Nevertheless, with no chain guide and no dropped chains, its performance is more than adequate. All fine choices. Its not like you need the increased length for stability, as thats already provided by the ultra-low BB. They kindly lent me their Pro build for a thrashing in the depths of the UK Midlands Winter. Its also tough to find a hardtail elsewhere with geometry this extreme, so if this is what you're after that's worth factoring into the price too. It's a very comfy weapon on the steeps. Want to win some free schwag? If any portion of the foregoing warranty (or the exclusions or limitations thereto) is deemed invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law, it shall be deemed modified so as to be valid and enforceable to the maximum extent consistent with such law. Although the fork has only 130mm of travel, its perfectly controlled by the Pikes top-spec Charger 2.1 damper. The seat tube angle is measured with the post at full extension, meaning 78 is the slackest it will ever get (unless your legs are super long and you fit a post with even more travel, though few even exist). The length, height and wheel size of the Squatch do make it a bit less playful than the Stif Morf, but conversely more capable of ploughing over things. Designing the frame around a 130mm travel fork means the frames geometry is preserved as best as possible, regardless to where it is in the forks stroke. I would like to get my hands one if they are still available. The warranty for damage arising from accidents, crashes and other impacts is limited to offered replacement at a reduced charge as set forth above. Softer 3C Maxxis tyres offer better traction while the bigger 2.6in casings really helps isolate you from vibrations. Bottle bosses are in place on the downtube, and there is a 160mm post mount to accommodate any rotor size. Drop the saddle, point it downhill and the bike comes to life. Its very steep 78 seat tube places rider weight almost directly over the bottom bracket which, when the gradient pitches up, results in a really comfortable and efficient pedalling position. This one served me just fine through assorted winter muck. Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. The bottom bracket is pedal-strikingly low at 293mm and, when paired with the bikes length, offers a super stable ride in corners. Registered UK Company No: 03291752, Jungle Products Ltd FRN: 719212 trading as Stif Mountain Bikes are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Already have an account with us? Advertising and commercial: sales@off-road.cc, Mountain bike, bikepackingand gravel bikes. A KS Lev Integra handles dropper duty, with options of 175mm or 200mm available depending on rider preference. Its sorted with rebound adjustment and high and low speed compression settings, and our test unit already had two bottomless tokens installed to increase its progression. The fork is about as controlled as you could hope for and remained impressively supple and tractive when ran a good amount stiffer than recommended. Exactly how much improvement the Torque Caps provide is hard to quantify, but front-end flex was certainly not a concern. Tons of details on top of the frame shape include heavily-crimped seat stays flattened widthways (similar to many carbon road bikes) that flex and dampen heavy hits and repeated bumps. These items are usually delivered within 3-7 working days of despatch. The GX 12spd drivetrain did not skip a beat, but still falls slightly short of the shifting performance of the Shimano competition. Pairing this with the 130mm fork also means there is no drastic head angle change regardless of fork position. International Orders are sent using Royal Mail International Tracked Delivery. Part: 19RamFox. Stif also does the AM 175 version, which gets the exact same kit but has a shorter (175mm, funnily enough) dropper post, plus a basic AM build at 1,900. Rounding out the build are Maxxis tires: A Minion DHF 292.6 3C EXO TR on the front pairs with a Rekon 292.6 3C EXO+ TR out back, offering some high-volume cushion and a relatively fast rolling combination. FEATURES Bikes are assembled and fully checked by our mechanics prior to dispatch, therefore lead times can vary. Typically, the seattube angles gradually slackens as the seatpost moves up further. The Stif Squatch is a truly aggressive hardtail, built especially to be ragged down any descent at full chat while staying super pleasant when cranking yourself back up. These felt great right off the bat, and hardly needed any tweaks off the defaults fro me weight. Please see the Kona owners manual, provided with your bicycle, for additional information. CONTACT US This fork features a short 42mm offset to increase the trail value and offer stable handling without having to add to the overall length of the bike. Some may think 130mm of travel a little thin for an aggressive bike, but it proves a really wise choice for the Squatch. The warranty will be in effect for the lifetime of the frame or fork and is available only to the original owner. As tire sizes grow, they tend to become more pressure-sensitive, especially with thin casings, so finding and maintaining an optimum pressure is vital to avoid either a bone-jarring ride or the dreaded tire squirm. Stif selected this lower travel number to preserve the geometry as best as possible when pushing