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Years ago I had a karate monkey that got stolen. It was a great bike for long distance off road touring.. i suppose it was a flat bared gravel bike/old school xc bike with 29 inch tyres. Ran a 80/100mm suspension fork on it occasionally.
I'm looking to replace it. I don't want drop bars. The closest thing i can find at the moment is a a fairlight holt, but at £999 it is a little bit spendy. The new karate monkey has gone abit wild and slack for me. I suppose an old singluar swift would probably serve me well... but there must be tones of these frames knocking around second hand. I need rack mounts and decent tyre clearance... does any one have any suggestions?
Have a look at Brother Cycles Big Bro.
Or Cotic Cascade (currently on offer) and run it with flat bar.
I've got a 2020 Big Bro frame and forks just about to go on eBay if your interested? Medium, black, in good nick.
Krampus ?
On-one bootzipper?
I’ve just ordered a Cascade frame to build up flat bar for the same type of riding.
Hi @Timmycee - any chance you could send me a price and a couple of photos? mail@joesheffer.com
It would be completely redundant and overlap with bikes I already have but I can’t help but want a big bro. So yeah, that.
A new or second hand Sonder Frontier would suit your needs perfectly. Alu, but comfy. Plenty of mounts, not heavy and cheap. I've run mine with 100mm suspension and rigid carbon. It's great - I've done multi-day bike packing routes and a couple of 100 mile plus days on it.
Loads of good suggestions above
The frontier is probably the value option
Marin Pine Mountain
Surly Bridge Club
I think you can still buy a Sanderson Town crier frame
Bombtrack beyond +
kona Unit x
Loads of options here
https://bikepacking.com/index/rigid-steel-off-road-touring-bikes/
I've got a Singular Swift I use for exactly this, and I love. My favourite ever bike, the one I'd run in and get if the house was on fire. Did the Badger Divide route on it, as an example, and it was perfect. Not sure when the new ones would be available?
I have a Sonder Frontier rigid I'm selling, Joe.
Size large, Deore brakes and chainset, SLX gears.
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I have a Brother Big Bro and it's bloody great, I've run it rigid with 27.5x2.8 and 29x2.4 but some people run a suspension fork too (up to 120 I think).
If I didn't have a bit of a steel bike obsession then I'd have gone for a Sonder Frontier, I think they're only £400 for frame and fork!
Kona Unit/Surly Karate Monkey were my other options, but the Big Bro frame was in stock at the Woods Cyclery when I visited and it turned into an expensive day...