different down the road if your needs change or it just does not work out
.
pro for custom: fit should be perfect (less of a big deal on a mtb because you are not sitting and spinning for hours). looks cool and you can choose the color.

check out (in no real order)
niner
salsa
spec. and trek.
cannondale with the lefty.

so many great offerings in a stock bike for a hard tail 29er these days.

whatever you decide, post pics! 44bikes looks pretty cool....

[weatherman]

I would second a Ti MTB from Kent. I have also been in Drew's shop and seen some of his work and it is top notch. Two very solid recommendations.


Hands down, check with Kent Eriksen. It doesn't get any better. I've ridden a custom Ti Serotta mtb (designed for me, by Kelly)--it was nice. I'd still buy an Eriksen though. (No offense to Kelly. He does great work, but Kent is a mountain biker.)

Moots is great as well, but my experience with them when I tried to do custom (which is what you seem to want) was less than stellar. Seems like they are more set up to handle standard frame production--the custom they proposed to me looked like a stock frame with .5 cm added/subtracted here or there. With Eriksen, we started from scratch and the bike he built me is wonderful. (No experience with Firefly, but their road/cx frames do look nice--do they build mountain bikes?)

Good luck and enjoy the journey.

[Mikej]

Eriksen , you asked, now go call- what good is the Internet if you don't listen?

[raygunner]

Now I'm more conflicted than when I started this search! Thanks for all the awesome recommendations!!

[sevencyclist]

For me 3 years ago, the steel choices came down to Coconino and Strong and I went with Steve Garro of Coconino. 44 is newer to the mix and looks interesting.

I have a Seven titanium and if I were to get a ti now, probably Kent Eriksen or Firefly.

[twangston73]

I bought used and therefore cannot speak to the ordering process, but you might look at Wolfhound if you want something steel - I love mine and the other builds on his website run the gamut.

[pdmtong]

For me 3 years ago, the steel choices came down to Coconino and Strong and I went with Steve Garro of Coconino. 44 is newer to the mix and looks interesting.

I have a Seven titanium and if I were to get a ti now, probably Kent Eriksen or Firefly.

OP, contact sevencyclist about his coconino..its really well thought out with a lot of subtle design choices that affirm the builder understands mtb. it came out great although I have not personally ridden it on a trail - just parking lot

[Wilkinson4]

No mention of Wolfhound? If I was looking for a steel 29er Fred would be the top of my list. If you want something different Retrotec. Mclung would be top on my list as well if you were looking for something in a steel SS flavor.

mIKE

[jh_on_the_cape]

For me, the big reason I like customs is just to have something unique and that has personal meaning to me in the connection with the craftsman that built it. Sure, some people will get custom because of specific fit needs, but I suspect most are just looking for something a little different.

I ordered, and waited for, a custom frame for those reasons. It had issues from the get-go and never really worked as I had hoped, no matter how hard I tried and how awesome the paint was. I will not name the builder. I just find that stock frames have come so far these days from when I ordered my custom 29er. The ability to actually ride what you are going to purchase, rather than just look at a drawing, is so worth it.

I would go custom only after having ridden a few stock frames and being able to articulate what about each of them you wanted to improve.

That said, I click through any classified ad for a frame from one of the builders mentioned! If the fit is about right... I am tempted!

[DoubleButted]

I would suggest Scott Quiring (http://quiringcycles.net). He's a competitive mountain biker, and has been making 29ers for over 10 years so he knows what works. Super nice guy and reasonable prices.
But lots of good choices out there.

[jchasse]

Some great recs here. All I would add is be sure to pay attention to the geometry. It seems like builders still have some radically different ideas of what a 29er's geo should look like.

When I decided to build a SS 29er, I saw a lot of old school, steep angled bikes. I ultimately decided to go the other way based on how much I like my current, slack FS bike. I bought an off-the-shelf frame (Spot Honey Badger) with a 69.25 degree HA, and I absolutely love the way the bike handles.

[93legendti]

Carl Strong

[Cat3roadracer]

I was on a Ti Desalvo for three hours yesterday. Rode like a dream. I would recommend.

