Really like that titanium look. I would take that or the black color(better as a flat black, but that will work). I like the build you did. Shows you don't have to get everything expensive.
Sooooo damn stoked for you! Also a dad and extremely budget conscious as you. Gotta say, of all people I follow, if/when I can spare no expense, I’d LOVE to one day have you to help suggest the dream hardtail, starting with that beauty ti frame! Love your tips and reviews on components. Would be so rad to see what you’re experience and knowledge on the pulse of the industry would bring together on a dream build. Happy trails. Party on dude!
Beautiful bike brother! I to have always dreamed of owning a Titanium Hardtail far to expensive for me maybe some day.. can not wait to hear how you like it that's a good Long term bike right there!
What an awesome bike! You are a lucky man! Soooo jealous. Keep up the good work, love your videos! Those are some of the cleanest welds I’ve seen on a bike. REEB does really good welds also but these might take it. Very close.
Awesome bike! I found with my Ti RSD Sergeant that rubbing alcohol takes off all the grease and I think it was Moots that gave me the idea to use furniture polish on a soft cloth to wipe down the bike and give it that awesome sheen.
Getting back into mountain biking with my 11 year old son. Haven't seen what knee pads or elbow pads etc you would recommend and other stuff for people who have been out of it for awhile and starting back riding with kiddo. Keep up the good work . Showed my son it's the rider mostly along with the bike that makes it fun with your videos . He is excited. Got him a brand new Trek Marlin to start out with and hopefully move up. Thanks for any input.
Awesome. Lucky kid to be riding with his dad. These are my favorite knee pads I've found. They strike a good balance between protection without being too bulky. amzn.to/37BbfGm
I believe the turbines are raceface’s lightweight aluminum offering. Also, a surprisingly nice drivetrain is microshift advent. I run it on my freeride bike and I love it. It’s not light or fancy but it’s super reliable and tough. Love the build! Such a sick frame!
I can't wait for your ride report. I'm looking to add a hard tail (again) to my fleet but a 29er this time and I'm looking at several options, most of them are CF. After seeing Tess's DV9 I starting looking at them. Then I see this and now I'm curious.
For my riding style I like this a lot more than the dv9. The dv9 is lighter, but the geo on the middle child suits my riding a lot more. Plus it's more versatile since it can be run singlenspeed or geared and with sliding dropouts, and 27.5x3.0 or 29. The dv9 can only run 29. Both are great bikes, it just depends on what you're looking for in your ride quality. I'll take ti over carbon always, but weight isht a huge consideration for me
I just ordered the Velocirax bike rack after seeing your video. arrives tomorrow. thanks for the discount code. coincidentally, the hardtail party gear bag arrives tomorrow also.
@@hardtailparty 5 bike. i have 7 bikes but i don't like the width plus i only take 4 with me on vactions. I sold the new Kuat rack i had today, ordered the velocirax, and it arrives tomorrow. unbelievably fast shipping.
@@hardtailparty i have a titanium Carver Gnarvester hardtail set up as a single speed. my favorite bike in the stable. i just got AXS so i can make it a geared bike in 3 minutes with a wheel swap from another bike for the cassette.
Jordan Rhodes which is if you wouldn’t mind sharing? Over 3K miles on mine including pretty rough terrain and jumps and so far not a single issue with my 2019.
@@EloEast I have the 2018 Aluxx Chameleon as well as 4 other guys I ride with. We all have had the same issue. The dropouts (bolts) work themselves loose and then can create frame issues (Oval-ing the bolt thread or frame cracking.) If you are changing or swapping 27.5 to 29 dropouts periodically this seems to acerbate the issue quicker. I now just leave my 27.5 set up on and have it heavily loctighted. It's really unfortunate because we all do really like the bike.
Wow nice! Can't wait for the ride report. I have steel, carbon, and aluminum (hardtail!) bikes but never a Titanium, very interested to hear your impressions. Question... why 170mm cranks? More clearance?? Thanks for showing us your build!
Most bikes are coming with 170mm cranks these days. Fewer pedal strikes. Titanium feels most like steel, but lighter and flexier. Ride report coming soon.
Awsome video, could you please tell me what size pvc pipe you made your crown race tool out of and how long to make it . Thanks. Keep up the Great videos.
