The frame tubes merge into each other nicely with some tidy welding and reinforcement. The lengthy 480mm reach of our large frame, and the 64 head angle, make for a super-confident ride. Tom Marvin is a technical editor at BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. Thanks for popping by - why not stay a while? Stif has nailed the tyre specification too. This means tall riders with long legs take advantage of our steep seatangle and shorter riders actually get a steeper angle still, something that better suits the proportions of shorter riders too. Unlucky, but Id spec a meatier tyre anyway. There is also some visible external butting on this seat tube, adding further proof that careful thought has been put into each and every tube on the Squatch. Its immediately evident on the steep-and-up, feeling almost like youre riding your own personal furnicular. The latest issue of MBR is out now, and as, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, RockShox Pike Ultimate, 130mm travel (42mm offset), Hope Pro 4 hubs w/Torque caps, WTB KOM i30 rims, Maxxis Minion DHF EXO/Rekon EXO+ 29 x 2.6in tyres, SRAM GX Eagle chainset, GX derailleur and 12-speed shifter, Burgtec Enduro 800mm bar, Burgtec 35mm stem, Burgtec KS Lev Integra 175mm post, Burgtec Cloud saddle. Its truly incredible how efficient, balanced and damn right easy this seating position makes things. Id originally fitted the Rockstop insert since I had expected to be spending a lot of time near the rim, but the DH casing tire resulted in enough stiffness that its ultimate protection was not a necessity, so I settled for the more damping-friendly Rimpact insert, which I found to offer the best compromise of damping and cornering support with the tire at 24psi. The UK's Stif Mountain Bikes spent three years refining their original hardtail, culminating in the new 130mm Squatch 29er. Balancing this slack steering angle are relatively generous reach numbers, with the size L Squatch measuring in at 480mm. Brakes: SRAM G2 RSC | 200/180 . The result is their second bike to the market: the Stif Squatch. Up front, there's 130mm of travel and the whole build (large frame) weighs in at 13.3kg. This is an important consideration on a hardtail since the compression of the fork makes for drastic steepening of the head angle in addition to the lowering of the BB. Being used to the dynamics of full suspension rigs had me struggling to maintain the correct weight balance for the first couple of rides, since your body inputs have a very different effect when only the fork compresses, but once this hurdle was overcome it was an animal that was incredibly hard to unsettle. Common to these sizes is a 64-degree head angle; 78-degree seat angle (effective, at max extension); 430mm chainstays and 80mm bottom bracket drop. Those seatstays With the chainstays and dropouts, I think theyre a really beautiful piece of frame design, and Im glad they carried those shapes over from the Morf. Daring geometry - with sensible fork travel Bikes are assembled and fully checked by our mechanics prior to dispatch, therefore lead times can vary. Post navigation Rare to see are the Torque Caps on the front hub, to provide the best interface with the RockShox fork. Enough travel and control to mop up reasonably hard impacts, without overly affecting rider position and negatively impacting the dynamic geometry. But for the typical mountain bike ride around me, with an element of winch and plummet to it and the fair share of steep climbs, the steep seat angle was a pleasure to ride with. The return process is simple: Fill out the Warranty Bearing Replacement Form, upload a copy of your purchase receipt, and we'll get a new set of bearings out to you within 48 hours! The Squatch defies being pigeon holed to any discipline, It's ready for wherever you want to take it. I'll post up some ride impressions when I have some to share. The Squatch frame alone can be purchased for 599.99 if you want to build your own custom dream machine; or Stif offers full builds in two spec levels. Designing the frame around a 130mm travel fork means the frames geometry is preserved as best as possible, regardless to where it is in the forks stroke. FOX FACTORY RACING SHOX LOGO Sticker By allnewproducts From 1.61 100 Motocross Sticker By deannaburg From 1.39 Fox Racing Sticker By drinkwaffle From 1.39 Rockstar Sticker By VirginiaCummi From 1.29 Official Fox Merchandise Sticker By sallieocha From 3.21 UNIQUE Fox design - Watercolor Sticker By Gawop From 2.14 NO FEAR Sticker Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3 | 35mm Technical climbs especially those with lots of pedal-catching obstacles proved to be no issue either, with the long reach and fairly short rear end