PRESS RELEASE: Swarf CyclesSwarf Cycles is proud to announce we are now taking pre-orders for our first production full suspension frame, the Contour 29er trail bike. Designed and built in the UK.
Swarf Cycles is run by ex-aerospace design engineer, Adrian Bedford, and has been operating since 2011. Although we are best known for making custom hardtail frames, Adrian has been working on full suspension projects since day one. Some background into these original frames is available on our website.
A result of 2 years development and testing, the Contour is a steel short travel 29er trail bike which has been designed to excel in technical terrain. The progressive leverage rate and compliant steel construction make for a bike that is way more capable than the modest amount of travel would suggest.
Check out the development steps that lead to the final Contour design on our website.
The Contour is designed to be as practical and durable as possible, form follows function. The bike features external cable routing that has been designed so that they don't rub the frame, sensible sized standard stainless hex fasteners on all pivots, chunky standard sized pivot bearings which are simple to remove and replace, threaded BB and a 44mm head tube amongst other details.
Technical Specs:- Rear travel - 115mm
- Shock - 200 x 51 with 30mm x 8.0mm hardware (piggyback shocks will not fit the frame)
- Fork - 120mm - 130mm max (538mm axle to crown)
- BB - threaded 73mm
- Headtube - 44mm
- Rear axle - 148 x 12 (142 x 12 is also possible)
- Seatpost - 30.9
- Brake mount - IS (180mm max rear disc size)
- Available in 4 sizes and 3 colour options (note, photos show silver rockers, production frames will be anodised black)
- Cable routing - External with a stealth dropper port
- Bottle bosses - 1 x full-size bottle in the main triangle
- Leverage ratio - progressive, works well with both air or coil shocks
- Max chainring size - 32t at 50mm chainline, 34t at boost 52mm chainline
- Max tyre size - 2.5"
- Frame weight - 3.2kg (7.0 Lbs) without shock
- Full bikes build up to around the 30 - 32 Lb mark with solid components and sensible tyres. Med bike pictured with Helm fork and CCcoilIL, 32 Lbs
Geometry:
Materials:- Headtube - Reynolds 631
- Top tube - Reynolds 853
- Downtube - Reynolds 853
- Seat tube - Reynolds 631
- Main pivot - 7075 T6 Aluminium alloy
- Chainstays - Dedacciai 25CrMo4
- Seatstays - 4130 CrMo plain gauge
- Linkage - 6082 T6 Aluminium alloy
- Pivot Hardware - Stainless steel, all fasteners use 5mm hex keys
Leverage Ratio:
Flex Stays:The design of the Contour makes use of one of steel's best traits, you can flex it (within limits) and it doesn't fatigue. On the Contour the seatstays actually flex vertically slightly as the suspension moves, this removes the need for a pivot at the dropout, saving weight, complexity and manufacturing costs. The stays are flattened slightly in the horizontal plane to allow them to flex vertically. This gives them a distinctive skinny look when viewed from the side.
Read more about various technical design features of the frame
here.
Initial Pricing:Frame & Rockshox Monarch RT3 - £1950
Frame & Cane Creek DBairIL - £2150
Frame & Cane Creek DBcoilIL (including vault spring at your correct spring weight) - £2250
Please note, sadly we are unable to deal with customers in the US or Canada due to insurance limitations.
All frames are made to order. Please email us on swarfcycles@gmail.com if you are interested in ordering a frame.
Try before you buy! We have med and large demo bikes available to demo in the Tweed Valley, Scotland. To arrange a demo drop us a line on swarfcycles@gmail.com
Check out our
website for more information or follow us on
Instagram &
Facebook.
All photos by
Out Of Office.
MENTIONS: @swarfcycles
Are you buying one?
Didn't think so
Please stop with this "well set up short travel bikes can kick long travel enduro bikes arse". It's 2018 and every single real brand bike is now well set up.
It is a lovely looking thing and will be great for single track / trail riding.
I could understand the criticism if you think it was a poor product but it's more because you don't personally see the point.
At the sharp end it's not a poor mans sport, that's for sure.
Pros ride long travel bikes because they're going 3 times the speed of us on the steepest and toughest trails around.
You're paying roughly £1500 for some nicely welded together gas pipes. That’s about a bag of sand over a steel hardtail frame.
Yeah sure I’d like one too but Curtis the competition kills the idea for me.
Next frame for me will be either a full suss Curtis or a full suss Kingdom :/ dunno but let’s face it that we are all spoilt for choice these days.
It really is a gauge your market , throw a dart at a price board then tell customers to open their wallets up and be test pilots
This frame has been around for years too and you are suggesting they are asking customers to be test pilots?
'Tit' is very appropriate.
Also looks like every aerospace engineer creates a bicycle brand in the uk, is there acrisis in the aviation market?! :p
Handmade in the UK is new name for getting fleeced???
Geometry for to compare with.