Damn I want one...a little more compliance with a significant weight reduction...what's not to like🤘! That is a super rad build Steve I love it congrats!
Nice buildup! The blue lettering might be a starting point to some future color freshness.... Perfect opportunity to compare steel vs. ti 1:1. Do ypu know the weight difference of your two frames? Don't rely too much on the corrosion resistance of Titanium. Like stainless spokes, you e.g. better wipe it with an oil cloth from time to time. Protection against cable rub is very useful too. Seems you already have some experience with ISCG adapters: Is there a risk, that they rotate, when hit? Which combo - adapter / taco - do you recommend?
The ti bike is about 2lbs lighter. I imagine the iscg adapter could rotate, but I've hit mine a lot and it hasn't rotated yet. I'm using the MRP adapter with the MRP bash guard. I have no issues with it. It's well made.
Without knowing your exact budget or riding style or location, its tough to make a recommendation. I would pick the new 2020 fuse over the chameleon for my riding style. Another amazing option is the just announced rsd aluminum module child. It won't be out for a few months, but it's got my vote for a sub $2k bike.
Real nice and clean frame 👌 I love the detail you show throughout your builds, keep that up so we can keep geelin put on that stuff. Now onto a question, why this brand? I know you are an advocate for them, but why them and not chromag or NS or other? Really curious as I plan on doing ground up build of cr-mo ht next. I just finished ibos dv9 build and enjoying that bike very much, thank you, but as soon as I finish one rig my mind is on a search for next project 😁
Cromag and ns make nice bikes too. There are a lot of great hardtails out there, but there are a few reasons I ride RSD. Reason #1: threaded bb. Cromag doesn't have that. Reason #2: super aggressive geo (cromag is almost identical here) Reason #3: super short chaonstays. Reasone #4: versatility. Able to be run geared or singlespeed. Sliding dropouts mean more options in the future. And sliding dropouts mean I can run 415-430mm chainstays depending on how I feel. Reason #5: clearance for true plus tires. I ca. fit 27.5x2.3 all the way up to most 27.5x3.0. I can also fit up to 29x2.6. Options are good. For me, a hardtail shoupd have clearance for a 27.5x2.8 min. A lot of bikes don't. Reason #6: quality. The welds and construction quality on these bikes are second to none. I've had some of the best tig welders in the world look at my bike and compliment the quality of the welds and construction. Reason #7: price. Nobody has a ti aggressive hardtail even close to this price. Alex has a great reputation, and i like being different and supporting new companies that others may not now about. My only complaint about the middle child is that it's not quite as compliant as some other habdbuilt hardtails. It makes up for that, however, in strength. This bike will take a serious beating. I am so glad i went with rsd, zero regrets. the more i ride it and compare it with other options, the more I love it.
@@hardtailparty thank you for such thorough follow up; ill definitely be considered middlechild for my next build; Im also considering new 2020 Torrent HT s1 which ticks off a lot of the same boxes middlechild does 😁
Yes, the new torrent looks sweet. I wish they would have had one at outerbike so I could have demoed and reviewed it. I wonder if it can run plus tires. If not, that's a deal-breaker for me.
@@hardtailparty from what I have gathered, 2.6 is the biggest tire that will fit on the new Torrent...wide but quite "plus' wide, although that's what I'm running on my dv9 and I'm really digging that size tires
I'm really thinking about getting this frame for a hardtail. I guess this is a dumb question but could you run a mixed wheel set up on this without ruining the geometry?
Absolutely. My buddy Justin is running his with a 29er front and 27.5 rear. If you're SUPER tall, you may notice the seat angle being SLIGHTLY slacker, but apart from that I don't see any downsides. Check out my latest video to see justin's mullet middle child.
That's a beauty! I would love a Ti hardtail, but first I need to get my first full suspension bike. How do you like the High Roller II up front and the DHR II on the back? I recently got the same combo but use them the other way around, not sure what is best
1st thank you for the channel, I’m really enjoying the videos. I just got back into MTB again after many years. I picked up a Cannondale F900 in mint condition but it’s an 8 speed ( 11/30 cassette ) can I go 1x 10 on 26” tires? If so can you help me with the configuration?
