# The Gryphon has landed!



## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

I've posted this over on bikeforums.com, but thought I'd share here, too, since I learned of Singular (and the Gryphon in particular) on these forums. :thumbsup:

After a looooong wait (original deposit on the frame was in August), the Gryphon has landed.
In my quest for my ultimate commuter/dirt tourer, I had several key criteria that I wanted.
- 29er mountain bike/gravel grinder, designed around a rigid-only fork and relaxed geometry
- rack mounts and capable of mounting standard fenders
- clearance for up to 2.4" tires for offroad fun (singletrack, bikepacking, fire road touring)
- Ability to use an IGH without a tensioner (sliding dropouts or EBB)
- Ability to use flat or "dirt drop" bars
- Chromoly or titanium
- 100mm front spacing for dynamo hub (I eliminated several contenders with 135mm front spacing)

I considered many options, and my final list included the Surly Ogre/Karate Monkey (geometry was steeper than I wanted, and both are designed around a suspension fork), Jeff Jones "diamond frame" with custom fork (or NOS Salsa V1 fork), On One Inbred 29er, and a few others that dropped off the list pretty quickly.
I was somewhat familiar with a small company based in the UK by the name of Singular, who has a small but passionate following in the 29er world, and their Gryphon model fit the bill for my needs. When I learned of their intentions to integrate rack mounts in their 2012 lineup, I deposited my money for a pre-order in August 2011. In the mean time, I was riding my son's Motobecane 29er with scabbed on rack, saddle, handlebars, daynamo lighting, etc in hopes of a new ride in the fall.
After a slightly slower than planned fabrication process (the frames are designed in the UK and fabbed in Taiwan) and an unprecedented (for them) 2 month delay in customs, the frames were ready to ship from Marty's Shop (The Prarie Peddler) last week. Marty was great to work with, and was beside himself with all of the shipping issues. I think we're both releived!

So, when my wife called me yesterday with the words "there's something on the porch for you", I took the rest of the day off, and was greeted with this:










I got right to work, installing the headset and playing with the Phil Wood licensed Eccentric Bottom Bracket:










*Marty mentioned that the frames had shipped sans headbadges, so mine will be on its way in the not too distant future.*





































Ready to build!










I had done the geo and knew a shorter stem would be in order, so I installed a Thomson 80mm instead of the 120mm that was nearby.

Fast forward, and here she is, ready for action!

I chose the Nuvinci over the Alfine 11 due to concerns with the Alfine 1-2 gears blowing out in off road use. Possibly unfounded fear, but I've been curious about the Nuvinci for a while now, so it was a $1000 cheaper option than a Rohloff <cough>.










The one design flaw was a lack of proper eyelets for fenders. In time I will braze some lowrider mounts on the fork. Until then, P-clamps work just fine










*All built up and ready to go! 
*










I took the bike out for a little spin to dial everything in, and it rides GREAT. Super smooth, not jarring at all (like my Norco Vesta was), and the Nuvinci is really nice.
I'll give her a trial by fire in the morning, as it is raining (yeah, this is Salt Lake City - it SHOULD be snowing).
I'll post more as I settle in to the new ride. 

Here's a rundown of the build
- Frame/fork: XL Singular Gryphon
- Handlebar: Jeff Jones Loop bar
- Stem Thomson X4 80mm
- Crank Truvative Stylo 1.1 180mm
- Seatpost: Salsa
- Brakes: Avid BB7, 185mm rotors - Shimano XTR front, Avid G3 rear
- Saddle Brooks B-17 Narrow
- Front wheel: Alfine Dynamo hub with Velocity Dyad rim (soon to be replaced with Salsa Gordo)
- Tires Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x50 (28/29x2.0)
- Cables: Jagwire ripcord
- Chain Wippermann 3/8"
- Rack: Civia
- Rear Wheel: Nuvinci N360 hub, Salsa Gordo rim


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Congrats! That came out great. You sure didn't waste any time once it arrived. Thanks for the BB pix, I see how that works now.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

oooh nice. I like it. What bar tape is that? I might have to go similar on my next bike...


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

That`s a sharp looking bike! 
135mm front spacing? I thought only fat bikes had that.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

I have been considering the NuVinci for my wife (she hates to shift). It has a bit of a weight penalty but that isn't going to be a major issue. 

I like the Singular lineup too and wondered about Prairie Peddlar. Nice write up/photo shoot. BTW I don't recognize the bottle mounted item on the seat tube. A folded pump?

BrianMc


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

:lol:


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Nice. I like the Singular lineup. Nice to know Prairie Peddlar is good to work with.

Noce photo write up. I am considering the NuVinci for my wife's bike, as she doesn't like figuring out shifting (1 x 9 is another not too complicated option). I thought it would be great in a multi use mtn rigid like this or a fat bike application. 

