REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Flying like a BIRD - Time to FORGE a new path...

17734 Views 100 Replies 15 Participants Last post by vikb, 1 mo ago

vikb

Discussion Starter · Dec 15, 2021

I've been loving SS life, but with winter has come some real snow and without being able to do the "granny grind" walking will become too big a part of the ride. I've also been SSing solo most of the time and I'm not so sure it'll work well in group rides where my pace will be opposite of everyone else [fast on the climbs and slow on flat/rolling terrain]. So I decided on building a geared hardtail to go with my SS rig.

www.bird.bike

Forge 29" Hardtail Frameset | Bird MTB // Born in Swinley, Built in the UK.

The Forge has been years in the making. Its roots can be traced to initial designs in 2013 and we’ve been beavering away on it ever since. The final bike is a trail-ready 29” wheeled beast, taking a 130-160mm fork and made from the perfect mix of 4130 steel and Reynolds 853 DZB. A slack 64...

www.bird.bike

Bird wasn't really on my radar as I thought they made AL bikes. But, I stumbled on the Bird Forge which is a new steel hardtail they released this summer. The geo looked good, the frame flex looked good [in so far as one can assess it online] and they had stock!

The one area where I am getting experimental is the BB height is lower than my other bikes. My new riding areas seem less rocky than the old ones so I'm hoping this won't be an issue. I will for sure be mounting a taco style bashguard and running short cranks.

I like the lack of braces/gussets. I like the fact there is room for 2 bottles inside the frame on top of the DT. A 200mm dropper fits the 420mm seattube. Threaded BB and external routing FTW!

SRAM UDH and Reynolds 853 main tubes are nice touches.

ISCG05 tabs are essential with a low BB. I'm hoping the cornering will be sublime so the low BB is worth any pedal strikes.

I got the M/L size frame and I'll run a 140mm fork on it.

Here is one of the few reviews I could find for this frame. It's certainly not a popular model!

www.bikeradar.com

Bird Forge review

Brilliant value full build

www.bikeradar.com

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #2 · Dec 15, 2021

This was yesterday halfway up the local mountain. Still fairly rideable, but with a true granny gear I wouldn't have gotten off the bike much. With SS there was a bunch of pushing on the uphill sections that I could normally ride. I'm hoping the Bird will fly through stuff like this and Forge a new path even higher up the mountain in winter conditions.

🤘

🤘

No plans to stop SSing I'll just ride lower trails that aren't as snowed in when I am on that bike. 👌👌👌

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HEMIjer

· #3 · Dec 15, 2021

Looks like a good choice cant wait to see final build. Just curious no desire for a fatbike I guess?

vikb

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 15, 2021

HEMIjer said:
Just curious no desire for a fatbike I guess?

I've been riding 2.4"-2.6" tires in Coastal BC winters for 10 years and it's rare when these aren't the best choice for most of the ride. Our winters are also short so I want a bike that's fun 365 days a year. I haven't kept up with fatbike geo, but I don't think they are running modern geo. Finally I want my wheels, tires, forks, etc... as interoperable throughout my fleet as possible.

I'm not anti-fatty, but I'd only get one if it was the best tool for the job for a significant chunk of the year. That isn't the case here.

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HEMIjer

· #5 · Dec 15, 2021

vikb said:
Our winters are also short so I want a bike that's fun 365 days a year. I haven't kept up with fatbike geo, but I don't think they are running modern geo. Finally I want my wheels, tires, forks, etc... as interoperable throughout my fleet as possible.

I'm not anti-fatty, but I'd only get one if it was the best tool for the job for a significant chunk of the year. That isn't the case here.

Most arent modern geo and same on weather here in US Mid-Atlantic has me thinking about selling mine.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 15, 2021

HEMIjer said:
Most arent modern geo and same on weather here in US Mid-Atlantic has me thinking about selling mine.

Fatties are amazing and essential in some specific areas/riding conditions, but in a lot of places that get less gnarly winters they end up being overkill a lot of the time. And I care about geo a lot so I am only going to compromise on that if I have no other choice.

cassieno

· #7 · Dec 15, 2021

@vikb where did you move? you used to be on Vancouver island right? The biggest difference I noticed with low(er) BB hardtails is that they don't bunny hop / pop as easily. But they make great plow and corner bikes.

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BadgerOne

· #8 · Dec 15, 2021

These are very cool bikes but that front triangle is LONG. Can't wait to see the build!

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 15, 2021

cassieno said:
@vikb where did you move? you used to be on Vancouver island right? The biggest difference I noticed with low(er) BB hardtails is that they don't bunny hop / pop as easily. But they make great plow and corner bikes.

I just moved from the bottom of Van Isle [Victoria] to the middle fairly similar climate, but just different enough to have more snow riding in the mix.

I've notice that as hardtails get longer [especially CS] they are less playful. I haven't really noticed that relative to BB height. So I think the key is to match bike length to your typical riding speeds and desire for playfulness vs. stability. I don't think there is a wrong answer just depends on what you want.