42mm offset. But offset doesnt make an enormous difference. I'll be experimenting with a few different wheelsets, but 27.5+ will spend the most time on it.
Grats man - she's a beauty! I had a Litespeed Obed back in the day - she was pretty but a bit too flexy for my tastes so I switched to a Dean Jester steel hardtail. Keep on (hardtail) partying!
I purchased a Motobecane 29 team fly TITANIUM frame. Here's parts I will be putting on my build. Will be robbing my 2016 specialized stumpjumper 4 parts. Parts list. 1. Race face atlas red 170mm crank 2. Ritchey full carbon rigid folk 3. Industry nine torch hubs straight pull wheels. 4. Box 11 derailleur 5. Sunrace 11 speed cassette 11-50 6. Nukeproof horizon red handlebars 780 31.8mm 7. Magura MT trail carbon 2 front & 1 rear brakes 8. Magura sl 180 rotor f & r 9.selle italia full carbon gold seat 10. Redshift stopshock stem 11. Box shifter 1x11 12. Brand-X dropper seat post 13. Fsa headset 14. Race face English thread 73mm shell 30mm 15. Cush core inserts. 16. I want 2 get like gravel street tire will mostly be doing street riding. Even though I want be the fastest the bike will be pretty. Bling, Bling
Depends on the wheels. I have a set of NOX Kitsuma wheels on my other bike and I've loved them! 3 years of pounding on them and they're as true as the day I bought them. I think they might be a bit stiff for the hardtail, but stay tuned to see which wheels I end up going with...
"Brown Santa" sounds like a Chappelle Show skit.
Lol. It totally does. maybe I should call it the brown sleigh...
I love how the raw finish of the frame matches with the decals of the fork
Me too. That was unplanned but i was thrilled when I saw it.
That's a sick bike! Very dope! The frame is just baller.
I love this frame. It rides even better than it looks.
Really like that titanium look. I would take that or the black color(better as a flat black, but that will work). I like the build you did. Shows you don't have to get everything expensive.
Sooooo damn stoked for you! Also a dad and extremely budget conscious as you. Gotta say, of all people I follow, if/when I can spare no expense, I’d LOVE to one day have you to help suggest the dream hardtail, starting with that beauty ti frame! Love your tips and reviews on components. Would be so rad to see what you’re experience and knowledge on the pulse of the industry would bring together on a dream build. Happy trails. Party on dude!
Love that raw finish on the ti frame!
I have a small middle child best hardtail I’ve ever ridden!
SICK bike! I want a Ti Hardtail. The Pike looks sweet too. Can't wait to see more vids on this bike 😎
Beautiful bike brother! I to have always dreamed of owning a Titanium Hardtail far to expensive for me maybe some day.. can not wait to hear how you like it that's a good Long term bike right there!
There's the Ti child!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
Ti hardtail is bad ass! Thanks for making content like this, I’d love to build up a Ti frame bike
that bike is really awesome can't wait to hear how you like it on the trail
No way! Congratulations to you! Must be SO LIGHT!!!😁
Thanks Justin. It's a sweet bike for sure.
One word: JEALOUS! My dream build would be a Ti Hardtail...Awesome bike!
Holy moly I thought the Chameleon frame was spendy on its own but that Titanium one is somethin' else! 0_0 Nice build man, enjoy!
Congratulations dude! It's a beauty 🤩
What an awesome bike! You are a lucky man! Soooo jealous. Keep up the good work, love your videos! Those are some of the cleanest welds I’ve seen on a bike. REEB does really good welds also but these might take it. Very close.
Indeed, reeb makes beautiful welds.
Sick bike dude!! Love the raw finish!! Hardtails4life :)
Awesome bike! I found with my Ti RSD Sergeant that rubbing alcohol takes off all the grease and I think it was Moots that gave me the idea to use furniture polish on a soft cloth to wipe down the bike and give it that awesome sheen.
Thanks for the tips.
You need a Do Little bike seat for your daughter. I run one on my RSD Sergeant and our kids love it. That Ti Middlechild is beautiful
That bike is SWEEEEEEEEEEEET!! looks beefy!! can't wait to see the ride video!