[Jack Brunk]

After all of the reply's, my suggestion is to PM the members here that might align with your thoughts and go a tad deeper into their collective reasons for going the way they did. Only do this after you believe you know exactly what you want built.

JB

[raygunner]

After all of the reply's, my suggestion is to PM the members here that might align with your thoughts and go a tad deeper into their collective reasons for going the way they did. Only do this after you believe you know exactly what you want built.

JB

Good advice, JB!

Also I the ideal of riding a stock bike(s) and then going custom to refine the "turn ons/turn offs" when doing a custom resonates with me. That might be a good starting point.

Thanks for all the great info too!

[Liv2RideHard]

Jonathan Greene. He built my latest steel race bike. I love it. Jonathan nailed it. I went with a 26er but he can do whatever you want and is really great to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

[1X10]

I am sure you location warrants a build from the lower 48 but if you are looking north of the border then Hugh Black @ True North Cycles:hello::hello:

He just celebrated 20 years in the business and his rigs ROCK:banana:

I am test driving a 29 SS right now with my own en route soon...

[markie]

I have a blackcat which I love. So far I did not see anyone mention hunter or zancanoto.

If you do want custom it might be fun going to someone local to you.

[plattyjo]

Going to make a plug for more NorCal builders, and Rick Hunter, Curtis Inglis, Ahrens and Sycip are excellent.

[William]

Going to make a plug for more NorCal builders, and Rick Hunter, Curtis Inglis, Ahrens and Sycip are excellent.

All great builders! Don't forget Steve Potts (if you want Ti).:)





William

[#campyuserftw]

Mike DeSalvo

[dan_hudson]

Late to the party but... The quick explosion of posts with no consensus shows just how blessed we are now with great builders. But I'd think hard about what kind of bigwheel bike you want and then choose a builder with experience with that type.

To explain: there are a group of builders who put a strong emphasis on short chain stays - Vertigo, Black Cat, 44, and Bystickel are just a few examples. And I mean short - forgoing front derailleurs, using machined yokes, radiused seat tubes, etc, etc. Compromise other aspects to pull the wheel in as much as possible.

Others make angle refinements, all with a goal of making the bigger wheels handle like the bikes we grew up on while retaining the big roll.

Yet others embrace the big wheels and make a frame that is more traditional in approach.

Not a right or wrong, of course. A choice! What do you think you want? Will help narrow down the options a bit.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

Here's my steel 29er from Rock Lobster. I love it! It handles great. Paul Sadoff knows what he's doing.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/8970783900_5d560db82e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/)
Rock Lobster (http://www.flickr.com/photos/soradical/8970783900/) by soradical (http://www.flickr.com/people/soradical/), on Flickr

That is damn nice. How long was the wait? Contemplating one of these, just about exactly like yours.

[learningtoride]

...

[alexstar]

That is damn nice. How long was the wait? Contemplating one of these, just about exactly like yours.

Thanks! The wait was about five months, though last time I talked to him, it was at about seven months.

I'm thinking about going back for a road bike, even though I don't need another one. I can't say enough good things about Paul.

[thenewguy11]

This thread is a perfect example of why the forum is so wonderfully dangerous. I'm looking to replace the mountain bike that was stolen. Initially, I figured to find a reasonably priced hardtail 29er complete. I'm not a huge mountain biker anyway. After browsing this thread and some builders websites that were mentioned, I'm torturing myself with options because there are just so many awesome looking bikes.

[dan_hudson]

There are a group of builders who put a strong emphasis on short chain stays - Vertigo, Black Cat, 44, and Bystickel are just a few examples. And I mean short - forgoing front derailleurs, using machined yokes, radiused seat tubes, etc, etc. Compromise other aspects to pull the wheel in as much as possible.

Speaking of which, a discussion on this topic recently popped up on MTBR:

http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-bikes/chain-stays-875535.html

[joosttx]

If you want the best, go with Steve Potts out in Point Reyes, Ca. He is one of the originals and his bikes are awesome. Check out is his disc brakes mounts for an example- incredible design no one else has. BTW super nice guy.