# Stif Squatch



## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Hey guys,

I just took delivery of my Stif Squatch frame this week. As soon as I saw it launch last week I knew that it ticked all the boxes for me. I've been experimenting with geometry, mainly reach, seat and head tube angle for a few years and was considering having another custom frame made, but aside from the out there bb height of this bike it's exactly where I'd want my custom frame to be.

I'll post up some ride impressions when I have some to share.

In the mean time the main details are:

SA 78°
HA 64°
Reach 480mm size large
Chain stay 430mm
Seat tube 450mm
BB drop 80mm = 293mm BB height

29x2.6" tyres experimenting with cushcore to run lower pressures as I'm used to 3.0" tyres on my hardtails.

Any questions please just ask...


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## justwan naride (Oct 13, 2008)

Great build, hope it rides as good as it looks! 

What's your crank arm length? My own ht stock with 130mm fork had a BBH of 300mm and the ends of my 170mm cranks soon looked like the dog chewed on them. Increasing the travel to 140mm raised the BB by 4-5mm and made a surprisingly big difference. Going with shorter cranks would probably have the same result. 

Mentioning this because at 293mm this is the lowest ht bb that I know of. Next up is 297mm (Whyte 901/5/9)


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

justwan naride said:


> Great build, hope it rides as good as it looks!
> 
> What's your crank arm length? My own ht stock with 130mm fork had a BBH of 300mm and the ends of my 170mm cranks soon looked like the dog chewed on them. Increasing the travel to 140mm raised the BB by 4-5mm and made a surprisingly big difference. Going with shorter cranks would probably have the same result.
> 
> Mentioning this because at 293mm this is the lowest ht bb that I know of. Next up is 297mm (Whyte 901/5/9)


Thank you! 

My crank length is 170mm which is what Stif advise along with a 130mm Pike Ultimate but we'll see how I get on with it...


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## *OneSpeed* (Oct 18, 2013)

Sweet looking bike! Excellent series of pics!

BB height: that's LOW. I'll be honest I'm not a fan of super low BB's. My newest hardtail (Honzo ST) has 65mm of drop and 310mm height in stock trim. I jacked up the front end with a longer fork (and -1 headset) to gain a little more BB/crank clearance. I also do not want to switch to shorter cranks, not a fan. It's fine now but I really wouldn't want to go lower. 

My Krampus has 70mm of drop, but that's running 29x3.0. I run 180mm cranks with no issue. This bike also has a significantly shorter wheelbase which also helps. The Stif has a (not surprising) long wheelbase, which I think also contributes to crank/pedal strikes. 

Curious to hear how you get on with it. I'm assuming 170mm cranks?


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

That lower chainstay yoke is crazy looking.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Pricey cranks, I wouldn’t want them getting chewed up.

Nice bike 👍


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

*OneSpeed* said:


> Sweet looking bike! Excellent series of pics!
> 
> BB height: that's LOW. I'll be honest I'm not a fan of super low BB's. My newest hardtail (Honzo ST) has 65mm of drop and 310mm height in stock trim. I jacked up the front end with a longer fork (and -1 headset) to gain a little more BB/crank clearance. I also do not want to switch to shorter cranks, not a fan. It's fine now but I really wouldn't want to go lower.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much, glad you like it.

I've got to admit that I would not want to go shorter than 165mm cranks, mine are 170 and I'm comfortable on that length on my Ibis bearing in mind that I have ran 175mm forever prior to that bike.

The proof is in the riding of course and I can't wait to ride this thing!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> That lower chainstay yoke is crazy looking.


They call it the 12 bore, it's a nice neat way of creating some clearance I think.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Nurse Ben said:


> Pricey cranks, I wouldn't want them getting chewed up.
> 
> Nice bike


Cheers Ben!

No I cringed yesterday when riding up some stairs. A bit of scotchbrite and elbow grease and they were as good as new!


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

I'm psyched that there is experimentation happening with geometry -- we can't know what works, nor improve on it, unless we fiddle some.

That said, I'm looking forward to the pendulum swinging back the other direction. Reach and BB drop trends are cray cray right now.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

mikesee said:


> I'm psyched that there is experimentation happening with geometry -- we can't know what works, nor improve on it, unless we fiddle some.
> 
> That said, I'm looking forward to the pendulum swinging back the other direction. Reach and BB drop trends are cray cray right now.


Hey Mike, I'm with you on both of these points, looking forward to giving this a go and finding out what's what.


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## JimmyC (Dec 19, 2005)

Beautiful bike--and I really enjoyed the photos. I look forward to the ride report.


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## Robin Grant (Dec 1, 2013)

Would love one of these with 170mm forks on the front - would basicially turn it into a more springy/compliant Chromag Doctahawk


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Nice pictures. Waiting for the delivery of mine.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

JimmyC said:


> Beautiful bike--and I really enjoyed the photos. I look forward to the ride report.


Thanks Jimmy!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Robin Grant said:


> Would love one of these with 170mm forks on the front - would basicially turn it into a more springy/compliant Chromag Doctahawk


That would be interesting! Is the Doctahawk not very compliant?


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

ksjogo said:


> Nice pictures. Waiting for the delivery of mine.


Cheers! Mine took about 5 days to come, the guys at Stif said they'd sold about 30 in the first few days.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

First proper ride out this morning on the Squatch and my first impressions are:

That steep seat tube angle is fantastic, climbing is a joy.

The frame is ultra compliant in a good way, like you'd want a well dialled steel frame to be. I've ridden harsher full suspension bikes but it only flexes where you'd want it to.

The bike is really quiet, I love that. The new XT just works very very and I think that's a contributing factor to it as well as the cable routing.

The bike rips corners.

The low BB height was only a problem on more gnarly climbs and when rolling off drops. It actually surprised me that I only had a couple of pedal strikes today. I think I'll be choosing which rides this bike goes on but it's an absolute hoot to ride and feels really fast.


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## Tommy E (Oct 30, 2019)

Thanks for the write up and review. Bike looks absolutely awesome. Love the color


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Ordered the GX build (in silver to match the pike) (with extra 200 rotors for the back and chain guide and bash guard), so might take slightly longer.

Most climbing will be German gravel forest roads, so not too many pedalstrikes hopefully.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Tommy E said:


> Thanks for the write up and review. Bike looks absolutely awesome. Love the color


Thanks Tommy! 

Yeah I'm glad I went with teal, I originally had a bone on order (one of my custom hard tails is silver so that wasn't in the running this time) but changed to teal. Stif were fantastic throughout the process.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

ksjogo said:


> Ordered the GX build (in silver to match the pike) (with extra 200 rotors for the back and chain guide and bash guard), so might take slightly longer.
> 
> Most climbing will be German gravel forest roads, so not too many pedalstrikes hopefully.