Getting back into mountain biking with my 11 year old son. Haven't seen what knee pads or elbow pads etc you would recommend and other stuff for people who have been out of it for awhile and starting back riding with kiddo. Keep up the good work . Showed my son it's the rider mostly along with the bike that makes it fun with your videos . He is excited. Got him a brand new Trek Marlin to start out with and hopefully move up. Thanks for any input.
Awesome. Lucky kid to be riding with his dad. These are my favorite knee pads I've found. They strike a good balance between protection without being too bulky. amzn.to/37BbfGm
I believe the turbines are raceface’s lightweight aluminum offering. Also, a surprisingly nice drivetrain is microshift advent. I run it on my freeride bike and I love it. It’s not light or fancy but it’s super reliable and tough. Love the build! Such a sick frame!
Micro shift is awesome. I wanted to run it, but I have an xd driver.
thats a good looking frame, you are building your new one,,while im still stock on my voodoo...congrats mate
Beautiful bike 😍😍😍 Have a good ride 🤘
I can't wait for your ride report. I'm looking to add a hard tail (again) to my fleet but a 29er this time and I'm looking at several options, most of them are CF. After seeing Tess's DV9 I starting looking at them. Then I see this and now I'm curious.
For my riding style I like this a lot more than the dv9. The dv9 is lighter, but the geo on the middle child suits my riding a lot more. Plus it's more versatile since it can be run singlenspeed or geared and with sliding dropouts, and 27.5x3.0 or 29. The dv9 can only run 29. Both are great bikes, it just depends on what you're looking for in your ride quality. I'll take ti over carbon always, but weight isht a huge consideration for me
I just ordered the Velocirax bike rack after seeing your video. arrives tomorrow. thanks for the discount code. coincidentally, the hardtail party gear bag arrives tomorrow also.
You're going to love them both! Did you go with the 5 rack or the 7 rack?
@@hardtailparty 5 bike. i have 7 bikes but i don't like the width plus i only take 4 with me on vactions. I sold the new Kuat rack i had today, ordered the velocirax, and it arrives tomorrow. unbelievably fast shipping.
@@hardtailparty i have a titanium Carver Gnarvester hardtail set up as a single speed. my favorite bike in the stable. i just got AXS so i can make it a geared bike in 3 minutes with a wheel swap from another bike for the cassette.
I got a sneak peak you riding your new bike a few days ago on the RSD Facebook page. 💯👍
Sick looking frame! Enjoy it. I am very curious to see how this compares to the steel.
Beautiful- enjoy. And I can definitely vouch for the design flaw regarding the chameleon’s dropouts.
Jordan Rhodes which is if you wouldn’t mind sharing? Over 3K miles on mine including pretty rough terrain and jumps and so far not a single issue with my 2019.
@@EloEast I have the 2018 Aluxx Chameleon as well as 4 other guys I ride with. We all have had the same issue. The dropouts (bolts) work themselves loose and then can create frame issues (Oval-ing the bolt thread or frame cracking.) If you are changing or swapping 27.5 to 29 dropouts periodically this seems to acerbate the issue quicker. I now just leave my 27.5 set up on and have it heavily loctighted. It's really unfortunate because we all do really like the bike.
@@jordanrhodes man, that's sad to hear. Santa cruz has a pretty solid warranty dept. Hopefully you never need to use it, but it's there if you do.
Awesome bike.
Wow nice! Can't wait for the ride report. I have steel, carbon, and aluminum (hardtail!) bikes but never a Titanium, very interested to hear your impressions. Question... why 170mm cranks? More clearance?? Thanks for showing us your build!
Most bikes are coming with 170mm cranks these days. Fewer pedal strikes. Titanium feels most like steel, but lighter and flexier. Ride report coming soon.
I think I'm in love. That is one sexy frame.
Wow! As pretty as your new ride is, the topography in the background is moreso! What part of the country is this?
Utah
Awsome video, could you please tell me what size pvc pipe you made your crown race tool out of and how long to make it . Thanks. Keep up the Great videos.
Looks sick 😍
Damn I want one...a little more compliance with a significant weight reduction...what's not to like🤘! That is a super rad build Steve I love it congrats!
You need to come ride this thing. It's like the best of the mc steel, with a better ride feel and a better weight. No downsides other than price.
