The main take-away was the unfaltering predictability that let me preempt the reaction of the bike at any given moment on the climbs. Stif Squatch Pro is a progressive hardtail with a steel frame and super-low bottom bracket height, 29in wheels with 2.6in tyres enhance grip and comfort. The geometry is at no point the element holding you back, but the limited ability to iron out the square edges of the terrain leads to an incredibly physical ride where your arms and legs must work hard to absorb impacts that you do not even consider on a fully suspended rig. Ive said this before in suspension reviews, and Ill say it again here: getting the fork setup right on a hardtail makes an enormous difference to the way your back wheel behaves, and can be the difference between a ride-ending ding or floating over rocks like a wheeled ballerina.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'singletrackworld_com-leader-1','ezslot_10',666,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-singletrackworld_com-leader-1-0'); SRAM GX drivetrains are something I heard a few local riders grumbling about straight after launch, but I understand SRAM revised the mech cage to address some issues. Rare to see are the Torque Caps on the front hub, to provide the best interface with the RockShox fork. Expect your technician to give your vehicle a visual check, as well as to use diagnostic tools to tell you whats wrong and whats needed to put it right. All without ever feeling like your teetering into turns. The chainstays are svelte as they loop up towards the rear axle and the seatstays are flattened in the middle, presumably to add comfort. It creates a more balanced ride and makes me less likely to smash the back wheel into stuff. It is now called Cheaper Things Tuesday. The Morf is the only bike Ive ever regretted selling and Im currently without a mountain bike. Off jumps and drops, and when playing with manuals and wheelies, the Squatch is definitely on the less playful end of the spectrum, thanks to that slammed BB and reasonably long reach making front end lifting require a little more body English than some. Those arent the only neat tricks Stif has up its sleeve. Water bottle, chain device and internal dropper post-ready. Balancing this slack steering angle are relatively generous reach numbers, with the size L Squatch measuring in at 480mm. As with any hardtail, good geometry is the key ingredient to behaviour on the trail and we wanted to push the boundaries. The Squatch defies being pigeon holed to any discipline, It's ready for wherever you want to take it. Yes, we have renamed our weekly deals roundup feature. Theres none of the hardtail sensation mentioned earlier of butt and feet kicking up and reacting to whatever the fork is doing especially off drops and down steeper sections. For the last 4 years we've watched our original steel hardtail the Morf defy trends and changing standards to remain a rider favourite and cult legend. Jan 19 Warning Man Cave Funny Embossed Aluminum Sign Novelty Garage Home Bar Decor With a 420mm seat tube, the medium frame should work for some shorter riders, though it certainly won't fit everyone. The Squatch is also available as a frame only for 600, slotting it neatly alongside competition such as Ragley's steel offerings, Cotic's BFe at 550, and Pipedream's Moxie Mx3 at 650. Santa Cruz carbon handlebars are warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for life from the original date of purchase. Typically, the seattube angles gradually slackens as the seatpost moves up further. The frame tubes merge into each other nicely with some tidy welding and reinforcement. Sure, this stuff is slightly heavier than the. Derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle; 12s. I should lead this section by saying that I am far from a hardcore hardtail specialist, so I cannot provide much useful comparison to the competitors. Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3 | 35mm Also RockShoxs sportier Pike air spring with its smaller negative volume works great on a hardtail too; being less fluid and sensitive than say, a RockShox Lyrik, its much more in keeping with the rear end. Common to these sizes is a 64-degree head angle; 78-degree seat angle (effective, at max extension); 430mm chainstays and 80mm bottom bracket drop. For sizes, Stif has opted again for three choices with a medium, large and extra-large offerings. As you will undoubtedly be used to hearing by now, the resulting centered position on the bike leads to less attention and energy being required to keep the front wheel in check, letting you focus on your pedal strokes and line choice, and ultimately making climbing a more pleasant experience once the going gets steep. Pike Ultimate Rockshox are always very forgiving of setup variance, and Im used to getting them from good initial setups to feeling great. It wasnt long before riders were requesting the same premium ride quality and progressive handling characteristics on a 29er