This bike begs to be lifted and hopped over everything, Jeff Kendal-Weed would love it!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

One other thing I forgot to mention and it’s a big thing for me but the Cushcore in the 2.6” tyres feel fantastic and I definitely didn’t feel that I missed the plus tyres I run on my other two hardtails, which was the main reason for buying this bike. 

I’m running 18 psi in the rear and 17 up front but I’m still experimenting there. I’m currently weighing in at 210lbs so they’re pretty low pressures given that I run 16/14 on my 29x2.8/3.0” wheels.


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## cockymonster (Nov 21, 2010)

ksjogo said:


> Ordered the GX build (in silver to match the pike) (with extra 200 rotors for the back and chain guide and bash guard), so might take slightly longer.
> 
> Most climbing will be German gravel forest roads, so not too many pedalstrikes hopefully.


curious to see another Squatch in Germany. Ordered a Large frame in the bone color way soon after it came out :thumbsup:
are you on mtb-news.de as well?


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## cockymonster (Nov 21, 2010)

Just J said:


> First proper ride out this morning on the Squatch and my first impressions are:
> 
> That steep seat tube angle is fantastic, climbing is a joy.
> 
> ...


and thanks for your short ride review, Just J - looking forward to my frame even more now!:thumbsup:


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

cockymonster said:


> and thanks for your short ride review, Just J - looking forward to my frame even more now!:thumbsup:


No problem, I'll add to this as I ride the bike more, let me know if you have any questions though.

Maybe you guys can post your bikes and thoughts up here when you get yours too?


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## cockymonster (Nov 21, 2010)

Just J said:


> No problem, I'll add to this as I ride the bike more, let me know if you have any questions though.
> 
> Maybe you guys can post your bikes and thoughts up here when you get yours too?


Will do if you'd like, sure!
Might take some time, Stif is still waiting for the rear axles from Burgtec and also some bronze cash Burgtec pedals I ordered with the frame

Need to change the air shaft on a Fox 36 and redish the rear wheel with a boost adapter (probably stick the I9 wheels from my Murmur on there&#8230.
So might take a little, next to work and some Christmas preparation &#8230; 

Any new insights into the ride will be great.
Care to tell what other (custom) hardtails you can compare to? Or a link to where you've described that will suffice, too
cheers!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

cockymonster said:


> Will do if you'd like, sure!
> Might take some time, Stif is still waiting for the rear axles from Burgtec and also some bronze cash Burgtec pedals I ordered with the frame
> 
> Need to change the air shaft on a Fox 36 and redish the rear wheel with a boost adapter (probably stick the I9 wheels from my Murmur on there&#8230.
> ...


You might regret asking, this thread is a bit of a monster!

https://forums.mtbr.com/26-27-5-29-plus-bikes/waltworks-ultimate-warrior-1015956.html

But here they are in their latest guises:


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Just J said:


> This bike begs to be lifted and hopped over everything, Jeff Kendal-Weed would love it!


Just got back into MTB this summer and so far have been relying on raw roady power on an ancient Kona Cinder Cone from 2005.
Will definitely need to spend time on upskilling.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

cockymonster said:


> curious to see another Squatch in Germany. Ordered a Large frame in the bone color way soon after it came out :thumbsup:
> are you on mtb-news.de as well?


Not (yet), are there any great threads to follow?
From which area are you?


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## culoduro (Mar 1, 2014)

ksjogo said:


> Not (yet), are there any great threads to follow?
> From which area are you?


Two of my favorite threads are:
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/rud...chi-fettabernett-systemrelevant.833388/unread
And
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/der-ich-war-heute-mit-dem-gravelbike-unterwegs-thread.901831/

One a bunch of lovable whackos and steel aficionados, the other an inspiring gravel tires pictures with some pretty mellow people. 
The beer trade thread is also pretty neat
https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/die-bier-tausch-boerse.676969/unread

I'm the same guy as the one you answered, just couldn't find the other login.
I'm in the Chiemgau, near Prien.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Second proper ride out and this thing just keeps getting better and better. It's a very fun and all round quick bike.


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## culoduro (Mar 1, 2014)

Just J said:


> Second proper ride out and this thing just keeps getting better and better. It's a very fun and all round quick bike.


Sounds great, looks great, too!

Gesendet von meinem GM1913 mit Tapatalk


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

culoduro said:


> Sounds great, looks great, too!
> 
> Gesendet von meinem GM1913 mit Tapatalk


Thank you! 

So I think what's impressing me the most is the comfort of the bike, it's compliance is a real thing.

I have been experimenting with wheels and tyres for years and I think the other thing I really like is the cushcore inserts, they really do feel like a plus tyre but with a little bit more accuracy if that makes sense? I'm running 18/17 psi with wiggle room to drop it...

The bike is sooooo quiet. The cable routing is dialled and it's just genuinely silent. The XTR hubs seem to be getting quieter too. Probably means they're going to s**t themselves all over the trail soon?! 

It's a really quick bike, it just shoots off up the trail and that's with the cushcores in too, I don't notice they're there until tarmac. It wants to hop and jump a lot more than I do lol. It's also very stable at high speed.

One thing that needs getting used to is I felt a slight wash out on a tight uphill switchback this morning, but I think that's a weighting thing I'll adjust to.

The mud clearance is fantastic but so it should be for a bike designed in North Yorkshire. LOL

That's BB hasn't been much issue as yet, I've collected some mud on the pedals a few times, but as long as you think about where your pedals are it seems fine.

It rails corners though, thanks to that BB and the low tyre pressures...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Morgs010 (Aug 7, 2011)

Here is my Squatch. Loving it so far. Been giving it a bit of hammer here in Derbyshire. Still got the 150 fork on it as it works brilliantly although will be reducing the pike to 130 to give it a go.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Nice!
Can't wait to ride mine but it seem Stif is stilling waiting for some parts to be shipped to them for assembly :/

One thing I was wondering, I assume a saddle bag won't fit as it will be too low with a low seat post but the frame also has a bit weird shape. Has anyone a good fitting frame bag for the front of the triangle?
I can't ride with them at the back of the triangle due to my knees frictioning against them.


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## Morgs010 (Aug 7, 2011)

I know Alpkit make custom ones at a reasonable price.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Got a tracking number for mine, should arrive this Friday


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

ksjogo said:


> Got a tracking number for mine, should arrive this Friday


Wahay!!