teaming up to provide ample grip and maneuverability. Add a chainguide While a chainguide is not strictly necessary for a hardtail with a brand new drivetrain, they count for more as it wears, so I add one as a matter of course. Click here to learn more or click OK below to dismiss this message. Financial Services Register no. Today we are delighted to introduce it's 29" wheeled sibling - The Squatch. off-road.cc Editorial and general enquiries: info@off-road.cc The Squatch is designed around and shipped with a short 42mm offset fork which brings us closer to the steering axis therefore generating a greater trail measurement, which when complimented with a 35mm or shorter stem makes for steering thats more sensitive to micro adjustments as well as being more stable at higher speeds. If like me, youve got shorter legs, its definitely worth considering the PRO 175 model. Dropping into the corners pocket feels natural with a total in the bike feeling, encouraging a more aggressive lean angle which allows for the corners apex to be pushed into with reassurance in order to generate grin forming levels of forward motion. NEWS To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, all other express and implied warranties (including without limitation the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) are hereby disclaimed. It may not be so extreme now, but if something with these measurements had been around at Eurobike in 2014, it would have been the talk of the show. Stif selected this lower travel number to preserve the geometry as best as possible when pushing hard, with the premise that a more consistent and predictable geometry is better than extra travel across most situations. As I tested this bike through some pretty wet conditions, I swapped the Rekon for a 2.4 Maxxis Dissector but well get onto that shortly. The Squatch also gets a 430mm chainstay, all this equates to a 1238mm wheelbase on a large frame. Words by Robert Johnston // @robert_johnston A little overkill but if I had to take only one bike for trip it would probably be the Squtach because its so versatile. . Ive had my AM build for about a month now. Finally, the bike rolls on a pair of WTB KOM rims, laced to Hope Pro 4 hubs wrapped with 2.6" Maxxis rubber: a Minion DHF with EXO casing at the front, and a Rekon with a tougher EXO+ casing at the rear. Since launching the Morf in 2016, Stif have taken four years to develop and launch this Squatch, their first 29er hardtail. Great review thanks.and phew as my frame arrives tomorrow! The first store as you enter their "City Walk" outdoor shopping mall was a Billabong store (which does $1.5b revenue - 5x Fox Racing).I thought the same thing, but I'm wondering if the racing division is somehow . Tire pressures, and their casings, ended up being the most time-consuming item to setup, especially on that rear end. Rims: WTB KOM trail i30 GEAR REVIEWS PRIVACY POLICY As it turns out, it is a flat-out troublemaker, with two distinct types of trouble being made depending on the style of track. 130mm travel, 29 wheels, 4130 steel and modern numbers throughout, mean the Stif Squatch might just be the winter whip of choice. To put it simply, this is one very modern seat angle! That means that on choppy descents and hard landings, the effect of suspension travel steepening your head angle is reduced, again contributing to greater stability. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state and country to country. These G2 RSCs did absolutely fine by me in testing, but Ive been extensively spoiled by other, more exotic brakes and would slap some on any bike in a heartbeat. When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights. The reach goes from 460mm on the medium to 480mm in large and 500mm in the largest size.. Didnt look at any for years after that. FEATURES As you will undoubtedly be used to hearing by now, the resulting centered position on the bike leads to less attention and energy being required to keep the front wheel in check, letting you focus on your pedal strokes and line choice, and ultimately making climbing a more pleasant experience once the going gets steep. Derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle; 12s. It wasnt long before riders were requesting the same premium ride quality and progressive handling characteristics on a 29er platform. Finishing kit is all Burgtec, and the dropper post is a KS Lev. That steep seat angle does come with something of a trade off, though. Now, at the same time as they launched their new range-topping Summit series, which starts at $169,900, comes the Expedition Series camper trailer. Its fairly extreme focus means. In the mean time the main details are: SA 78 HA 64 Reach 480mm size large