[Vecsus]

The long wait is over. My frame arrived on Monday. There was no mistaking what was in this box:

Built it all up on Monday evening and took it by the LBS to have the hydro hoses shortened and bled on Tuesday (OK, so I also wanted to show it off a bit.)

Nice shot here of the extra bracing that Chris at Generic added to reduce side-to-side flex in the rear triangle.

Good shot of the flex plate and BB junction here

He adds these flex point on the seat-stays to help make the suspension more active. Initial parking lot tests tell me that his frame is no less responsive to small and medium hits than a traditional FS bike. not sure on the big stuff yet - will need to wait til i get it out on some real rides.

And here's an integrated bottle opener to facilitate the opening of cold post-ride beverages.

Parts spec is pretty straight forward.
XX components all around.
Fox F29 G2 fork (need to test to see how I like that snappy front end on the trail). Monkey light bar,
Thomson post/clamp/stem.
King headset.
King/Flow wheels with Race king tires (for now anyway)
Bonty saddle.

Ride reports and impressions to come once I have some miles on the bike.

 

[XiHour]

Now that looks sharp

 

[rockcrusher]

sweet! Turned out really nice, can't await a full ride report.

 

[jbbikerider]

Awesome!

 

[LyNx]

I dunno, looks kind of Flexy Also kind of skimped on the build, huh? Let's hear the report already. BTW, how short are the stays? Curious how worth while the funky ST design is.

 

[xjbaylor]

Looks like a swoopy La Ruta, absolutely awesome bike. Well done.

 

[Vecsus]

I dunno, looks kind of Flexy Also kind of skimped on the build, huh? Let's hear the report already. BTW, how short are the stays? Curious how worth while the funky ST design is.

Stays are 17.9. I honestly think he could have done the build without that seat-tube design but at some point you gotta trust the builder.

 

[hurtknee]

Sweet Ti! Enjoy!

 

[LyNx]

That's what I was thinking looking at the finished build. Could have simply put a bend in the ST like the Paradoxs' ST with the length stays it has and it would still prob have worked fine with enough clearance. I'm guessing it's more of a "his" signature design element. Waiting to hear the ride report as I think I'd like a softtail in my future if I start back doing endurance stuff, just enough to take the edge off.

Stays are 17.9. I honestly think he could have done the build without that seat-tube design but at some point you gotta trust the builder.

 

[rate]

Pimp of the year!

 

[Vecsus]

I have a night race on Saturday so on Sunday I will have a ride report. It's on a course where ive done about 50 laps in the past so i have history to compare the new build against. I've ridden the loop on full rigid, HT, and FS (RIP9). Looks like the course might be wet and sloppy so that will affect my test but should still get a decent idea how it functions.

 

[mellowme17]

Looks good waiting for review

 

[chuckc1971]

I think that rear seat tube - seatstay junction looks a lot better fully assembled. Without the shock, in particular, it looked a bit more Frankenstein-ish.

I think my preference would have been either the bent seat tube as Lynx mentioned or doing it the way Funk does:

Looking forward to your ride report.

 

[Vecsus]

i really like the Funk version of the flex-plate softail but there are some features in the Generic I like that the Funk does not have. The flex points and the extra bracing at the rear of the shock on the Generic are nice to have.

 

[mtroy]

Let me ask a couple of things. First off, it looks nice and I admit I am a real fan of the soft tail concept as a concept...not sure that it has been done up right yet, though.

What do you feel that you gain by not having a true pivot at the BB area? It seems like that, by the time you do the plate, the screws, the swing link, the shock, and the bracing, you might as well put in a couple of bearings, a piece of tubing and a Ti bolt. I get the lack of maint part at least in principle...no bearings, pivots, creaks, etc. Although maint really has not been an issue on any FS bikes I have had so in practice I am not so sure about the bennies. Perhaps there is a different feel to this set-up that appeals to you? I have never tried anything like this.

Why is it OK on this type of bike to go backwards to a pivot (virtual or otherwise) that is in line with the BB like this? It has some unwanted torque induced action going on (pedal bob), yes? At least, it did when it was tried during the early days. I can see this not being an issue on a Moots YBB or the old Salsa Dos Niner as 1" or so of travel is pretty minimal. But this and others like it seem like they are hitting that 3 inches or so mark? Is the Pro Pedal making it better or lack of SS/CS pivots or? Very curious to see how this works out on the trail in the big ring of the XX (furthest away from the 'pivot'.

Not being a negative nancy...just very attracted to this type of design and wondering how it really works out.

 

[JimInSF]

i really like the Funk version of the flex-plate softail but there are some features in the Generic I like that the Funk does not have. The flex points and the extra bracing at the rear of the shock on the Generic are nice to have.

The suspension in the Funk version looks more like the old Black Sheep stHighlight, the Generic is edging toward the new stHighlight in adding lateral stability with the rear attachment to the front triangle but not going so far as to add a linkage with a leverage ratio rather than attaching directly at the stay's end.

 

[mwarner57]

What do you feel that you gain by not having a true pivot at the BB area? .

I think weight is one of the big advantages here. Not sure of Generic's weight, but Funk was quoting 4.2lbs with a shock for their version. You also have the advantage of no main bearings to maintain and pivots to squeek. As far as bob goes, the reports from the Funk riders say that they pedal pretty well, but definitely benefit from ProPedal. What I would love to see is a version with the Epic Brain shock. That would be my dream bike.:thumbsup: Too bad the Big S doesn't sell the Brain shocks seperately

 

[CasteelG]

That is one svelte looking machine you have there.

 

[Vecsus]

I'm not a techy kinda guy so I won't butcher the concept by trying to figure it out and explain it. One of the main reasons I went with that ST design is because it's odd and different. I was given the green light to drop some coin on a new FS bike for endurance type riding. I could have spent a little less and gotten the Tallboy I had been thinking about but then I would be one of thousands riding one. How many of those Funk/Generic/Black Sheep softails have you seen around? Besides, the Generic has a lifetime warranty. How many production line models offer that?

Frame ended up a little heavier than I (and the builder) had hoped but it's still right at 5 pounds. For what equates to an XL 29er I can accept that. The Funk claims a 4.2 but not sure what size and design that includes. I see a few places on my frame where the weight sneaks in but it's all to help stiffen and strengthen the frame. 4-pound frame is great until it folds. I will take a little weight for reliability and performance.

I can't talk to the pedal-bob aspect as I have not yet had the opportunity to test it on a long steep climb. Comments I have gotten through reviews and direct communication indicate that is it not an issue.

So the bottom line here is that I wanted something unique - I got it. I wanted something custom - I got it. I wanted something that would generate discussion (positive and negative) - I got it. Keep the comments coming. It's a bike - i can take the criticism. It's not like you're taking shots at my wife.

 

[mwarner57]

It's not like you're taking shots at my wife.

If your wife let you get away with buying a custom Ti frame, we will definitely not be taking shots at her. Does she have a sister?