It'll be worth the wait!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

I managed to get on one last ride out before lockdown officially ends tomorrow.

The Squatch keeps getting better and better, I'm really beginning to gel with it. It's a quick bike, XC fast on the cross country bits and it loves gravity fun too!

I can't recommend this bike high enough, it's rapidly becoming my favourite hardtail!...


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Got my PRO 200 version last Friday and first proper ride today, some learnings.
It is my first 
Build:
* They already attached bash guard, chain guide and 200mm rear rotor+adapter which is really nice as I didn't have to undo the cranks (will have to do that when an xcadey power-s arrives though)
* The gx eagle derailleur high limit screw and b-screw were not set correctly and the chain went into the wheel after 50meters. Not sure if they were supposed to be set and got messed up in transit from the UK to Germany or if you are supposed to set them when buying a bike, as it is my first bought MTB. Should definitely have checked them.
* brake/shifting mounts were a bit too much outwards for my taste, but easily moved inwards
* the WTB rims have stickers which are easy to remove but leave a lot of residue
* the burgtec grips sadly don't have bar plugs and are closed instead, so I had to put on some bad others to be able to use my encase system for tools within the bars till I have decided on which grips to put on
* the pike looks really nice with all stickers removed
* bike looks old school and cheapish with everything in silver and black which is awesome and exactly what I was going for, much more fun to race past others on ugly colorized bikes

Ride:
First ride on anything which could be considered a modern geometry, so wasn't aiming to push it too much in any regard and kept it relatively relaxed.
But I still cut off ~5% off my pr's on 4 climb segments on my 1-hour home round.
Especially on the steeper bits the seating position was much better.
Before I always had to put more effort into balancing the bike and general handling, today it felt a bit like sitting on an ergometer, I could just put the power down and the bike will move forward. (I was on 26 before, so can't say how much is due to frame vs wheel size)
The low bottom bracket wasn't any problem on the techy stony uphill segment which is the second most bb problematic bit around, will check on number 1 in the future.
A lot of wet leaves on the ground, so not the time of the year to push downhill, but I was able to recover two sliding backwheels which would probably have ended up with me on the ground on the old bike.
Pike + steel frame felt much nicer then the old aluminium on bumpier bits.
200mm dropper is great, but I wish I could have a 250mm one as I still have to pull it out quite a bit and with the steep sta the saddle is a bit more between the lags compared to a lower one.
Only issue I kinda had was that I felt a lot of pressure/weight on my hands/wrists. This is probably related to moving from a narrow 2005 handle bar to a wide 800mm one and the bad basic grips I had to put on. Gonna try with some Ergon GP3.
Maybe slightly lower the bar, there are a lot of spacers below it at the moment. 

Looking forward to more riding.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Done some more riding and tuning and now feel like getting a good handle on things after swapping the 35mm stem for a 50mm one and replacing the burgtec bar with oneup carbon ones to be slightly less stiff.
Climbs really well and handles the German winter much better than all other bikes around.


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

Built up my Squatch from a frame and have a couple of rides in. Man, this bike is legit. I haven't hit the chunkier trails yet due to the wet winter but I am very impressed. I don't notice the roots and rocks on the trail so it's super comfortable. The seat angle is so steep that I don't mind climbing and I hate climbing lol! On the flow trails the bike just sticks to it's line; probably a combination of the low bottom bracket, Manitou Mezzer fork and the "springiness" of the frame. I think I know which bike will pulled out first when riding season comes back around  







Have a couplke of rides on


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Yeah, the frame compliance is really nice, feels much more comfortable compared to the alus I rode before.















Should probably get something chunkier on the rear for the current season, on gravel and looser stuff the rekon is really nice, but it isn't made for the wet roots/stones on the uphill and icy things it had to endure today, otherwise the squatch was very happy with the weather.


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## Mark soden (Jan 2, 2021)

Just J said:


> Second proper ride out and this thing just keeps getting better and better. It's a very fun and all round quick bike.


Is that roseberry topping. I'm about to click buy on a squatch. I'd be mainly using it for rides it the dales and North York moors etc. I'm just a bit concerned about the low bb.i currently ride a whyte t130 had it 4 yand a bit years but fancy a change how are you finding it


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

I love the low bb for bad ground so far, makes it easier to balance in mud and snow as good as I can tell.
The odd pedal strike does happen on mega bumpy uphills though but nothing extreme.
Am thinking about swapping the 170mm with 165mm ones though to change leg extension a bit and see how they feel.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Mark soden said:


> Is that roseberry topping. I'm about to click buy on a squatch. I'd be mainly using it for rides it the dales and North York moors etc. I'm just a bit concerned about the low bb.i currently ride a whyte t130 had it 4 yand a bit years but fancy a change how are you finding it


Yes it certainly is Roseberry Topping, sorry for the late reply, I'm not getting notifications since the update.

The low BB can show its face on chunkier downhills too but I have found that it encourages me to clear more drops rather than roll them. It's something you get used to I think.


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## Birdam9er (Jan 11, 2021)

Hey all stif squatch owners i have a few questions for you from a hopefully soon to be owner. Due to covid lockdown in the uk i cannot go and demo one.

- I am 6ft tall and stif reccomend a Large frame but i have long legs and arms and short torso so what size frames do you have and how tall are you? 
After asking stif i found out the large has an effective top tube of 615mm which is pretty short but with that steep seat tube angle it makes sense. 

- How does the squatch handle bigger mile days say 40miles plus? This will be a do it all bike, hike a bike munros, step in for my enduro bike when getting fixed, dirt jumper, tame trail bike and a bit of bike packing. Obviously it wont be great at everything but it would be great to hear where you find the bike works the best and where it doesnt? 

- The very low BB, how are you getting on with this? Is it a rock strike madness or really not that big a deal? My other thoughts were a banshee paradox with a bit higher bb. 

- steep seat angle is this actually good? How to you feel pedaling long miles seated? Do these squashed seatstays actually offer comfort? 