@@hardtailparty when are you back in Sedona?
We live in sedona now so we are always in town.
Definitely want one of those!!!! But I love the Chameleon too much to part with. I'm curious how well it climbs.
I don't miss my chameleon at all.
Very Cool
Congrats Steve 👏 Seems many riders today don't even know the best bikes in the past where Ti.
Nail cutters are great too for cutting zip ties cause thats what im using
Yup, those work in a pinch. These knipex cutters are amazing though. I just remembered I forgot the link to them.
Awesome bike! What's the tool called at 11:42 for the fork?
amzn.to/2BDTsjV
That's a beaute. Saving up for one!
It's well worth it. If you need a sizesmall, hit me up. I've got one for sale.
Awesome build! So glad I found your channel. Would you mind linking the isgc adapter you used? Thanks
pipe cutter or pike cutter??
i love your videos form france ! yeaaaaaahhh!
Nice buildup!
The blue lettering might be a starting point to some future color freshness....
Perfect opportunity to compare steel vs. ti 1:1. Do ypu know the weight difference of your two frames?
Don't rely too much on the corrosion resistance of Titanium. Like stainless spokes, you e.g. better wipe it with an oil cloth from time to time. Protection against cable rub is very useful too.
Seems you already have some experience with ISCG adapters: Is there a risk, that they rotate, when hit? Which combo - adapter / taco - do you recommend?
The ti bike is about 2lbs lighter. I imagine the iscg adapter could rotate, but I've hit mine a lot and it hasn't rotated yet. I'm using the MRP adapter with the MRP bash guard. I have no issues with it. It's well made.
Just curious what the weight difference is between the chrome molly and titanium?
2 lbs between the frames.
can anyone send me a link from that bottom bracket which he uses, thanks
Google "wheels manufacturing angular contact bb" and pick the right one for your frame.
Hey
I’m on a very tight budget and looking at 2 HT ; the Santa Cruz Chameleon and Specialized Fuze
Which one ? And why
Chameleon is one of the worst values out there. the salsa timberjack is almost identical to the chameleon and about $500 cheaper.
Without knowing your exact budget or riding style or location, its tough to make a recommendation. I would pick the new 2020 fuse over the chameleon for my riding style. Another amazing option is the just announced rsd aluminum module child. It won't be out for a few months, but it's got my vote for a sub $2k bike.
Gorgeous 😍
You said you love your hub but I couldn’t find where you actually said what it is...the suspense!
Sorry, I must have cut that out on accident. It's an onyx hub. its my single favorite component.
Real nice and clean frame 👌
I love the detail you show throughout your builds, keep that up so we can keep geelin put on that stuff.
Now onto a question, why this brand? I know you are an advocate for them, but why them and not chromag or NS or other? Really curious as I plan on doing ground up build of cr-mo ht next. I just finished ibos dv9 build and enjoying that bike very much, thank you, but as soon as I finish one rig my mind is on a search for next project 😁
Cromag and ns make nice bikes too. There are a lot of great hardtails out there, but there are a few reasons I ride RSD.
Reason #1: threaded bb. Cromag doesn't have that.
Reason #2: super aggressive geo (cromag is almost identical here)
Reason #3: super short chaonstays.
Reasone #4: versatility. Able to be run geared or singlespeed. Sliding dropouts mean more options in the future. And sliding dropouts mean I can run 415-430mm chainstays depending on how I feel.
Reason #5: clearance for true plus tires. I ca. fit 27.5x2.3 all the way up to most 27.5x3.0. I can also fit up to 29x2.6. Options are good. For me, a hardtail shoupd have clearance for a 27.5x2.8 min. A lot of bikes don't.
Reason #6: quality. The welds and construction quality on these bikes are second to none. I've had some of the best tig welders in the world look at my bike and compliment the quality of the welds and construction.
Reason #7: price. Nobody has a ti aggressive hardtail even close to this price.
Alex has a great reputation, and i like being different and supporting new companies that others may not now about. My only complaint about the middle child is that it's not quite as compliant as some other habdbuilt hardtails. It makes up for that, however, in strength. This bike will take a serious beating. I am so glad i went with rsd, zero regrets. the more i ride it and compare it with other options, the more I love it.
