Hi All,
My partner is going to need a new frame and fork soon. I know that the general consensus on this
group is that whole bike represent better value for money, but in this case she's had almost
everything else upgraded, and I don't think I could get nearly the quality of ancilliary components
on a complete bike.
I'm almost certainly going to get a Marzocchi MX Comp/Pro (probably the comp air, for weight
purposes). I'm looking at a hardtail frame, almost certainly in aluminium, in a fairly small size
(current sizing is 37cm c-c seat-tube, 56cm actual top tube, 59cm effective top tube - ideally I
think she'd want a slightly shorter top tube). It would be indelicate of me to say how much she
weighs, so suffice to say she's pretty slight and the bike gets used for cross-country - Glentress
Black Run for those that know it (but taken pretty carefully). She's not hard on bikes - I do enough
bike-breaking for both of us!
So, my question is this: any particular recommendations for a UK maker (or someone who will ship to
the UK) of pretty cheap mass-produced alu frames. So far, my best bet seems to be Merlin or possibly
a Dave Hinde (although I need to check the geometry on that). Budget for the frame is probably
around £200 (which these days translates to about US$380).
Thanks...
Adam.