You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Looking to take advantage of the current price drop BFe 275 but wondering how it will ride.
Always fancied a Soul or Solaris which i imagine to be very sprightly rides but how does a BFe ride?
Is it a quick accelerator?
Is there plenty of forgiveness in the rear chainstays for my low level of nimbleness?
I can use my current kit and slap it on a BFe frame for not much cost but if i need to go down the solaris route, i will need new forks and a wheelset.
Is it a quick accelerator?
I use mine for drag racing.
Its the drag i'm worried about...
I guess i'm looking for a user review rather than a comedic dig can you help sharkattack?
I love my BFe, but it is - a tad - unforgiving at the back end.
Before my BFe I had a Mr Hyde with a HUGE box section rear end. I thought moving to a skinnier steel frame would be more forgiving - I was very wrong.
The BFe's stiff back end makes for pretty quick feeling acceleration, but it tends to plough through stuff rather than spring over and around it.
To paraphrase something Cy once wrote - If you want to ride rough terrain, get a Soul. If you want to jump off a house, get a BFe.
If you want a soul for springy xc then get one - a bfe won't feel the same. I found my fine, but gave me fair bit of backache until I twung it into a tree and killed it.
TBF I ride a size down, so the small frame + being a bit of a stiff frame was always going to give me a bit of an ache.
I have a 4 year old BFe26, it's very beefy.
The back end is stiff, a very different character to the soul/solaris, but then it's meant to be, I have mine built up with Fox 36 Vans, proIIs with flows and the obligatory wide bar/short stem combo and it's awesome, I was quite happy to take it to an uplift day at Antur Stiniog last year and spend the day chasing my mates on their DH bikes.
I'm actually considering swapping mine out for a Solaris as it feels a little too similar in character to my Banshee Spitfire.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/19096539511_578d413b94_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/19096539511_578d413b94_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/v6uKTe ]Antur Stiniog Jump[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
The photographer at Antur always seem to be shooting where I'm not riding! Nice pic.
I haven't got a BFe but they are remarkably light considering how strong they are - closer to a Soul in weight than to many of the 4130 beefy style hardcore hardtails.
Thanks, I normally look like a complete goon on photos, so i'm rather happy with that one!
But it's testament to the strength of the bike that I'm still happy to do that even when I'm the wrong side of 100kg.
I've been riding a 26" wheel BFe with Fox 32's (140mm travel) for the last 5+ years. I love the geometry and general 'character' of the frame/bike.
It is amazingly robust and can handle anything from bridal paths to steep, rocky, natural downhill trails at 30+mph.
It's not exactly springy but it will survive anything/everything. The rear end is very stiff and the bike is generally AMAZING 8)
OP love mine (26 bought when they offered a price drop to 300 in 2012 - current offer is a steal). I had ready "harsh" reviews so was a bit concerned but is been great, tyre pressure make more difference imho. Use mine for everything (xc, surrey hills etc) and for 90% of my riding which is a bit of a crime as my Covert is such a nice bike too. When I got mine I was originally looking at a Soul but the price was 300 vs 450 (daft consideration really as all-in I spent £2300). I still hanker after a Soul and bid on @chief's when he sold it recently. I would keep the BFe and run both keeping them in different places. Tobe honest you won't go wrong with either
Wonderful bikes, great company.