Thanks for watching everyone! To be honest, this video is good, but not great. I don't feel it told a story, and I didn't want to finish editing the video. But work is work, and sometimes you just need to get it done. I hope you enjoyed it. If not, next week's video will be better, I promise!
Thanks for the explanation/illustration of stack/reach choices when designing the frame, super interesting! You definitely capture the essence of a fun hardtail too, just air up and ride.
Thanks for video, I always enjoy frame geometry discussions because I learn something every time. Way back, mid 1980's, I rode the first mtn bikes when everything was 26" wheels, rigid, and designers tinkered with steeper angles (Salsa). As someone that worked in trades back then with physical work, it didn't take long before hand, wrist, and arm pains started. I stopped mtn biking and stuck with road bikes, and long bike tours. I came back to mtn bikes in 2019, when I wanted to ride the GDMBR touring. I bought a Ti hardtail with Fox 34, a long wheelbase, and massive down-tube. After five years of seeking comfort by trying different stems, bars, tires, and riding half of the GDMBR with arthritis in hands, wrists, neck, I sold that bike. Even with a long wheelbase it was too stiff. I reverted to an old school design with drop-bars, steel frame, 29er mtn bike designed by someone I knew back in the 1980's, he stayed in the bike industry. Immediate comfort with the compliance of a steel frame, and drop-bars, even with a rigid steel fork. My return to racks and small light weight panniers front and rear for off road touring became a full circle realization of common sense. If you're not a racer on the Tour Divide route, and not a big drop jumper mtn biker, steel frames are the best way to go for comfort. And that's for road and off road. Drop bars on a mtn bike you'll go a little slower and more carefully downhill, but make you'll it up on the flats and long open spaces rolling faster and more comfortably. Happy Trails ☮
I keep going back to hardtails, they really are do it all bikes, great insight from you as builder working riding and living the MTB life...much better then all the "content" creators trying to sell the latest greatest product you need for your carbon enduro bike.
I love this perspective and discussion of your personal experience. Especially the stack height and reach. The other gem is the fact that I’m also riding a hardtail because I don’t need a long travel enduro rig because I’m never going to use all that travel as a older man that isn’t trying to prove anything.
This is a video topic I want to explore more. I think there is a bias in mountain biking media that skew people's perspectives of what "real" mountain bikes are. The media companies and bike companies (Specialized, transition, Santa Cruz) are riding bikes in the top .1% of terrain and skill level. Most people are risk-averse and enjoy ride easy trails, including me. Nothing wrong with that!
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT absolutely! Some of us are not ever going to wear a FF Helmet, pad up in full Storm Trooper gear and rip down the steepest parts of a mountain as a wanna-be Red Bull rider. We enjoy the trails just as much as we enjoy the details that small frame builders “craftsman” put into designing a bike that is perfect for most people.
Nice bike! The bottle bracket a great idea. Also that second hole is usually after the butt ends and I never like drilling where it's so thin (although I know it's fine really once you've brazed in a boss)
Sweet. I'm going on a fifth month wait for my steel hard tail in the "newsboy" style to complete, being built by Curtis at Retrotec in Napa, CA. Steel is real, thin is in! Thanks for the video.
I got a Quick Cage from Two Fish for my seat tube on my Surly Krampus- Velcro strap style water bottle cage, best one out there, doesn’t slip around much if you attach it right, but yeah I wish it had real bosses like you have done on this frame…nice design feature for sure. Neuhaus is making some really great stuff!
Great in depth look. Hummingbird is doing great for my local terrain but now i understand what the Solstice can be, so could be a good bike if i ever move to a place where the trails are different.
Love to hear it! The riding clips in Socal were on my Hummigbird, don't tell anyone! IMO, tire choice makes a bigger difference than the geometry and travel of the Hummingbird and Solstice.
