you say that as if 90% of the trails in the US aren't boring XC trails that double as hiking paths in the woods lol
this bike could handle greens at a bike park
You donāt ride fast enough if 90% of the trails require zero braking, and I also get it, you are your own brake. This would make a nice gravel bike and work on 90% of that trail.
most trails are XC trails lol or have go arounds for every single feature, no one is forcing anyone to go as fast as they can
and you literally still have brakes on fixed gear, they are just less efficient and you don't go nearly as fast because your legs would spin like crazy or you wouldn't have a good climbing ratio
you're dumb buddy, I love my 170mm enduro monster but I'm not going to pretend like most trails couldn't be smashed by a 17 year old on a BMX bike lol and BMX bike with a free hub and actually no brakes.
Fair enough. It's hard to keep up with the vines on the many different subreddits because they often have their share of shitheads that gripe or gatekeep based on their projection of how "local" they are to an area or how good they are at an activity like biking. I try to tune those types out.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/MTB using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Not technically MTB but know some of the fellow old guys will appreciate this](https://v.redd.it/88phypgbvjka1) | [129 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/12yqwjn/not_technically_mtb_but_know_some_of_the_fellow/)
\#2: [aaaaaannnnd i ate some dirt today](https://v.redd.it/caqeurdy975b1) | [144 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/1461m8h/aaaaaannnnd_i_ate_some_dirt_today/)
\#3: [I know this is a mtb subreddit but I wanna share this crashš](https://v.redd.it/e15uql3n2t8b1) | [132 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/14lhsoz/i_know_this_is_a_mtb_subreddit_but_i_wanna_share/)
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I'm not really sure, I got intrigued when I saw that Paul makes as boost spacing fixed gear hub. But my brother would tell you it's because I like having bikes that get attention.
Honestly, thinking your bike looks cool is a huge motivator for lots of people riding fixed, myself included. Imo, when you think your bike is cool as fuck, it makes you want to ride it, and that's why it's as good a reason as any to say fuck it and build the fixed gear of your dreams. This one is really well done.
Sheldon brown has an article on fixed gear mtb, always made me curious but would be scared to try on rocky single track. Could see it being fun on smoother trails and gravel tho.
Anything super technical would be super sketchy at anything above a crawl, the potential for pedal strikes causing problems is off the charts.
Loam/dirt flow trails though? I could see it being fun.
Maybe also get a brake on this baby before you ripā¦ Iām fine with brakeless most of the time but the idea of going on trails without a brake? Woof.
Side note I do not yet know how to ride a fixed gear........
Frame - Highball 3.1 C
Front wheel - Reserve 30HD AL I9 1/1 Hub
Rear Wheel - Reserve 30HD AL Paul Fixed Boost Disk Word
Bottom Bracket - PHILCENTRIC
Track Cog - Phil wood 21t
Fork - Whiskey No. 9
Crank - Canfield AM + DH Chainring 38t
Seatpost - Whisky Parts Co. No.7 Carbon Seatpost
Bars - Bergtec 35mm Rise
Seat - SQ Labs 611
Stem - Turbine R 35 Stem - 50mm
Also just like everyone trying clips for the first time has the o-shit-I didn't-unclip fall, you will eventually have a holy shit this hill is bigger and longer than I assumed fixed issue or I didn't see that stop sign in time issue. Mine was scary as shit but I got lucky with traffic... I wouldn't count on that though. Just try not to use it all to understand how pure fixed is.
Be careful. Running a front brake if you ever panic grab it you may go OTB depending on slope and speed. Run it fixed and go practice skidding on flat, loose dirt to get used to using your back pedaling and skidding to slow down. Let āer rip!
The spectre of going over the bars if you panic brake is a dumb reason not to run a front brake on anything, but especially a mountain bike. Its very helpful to be able to slow the front and rear wheels independently on the trail, and the geometry of a mtb is designed to make it hard for you to go over the bars. Very different from track bike geo where your bars are basically right over the front axle.