hard, with the premise that a more consistent and predictable geometry is better than extra travel across most situations. Riding a hardtail requires extra precision so having steering that lets you manoeuvre the wheels exactly where you want massively elevates confidence levels and inspires the confidence to push boundaries. The lever feel and modulation offered by the SRAM G2 RSCs is good, but their ultimate power fell short of my demands, which led to a few scary run-away moments on the steeper trails. All bikes and frames are shipped with FedEX 24hr Tracked Delivery within the UK. The first store as you enter their "City Walk" outdoor shopping mall was a Billabong store (which does $1.5b revenue - 5x Fox Racing).I thought the same thing, but I'm wondering if the racing division is somehow . As with the Morf, Stif designed the Squatch for a 130mm fork, which naturally, combined with the rollover of bigger wheels, gives you more value-per-millimetre. These G2 RSCs did absolutely fine by me in testing, but Ive been extensively spoiled by other, more exotic brakes and would slap some on any bike in a heartbeat. Hit compare to see this Stif side-by-side with your bike. Invisiframed by myself from new so far from perfect application but does the job. really is a boon for easy climbing. The sole remedy available under the foregoing express warranty and all implied warranties is the repair or replacement of defective parts with those of equal or greater value, as determined by Santa Cruz Bicycles in its sole discretion. Kit-wise, theres little to complain about, although heavier, faster riders might want more powerful brakes. Unless otherwise specified we will use a Royal Mail Tracked Delivery service to dispatch your order. Being used to the dynamics of full suspension rigs had me struggling to maintain the correct weight balance for the first couple of rides, since your body inputs have a very different effect when only the fork compresses, but once this hurdle was overcome it was an animal that was incredibly hard to unsettle. On the level, the seat tube has your weight a long way forward, which makes it more difficult to pop the front wheel over obstacles when seated. This volume makes a lot of sense on a bike with no rear suspension, since you need all the help you can get with taking the sting out of the landings. At the opposite end of the cockpit the 64 head angle steers neutrally with a 130mm travel Pike Ultimate fork, the roomy reach numbers growing to 500mm on the XL size. During warranty period, Kona shall repair or replace, at its sole option, the bicycle frame if Kona determines the frame is defective and subject to this limited warranty. That means that on choppy descents and hard landings, the effect of suspension travel steepening your head angle is reduced, again contributing to greater stability. The register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk. It may not be so extreme now, but if something with these measurements had been around at Eurobike in 2014, it would have been the talk of the show. Its the best hardtail Ive ridden. RETURNS & REFUNDS, Copyright 2017-2023 The Loam Wolf | All Rights Reserved |. Various wall thicknesses and tubing profiles used to optimise ride feel, vibration dampening and compliance. It took a little getting used to, and provides a lot of room to move around. However, the 200mm dropper post is a smidge too tall for me at full extension. Using the RockShox trailhead app, I was quickly able to determine the baseline setup for the Pike Ultimate required to support my 95kg mass, with 105psi and 7 clicks from the slowest rebound putting me on the softer side of the right ballpark. Up front, there's 130mm of travel and the whole build (large frame) weighs in at 13.3kg. Ive had my AM build for about a month now. Stif Squatch Pro Pros: The best hardtail geometry I've ridden combined with a supple steel feel and 2.6in tyres that smooth out vibrations and reduce fatigue. Upfront, theres a Maxxis Minion DHF in 292.6in. Its fairly extreme focus means. It also makes mefeel very 'perched on top,' and I need to get out of the saddle toshift weight backwards before pedalling into a bunch of roots, or square edges. Brakes: SRAM G2 RSC | 200/180 A massive part of the Squatchs unique character though, is the huge, 80mm BB drop. Perfectly poised, way more compliant than most of its rivals and also nimble and easy to chuck around, the well thought-out Stif Squatch Pro is a compelling package. Stif's distinctive '12 Bore' chainstay bridge is designed for the best chainline, clearance for up to a 34t chainring, and clearance for 2.6 rubber out back. Since launching the Morf in 2016, Stif have taken four years to develop and launch this Squatch, their first 29er hardtail. MOTO The return process is simple: Fill out the Warranty Bearing Replacement Form, upload a copy of your purchase receipt, and we'll get a new set of bearings out to you within 48 hours! This features an ovalized top tube and flattened seatstays, which Stif chose to obtain vertical compliance without losing the lateral stiffness that keeps things feeling precise under power or when cornering hard. In smoother bike park style terrain or trail centers, the Squatch absolutely rips. Off jumps and drops, and when playing with manuals and wheelies, the Squatch is definitely on the less playful end of the spectrum, thanks to that slammed BB and reasonably long reach making front end lifting require a little more body English than some. It is seriously hard to think of a bike Ive ridden that can match its sheer hunger for speed when the terrain is below a certain threshold of roughness. Adventure-Ready At $585,000 Function Meets Form . However, weve built the frame measuring 78 degrees from the BB centre to the saddle rail at max seat post extension. Rare to see are the Torque Caps on the front hub, to provide the best interface with the RockShox fork. . 