With the Forge I could probably ride a Medium, Med/Lrg or a Large. The M/L seemed like the right mix of geo for me. Obviously that's an educated guess based on the geo charts. However, I have held up the Forge to my other HTs and falls right in the zone of bikes I love so I am optimistic it'll work out. That said you never know until you ride a bike what it will be like.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 15, 2021 (Edited)

Progress! Wheels are ready to go. I've never had carbon rims on a hardtail so we'll have to see how these work for me. I have used this model of rim before and I did not find it harsh, but it was on a FS bike. If I decide I prefer metal rims on this bike I have some DT Swiss wheels I can swap these for.

Light Bicycle 29er rims 30mm IW
Hope Pro4 hubs 110mm/148mm
Schwalbe Magic Mary [soft] + Hans Damf [medium] - 29 x 2.6"
Tannus Tubeless insert in rear wheel
SRAM Centreline 203mm + 180mm rotors

I have Hope hubs on most of my bikes and they work well. I like doing long rides and riding from home to the trails when I can. So I have to find that balance between traction and rolling resistance. I'm loving the Tannus insert in the rear of my SS hardtail. I can ride it very aggressively without getting flats or damaging the rim. The Tannus is not heavy or hard to install so it's very easy to live with. These SRAM rotors aren't my favourite, but you take what you can get these days!

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_RB

· #11 · Dec 15, 2021

Such a beautiful frame. I hope you share some thoughts about Bird and BFEmax after some riding.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 15, 2021

_RB said:
Such a beautiful frame. I hope you share some thoughts about Bird and BFEmax after some riding.

Thanks. For sure I'll compare them. I held up the Forge to my BFeMAX and it's noticeably smaller on both ends.

Funoutside

· #13 · Dec 16, 2021

Interesting you are getting another bike after the Sirius. So this will be geared for the snow & Sirius is SS for the rest?

vikb

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 16, 2021

Funoutside said:
Interesting you are getting another bike after the Sirius. So this will be geared for the snow & Sirius is SS for the rest?

I thought about getting a 2nd Sirius so I'd have one with gears and one SS. I can see how that would be pretty sweet.

I'll ride the Sirius most of the time, but I'll switch to the Forge when gears make more sense...like snow riding, fast group rides, big mountain rides, etc... I'm enjoy the SS riding and it's way more capable than it seems at first thought, but at the same time there are bike missions where gears do make things better.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 16, 2021 (Edited)

I've got something vaguely bike shaped now. The 29 x 2.6" Schwalbe's are nice and meaty. The sizing is looking good when I compare it to my custom Daambuilt and the Sirius. The BBH sits at ~310mm...which is a touch lower than my Daambuilt, but only maybe ~3-5mm. So that should work okay. I'll probably use the bash guard occasionally. I don't mind that as long as I'm not dealing with pedal strikes all the time. So far so good!

I need to swap the 170mm cranks from the Sirius to this frame, but I want to go for a SS ride first so I'll hold off on any more building until this afternoon. Once the cranks/pedals are on I can set the saddle height and position the bars. The rest will go fast.

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cassieno

· #16 · Dec 16, 2021

I have used LB rims (don't know about those specific ones) and Reynolds carbon rims. My experience, doesn't matter. They work, just like the aluminum ones do. I have mostly been riding carbon lately because I think the edges are a little stronger to smashing and I like running lower pressures.

Agree with the Tannus insert - I have one in the rear of one of my hardtails and it's great. Helps a ton.

Bummer to hear about the SRAM rotors. I think I have those same ones and really crossing my fingers they will be okay. The turkey wobble death noise made me swear them off 3 years ago, but like you said - take what you can get these days.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 17, 2021

For those keen on tire clearance information the Forge will comfortably fit a 29 x 2.6" Schwalbe tire with ~5mm clearance at the tightest spot in the BB/CS area. They are quite plump so a Maxxis 2.6" tire would have even more clearance. 👌

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #18 · Dec 17, 2021

cassieno said:
Bummer to hear about the SRAM rotors. I think I have those same ones and really crossing my fingers they will be okay. The turkey wobble death noise made me swear them off 3 years ago, but like you said - take what you can get these days.

I ended up putting some old XT 2 piston brakes on the Forge I had laying around. The work fine, but they've got the annoying wandering bite point issue. So the braking system on the Forge won't be amazing. That said riding a SS bike a lot this fall has really taught me to stay off the brakes to preserve momentum. Hopefully I can transfer some of those skills over to this bike and the brakes won't get used as much.

I have mentally planned to buy some new brakes in 2022 when a good deal crosses my path.

Funoutside

· #19 · Dec 17, 2021 (Edited)

I am sure you might know but may want to keep your eye out for the Magua trail Sport(4pot front, 2pot rear). My friend said he got the set for a little under $200usd(before shipping) from Europe(to North America) earlier in the year for his wife's ht. I think the Magura rotors were on sale as part of the bundle.

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vikb

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 18, 2021

Funoutside said:
I am sure you might know but may want to keep your eye out for the Magua trail Sport(4pot front, 2pot rear). My friend said he got the set for a little under $200usd(before shipping) from Europe(to North America) earlier in the year for his wife's ht. I think the Magura rotors were on sale as part of the bundle.

Thanks for the suggestion. I really like standardization across the fleet so I am sticking with SRAM Codes or Shimano brakes. Magura makes good brakes. I just don't want to deal with another brand of brakes.

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