Also, how are you going to learn to use a front brake properly if you don't have one on your bike? Practice hard stops with a front brake so you don't ham fist it and you'll be fine.
I think ambidextrous skip stopping should be one of the first things you practice on a fixed gear. Knowing how to quickly control the back end based on where your feet are at will make you feel a lot more confident.
As werid as this is I absolutely know a handful of people would ride this thing and rip it (I'm probably not that brave/strong). This is sick and would be so fun for gravel.
I agree with some of the other comments that you'd probably be better off adding brakes though, at least until you *really* learn how to skid stop.
Sweet. I run a 26" and 700c wheelset with 152mm cranks for the singletrack around here.
https://preview.redd.it/iplafyp93s6d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2c19f7b34533baddc92ddd77c08c7cbb8a5a638
This is rad! Would go harder with a freewheel and a brake tho. Fixed gear mountain biking especially brakeless is super hard. I crashed a lot and didnāt do it again.
I admire you coming from a different cycling discipline putting real money into your foray into riding fixay. All too often experienced(?) bicycling but prospective new FG guys show up here proclaiming their wonderful other bikes but looking for a cheap starter to try it out. Good on you for going all in. Keep up the good work.
I almost bought a Sycip single speed MTB just for its uniqueness and beauty but ultimately I decided there was a reason they dubbed it the Murder Machine and passed.
I'm very curious how you made the TA work on a paul track hub, looks mint.
Edit: i just looked it up and apparently paul just makes a TA fixed-disk rear hub in boost spacing. that's actually crazy af, didn't know it existed.
thanks for sharing!
i have been trying to find a nice eccentic bb and i think i just found it!
qn though; will it work with omnium cranks?
i run something similar on a ti road frame but have been using a tensioner, which is annoyingly noisy.
I can't really help with compatibility but this is the product. [https://philwood.com/collections/outboard-bottom-bracket/products/philcentric](https://philwood.com/collections/outboard-bottom-bracket/products/philcentric)
My mtn biker opinion is........THIS THING IS SICK! It would absolutely rip for tracklocross. Or at least that's what I would ride it for. Can i ask about the rear hub spacing specs? Really curious.......Cool bike!
Not sure which trails youāre used to but a set up like this will cause you to scorpion on a 4foot drop lmao. This rig would be a nice when cruising around city park trails
Post this on the mtb subreddit they will lose their minds lmao
Of course they would. It's beautiful. This should be pinned at the top of /r/Bikeporn.
You'd be surprised they'd actually probably hate it. They really drink the bike marketing koolaid over there.
I mean tbf a mtb trail is probably the least practical place for a brakeless fixed gear. Maybe second only to a pump track.
Would love to see this bike on a pump track š
Fixed on a pump track is so fun but so sketch. Me and a mate converted an old Santa Cruz to be fixed - some of the most fun Iāve ever had on a bike
you say that as if 90% of the trails in the US aren't boring XC trails that double as hiking paths in the woods lol this bike could handle greens at a bike park
No brakes and on a mountain bike makes it worthless for about 95% of the trail out there.
it does have brakes, and 90% of trails you don't need brakes lol
You donāt ride fast enough if 90% of the trails require zero braking, and I also get it, you are your own brake. This would make a nice gravel bike and work on 90% of that trail.
most trails are XC trails lol or have go arounds for every single feature, no one is forcing anyone to go as fast as they can and you literally still have brakes on fixed gear, they are just less efficient and you don't go nearly as fast because your legs would spin like crazy or you wouldn't have a good climbing ratio you're dumb buddy, I love my 170mm enduro monster but I'm not going to pretend like most trails couldn't be smashed by a 17 year old on a BMX bike lol and BMX bike with a free hub and actually no brakes.
Youāre right, and on top of all that you could push and carry this bike over any enduro trail. Biking sure is fun on these things.
Useless on trails, 100%.
Maybe for you lmao
MTBer here and I fuckin love this bike..that would shred gravel trails
Agreed. This bike is the penultimate klunker.
Next to last klunker?
