Rad-ish hardtails

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by mike, Jan 19, 2020.


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  1. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Interesting. I was thinking in terms of stack height only and planning on a 140 fork. The tapered HT is $200 extra, which would have put it over 2k. Which would have put me back at the Middlechild with a straight head tube. :bang::)
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, rossage and 4 others like this.
  2. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    Pffffffft...... @mike doesn’t ride hard, heavy. I hear he rides like a pussy cat. :rolleyes:
     
    Mikie, Grego, mike and 5 others like this.
  3. Erik H

    Erik H Member

    Location:
    Altadena
    Name:
    Erik Hillard
    Hell yeah! Kingdom is rad

    I'm currently building up their new gravel Beam frame.

    Instagram Link

    I've been dreaming of building up a hard tail Vendetta Single Speed but.. yeah.

    My full squish ride is a Kingdom Hex and some of you may have seen in at Cannell this past year.

    IMG_5594.jpg IMG_7055.jpg
    IMG_5595.jpg
     
  4. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Wow, TFPU, Erik. :thumbsup: That's a lot of ti!!


    Meow... :geek: Not discounting the superiority of a tapered headset, but I don't think a straight 44 would be on the menu if there was a common problem associated with it. Maybe it is common among riders who jump and/or use the front brake a lot. As always, I'm open to eating crow.
     
    Mikie, Faust29, Erik H and 5 others like this.
  5. kazlx

    kazlx Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Tustin, CA
    Name:
    Joe
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5.5
    Dude, that Hex is mad sexy time.
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 4 others like this.
  6. fos'l

    fos'l Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Bob
    Current Bike:
    2005 Santa Cruz Superlight
    Steel Kona Honzo 18" frame (67/74) for sale in "Classifieds" (by me - $200) has the desired characteristics except looks like it will only accommodate about a 2.4 tire. Currently built, so can be supplied with those parts if desired.
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  7. SS Barby

    SS Barby Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Palmdale, CA
    Name:
    Barby
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley LS/ Esker Hayduke
    I have a Fox Transfer as well, with no issues. But, this is coming from a rigid hardtail SSer up until not too long ago. Old Skool with a 72 degree HA.
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, mike and 1 other person like this.
  8. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Wrong thread, SSB!! :p:)


    Today I got some squish for the radtail. 40mm of it, right inside a PNW Coast 120 mm dropper post. And one of them sweet Loam Levers like the weez got. My L7 disc just went from consternation to hope!

    @mtnbikej, ya getting me fired up since you rad-ified your Chamy. Dude, a SS AM ripper sounds like the damn ultimate excercycle. Klunker dreams, 2020 style. AYE. :thumbsup:





    Screen Shot 2020-02-14 at   1.35 PM.png

    Screen Shot 2020-02-14 at   1.38 PM.png
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, Erik H and 8 others like this.
  9. Dirtrider....

    Dirtrider.... Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Mission Viejo, CA
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley V4

    i really need to stop looking at this thread... i'm saving up for wheels and now you post up this sweeta$$ bike again and again... i need to starting selling girl scout cookies at the local dispensary at this rate!!!!!!!!
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, mtnbikej and 2 others like this.
  10. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    LOL!!! Well, if I can annoy you further... Not too many cookies for a semi-custom ti frame. :geek::thumbsup:

    Maybe you should stop looking at it. It's only going to get worse. Photos of build parts and progress, completed (gasp) build photos and, the last straw, ride impressions. :eek::D Your wheels best get bought pronto or they're fukn toast, pal! :devilish::)
     
    Mikie, fos'l, Danmtchl and 3 others like this.
  11. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Screen Shot 2020-02-14 at   4.51 PM.png

    Bike owned by Adam, the Kindom guy who drew up my frame. A medium with the old routing scheme and external dropper. Imagine rolling into some pucker terrain hanging off the back of a bike like that...I sure can. 27-28 lb AM builds. No rust. :cool:
     
    Mikie, Faust29, fos'l and 9 others like this.
  12. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Get 'em before they go inside...34% tax rate might put a dent in their budget:eek:!
     
    Mikie, Danmtchl, mtnbikej and 4 others like this.
  13. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Screen Shot 2020-03-03 at   7.53 AM.png

    Upgrade-itis already? Frame's not even welded yet. :oops: My humble thanks to COVID-19 for this special opportunity, and also to @Grego for cutting into my REM. :geek:
     
    Faust29, Grego, rossage and 9 others like this.
  14. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I love the head badge except for those gaudy panhead phillip screws sticking out of it. Other than that..... perfection! A beauty of a frame...
     