That's a nice bike, well spec'd IMHO with good, working type parts that aren't too heavy and won't break the bank. I'd have to day, think maybe I saw some photos of your bikes from the MADE show (remember the 3d printed lugs), but didn't check them out, but just did check the geo after watching this and was very surprised to see a reasonable ESTA instead of the crazy steep shit most are doing these days. One thing I hope people really take note of is the Stack on your bikes, it's DAMN tall compared to most, it would actually have me considering sizing down to a ML+ at 6'2" for this model and L/L+ for the HBSL which would actually be more the bike I'd choose. One other thing, I don't see an option for RAW Ti, which to me is the obvious first option when using Ti, not cover it and the beautiful welds up with paint/cerekot.
I feel like almost everyone ends up with the ride in their riser bars in line with the steer axis rather than vertical. Maybe it feels like a more natural hand position? But I’m not sure you can assume riser bars don’t decrease effective reach.
@@alexander.sollie it’s a good point. In the example I showed, both risers were tilted back 10deg. The result accounts for the shorter reach of the riser angled backwards.
Great vid! What’s the geo on your solstice? I’ve run low stem/high rise bars and longer stem with more spacers underneath to achieve the same effect you discussed here. What’s the wheel base on your solstice and how tall are you if you don’t mind me asking? Cheers
65HTA, 475 reach, 1235mm wheelbase. I am 6ft tall. This version has 435mm chainstay compared to the stock 430. I was testing the longer rear center, and find I prefer the 430 version!
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT Cheers mate. Yeah that's a pretty big reach. 435mm would definitely pair better with a reach that long in my opinion. Even at 5'11 with a 450 reach, 435mm chainstay, and 65HTA I find my self running a 50mm stem trying to weight the front end more.
It's taken one hell of a long time to evolve the off road bicycle design away from that of the roadbike. Confirmation that despite the appeal of often pointless innovations the difficulty of thinking outside of the box and breaking ties with convention!
Sir, you don't believe that? I have proof! ✉ I'm not claiming that you copied me directly, but I realize that this type of geometry is of course very obvious now. I appreciate your work. 👍
glad you enjoyed the video. Your bike has a nice high stack as well. I wouldn't say they are similar, though. The wheelsizes and angles are totally different. But regardless, one of my main point at the end of my video are that all hardtails are great! This is why I don't talk about geometry numbers in my videos.
@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT thanks for your feedback! think the wheel size is the biggest difference - my seat angle has become a bit too flat and i would definitely make the front end longer today
congratulations - this is pretty much my design of 2017 - and i am realy flattered to see your interpretation 67 hta / 72 sta / 675 tt / 425 cs / 130 mm / 690 stack / 650B finde a short under : long_geo_base from bert kreft videographie is a bit wonky
Thanks for watching everyone! To be honest, this video is good, but not great. I don't feel it told a story, and I didn't want to finish editing the video. But work is work, and sometimes you just need to get it done. I hope you enjoyed it. If not, next week's video will be better, I promise!
Nothing wrong with the video bro. I know nothing of mountain bikers and I learned a lot.
A short little love poem to the hardtail. Nothing wrong with that :)
This video showed me more about the solstice ! Sometimes we don’t always need a story. Simple info and sick video edits is all we need to enjoy it.
Excellent!!! 👍
I am on Banshee Paradox V3 and full XTR drivetrain, wheels are mulet custom DT Swiss FR541 with new hub wit 96 tooth.
Which model 36 fork?
Thanks for the explanation/illustration of stack/reach choices when designing the frame, super interesting! You definitely capture the essence of a fun hardtail too, just air up and ride.
@@whiteryanc Thanks! hardtails: never your best bike, never your worst bike. Which makes it your best bike!
Thanks for video, I always enjoy frame geometry discussions because I learn something every time. Way back, mid 1980's, I rode the first mtn bikes when everything was 26" wheels, rigid, and designers tinkered with steeper angles (Salsa).