Sorry for the splurge of questions but any feedback on the above would be great. I havent owned a hardtail for over ten years so looking forward to getting back on one and the spec is fantastic for the money. Cheers.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Heya,
I am 184cm, which should be around 6 in the other measurements and am on a large (as that was what the website put as sweet spot).
For downhilling it worked great with the sizing, for uphill my arms felt a bit cramped, which I did improve by pushing back the saddle more than max on its rails and swapping the 35mm stem for a 50mm stem (which also improved handling for my lower speeds as far as I can tell).
Buying it again, I might go for the XL (though that with a longer stem for handling might be too much). 
But I am coming from a 2005 XC mtb with a very stretched out position and also do a lot of road cycling, so my seat preferences/what I am used to might differ compared to coming from a less ancient geometry. 
For long trips I would use my road bike, can't really comment on that mainly been using it for 1-2 hour trips around my home (river valleys are a great MTB base). For these it works really well and I never felt more drained than expected and the powermeter and time data are along what I would expect on a MTB, so not too much waste on rolling resistance, even with the 2.6 tires.
I really like the low BB on the descents, easier to recover loss of grip and general better feeling of control. Most stuff around here is very loamy, no real stone gardens, the odd pedal strike uphilling does happen if you don't watch the pedalling when passing some bigger stones. But you have to pay attention with an hardtail anyway.
Steep seat angle made some steep climbs much easier/more controlable, I think I was able to focus more on putting the power down compared to bike handling.
Regarding spec, I didn't get along with the stiffness of the burgtec bars of the pro build, OneUp carbon bars were a great replacement.


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

I'm 182.5 CM tall, 86 CM inseam with long arms as well, so maybe close to your bodyshape. I am on a Large and it feels amazing. For me this is the best climbing bike I have ever had. I tell my friends "it climbs like a mountain goat!" 
I haven't been on a ride more than 2 hours but I found it comfortable. I'm on a 800mm bar with a 35 mm stem; I'm still trying to work on weighting the front wheel as generally use a 50mm stem. No issues so far with the BB, any pedal strikes I have had so far were my fault. I posted earlier about how I feel the bike is super complaint. Not sure why, but it feels good to me. I am vey pleased with my purchase fwiw.



Birdam9er said:


> Hey all stif squatch owners i have a few questions for you from a hopefully soon to be owner. Due to covid lockdown in the uk i cannot go and demo one.
> 
> - I am 6ft tall and stif reccomend a Large frame but i have long legs and arms and short torso so what size frames do you have and how tall are you?
> After asking stif i found out the large has an effective top tube of 615mm which is pretty short but with that steep seat tube angle it makes sense.
> ...


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## Birdam9er (Jan 11, 2021)

Hey @ksjogo and @rodzilla thanks for the in depth replies. It sounds a very capable bike and the slack and steep angles are less of an issue than they sound.

Here are my dimensions. 183cm tall, i have a 195cm wingspan, my reach from my inner armpit to end of middle finger is 75cm, i have a 89cm inseam. Basically very long limbed with short upper torso vety similar to you @rodzilla . So you dont find seated pedalling cramped? Its a super short eff top tube, but then again i dont want it to be just a dh plow sort of bike.

@ksjogo thats interesting about the burget bars, ive given up on carbon bars after my raceface nextR bars snwpped in a really low speed small crash which wasnt great. Also a huge change in geometry from a 2005 bike that must of felt really strange, ive found weighting these new slack bikes you have to really ride with your weight over the front end on decents which isnt easy to get your head around.

Can anyone else mention their height body shape and frame size choice?

Cheers again


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

I think the seated position works well for me but so far I have ridden punchy climbs, not sustained climbs. If anything I might get a longer stem to help weight the front wheel. My saddle is in the middle of the rails and my dropper is set @ 190mm (PNW Loam Dropper) so you should have some room to play with for pedaling position. On a different note, I have used Nukeproof carbon bars on 3 of my bikes now, no complaints, especially given the price I paid. 31.8, as I find 35 just too unforgiving.

Hey @ksjogo and @rodzilla thanks for the in depth replies. It sounds a very capable bike and the slack and steep angles are less of an issue than they sound.

Here are my dimensions. 183cm tall, i have a 195cm wingspan, my reach from my inner armpit to end of middle finger is 75cm, i have a 89cm inseam. Basically very long limbed with short upper torso vety similar to you @rodzilla . So you dont find seated pedalling cramped? Its a super short eff top tube, but then again i dont want it to be just a dh plow sort of bike.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Birdam9er said:


> Hey all stif squatch owners i have a few questions for you from a hopefully soon to be owner. Due to covid lockdown in the uk i cannot go and demo one.
> 
> - I am 6ft tall and stif reccomend a Large frame but i have long legs and arms and short torso so what size frames do you have and how tall are you?
> After asking stif i found out the large has an effective top tube of 615mm which is pretty short but with that steep seat tube angle it makes sense.
> ...


Hi, I'm about 6ft myself and ride a large. The bike definitely doesn't feel short, it's pretty perfect by all accounts, although the STA will take a little getting used to I guess. IT feels natural after a few miles and definitely helps with climbing.

I haven't taken mine on any big mile rides yet, I got struck down with Covid and the week before that I sustained a shoulder injury, so have been recouping, but I cant see big miles being an issue. It is genuinely a quick bike everywhere, up, down and across.

The low BB can show itself, but as I have said before, it encourages you to ride how the bike is intended to be ridden, drop rather than roll features, be careful with your pedal timing on chunky uphill trails Etc...

The seat stays and the tube profile of the rest of the bike make it the most comfortable hard tail that I've ever ridden. It's kind of surreal how comfortable it is.


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## timikiwi (Jan 17, 2021)

Thanks for all the owner views on here. Having been out of mtbing for a good while I’m itching to get back in to it. Undecided yet on a good hardtail with the Squatch topping that list at the moment, or an alloy framed full susser - maybe Sonder Evol or Trek Fuel. Of course geometry and ride of modern 29ers all mean the variables I would’ve put a lot of emphasis on 10 years back now might not be as important, but out of interest, what is the weight of the Squatch?


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

timikiwi said:


> Thanks for all the owner views on here. Having been out of mtbing for a good while I'm itching to get back in to it. Undecided yet on a good hardtail with the Squatch topping that list at the moment, or an alloy framed full susser - maybe Sonder Evol or Trek Fuel. Of course geometry and ride of modern 29ers all mean the variables I would've put a lot of emphasis on 10 years back now might not be as important, but out of interest, what is the weight of the Squatch?


Mine weighs 31lbs with pedals, cushcore etc.


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## 01sam (Jun 4, 2018)

I’ve decided on a squatch. It represents phenomenal value in the uk. The equivalent cotic, pace and stanton are all £1k more.

Since we can’t test ride. What size would you recommend for a normal proportion 5’9 bloke. From reading the geo charts a Medium looks to be the closest to my mk5 cotic soul.


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## danneebeeee (Jan 20, 2021)

01sam said:


> I've decided on a squatch. It represents phenomenal value in the uk. The equivalent cotic, pace and stanton are all £1k more.
> 
> Since we can't test ride. What size would you recommend for a normal proportion 5'9 bloke. From reading the geo charts a Medium looks to be the closest to my mk5 cotic soul.