Is that a folded pump on the seat tube bottle mount? I can't make out the logo to look it up.

BrianMc


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

CommuterBoy said:


> :lol:


:lol: yeah!
Gotta have the first one t make the inevitable ones that follow less painful.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

BrianMc said:


> Noce photo write up. I am considering the NuVinci for my wife's bike, as she doesn't like figuring out shifting (1 x 9 is another not too complicated option). I thought it would be great in a multi use mtn rigid like this or a fat bike application.
> 
> Is that a folded pump on the seat tube bottle mount? I can't make out the logo to look it up.
> 
> BrianMc


I'd say Alfine 8 or Nuvinci would make your wife very happy.
I'm coming from 5-6 years of exclusive Nexus/Alfine 8 usage and I can say the Nuvinci feels smoother at the pedals (Alfines have a mechanical feel - not at all bad, mind you -).

I've only got about 10 miles on it now, but my initial impressions are quite good. The Nuvinci is friggin' smooth. The fact that I am not limited to X set gear ratios is kind of fun. I am already finding myself dialing in the hub to my cadence and desired level of effort. It is really cool.

The thing on the seat tube is my Abus folding (bar-link) lock. It is a heavy sommbyatch but I really like it.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

rodar y rodar said:


> That`s a sharp looking bike!
> 135mm front spacing? I thought only fat bikes had that.


This one is 100mm.
Some of the options I was considering had 135, but I wanted to be able to use my dynamo.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

CommuterBoy said:


> oooh nice. I like it. What bar tape is that? I might have to go similar on my next bike...


Salsa tape. I've been using it on my other bikes for about 2 years and really like it.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

It goes nice with the Brooks. I may go a little retro and do that combo.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I like the brown leather Brooks better than my black one. I wish I had found a comparable deal on a used brown one. ah well, they're probably more desirable and therefore command higher prices. could have just bought one new if I wanted it THAT bad.

also very nice you can fit 50's on that frame WITH the fenders.


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## cr45h (Jan 13, 2007)

looks sweet. singular is definitely on my list of potentials.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

NateHawk said:


> also very nice you can fit 50's on that frame WITH the fenders.


EASILY. The front has space for 2.35 Big Apples and fenders (I made an extension bracket to lower the fender closer to the tire. Hell, I bet I could fit a 2.5 on there with a fender.
The rear has plenty of room, too. I bet 2.2 slicks would fit. 2.35 Big Apples would probably be a tight fit - seat tube would probably be the limiting factor.

Anyway, I love it!


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

That is a really nice looking setup!


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## campredcloudbikes (Feb 22, 2008)

what lights are those and are they really bright for commuter visibility?

SIIIICK build! I got the Brooks and H Loop bar on my Fisticuff commuter, and wouldn't mind something a bit more mtb-ish for commuter giggles....


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

The top headlight is a Planet Bike Blaze 2 watt... I have the same one and use it by itself. Plenty bright for my dirt-road-in-the-dark commute, and I usually use it on the low setting. It has, low, high, and blinky modes. Blinky mode is seizure-inducing. 2 AA's... long battery life. A++ would buy again.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

campredcloudbikes said:


> what lights are those and are they really bright for commuter visibility?
> 
> SIIIICK build! I got the Brooks and H Loop bar on my Fisticuff commuter, and wouldn't mind something a bit more mtb-ish for commuter giggles....


Yep, commuterboy nailed it.
The top lilght is the PB 2w Blaze, which is my full-time blinky.
The lower one is a Supernova E3 Pro dynamo light (connected to the 3 LED tail light on the rack). The model of E3 that I chose is the "asymmetric" or "iris" lens, which is compliant with German traffic law (i.e. won't blind drivers). It sacrifices some pure lumens output for a more uniform "carpet of light" on the ground. It is measured a t 380 lumens, and does a GREAT job for my urban commute.
I will be getting the E3 "triple" as a secondary light for off-road and rural riding. It is an 800 lumen dynamo light.


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## Nev (Jan 30, 2004)

Not in commuter mode, but here's my Gryphon in single track and gravel road tire setup:

















Paul's Fixed Disc hubs w/Velocity blunt wheels. WTB dirt drops. Fixed gear, always.


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## campredcloudbikes (Feb 22, 2008)

thanks for the light info guys. I just ordered up a PB 2W. At double the lumens of my Ptec EOS bike for $52, I figure its a great investment in not getting run over.
Now our cockpits will be even more similar.
Brooks, H bar, Light.....


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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

Guess I don't prowl on MTBR as much as I should lately. Great build up CE, and thanks for the kind words! I'm stoked that you like the bike. I miss mine - and want to build up another.


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