platform. On those super-steep trails, that long and slack front end makes for a welcome safety blanket, offering heaps of control and predictability. off-road.cc Editorial and general enquiries: [email protected] As with Stif's last hardtail, the Squatch is designed to mimic characteristics and geometry of a full suspension bike, and to assist with this they've given the Squatch a massive 80mm bottom. Industry Digest: Specialized Buys $14.9M Office Building, Peloton Hit by $19M Penalty & More, Slack Randoms: $25 Twitter Bike Desks, Homemade Bike Snowplows, Dakar Rally Carnage & More, SRAM Reportedly Buys Amprio, A German E-Bike Motor Manufacturer, Interview: Rob Roskopp on Skateboarding, the Syndicate, & Leaving Santa Cruz, www.stifmtb.com/collections/stif-squatch/products/stif-squatch-frame. Fork: RockShox Pike Ultimate | 130mm travel 42mm Offset, COCKPIT Each bike comes in three sizes from Medium to Extra Large and there are three colour options, Bone, Teal, and . When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights. Save 35% + Lezyne pocket drive HV pump when you subscribe to MBUK magazine, JANUARY SALE | Get 3 issues for 5 when you subscribe today, 9/3/3/b/933bbb38cfdad3fa12fb88f53c70db2d9ae3486c_Stif_Squatch_01.jpg, hardtail is truly going to compete with a full-sus, RockShox Pike Ultimate, 130mm (5.1in) travel, Maxxis Minion DHF (f) and Maxxis Rekon (r) 29x2.6in, WTB KOM Trail i30 rims on Hope Pro 4 hubs. The Pipedream Moxie is right in the Squatch's firing line too, with similar geometry (though a slightly slacker 77.5 effective seat tube) and a competitive build, but that's more expensive at 2,900. IF THE WARRANTY IS REGISTERED WITH KONA WITHIN THREE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE BICYCLE, THE WARRANTY IS EXTENDED FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER, with the exception of carbon bikes and frames. Therefore, 78 degrees is the slackest the seat-tube angle will ever be, meaning it effectively steepens as the saddle is dropped. The Stif Squatch brings things bang up to date, with ISCG-05 tabs, boost hub spacing and, like pretty much everything else thats turned up at Singletrack Towers for the past year, 29 inch wheels. Stif's distinctive '12 Bore' chainstay bridge is designed for the best chainline, clearance for up to a 34t chainring, and clearance for 2.6 rubber out back. Look on Stif site for sizing/geometry.</p><p>There is marks on the chainstay by where the crank . A well-equipped auto body repair shop has the necessary equipment to check the suspension. Its a bold statement, but its the hardcore hardtail Id buy with my own cash if I was in the market for one, so hats off to Stif for totally nailing its latest creation. A thoroughly contemporary hardtail thats a proper hard-charger on technical trails. Given the rapid. https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item, https://www.fedex.com/apps/fedextrack/?action=track, choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Cranks: SRAM GX Eagle 148 DUB, 34t 170mm The slack head angle means that when you do push the bike to the limit of its travel, the fork doesnt tuck under, so you dont get squirrely handling. This bb drop is set to mimic a full suspension bike of similar intentions when sagged, so it should not ring alarm bells when compared to a static figure from a full suspension bike geometry chart. For full details of our returns policy, follow this link. This one served me just fine through assorted winter muck. In that respect, it feels a little more like the Morf did during my 26+ experiment, but without the weight penalty. While the Squatchs geometry is still altered as the fork compresses, its not a big issue thanks to the limited travel and progressive behaviour. Exactly how much improvement the Torque Caps provide is hard to quantify, but front-end flex was certainly not a concern. We get pretty tired of the whole revolutionary low, long and slack spiel thats get regurgitated during new bike launches, especially with hardtails that get reviled with bold claims about being radically different from the rest, when in fact theyre not really dissimilar to boxy shaped bikes we were riding 10 years ago. The tyres I get on a bit better with Maxxis DHF than I used to, but still find it more prone to washing out that a DHRII or Onza Ibex. The Squatchs steel frame gets external routing for brake lines beneath the downtube, and an internally-routed dropper post. The register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk. Front Description: The Performance Series 2.0. Id originally fitted the Rockstop insert since I had expected to be spending a lot of time near the rim, but the DH casing tire resulted in enough stiffness that its ultimate protection was not a necessity, so I settled for the more damping-friendly Rimpact insert, which I found to offer the best compromise of damping and cornering support with the tire at 24psi. The fork is about as controlled as you could hope for and remained impressively