Chain stay 430mm Seat tube 450mm BB drop 80mm = 293mm BB height 29x2.6" tyres experimenting with cushcore to run lower pressures as I'm used to 3.0" tyres on my hardtails. First thing's first, the frame. Thankfully, geometry has come on leaps and bounds since the beefed-up road bike days, and we can now have no-compromise machines that climb and descend equally impressively. We are a credit broker not a lender. Headset: Hope ZS44/EC44 Deputy Tech Editor here at off.road.cc Liam can alsobe found photographing bikes as well as riding them. With a 130mm fork up front, its head angle slackens to 64-degrees, balanced by a 78-degrees seat angle. Three sizes across two SRAM/RockShox builds: AM and Pro with a frame-only option for 600. Ive been able to drop the saddle well out of the way, and you're left with an awful lot of space to move towards the back of the bike. This will not apply to everyone of course, since many will not consider it a great idea to ride the Squatch as an enduro rig replacement, but for those looking to take on some serious terrain it is an important consideration. Key to the ride quality is the profiled and multi-butted 4130 chromoly tubing combined with 29in wheels and 2.6in tyres. Hope supplies the headset, in addition to their Pro 4 hubs which are laced to WTB KOM Trail i30 rims with DT swiss spokes. 704348. The original owner shall pay all labor charges connected with the repair or replacement of all parts. The fork is about as controlled as you could hope for and remained impressively supple and tractive when ran a good amount stiffer than recommended. Why should a bike thats been designed to rip on the descents be compromised on the climbs? The geometry is at no point the element holding you back, but the limited ability to iron out the square edges of the terrain leads to an incredibly physical ride where your arms and legs must work hard to absorb impacts that you do not even consider on a fully suspended rig. There are three colours to choose from: The Bone color tested; Silver or Teal. The geometry and components spec encourages riders onboard the Squatch to charge hard, which can cause havoc on rough terrain when the limited cushion a hardtail offers leads to the rider becoming overwhelmed. In the wet, the Rekon doesnt cut the mustard, but when its dry it has just enough tread to keep the rear wheel in check when carving corners. A thoroughly contemporary hardtail thats a proper hard-charger on technical trails. Adventure-Ready At $585,000 Function Meets Form . For full details of our returns policy, follow this link. Credit is provided by Novuna Personal Finance, a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. But the lower centre of gravity puts you in a similar position to a full suspension bike, making it super easy to load the tyre edges fully for maximum grip. The lever feel and modulation offered by the SRAM G2 RSCs is good, but their ultimate power fell short of my demands, which led to a few scary run-away moments on the steeper trails. The latter a consequence of the frames impressive bump-absorbing qualities and the bigger volume tyres. Reviews, buying advice and news. Not cheap coming from Canada, but it is beautiful. As for the Squatch, Ive had mine about 2 months now. It took a little getting used to, and provides a lot of room to move around. Theres none of the hardtail sensation mentioned earlier of butt and feet kicking up and reacting to whatever the fork is doing especially off drops and down steeper sections. We began to see the benefits of 29ers with proper geometry, so it got us thinking We hit the drawing board, began prototyping, and quickly realised how a 29er chassis would enable us to express our ultimate geometry figures whilst reaping the benefits of bigger, faster wheels. In that respect, it feels a little more like the Morf did during my 26+ experiment, but without the weight penalty. The Stif Squatch AM will set you back 1,900 with the PRO priced at 2,500. IF THE WARRANTY IS REGISTERED WITH KONA WITHIN THREE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE BICYCLE, THE WARRANTY IS EXTENDED FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER, with the exception of carbon bikes and frames. For the last 4 years we've watched our original steel hardtail the Morf defy trends and changing standards to remain a rider favourite and cult legend. Looking down to where the drive-side chainstay meets the BB shell is our signature 12 Bore chainstay bridge that gives a dialled chainline with upto a 34T chainring and clearance for chunky mud-shed 2.6 tyres. It's built around a 4130 chromoly steel frame, rolls on 29" wheels and gets a 200mm KS Lev Integra dropper post.
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