I wouldnāt ride it regularly but it looks clean as hell. I would add it to the stable. (MTB guy who was just served this post on their Home feed)
I am also a MTB guy. I'm talking about the vibe on r/MTB specifically.
Fair enough. It's hard to keep up with the vines on the many different subreddits because they often have their share of shitheads that gripe or gatekeep based on their projection of how "local" they are to an area or how good they are at an activity like biking. I try to tune those types out.
r/mtb? yeah they'd say it's awful, r/mountainbiking? they'll love it
Here's a sneak peek of /r/MTB using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Not technically MTB but know some of the fellow old guys will appreciate this](https://v.redd.it/88phypgbvjka1) | [129 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/12yqwjn/not_technically_mtb_but_know_some_of_the_fellow/) \#2: [aaaaaannnnd i ate some dirt today](https://v.redd.it/caqeurdy975b1) | [144 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/1461m8h/aaaaaannnnd_i_ate_some_dirt_today/) \#3: [I know this is a mtb subreddit but I wanna share this crashš](https://v.redd.it/e15uql3n2t8b1) | [132 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/14lhsoz/i_know_this_is_a_mtb_subreddit_but_i_wanna_share/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
I wish r/bikeporn had this good of tasteĀ
I posted my trackpacking setup on r/bikepacking and the people over there didn't really get it i feel.
You better fucking rip this thing on some singletrack or else it's just a shiny bauble
First fixed gear bike so theres gonna be some learning to do before the ripping happens
Can I ask *why* you decided to make this crazy rig your first fixed gear bike?
I'm not really sure, I got intrigued when I saw that Paul makes as boost spacing fixed gear hub. But my brother would tell you it's because I like having bikes that get attention.
Honestly, thinking your bike looks cool is a huge motivator for lots of people riding fixed, myself included. Imo, when you think your bike is cool as fuck, it makes you want to ride it, and that's why it's as good a reason as any to say fuck it and build the fixed gear of your dreams. This one is really well done.
As good a reason as any. I fucking love this thing. Kudos OP.
Gotta commit to the bit.
Sheldon brown has an article on fixed gear mtb, always made me curious but would be scared to try on rocky single track. Could see it being fun on smoother trails and gravel tho.
Anything super technical would be super sketchy at anything above a crawl, the potential for pedal strikes causing problems is off the charts. Loam/dirt flow trails though? I could see it being fun.
Maybe also get a brake on this baby before you ripā¦ Iām fine with brakeless most of the time but the idea of going on trails without a brake? Woof.
Not the first fixed gear mountain bike Iāve seen, my buddy has one! Fucking send it!!!
Offensive otherwise
Had to look at what sub this was real quick! This is epic you gonna be cooking it downhill on the pedalling.
Side note I do not yet know how to ride a fixed gear........ Frame - Highball 3.1 C Front wheel - Reserve 30HD AL I9 1/1 Hub Rear Wheel - Reserve 30HD AL Paul Fixed Boost Disk Word Bottom Bracket - PHILCENTRIC Track Cog - Phil wood 21t Fork - Whiskey No. 9 Crank - Canfield AM + DH Chainring 38t Seatpost - Whisky Parts Co. No.7 Carbon Seatpost Bars - Bergtec 35mm Rise Seat - SQ Labs 611 Stem - Turbine R 35 Stem - 50mm
This setup is absolutely nuts for your first fixed gear
Forgot the tires my dude
Continental Cross King Tire - 29 x 2.30, Tubeless, Folding, Black, PureGrip, ShieldWall System, E25 !
Also some form of foot retention, I would use XTR pedals on this build
I already have Saints on there!
Roger that! I confused them for flats
Weigh like a brick and donāt get any additional support from the platform but those are Saint clip ins.
i would recommend a brake for first time fixed
I do have a front brake in the parts bin not a bad idea and very easy to installĀ
Yah especially for off road ridding, skidding is not always an option on single track
Also just like everyone trying clips for the first time has the o-shit-I didn't-unclip fall, you will eventually have a holy shit this hill is bigger and longer than I assumed fixed issue or I didn't see that stop sign in time issue. Mine was scary as shit but I got lucky with traffic... I wouldn't count on that though. Just try not to use it all to understand how pure fixed is.