I've been looking at the same set of bikes and have been reading this thread with interest I'm just shy of 5'11 and have decided if I go ahead with the squatch I'd get a large, from the geo I'd say you'd be fine on either M or L, suppose it depends on what type of riding you'll be doing, steep trails, drops, jumps, twists and turns the M will be slightly easier to handle or the L if you plan to keep things a little tamer.

I've been sort of holding off on the Squatch to see if ragley come out with anything special at the end of the month


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## NattyMatty (Jan 23, 2021)

01sam said:


> I've decided on a squatch. It represents phenomenal value in the uk. The equivalent cotic, pace and stanton are all £1k more.
> 
> Since we can't test ride. What size would you recommend for a normal proportion 5'9 bloke. From reading the geo charts a Medium looks to be the closest to my mk5 cotic soul.


Been following this thread for a couple of months. Finally decided to order AM build in size M and been given 8th Feb build date. I'm also 5'9 (and 1/2 with shoes on) and was unsure whether to size up. After speaking to guys at Stif they recommended going for M and also said a few of their staff are same height and ride a medium.

I just moved back to South of England from Scotland so my riding at the moment is mainly XC and messing about on short trails and jumps in local woods. Maybe if you live up North and are doing longer mountain rides look at going for a Large.

I recently sold my first proper bike which was a second hand 10+ year old Cotic Bfe 26" size small which I loved and used for everything. Very interested to see the difference.

Will let you know how it feels after the first ride.


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## 01sam (Jun 4, 2018)

I emailed the shop and they recommend a medium for me. 
They have a month waiting list from date of purchase so not too bad (was expecting more).
I priced up the same build from the cheapest retailers in the uk. It came to £3200, how they sell it for £2500 is beyond me. Wither the retail rates are extortionate (probably) or they aren’t making much on them.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Maybe they make the money with the higher priced santa cruzes.


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## Draskers (Feb 3, 2021)

Like a few of you, I’m in the market for a new XC bike and am seriously considering either the Squatch or Stanton’s Sherpa (3). Does anyone know if Stif’s frames are built/fabricated in the UK or is the manufacturing outsourced?

Also, as a titanium road bike user, I’m slightly worried about the weight of the Stif for climbing.... how do you folks find it, and do I need to be worried?

Thanks in advance.


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## danneebeeee (Jan 20, 2021)

Draskers said:


> Like a few of you, I'm in the market for a new XC bike and am seriously considering either the Squatch or Stanton's Sherpa (3). Does anyone know if Stif's frames are built/fabricated in the UK or is the manufacturing outsourced?
> 
> Also, as a titanium road bike user, I'm slightly worried about the weight of the Stif for climbing.... how do you folks find it, and do I need to be worried?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


Hey, can't comment on weight not ridden yet but I've got the squatch on order, for XC and at 14kg it's going to feel heavy compared to its carbon and aluminium competition... though apparently climbing is still ok because of the geo of the frame

As for the squatch frame... Made in Taiwan


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Coming from the road side you probably have some muscles to compensate the weight (at least that was my approach).
The weight is fine for me, but I was also more interested in a bike that's gonna be durable and low maintenance for 10+ years. And I am still in top-10 range for the local strava climbs with the weight and higher rolling resistance.
Their finishing kit isn't on the weight saving side (maybe apart from the Pike Ultimate as far as trail forks go), you can probably easily chop of 1 kilo by going carbon handle bar, lighter saddle, lighter tires.

Pretty much depends on what your looking for in an MTB?
For long tours I have my carbon road bike, my MTB routes are 8 to 30km with a lot of steep ups and downs and for that the Squatch is perfect.


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

Just J said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I just took delivery of my Stif Squatch frame this week. As soon as I saw it launch last week I knew that it ticked all the boxes for me. I've been experimenting with geometry, mainly reach, seat and head tube angle for a few years and was considering having another custom frame made, but aside from the out there bb height of this bike it's exactly where I'd want my custom frame to be.
> 
> ...





01sam said:


> I've decided on a squatch. It represents phenomenal value in the uk. The equivalent cotic, pace and stanton are all £1k more.
> 
> Since we can't test ride. What si
> 
> ...


Just got medium I'm 5.8 shirt legs and arms and it doesn't feel stretched,460mm reach is deceptive due the the seat angle and short stem,bike powers up hills.Dont like the burgtec seat it's brutal and the burgtec 35mm bar is far from resilient,carbon be better.Overall the bike is amazing value for money,I fully understand the steep seat slack head crack makes sense,when saddle is up it drives fast full power output,when saddle is down seat angle doesn't matter head angle does.I got mine on cycle to work scheme so it's 1900 but I pay 1475.


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

Likemynewbikeloads said:


> Just got medium I'm 5.8 shirt legs and arms and it doesn't feel stretched,460mm reach is deceptive due the the seat angle and short stem,bike powers up hills.Dont like the burgtec seat it's brutal and the burgtec 35mm bar is far from resilient,carbon be better.Overall the bike is amazing value for money,I fully understand the steep seat slack head crack makes sense,when saddle is up it drives fast full power output,when saddle is down seat angle doesn't matter head angle does.I got mine on cycle to work scheme so it's 1900 but I pay 1475.


And another couple of things worth mentioning,at five eight tall the 175mm dropper at full extension is to high.Also the wheels come tubeless set up already which was a nice surprise and on first ride my dog peed on my bike.And I really am going to change that seat luckily I got a stealth charge spoon in wiggle sale before they sold out and I have a spare nukeproof horizon carbon bar and stem I got last year in sale still in wrapper standard size to try which should be more resilient.35mm bars and stems make nonsense to me,to harsh.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Managed to get out on a moors ride on the Squatch today, the bike is really very good and it’s a shame it’s not seeing more coverage than it is really. I love the comfort of the bike, I really don’t think you’d see the level of suspension that the shape of the tubes offers on any other hardtail I know of, not even if you went custom. 

I’m getting more used to the low BB now, didn’t cause many problems for me today at all. The bike absolutely rails turns though and is so easy to hop, jump and manual, I was hitting everything I could. Bottomed the tyre against the rim once today as I was really trying to see how the Cushcore would handle things, which it did with aplomb. 

The bike also climbs very well, it’s so direct and quick to accelerate on the power. 

It’s a genuine full suspension worrier this bike, I love it.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

What's your experience with tire inserts on the squatch? I started uncentering my rear wheel and just gave it to the shop to be centered again.
Am thinking about adding Cushcore Pro on the Back (maybe Front as well).