3 sizes: 653|460, 653|480, 661|500, stack|reach. Rear tire: Maxxis Rekon 29x2.6, 3C EXO+ TR, DRIVETRAIN They add a small, but very helpful bit of movement that stops the rear end feeling harsh, both when seated and in the attack position when storming over chattery ground. The feeling of total stability is amplified further by the extremely supple ride. The Pro featured here comes action-ready with composite flat pedals included in a raft of sorted Burgtec kit including 800mm handlebars, 35mm stem and comfortable Cloud saddle. Front tire: Maxxis Minion DHF 29x2.6, 3C EXO TR Wheels made from WTB rims and Hope hubs both seem well suited to a Stif bike, as theyre also companies who make a solid product, rather than cranking out Bold New Graphics or minor design tweaks for model-years. The 200mm KS Lev Integra dropper was flawless even in sub-zero conditions, with smooth operation and good lever feel. TERMS OF USE This led to pressures being upped to 120psi by the end of testing, which provided a good compromise of sensitivity and support. Read more: Best hardtail mountain bikes, entry-level and mid-range classics. Here, the geometry delivers you through with utmost control, while the Minion DHF front tyre never gives up its grip. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too. This bb drop is set to mimic a full suspension bike of similar intentions when sagged, so it should not ring alarm bells when compared to a static figure from a full suspension bike geometry chart. The external routing on our test bike is not the neatest, being held together with a collection of cable ties rather than neat clamps such as on the Ragley Marley 1.0, but it gets the job done. The result is their second bike to the market: the Stif Squatch. Great review thanks.and phew as my frame arrives tomorrow! Burgtecs Enduro 30mm rise bar; 35mm long Enduro MK3 stem; and Cloud chromo saddle provide high quality contact points, with a set of Penthouse MK4 composite pedals included with every full build to round it out. An incredibly sure-footed 29er, excellent up and down. Initial setup of the Squatchs suspension takes about half the time of a full suspension rig, as you may expect. COMPONENT REVIEWS When it has been fixed, your car has no visible or invisible damage. Its testament to the Squatch that a couple of perfectly arced turns, easy manuals and mistimed landings with zero consequences had me fully trusting the chassis. Tire pressures, and their casings, ended up being the most time-consuming item to setup, especially on that rear end. Yes, the elephant in the room here is the ultra low BB reducing ground clearance, but I simply didnt find it an issue with the 170mm crankarms. This means tall riders with long legs take advantage of our steep seatangle and shorter riders actually get a steeper angle still, something that better suits the proportions of shorter riders too. Its immediately evident on the steep-and-up, feeling almost like youre riding your own personal furnicular. Deputy Tech Editor here at off.road.cc Liam can alsobe found photographing bikes as well as riding them. The geometry is at no point the element holding you back, but the limited ability to iron out the square edges of the terrain leads to an incredibly physical ride where your arms and legs must work hard to absorb impacts that you do not even consider on a fully suspended rig. After enjoying the success of the Morf for a couple of years, Stif saw room to build on its capabilities by adding 29 wheels and tweaking the geometry to suit. Thanks for popping by - why not stay a while? I'll post up some ride impressions when I have some to share. Thats because, on the first descent I took it down, it expired from a lethal snakebite. The curve in the seat tube means you have a minimum 78 degree seat angle from rails to bottom bracket; if youre not so tall and run your seat lower than the maximum height, that effective seat angle gets even steeper. Front Description: The Performance Series 2.0. No faster or lighter than plenty full suspension bikes that can cost the same, although value is decent compared to similarly specced steel hardtail. Shifter: SRAM GX Eagle; 12s Join the Pack and get the latest news and read the latest reviews on the topmountainandelectric mountain bikes. Short 430mm chainstays tuck the back wheel in. With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market. Descent i took it down, it expired from a lethal snakebite casings really helps isolate you from.! Full suspension rig, as thats already provided by the Pikes top-spec Charger 2.1 damper provide. Tyre never gives up its grip not stay a while an incredibly sure-footed 29er, up... Casings really helps isolate you from vibrations trail centers, the seattube gradually... 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