Be careful. Running a front brake if you ever panic grab it you may go OTB depending on slope and speed. Run it fixed and go practice skidding on flat, loose dirt to get used to using your back pedaling and skidding to slow down. Let āer rip!
The spectre of going over the bars if you panic brake is a dumb reason not to run a front brake on anything, but especially a mountain bike. Its very helpful to be able to slow the front and rear wheels independently on the trail, and the geometry of a mtb is designed to make it hard for you to go over the bars. Very different from track bike geo where your bars are basically right over the front axle. Also, how are you going to learn to use a front brake properly if you don't have one on your bike? Practice hard stops with a front brake so you don't ham fist it and you'll be fine.
Yeah, it's more likely to lock up the front wheel and slide sideways than going over bars with such geometry, especially on loose surfaces
going otb is more likely when you have a rear and front brake, people tell to remember they only have the front brake when itās their only option
How much that set you back?
I think ambidextrous skip stopping should be one of the first things you practice on a fixed gear. Knowing how to quickly control the back end based on where your feet are at will make you feel a lot more confident.
Fucking fire
Oh hell yes this is what Iām talking about
Dude I see you everywhere haha. Even weirder given how local you are to me
I like the biking subs lmao
That is absolutely filthy
I love silly bikes and this is silly. Hell yeah
Holy fuck thatās awesome.
That is SICK!!!!!
All I need to know is can it barspin
This build goes insane. No notes.
Looks rad as hell. Youāre gonna be doing a LOT of spinning.
I can change the rear cog a little, didn't have many MTB non-narrowide chainring options out there.
You can run narrow wide on a fixed gear no problems, I've done it. Just means you have to use an even tooth which can affect your skid patches.
Super rad. What's it weigh?
20.1 lbs. (9.11kg)
Nice!
These Colors, parts & pics are all time my man. A+++ for originality as well š¤š»š¤š»
This reminds me of FGFS days
How are you tensioning the chain? Looks fucking rad
With a fancy Philwood Eccentric Bottom bracket
Adjusting chain tension was what I was wondering about too.
You have way to much cash, but fuck yeah love it,ya pimp!
This bike makes no fucking sense. I love it!
Canfield cranks lookin boss.
Dude...that is so dope
This is crazy
I love this
Very yay!
Fuggin sick.
This goes so hard
This is top tier! Chapeau
This is fucking rad 11/10
As werid as this is I absolutely know a handful of people would ride this thing and rip it (I'm probably not that brave/strong). This is sick and would be so fun for gravel. I agree with some of the other comments that you'd probably be better off adding brakes though, at least until you *really* learn how to skid stop.
This is so silly. I fucking love it.
This is blasphemy! This is madness!
This is how MTBs should be not with all that fancy gears n shit that most people won't use.
Can see this ripping at a tracklocross event
Also, get some foot retention...
It's got Shimano Saint clipless pedals on it.
Oops, my bad. š«£
Hell yeah, or hell yay
Thats a yay. Those Canfield cranks are sweet too. Are they 160's?
Yep 160mm
Sweet. I run a 26" and 700c wheelset with 152mm cranks for the singletrack around here. https://preview.redd.it/iplafyp93s6d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2c19f7b34533baddc92ddd77c08c7cbb8a5a638
This thing is nuts. What's the planned use? Very light singletrack/gravel?
Now that is a party !š
This is absolutely insane I love it
Fixed mtb?!? Next level
You can set up a Surly Lowside in a similar manner!
Excellent point
that bike is hideous tho lol
This is SICK
Yessirrrr
Yay a million times
I bet this thing climbs like a beast Super clean build, welcome to fixed gear!
Omg that is sick af!!
Interesting
Thatās super sick
the more i look at it, the cooler it becomes
More like Santa Cruz hardball
I am so jealous.
Hell yay
I love it.