As someone that worked in trades back then with physical work, it didn't take long before hand, wrist, and arm pains started. I stopped mtn biking and stuck with road bikes, and long bike tours.
I came back to mtn bikes in 2019, when I wanted to ride the GDMBR touring. I bought a Ti hardtail with Fox 34, a long wheelbase, and massive down-tube. After five years of seeking comfort by trying different stems, bars, tires, and riding half of the GDMBR with arthritis in hands, wrists, neck, I sold that bike. Even with a long wheelbase it was too stiff.
I reverted to an old school design with drop-bars, steel frame, 29er mtn bike designed by someone I knew back in the 1980's, he stayed in the bike industry. Immediate comfort with the compliance of a steel frame, and drop-bars, even with a rigid steel fork. My return to racks and small light weight panniers front and rear for off road touring became a full circle realization of common sense.
If you're not a racer on the Tour Divide route, and not a big drop jumper mtn biker, steel frames are the best way to go for comfort. And that's for road and off road.
Drop bars on a mtn bike you'll go a little slower and more carefully downhill, but make you'll it up on the flats and long open spaces rolling faster and more comfortably.
Happy Trails ☮
I keep going back to hardtails, they really are do it all bikes, great insight from you as builder working riding and living the MTB life...much better then all the "content" creators trying to sell the latest greatest product you need for your carbon enduro bike.
The cockpit measurement of the beast
It's a METAL bike after all!
I love this perspective and discussion of your personal experience. Especially the stack height and reach. The other gem is the fact that I’m also riding a hardtail because I don’t need a long travel enduro rig because I’m never going to use all that travel as a older man that isn’t trying to prove anything.
This is a video topic I want to explore more. I think there is a bias in mountain biking media that skew people's perspectives of what "real" mountain bikes are. The media companies and bike companies (Specialized, transition, Santa Cruz) are riding bikes in the top .1% of terrain and skill level. Most people are risk-averse and enjoy ride easy trails, including me. Nothing wrong with that!
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT absolutely! Some of us are not ever going to wear a FF Helmet, pad up in full Storm Trooper gear and rip down the steepest parts of a mountain as a wanna-be Red Bull rider.
We enjoy the trails just as much as we enjoy the details that small frame builders “craftsman” put into designing a bike that is perfect for most people.
Nice bike! The bottle bracket a great idea. Also that second hole is usually after the butt ends and I never like drilling where it's so thin (although I know it's fine really once you've brazed in a boss)
good learning again!! keep it coming!!
Sweet. I'm going on a fifth month wait for my steel hard tail in the "newsboy" style to complete, being built by Curtis at Retrotec in Napa, CA. Steel is real, thin is in! Thanks for the video.
Seems really well thought out.
I just got home from a hardtail ride. The new bike looks great, good job team.
I love what you guys are doing!
I've got a hummingbird that's going through paint and QC right now... cant wait to ride it!
Awesome looking hardtail!! Good content. Love what you said: Just pump up the tires and go mountain biking!👍
It's a beautiful bike! Also very true that 120mm suspension can keep you from doing stupid things haha!
Beauty frame and sensible build. I’m feeling N +1 creeping in.
Reminds me of the old Voodoo Bikes. That’s not a bad thing but, rather it’s a complement.
I got a Quick Cage from Two Fish for my seat tube on my Surly Krampus- Velcro strap style water bottle cage, best one out there, doesn’t slip around much if you attach it right, but yeah I wish it had real bosses like you have done on this frame…nice design feature for sure. Neuhaus is making some really great stuff!
Great in depth look. Hummingbird is doing great for my local terrain but now i understand what the Solstice can be, so could be a good bike if i ever move to a place where the trails are different.
Love to hear it! The riding clips in Socal were on my Hummigbird, don't tell anyone! IMO, tire choice makes a bigger difference than the geometry and travel of the Hummingbird and Solstice.
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT found 2.4s perfect for here in North Florida. Wicked Wills front and rear.