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)




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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

ksjogo said:


> What's your experience with tire inserts on the squatch? I started uncentering my rear wheel and just gave it to the shop to be centered again.
> Am thinking about adding Cushcore Pro on the Back (maybe Front as well).


Well I have cushcore on mine and it's working as intended as mentioned. Not sure what the uncentering thing could be though?


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

Here's mine in bad weather clothes.


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

Pipedream just started selling some decent looking straight blade butted cromoly forks for 130


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Am quite happy with my Pike though 
Nice looking Squatches.

Switched to 2.4 tires from 2.6 now, felt a bit faster generally and quicker handling when leaning, didn't try it on the more downhilly trails yet.
Tannus Tubeless was def quite hard to set up with the Continental Baron front and Trailking rear, but now it is in. Let's see who much our suspended hardtail can endure.


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

Likemynewbikeloads said:


> Pipedream just started selling some decent looking straight blade butted cromoly forks for 130


The one with 483 A-C? That's a bit short, that Whisky is 500 A-C.


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## SSsteel4life (Jul 1, 2016)

pitip said:


> View attachment 1919155
> 
> 
> Here's mine in bad weather clothes.


Nice! How is this in Rigid form being a slacker bike?


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

SSsteel4life said:


> Nice! How is this in Rigid form being a slacker bike?


I have a +2 degree angle set in there so the HA is 66 degrees. I like it much better than any of the other, less progressive, rigid bikes I ever had. Riding down the stairs is fun again.


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## GlesgaWarrior (Jun 21, 2017)

Here's mine. Bought the frame and transferred over parts from my GT sensor. Just need to bleed the brakes and I'll be good to go. I can't wait to get this on the trails.


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## SSsteel4life (Jul 1, 2016)

If only they could have put rocker dropouts on this bike to singlespeed! The dropouts basically are same shape as rockers.


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

SSsteel4life said:


> If only they could have put rocker dropouts on this bike to singlespeed! The dropouts basically are same shape as rockers.


Would also give the ability to extend the rear center, but it would probably drop the already low BB too much.


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## GlesgaWarrior (Jun 21, 2017)

I took the Squatch out for its first ride on my local trails today. But before I had even got there I knew that this was a special bike. I took a right road corner at speed, not really thinking anything of it - I was just looking forward to getting to the trails, but as it went round it felt like it was on rails. It took me completely by surprise. I don't think I've ever ridden a bike that felt so composed going round a corner. It kind of stopped me in my tracks, but was also a sign of things to come. 

On the trails themselves I found the Squatch to be a joy. It felt 'poppy' and very confident descending (unlike me). It also climbs brilliantly both seated and standing. 

Before today I was worried that the steep seat tube and low bottom bracket would comprise my enjoyment of the bike by limiting where and how I can ride it, but I needn't have worried. I mean I did have a couple of pedal strikes but no more than I would have had on another bike. 

I don't think I've ever had as good a first ride on a bike as I have today, and I've not had as many rides that have been as much fun, despite me being very rusty, not having been out on the trails since last year. Stif have done an amazing job designing this frame. It feels like a very special bike indeed. I cannot wait to get out and ride it again.


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

GlesgaWarrior said:


> I took the Squatch out for its first ride on my local trails today. But before I had even got there I knew that this was a special bike. I took a right road corner at speed, not really thinking anything of it - I was just looking forward to getting to the trails, but as it went round it felt like it was on rails. It took me completely by surprise. I don't think I've ever ridden a bike that felt so composed going round a corner. It kind of stopped me in my tracks, but was also a sign of things to come.
> 
> On the trails themselves I found the Squatch to be a joy. It felt 'poppy' and very confident descending (unlike me). It also climbs brilliantly both seated and standing.
> 
> ...


I did a 50k "XC" ride on it yesterday and it felt exactly as you described it. This is the moat comfortable and most composed hardtail I have ever ridden.

Sent from my IN2020 using Tapatalk


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## GlesgaWarrior (Jun 21, 2017)

That's quite some ride for an "aggressive" hardtail but it doesn't surprise me that you were able to do it on this bike. I am looking forward to taking mine bike packing later this year.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Did 67km with 1552m of climbing yesterday on it  Ergon grips and sqlabs inner bar ends are definitely helping in allowing for different hand/wrist positions.
After km 50 my right knee started aching a bit and I had to shift positions a bit and switch the leading leg on the descents around a bit, but that's due to the rider getting tired.

Which tire sizes are you guys running? Moving from 2.6 to 2.4 on the stock 30mm rims seems to have improved riding berms quite a lot.


Funny note from Satuday, overtook some guy on a rocky trail on Saturday and we had a short chat afterwards, he complained about it being too rowdy for him, ... while having a 36 front and some fox piggy back rear, then he looked at my bike and stopped complaining xD


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## GlesgaWarrior (Jun 21, 2017)

Wow, another big ride! Thanks the reminder about the sqlabs inner bar ends. I have a set but haven't fitted them yet - I could have done with them yesterday. 

I'm running a 2.3 butcher up front and a 2.3 eliminator in the rear. I was very close to fitting some 2.6s but I used to have a fat bike and I found that I was getting 'pinged about' on the wide tyres through chunky trails, which is what I have around here. I think narrower tyres can fit through gaps in the chunk a little better, and don't squirm on the rooms so much. The 2.3s felt fine yesterday so I'm going to stick with them for a while yet. 

I would have loved to have seen that guys face.


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

Just ordered the 150mm debonair spring off biketart,I'm going to try the pikes at 150mm and see how they adjust the handling.Im looking at lifting the bottom bracket a little and decreasing the seat angle a little to take some weight off the bars.Its not expensive paid around 35 for the C1 spring.The advantage of this bike is you can try this and not mess up the handling as the seat angle is so steep and the bottom bracket is so low.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Which stem length are you running currently?


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

ksjogo said:


> Which stem length are you running currently?


35mm burgtec with the 800mm bar,feels stiff


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Absolutely, didn't like the combo at all. The OneUp 35mm carbon bar feels much nicer and removed most arm pump I had.
Also swaped to a 50mm stem for nicer handling on the uphills and some reach (might have gotten the XL instead of the L looking back).


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## Likemynewbikeloads (Feb 11, 2021)

Just sorted the pikes today and fitted the 2021 air spring 150mm,mind you the 130mm air spring I've took out is the same 2021 spring.Will see how it goes should raise the bottom bracket a little and lessen the seat angle by a degree which may take some weight off the bar with the seat angle less steep and the front end slightly higher.Just an experiment.