@@hardtailparty thank you for such thorough follow up; ill definitely be considered middlechild for my next build; Im also considering new 2020 Torrent HT s1 which ticks off a lot of the same boxes middlechild does 😁
Yes, the new torrent looks sweet. I wish they would have had one at outerbike so I could have demoed and reviewed it. I wonder if it can run plus tires. If not, that's a deal-breaker for me.
@@hardtailparty from what I have gathered, 2.6 is the biggest tire that will fit on the new Torrent...wide but quite "plus' wide, although that's what I'm running on my dv9 and I'm really digging that size tires
@@pan0rama546 so the torrent will fit a 29x2.6 but not a 27.5x2.8?
I'm really thinking about getting this frame for a hardtail. I guess this is a dumb question but could you run a mixed wheel set up on this without ruining the geometry?
Absolutely. My buddy Justin is running his with a 29er front and 27.5 rear. If you're SUPER tall, you may notice the seat angle being SLIGHTLY slacker, but apart from that I don't see any downsides. Check out my latest video to see justin's mullet middle child.
That's a beauty! I would love a Ti hardtail, but first I need to get my first full suspension bike. How do you like the High Roller II up front and the DHR II on the back? I recently got the same combo but use them the other way around, not sure what is best
I love dhr2s front and rear. The hr2 is very similar, but likes to be leaned a little more.
@@hardtailparty I can tell that the side knobs on the hr2 look a bit bigger than the dhr2. I will switch them next time I get the tyres off... Thanks
1st thank you for the channel, I’m really enjoying the videos. I just got back into MTB again after many years. I picked up a Cannondale F900 in mint condition but it’s an 8 speed ( 11/30 cassette ) can I go 1x 10 on 26” tires? If so can you help me with the configuration?
Yes, you can definitely go 1x10, and even 1x11.
Nice Steve, What offset did you go with on the fork? Maybe decided with plans
to go with 29" wheels? Or sticking with 27.5 + ?
42mm offset. But offset doesnt make an enormous difference. I'll be experimenting with a few different wheelsets, but 27.5+ will spend the most time on it.
At least you are admiting how expensive those parts are😂😂😂
Yup, it's not a cheap sport, and this bike isn't a cheap build.
Oh yeah tubeless 2
Grats man - she's a beauty! I had a Litespeed Obed back in the day - she was pretty but a bit too flexy for my tastes so I switched to a Dean Jester steel hardtail. Keep on (hardtail) partying!
I actually wish this bike was slightly more flexy.
I purchased a Motobecane 29 team fly TITANIUM frame. Here's parts I will be putting on my build. Will be robbing my 2016 specialized stumpjumper 4 parts. Parts list.
1. Race face atlas red 170mm crank
2. Ritchey full carbon rigid folk
3. Industry nine torch hubs straight pull wheels.
4. Box 11 derailleur
5. Sunrace 11 speed cassette 11-50
6. Nukeproof horizon red handlebars 780 31.8mm
7. Magura MT trail carbon 2 front & 1 rear brakes
8. Magura sl 180 rotor f & r
9.selle italia full carbon gold seat
10. Redshift stopshock stem
11. Box shifter 1x11
12. Brand-X dropper seat post
13. Fsa headset
14. Race face English thread 73mm shell 30mm
15. Cush core inserts.
16. I want 2 get like gravel street tire will mostly be doing street riding.
Even though I want be the fastest the bike will be pretty. Bling, Bling
As much as I love cushcore, I don't think you're going to need it (or a dropper) for mostly street riding.
You should check babahbikes from indonesia..its a chromo and handmade..
They're welcome to send me one if theyd like me to review it on the channel. I gotta say... I like ti even better than steel.
Great bike...Have many great miles on it...
Thanks Bojan!
Omg that is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen can’t get ov r how good it looks
Every one wants carbon wheels until they get carbon.
Depends on the wheels. I have a set of NOX Kitsuma wheels on my other bike and I've loved them! 3 years of pounding on them and they're as true as the day I bought them. I think they might be a bit stiff for the hardtail, but stay tuned to see which wheels I end up going with...
The Ti will sure help in tackling those Sedona stair climbs 🤬😬👊