  15. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    Tapered? Nice! I'm really getting envious now. :D
     
  16. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Thanks for pointing it out. I'm going to request no head badge. I like the design but don't want protruding stuff rubbing against my front roll – and that is a prime bag rub area.


    Uh, hey joe, a hardworking dedicated family man deserves reward, yes? :)
     
    fos'l, Faust29, Cyclotourist and 3 others like this.
  17. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Get the badge separate off the bike. It's a beauty as well. There are much more "pretty" ways to install it. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
     
    fos'l, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  18. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    The sexiest hard tail on Earth is the Vassago Radimus. The problem is, there are so few of them at this point that I cannot find a quality image to share.

    There is a BIG part of me that wants to sell my Jabberwocky and my FEX frame and buy a Radimus frame and move the FEX parts over to it. However, doing that would ultimately tame my capabilities because hard tails do beat me up a bit (I assume that titanium would offer some relief) and they don't quite fly through the gnar like a full suspension bike does. That said, I am winding down as I age and restricting my off road cycling to a hard tail could be beneficial to my health in the long run.
     
    bvader, Danmtchl, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  19. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I believe it!

    The relief of the badge itself will easily wear a hole in something over a few days of rubbing. My GG bikes use a decal, which is ideal.
     
    fos'l, DangerDirtyD, Danmtchl and 3 others like this.
  20. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    We care about image quality? :cool:

    unnamed.jpg


    One FS and one HT make the ultimate small quiver. Replace the Jabber with Radimus and you're done. The Jabber can't do something the Radimus can't. Except feel like a twitchy XC bike. :geek:
     
  21. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    The best head badge is no head badge imo. I ordered the Optimus without any identification whatsoever, just raw titanium tubing. I did receive decals and the badge on the side.F37EA671-DE66-47E0-9B54-360B5B208E07.jpeg
     
  22. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    Wasn’t one of your friends getting a Radimus?
     
    mike and Mikie like this.
  23. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    You don't need no stinkin' head badge... :p

    Debadged bike of unknown origin:
    IMG_2565.jpg
     
  24. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    09369BE9-2AAA-4427-9766-58488EFBCEEF.jpeg
    I am going to add another name for the sexiest hardtail and that would be a Steve Potts. This is my bucket list bike.
     
  25. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I am going another another name for the sexiest hardtail and that would be a Steve Potts. This is my bucket list bike.[/QUOTE]

    I came very close to getting in line for one of his creations, but couldn't quite pull the trigger.
     
  26. Danmtchl

    Danmtchl iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Bakersfield
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    2020 Trek Fuel EX 9.7
    I came very close to getting in line for one of his creations, but couldn't quite pull the trigger.[/QUOTE]

    it will be a few years for me to pull the trigger, my daughter will be going to college this fall and I will be broke as a joke. But one day before he hangs it up, I will buy one.
     
  27. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    The Potts looks really nice, but no dropper port or SS capability? For the price they likely are, that thing better make breakfast. :p


    unnamed-1.jpg

    I'm sure the Radimus would get the job done. :thumbsup:

    Tapered head tube and slider dropouts for under 2k is impressive. The geo is not quite what I was looking for, or it would have been a contender.
     
  28. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    Just go on a ride from camp with @Mikie Robin Mcguire , and you’re golden. Best pre-ride breakfast I ever had was courtesy of Mr. McGuire.
     
  29. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    The Kingdom Bike guys have been really good to deal with. Excellent CS all around.

    They are able to supply my head tube clean and smooth, no holes, no badge. They'll supply a vinyl sticker that I can apply and ruin with my front bikepacking bag if desired.


    I expect @SnakeCharmer to start populating this thread anytime now... let's hear about the Rad-ishmus, Mike. :geek:
     
  30. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    From the few reviews on the Vassago website and from what my Tucson buddy says, it's an incredible frame. Spot on geo for climbing and hauling the mail. Very compliant. Comfy for miles and miles. Perhaps I can get him to send me a series of pics to share here.

    However, I am not necessarily close to making the purchase. There is still a couple of FS frames that I am interested in as well. I'm gonna be a one bike guy from this point forward so I need to take my time and make the right choice. Until then, my FEX is serving me quite well.
     


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?