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## pitip (Mar 3, 2021)

ksjogo said:


> Which stem length are you running currently?


50mm with 800mm riser bars.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Review from mbr.co.uk:








Stif Squatch Pro: first ride review - MBR


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.




www.mbr.co.uk


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## culoduro (Mar 1, 2014)

@Just J

since you asked for some pics.. finished last details today.
Upholstered the saddle with some buck leather, wheels are hand built with Flow MK3s.
9-46 e13 12 speed cassette with SRAM shifting, the rear derailleur was converted to 12 speed using the e13 conversion kit. 
Rear holds a Nukeproof ARD insert.
Rides like a carving ski, and very compliant.









































































Cheers and thanks for starting the thread!


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

culoduro said:


> @Just J
> 
> since you asked for some pics.. finished last details today.
> Upholstered the saddle with some buck leather, wheels are hand built with Flow MK3s.
> ...


Very nice and no problem, hope you're enjoying the bike.


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## Lunchhead (Mar 17, 2021)

culoduro said:


> @Just J
> 
> since you asked for some pics.. finished last details today.
> Upholstered the saddle with some buck leather, wheels are hand built with Flow MK3s.
> ...


What chainstay protector are you using


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Lunchhead said:


> What chainstay protector are you using


It's a race face one, not sure if they're still available.


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## Lunchhead (Mar 17, 2021)

Just J said:


> It's a race face one, not sure if they're still available.


Cheers , I'll take look . Trick looking bike


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Lunchhead said:


> Cheers , I'll take look . Trick looking bike


Thank you, glad you like!


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## Lunchhead (Mar 17, 2021)

What travel are you running on your fork have thought about increasing to 140 on mine although have not as yet had any pedal strikes and bike feels nice and balanced and climbs like a demon


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## culoduro (Mar 1, 2014)

Lunchhead said:


> What chainstay protector are you using


3M 2228


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Lunchhead said:


> What travel are you running on your fork have thought about increasing to 140 on mine although have not as yet had any pedal strikes and bike feels nice and balanced and climbs like a demon


130mm on mine, I love that balanced feel. I do get strikes but it's liveable and I don't want to mess with the bikes intended geometry.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Still the 130 from the stock Pike. Did remove the 2 tokens though to add a bit more pressure initially for the uphills.
Currently waiting for a second lightweight wheelset to arrive (Duke Alu Rims etc, should be 1400g) and will put some lightweight XC tires on so I can swap with the Enduro ones depending on course.
Will probably a slightly weird XC wheelset with 200mm rotors f/r xD


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

To those who have upped the travel, how does it feel compared to the original ??

unsure whether to go for 140 or 150 when mine arrives.


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

reidtastic said:


> To those who have upped the travel, how does it feel compared to the original ??
> 
> unsure whether to go for 140 or 150 when mine arrives.


Went to 140, the bike feels great! Lost nothing on the climbs, a little more capable for the trails around me.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

rodzilla said:


> Went to 140, the bike feels great! Lost nothing on the climbs, a little more capable for the trails around me.


Thanks rod

Are you tempted on 150mm ? Or is 140 where its staying.

I don't receive mine until august...... going to order a set of one up bars.

Also how many headset spacers does the bike ship with ?


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

reidtastic said:


> Thanks rod
> 
> Are you tempted on 150mm ? Or is 140 where its staying.
> 
> ...


I am keeping it @ 140mm; I have other bikes if I felt I needed more travel for a day of riding. 140mm puts it the bike in a good all around spot for where I live. @ 130mm I was clipping pedals on mundane, rolling terrain with 170mm cranks; I know when/how to ratchet and those weren't places where it was needed. My only concern with 150 would be raising the BB, cause this thing corners likes it's on rails. Maybe 27.5 the rear to counteract raising the BB? No idea on the spacers; I went with a frame only.


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## Lunchhead (Mar 17, 2021)

my bike was shipped with 3 spacers fitted below stem and 1above . Still running mine at 130 but may raise to 140 if I get lots of pedal strikes . I’ve taken it to fod trail centre and only suffered 1 pedal strike on the down hill trails that I rode there . Been fine other places I’ve ridden bike . I fitted the one up carbon bars 35rise and prefer them to the burgtec it came with . It’s a cracking very capable bike out of the box . I’m sure you’ll love it when it arrives


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Cool ill probably keep it at 140mm with 165mm cranks.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Cheers mate ! Looking forward to it. Id say my trails are quite pedal strikie (if thats a word) 

hopefully the cranks, increased travel and a set of low profile pedals help !

it will be interesting to compare it to a low BB full sus frame with regards to impacts


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## Morgs010 (Aug 7, 2011)

I have run mine with a 150 fork and have recently switched the air spring to 130. Both work fine. The 150 was great for bashing down rough descents and the 130 great for all round riding. I wouldn’t have a problem with either length and will likely play around between the 2. The 150 works absolutely fine. Regarding bottom bracket, I didn’t really notice any difference.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Morgs010 said:


> I have run mine with a 150 fork and have recently switched the air spring to 130. Both work fine. The 150 was great for bashing down rough descents and the 130 great for all round riding. I wouldn't have a problem with either length and will likely play around between the 2. The 150 works absolutely fine. Regarding bottom bracket, I didn't really notice any difference.


cheers mate ! Decisions decisions

i think bb height will be the influencer for me ! I have an SB 130 just now and spent a bit of money lately on increasing clearance..... my local trails are pretty chunky


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

I didn't have any problem bombing down chunky trails with the 130 yet.  Removed all spacers to open up travel a bit more and on the jumpy stuff adding one or two clicks of hsc.

Finally started doing drops, tables and jumps properly after not having done so far years.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Lunchhead said:


> my bike was shipped with 3 spacers fitted below stem and 1above . Still running mine at 130 but may raise to 140 if I get lots of pedal strikes . I've taken it to fod trail centre and only suffered 1 pedal strike on the down hill trails that I rode there . Been fine other places I've ridden bike . I fitted the one up carbon bars 35rise and prefer them to the burgtec it came with . It's a cracking very capable bike out of the box . I'm sure you'll love it when it arrives


Yes, die OneUp bars are so much nicer and more comfortable on the Squatch.
I gave the Burgtec ones to my brother and the are nice with his fully which was a bit woobly in the front before as they noticably stiffened things in a good way.

Did you also switch stems? 50 gave me better handling on the uphills and I liked the slightly longer reach.