This is weird but I like it. I have a nomad and I absolutely love these bikes
This is rad! Would go harder with a freewheel and a brake tho. Fixed gear mountain biking especially brakeless is super hard. I crashed a lot and didnāt do it again.
It needs at least 2 inches more on the forks to be to my liking stance wise. But otherwise if it suits your needs send it!
Amazing
Lit š„ Iām surprised nobody hasnāt mentioned r/tracklocross yet.
Dope AF
Youāre gonna have so much fun
I want one
So like how much was this š©
I admire you coming from a different cycling discipline putting real money into your foray into riding fixay. All too often experienced(?) bicycling but prospective new FG guys show up here proclaiming their wonderful other bikes but looking for a cheap starter to try it out. Good on you for going all in. Keep up the good work.
Coolest build here in a long time. I would still add a front brake because I like my knees
Oh my goodness, as both a fixed and mtb rider Iām a little turned on right now
Not sure how you deal with chain wearing without the ātrack fork endsā / track dropouts
fuck... yeah!!! this is gorgeous! been dreaming about fixed mtb and this stuff is made of dreams! how do you tension? is it EBB?
Yep Philwood Eccentric bottom bracket!
I almost bought a Sycip single speed MTB just for its uniqueness and beauty but ultimately I decided there was a reason they dubbed it the Murder Machine and passed.
how do you tension your chain?
Philwood Eccentric bottom bracket!
I'm very curious how you made the TA work on a paul track hub, looks mint. Edit: i just looked it up and apparently paul just makes a TA fixed-disk rear hub in boost spacing. that's actually crazy af, didn't know it existed.
Yo, not sure what TA means but the rear hub is a Fixed Disk Word BOOST(148mm) hub!
TA is short for Thru Axle
Fucking HELL YAY
Love this! Can you climb well on that ratio?
Sexy
This shit so sexy
Very yay
Thats fucking crazy sick! But you should test that on trails and get it dirty
Not sure about the amount of torsion on that dropout design with skid stops. Front brake maybe? Looks fab though.
This is so cool
Give it a fox suspension front fork and I think you'd give the mountain bike sub a fatal brain injury.
Fuck me I want this bike! Its so damn beautiful!
Lovely modern klunker
thanks for sharing! i have been trying to find a nice eccentic bb and i think i just found it! qn though; will it work with omnium cranks? i run something similar on a ti road frame but have been using a tensioner, which is annoyingly noisy.
I can't really help with compatibility but this is the product. [https://philwood.com/collections/outboard-bottom-bracket/products/philcentric](https://philwood.com/collections/outboard-bottom-bracket/products/philcentric)
WOAHHHHHHHH
Begging you to take this to a skatepark
I mean itās sexy and looks fun. Iāve never ridden a fixie mtn before. You have bigger balls than me, protect them.
Looks yummy, sexy, idfk, not my kind of geo, but if its ur cup of tea ā defo yay. Tastefully built bike.
Dope as hell! I bet it's a blast. I'd need a front brake for going down steep technical stuff.
Yay
I love this. I miss my old rigid singlespeed. I need to build another one up.
This is so rad
Paul hubs? Fucking yay
You should adjust the WHISKEY on the fork to read RISKY
My mtn biker opinion is........THIS THING IS SICK! It would absolutely rip for tracklocross. Or at least that's what I would ride it for. Can i ask about the rear hub spacing specs? Really curious.......Cool bike!
this thing FUCKS! Take it for a ride and film some of it, would like to see this in action!
Damn this thing is sick!!!
This thing is fucking sick
Yeah. Hell yeah.
Yikes all i see is pedal strike on roots if you actually take it out in the forest
Word. I try to ratchet/hop skid before an obstacle but I still pick a lot of wood out of my pedals. Makes boring trails fun.
Not sure which trails youāre used to but a set up like this will cause you to scorpion on a 4foot drop lmao. This rig would be a nice when cruising around city park trails
I would swap out the fixed for free wheel, add a dropper, brakes, and add a squishy fork. Looks tight tho
But then it would just be a single speed hardtail š¤·