supple and tractive when ran a good amount stiffer than recommended. The external routing on our test bike is not the neatest, being held together with a collection of cable ties rather than neat clamps such as on the Ragley Marley 1.0, but it gets the job done. The Stif Squatch Pro sports design features from the brands 27.5in Morf frame, but with more out-there geometry that places the rider lower in the frame. Theyre different bikes, but clearly siblings with the same mischievous streak running through them. Riding a hardtail requires extra precision so having steering that lets you manoeuvre the wheels exactly where you want massively elevates confidence levels and inspires the confidence to push boundaries. Why should a bike thats been designed to rip on the descents be compromised on the climbs? The Stif Squatch is a full aggro 29 hardtail that eats descents for breakfast, while getting you back to the top efficiently and comfortably. Bottle cage bosses on the downtube and an ISCG05 chainguide mount mean its ready for long days on big terrain. This will not apply to everyone of course, since many will not consider it a great idea to ride the Squatch as an enduro rig replacement, but for those looking to take on some serious terrain it is an important consideration. Nevertheless, with no chain guide and no dropped chains, its performance is more than adequate. STORE, ABOUT US Financial Services Register no. Claimed weight for a size medium carbon frame is 1037 grams. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. Designing the frame around a 130mm travel fork means the frames geometry is preserved as best as possible, regardless to where it is in the forks stroke. Unless otherwise specified we will use a Royal Mail Tracked Delivery service to dispatch your order. Handlebar: Burgtec Enduro | 30mm Rise / 800mm Wide The warranty is void if the part is modified from its original condition in any manner or used outside normal intended use, as determined by Santa Cruz Bicycles in its sole discretion. Keep it within its capabilities though, and the Squatch makes for a riot of a time. How does Stifs 29er steel hardtail shape up? Photography by Adam Lievesley // @adamlievesleybmx. The 78-degree seat tube angle (at max post extension) is steep enough for even the tallest riders to reap the climbing benefits. Santa Cruz Bicycles pivot bearings are warranted for life to the original owner of the bike. In the rare event that the postage estimate won't cover your delivery we will contact you with a postage quote. In the event of a non-warranty situation, Santa Cruz Bicycles will make replacement parts available to the original owner at a reduced charge for the applicable warranty period described above. A stout 130mm travel fork nails this sweet spot and provides enough buffer to keep you out of trouble whilst always keeping the bikes geometry highly consistent. Although the fork has only 130mm of travel, its perfectly controlled by the Pikes top-spec Charger 2.1 damper. Add a chainguide While a chainguide is not strictly necessary for a hardtail with a brand new drivetrain, they count for more as it wears, so I add one as a matter of course. Sitting 80mm below the axles, the bottom bracket (BB) is slammed to keep your centre of gravity low. Daring geometry - with sensible fork travel Its testament to the Squatch that a couple of perfectly arced turns, easy manuals and mistimed landings with zero consequences had me fully trusting the chassis. Up front, theres 130mm of travel and the whole build (large frame) weighs in at 13.3kg. And even with the 175mm dropper post fully extended, the seated climbing position never gets too tipped back, even on the steepest gradients. They kindly lent me their Pro build for a thrashing in the depths of the UK Midlands Winter. Well Bastard Fast is the motto of Stif and proudly written on the Squatch chainstay, and the performance certainly lives up to it in the correct terrain. 8.71K subscribers The Stif Squatch is a full aggro 29" hardtail that eats descents for breakfast while getting you back to the top efficiently and comfortably. That means that on choppy descents and hard landings, the effect of suspension travel steepening your head angle is reduced, again contributing to greater stability. Once some burlier rubber was fitted, in the form of a DH casing Minion DHR 2.4, things began to fall into place, but the tire pressure conundrum was still an ongoing battle. Not deal breakers, but old standards are ticking clocks when it comes to choice of parts. Click here to learn more or click OK below to dismiss this message. Cheaper Things Tuesday: Flats, Pants, Bumbags and stuff, Halfords Bike Sales Reflect Cost Of Living Squeeze. Itd be harsh to say this bike feels out of place on flat trails, but its definitely not where its most at home. I'll post up some ride impressions when I have some to share. The Squatch is definitely not just a big-wheeled Morf. 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