[Closed] Pace RC129 vs Ritchey P29 vs alternative SSable steel 29er frame ?

I got an El Mariachi and I love it, but those Richeys are gorge.. Proper gorge!
Edit.. My mate went from a Inbred to a High Latitude, it's got shorter stays, slacker H/A, it's a bit lighter, and it's miles nicer..

Ritchey +1

The V1 Nimble 9 is a completely different ride to the On-one - much more fun - makes a great ss.

The v2 is a much heavier beast and more of an AM frame IMO. If you can get hold of a 2nd hand V1 then go for it.

How about the new Stooge?

The ritchey is stunning but limited fork options due to its headtube

LBS has sold 2 Ritchey 29ers. LBS owner is real picky, so if he approves of them it carries a lot of weight in my eyes.

I've crossed paths with one of the P-29 bike owners a few times and he really likes it!

El Mars are a bit of a pain to get (he says from experience) as Ison don't have any stock and need to special order them, a situation [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/future-salsa-distribution-in-the-uk-looking-uncertain ]that's only going to get worse[/url] in the short term. However, it is tremendous now I've actually got it. To suit fellow Glaswegians, I gather the frame only options will be green as well as orange next year.

There was [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/have-pace-gone-bust ]another thread[/url] suggesting Pace had failed to pay for a batch of RC129s, which were then being sold cheap through a Hong Kong LBS...

LBS owner is real picky, so if he approves of them it carries a lot of weight in my eyes.

I bet it's more to do with good margins

So has anyone on here upgraded from inbred to Ritchey p29? Is the rear tyre clearance decent - I'm 2.4 rear ..
Is the Richey better than the Pace?

Niner SIR. I have the MCR and it's a brilliant ride.

When I upgraded my Inbred I looked at Pace RC129, Singular Swift & a Niner SIR.9.
The Niner won, & it rides beautifully. I never tire of it.
Shortly after the [i]new[/i] El-Mar came out, & that would have been on the list, but couldn't find an old one anywhere.

But, three years on there's some interesting options but in particular the Stooge.
From following the Stooge thread I totally get what the owner says about how it came about

I tried a Krampus & loved it but couldn't help feel the frame was a bit of an anchor for a £1500 bike.

If the Stooge took a Knard out back the Niner would probably have to go.

I've even thought about costing up the frame mods to enable my SIR.9 to run 29+ front & rear.
That would be my perfect bike. 🙂

I'm sure niner have a 29+ coming soon.

Ritchey P-29er any day of the week. But I've got one so of course I'm going to say that plus I was out on it tonight and I'm away out on it again tomorrow morning. Superb detailing in the frame and far better than a Pace in my eyes. Plus it's a Ritchey FFS! 😀

Niner - mmm ain't gonna f##k with ebb's - never had one but don't like the look of them - Wish the P29 used threadless headset - isn't the Stooge using the same tubing as Surly and Salsa ?

The P29er is thread less, it's the lack of straight (non-tapered) forks that kill it for me.

The P29er is thread less, it's the lack of straight (non-tapered) forks that kill it for me.

Ritchey do a WCS carbon fork for it, problem solved.

Got a Pace RC129 (ok I've got two, one built singlespeed the other awaiting building with gears)

You are going to struggle to get one now, unless shops have old stock as Pace had a big sell off the other year. I looked at the Ritchey it's a frame of beauty, the only thing that really swung it was the price, and always wanted an RC200 but couldn't afford it. The Pace does ride lovely, in a way that only a steel frame seems to, the forks are surprisingly compliant. The frame did come with there bottom bracket which so far has been spot on, regularly purge it with grease using the special tool. Only issue I've had was a dropout starting to rip up on tightening, but shortened the chain using a half link to bring the dropout in, and all is well again. Mud clearance is the best i've known no chain stay bridge and lovely hour glass stays, just help it fall through.

Had concerns about the EBB but it's been faultless.

I have a 2014 model Nimble 9 (27.2 seat tube, 142x12), I don't regard it as stiff but I guess that's subjective. It's a medium and I'm in Surrey if you want a try.