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## Morgs010 (Aug 7, 2011)

reidtastic said:


> cheers mate ! Decisions decisions
> 
> i think bb height will be the influencer for me ! I have an SB 130 just now and spent a bit of money lately on increasing clearance..... my local trails are pretty chunky


Even with the 130 fork, you don't get the pedal strikes that you do on a full susser with low bb. I ride in very rocky conditions and it hasn't been a problem.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Morgs010 said:


> Even with the 130 fork, you don't get the pedal strikes that you do on a full susser with low bb. I ride in very rocky conditions and it hasn't been a problem.


Perfecto !

thanks ?? -


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## Sickmak90 (May 27, 2012)

Morgs010 said:


> Even with the 130 fork, you don't get the pedal strikes that you do on a full susser with low bb. I ride in very rocky conditions and it hasn't been a problem.


I've found that to be the case also. My Sentier has a 310mm BB height and I have far fewer pedal strikes than I did with my 2018 trek fuel ex 29 which had a significantly higher BB, even when sagged.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lakey (Sep 17, 2021)

I've been thinking of getting a hardtail again as I don't need a full suspension to ride from home the Pace RC529 caught my eye as well as the Squatch.
Neither of the frames are currently in stock to order, however I called in the Stif shop on Wednesday and a large Squatch frame in my favourite colour was on display in store. It had a tiny chip of paint missing on the inside of the seat stay which is why it wasn't for sale to order, after a brief chat it was now available for me to purchase. As I don't need to buy a new dropper post for the Squatch as my current one fits ( unlike the Pace) I decided to buy the Squatch.
I'm on a 140mm Pike which is in Stif's recommended range but the offset is 46mm rather than the 42mm but I'm not sure I would notice the difference, I might change them later. I'm still waiting for my boost adapter for Hope Enduro rear wheel so I haven't tried it out yet but I'm very happy with the way it looks so far with a bit of old skool tan colour!!


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

so lm looking for my next HT, currently on 18 Meta HT, but the pic above (and the Squatch specs) are giving me a Boner, just a little worried about that BB height

but ln slowly stuck between the Ragley Big Wig and the Stif Squatch

oh obviously lm after steel......


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## Nick881 (Oct 8, 2021)

lakey said:


> I've been thinking of getting a hardtail again as I don't need a full suspension to ride from home the Pace RC529 caught my eye as well as the Squatch.
> Neither of the frames are currently in stock to order, however I called in the Stif shop on Wednesday and a large Squatch frame in my favourite colour was on display in store. It had a tiny chip of paint missing on the inside of the seat stay which is why it wasn't for sale to order, after a brief chat it was now available for me to purchase. As I don't need to buy a new dropper post for the Squatch as my current one fits ( unlike the Pace) I decided to buy the Squatch.
> I'm on a 140mm Pike which is in Stif's recommended range but the offset is 46mm rather than the 42mm but I'm not sure I would notice the difference, I might change them later. I'm still waiting for my boost adapter for Hope Enduro rear wheel so I haven't tried it out yet but I'm very happy with the way it looks so far with a bit of old skool tan colour!!
> 
> View attachment 1948864


Nice looking bike. I'm doing something similar with mine. How do you find the Hans Dampf front and rear?


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## lakey (Sep 17, 2021)

Nick881 said:


> Nice looking bike. I'm doing something similar with mine. How do you find the Hans Dampf front and rear?


Unfortunately I been waiting for a crank and chainring so haven't manage to ride my Squatch yet. I only got the Hans Dampf as I couldn't get Nobby Nics in tan wall, Im more of a cross-country rider with a few trail centres thrown in so Im sure I'll be fine with them even though they're heavier than I'd like.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Bike received and loving it - well most of it anyway.
Really surprised on how compliant the rear is, ive not been on a hardtail for 15 years, but got to say i cant see anything being as good as this….

anyway the only negative for me is the amout of pressure applied to the hands on flat ground - ive got about a 7 mile flat-ish cycle before i hit the local trails and after 10 mins its pretty bad, so first mod is the grips they are pretty solid and wont be helping.

has anyone found the same ? - came up with cheap solutions…. ? Its a geo thing. Just trying to limit pressure without breaking the bank.


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

reidtastic said:


> Bike received and loving it - well most of it anyway.
> Really surprised on how compliant the rear is, ive not been on a hardtail for 15 years, but got to say i cant see anything being as good as this….
> 
> anyway the only negative for me is the amout of pressure applied to the hands on flat ground - ive got about a 7 mile flat-ish cycle before i hit the local trails and after 10 mins its pretty bad, so first mod is the grips they are pretty solid and wont be helping.
> ...


I have found the same. I am on a large and the bike the reach has me leaning forward more than I am used to. The steerer tube on my fork is shorter than I would like, I shortened the stem to about 35mm, with a 6-8 degree rise and 25/30mm rise handlebars helped. And so did chunky neoprene grips. All those changes made the pressure less bothersome. So the cheapest change was the grips and making sure the handlebar roll worked for me.


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## reidtastic (Apr 30, 2020)

Did you have a longer stem on originally ? Thought they came with a 35 originally - i think mine did ?

the burgatec saddle is not the comfiest thing ever, bit the rails are the longest ive seen so you get wuite a bit saddle adjustment. Grips on order.


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## rodzilla (Jul 11, 2016)

reidtastic said:


> Did you have a longer stem on originally ? Thought they came with a 35 originally - i think mine did ?
> 
> the burgatec saddle is not the comfiest thing ever, bit the rails are the longest ive seen so you get wuite a bit saddle adjustment. Grips on order.


I built up from a frame. I started with a 40mm, no rise stem. I've had good luck with the Bontrager Verse Elite saddle myself, but every bum is different. Good luck with your adjustemnts.


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## ksjogo (Oct 15, 2020)

Yeah, I didn't like Burgtec Stem nor Bars.
Compliant carbon bars were a great improvement.
Selle Italia XLR a good saddle replacement.
And SQLab Inner Barends to swap hand position a bit in the flats (or control bars with ball of the hand instead of more fore area).
Still flats aren't too great, so I try to keep it steep either way. Imo the trade-off is worth it.


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## MAJ88 (11 mo ago)

Hi Stiff Squatch riders

Im considering a stiff squatch but haven’t seen many reviews about it , anyone on a Medium frame with a similar height (172cm) (5”6) 

Appreciate your advice


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## Hairydynamicist (11 mo ago)

Hi, I'm 175cm on a medium and it fits like a glove. The only thing worth pointing out is that I have the 175 dropper all the way into the seat post (inside leg about 31", not sure what that is in new money). Guess that means there's a chance you'll not be able to extend it the whole way if you're legs are much shorter than that?


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