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT to that end the forekaster/rekon combo works great on the hummingbird here in the north east
excellent.
I do the same thing with a riser Bar, cool to hear some theory about it. The water bottel mount is also super cool.
@@levingamm5956 nice hack! Bar rise is totally underrated
That is nicer than Athrodite herself. x
That's a nice bike, well spec'd IMHO with good, working type parts that aren't too heavy and won't break the bank. I'd have to day, think maybe I saw some photos of your bikes from the MADE show (remember the 3d printed lugs), but didn't check them out, but just did check the geo after watching this and was very surprised to see a reasonable ESTA instead of the crazy steep shit most are doing these days. One thing I hope people really take note of is the Stack on your bikes, it's DAMN tall compared to most, it would actually have me considering sizing down to a ML+ at 6'2" for this model and L/L+ for the HBSL which would actually be more the bike I'd choose. One other thing, I don't see an option for RAW Ti, which to me is the obvious first option when using Ti, not cover it and the beautiful welds up with paint/cerekot.
I want one! This bike is definitely a hardtail of the year candidate. You’d be crazy to pass this bike up for a hardtail
Interesting
@E-bikeguy Could this frame help with more power from a QS273 hub motor?
nice curious as to why you chose the solstice over the hummingbird?
I feel like almost everyone ends up with the ride in their riser bars in line with the steer axis rather than vertical. Maybe it feels like a more natural hand position? But I’m not sure you can assume riser bars don’t decrease effective reach.
@@alexander.sollie it’s a good point. In the example I showed, both risers were tilted back 10deg. The result accounts for the shorter reach of the riser angled backwards.
try to have Tom Ritchey rate your steel frames!! his take on it, and post it!!
where is the brand name from!! ??
why is your heatube short!!??
it doesn't look like the solstice is on the Neuhaus site anymore?
@@johndevine2469 we streamlined the models after we launched our new hummingbird. Solstice is getting a facelift!
Great vid! What’s the geo on your solstice? I’ve run low stem/high rise bars and longer stem with more spacers underneath to achieve the same effect you discussed here. What’s the wheel base on your solstice and how tall are you if you don’t mind me asking? Cheers
65HTA, 475 reach, 1235mm wheelbase. I am 6ft tall. This version has 435mm chainstay compared to the stock 430. I was testing the longer rear center, and find I prefer the 430 version!
@@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT Cheers mate. Yeah that's a pretty big reach. 435mm would definitely pair better with a reach that long in my opinion. Even at 5'11 with a 450 reach, 435mm chainstay, and 65HTA I find my self running a 50mm stem trying to weight the front end more.
Which fox 36 fork is this ?
Performance Elite. It comes with the Fit4 damper.
everyone copy each other it seems.past to present!!
It's taken one hell of a long time to evolve the off road bicycle design away from that of the roadbike.
Confirmation that despite the appeal of often pointless innovations the difficulty of thinking outside of the box and breaking ties with convention!
666!
Sir, you don't believe that? I have proof! ✉
I'm not claiming that you copied me directly, but I realize that this type of geometry is of course very obvious now. I appreciate your work. 👍
glad you enjoyed the video. Your bike has a nice high stack as well. I wouldn't say they are similar, though. The wheelsizes and angles are totally different. But regardless, one of my main point at the end of my video are that all hardtails are great! This is why I don't talk about geometry numbers in my videos.
@Daniel_Yang_ARTEFACT thanks for your feedback! think the wheel size is the biggest difference - my seat angle has become a bit too flat and i would definitely make the front end longer today
Any chance of an e-bike version of this model coming out? Love the vibe/build: short travel fun bike.
Never say never, we have a Bosch motor system we need to test out!
congratulations - this is pretty much my design of 2017 - and i am realy flattered to see your interpretation
67 hta / 72 sta / 675 tt / 425 cs / 130 mm / 690 stack / 650B
finde a short under : long_geo_base from bert kreft
videographie is a bit wonky