P-29 looks really nice but it's more XC geo I believe, depends what you want/do.

Worth noting re my N9 is I couldn't get a range extender to work. http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/hope-t-rex-and-xt-rm-clearance-not-arrrghhhh

Bike will mainly be used for local trail xc / fitness / messing around on but I do like pump tracks and smooth trail centres and jumping as long as there is a good down hill landing .. Yes I've thought that P29 geo is quite XC ish but was hoping that a medium-sized might work if it's long enough? - my inbred is a 16 - I like 29ers to feel a touch small but still long - looking to get a 25mm layback - P29 doesn't look right in bigger sizes IMO ..

Yes I've thought that P29 geo is quite XC ish but was hoping that a medium-sized might work if it's long enough?

Haven't ridden one and don't know you so can't say.

I like the Canfield trailsy geo, I have a Yelli Screamy too. Horses = courses.

[url= http://www.curtisbikes.co.uk/frames/curtis-xc9/ ]Curtis XC9[/url]?

The Curtis does look super nice - pretty much custom frame price bracket ..
Feel like there are a lot of unquantifiable factors trying to upgrade - according to On One they stopped making the Reynolds versions of the Inbred as it rode identical to the 4130 - I've heard it said that the Ritchey P29 tubing is their own version of Reynolds ..

Jones Diamond.
Trust me, it's great!

Jones Diamond.
Trust me, it's great!

Aye, only if you want to go rigid though?

I've just gone from an Inbred to a Stooge. It's a very different ride - much more playful. I loved the Inbred but it was hard to lift the front. The Stooge is more nimble and less battering on the downs and I think it's also a more comfortable ride.

It's definitely more "trailsy" in feel and it's built to take some punishment. Quite a different beast to the Richey, I reckon.

much more playful

Isn't that a euphemism for 'too small'? 😛

Isn't that a euphemism for 'too small'?

no it means shorter chain stays and slacker head angle

Why would you want any suspension? Far to complicated

Been peeping the Stooge thread - think I'd go for nimble 9 over one - EBB's - maybe I'm being narrow minded - don't think I want one - otherwise it looks sick ! - they defo deserve to sell out - In all honesty I don't think I'm qualified to know optimum geometry for my needs - yes I love trying to jump and go faster on local trails - but I generally cycle out to the trail so covering some distance is still important - slacker angles are aesthetically pleasing but are they always as pleasing to ride taking into consideration xc duties also ?

Nice review on the updated Swift in the latest ST mag, they seemed to like it.

Surly, Salsa, Ritchey and Singulars (plus many other quality steel frames) are all made by the same factory in Taiwan, but that is not to say they use the same tubing or anything else!

think I'd go for nimble 9 over one - EBB's - maybe I'm being narrow minded - don't think I want one

My N9 has sliders and they work fine.

I have had 3 bikes with EBBs, they all worked fine too.

A benefit of the sliders is you can use them to tweak the CS length and wheelbase, but that aside I wouldn't let EBB vs sliders be a decider.

The key differences between the Stooge and the N9 are 1 EBB vs sliders, 2 rigid specific vs designed for sus forks, 3 cost, N9 being significantly more expensive.

Either would be a good decision.

slacker angles are aesthetically pleasing but are they always as pleasing to ride taking into consideration xc duties also

works fine for me but that's personal

if you truly want an "XC bike", the Swift is a good choice too.

Regarding the N9 being designed specifically for Suss forks - I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Chris Canfield ran some Niner rigid carbon on his ...
Didn't know the. Ritchey frames were made in same factory as Surly - I know they are considered by some as somewhat overpriced..
Still no closer to pulling the trigger on replacing the inbred
Might get a powdercoat in the meantime ! (JMC Daryl Young Candy Apple Red ) GOAT colour IMHO..

I clarify, the N9 can do either of course, but the Stooge designer's intention I believe is for it to be run rigid.

I've tried rigid on a couple of frames and didn't get on with it, and the weight difference between steel rigid forks and sus forks isn't much anyway. But lots of people love riding rigid.