# Stanton Switch9er ti or Chromag Rootdown Ti?



## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm thinking of picking up one of these frames to build up my next bike. Feeling split.

Chromag - BC brand (I know, frame is from Taiwan, but I'm also in BC so nice to support them), people seem to love the Rootdown. Half pound heavier and no internal cable routing. 

Stanton - cleaner lines, internal routing, beautiful bike and Stanton seems to have a great rep for their hardtails. 

Seems like it's hard to go wrong, but what would away you one way or the other? Or something else? I've looked at other ti hardtails, but these two have the Geo I'm looking for. Thanks!

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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

fire_lantern said:


> I'm thinking of picking up one of these frames to build up my next bike. Feeling split.
> 
> Chromag - BC brand (I know, frame is from Taiwan, but I'm also in BC so nice to support them), people seem to love the Rootdown. Half pound heavier and no internal cable routing.


Every time I look at a Stanton 29er HT I get excited right until I read the 2.4" max tire clearance. I want a 2.6" tire on a HT.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

Those both look like nice frames but it's not necessary to spend that much for good design and full features. $3k for Asian ti sounds like a racket. Kingdom Vendetta is half that price. The semi-custom is still $hundreds less than either of your picks and includes choice of routing, STA, HTA, head tube, dropouts and more. It wasn't even a choice for me, and the bike has been flawless. To @vikb's peeve, I can squeeze a 2.8 with the sliders most of the way back.


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Nice value and the new model streamlines the seat tube brace. 
Depends on if it's a supple or stiff ride.

Here's a comparison between Stanton 853 steel and titanium Sherpa frames.





RSD Middlechild ti is more supple.


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback. I've looked a bit at the Kingdom and RSD and both are good options for sure. Both have some attributes I don't love, which is why I was looking at these two in particular. That said, I'll take another look. Not as worried about the price - a ti frame is a complete extravagance anyway. The lines and welds on the Stanton look the cleanest to my eye, so for better or worse that matters. 

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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Well, decided to go for the Stanton. Will ship out in 2-3 weeks, can't wait to build it up! Pics will follow...


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## Funoutside (Jul 17, 2019)

I've been told that the Sherpa can fit 2.6 in the rear. It was unclear if the Ranger or Vigilante 2.6 can fit since those measure out to 2.7. I think the max on the Switch9er is 2.5, but not clear if a UK 2.5 or desert 2.5.


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Update: built up and just waiting for the snow to melt! ...gonna be a while.



















































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## BadgerOne (Jul 17, 2015)

Gorgeous! That's going to be a fun one.


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

BadgerOne said:


> Gorgeous! That's going to be a fun one.


Thanks! Super happy with it, but if just keep snowing here so going to be a while before I get out on the trails. 

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## BadgerOne (Jul 17, 2015)

fire_lantern said:


> Thanks! Super happy with it, but if just keep snowing here so going to be a while before I get out on the trails.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Go ahead and send it down to the desert. I'll give it a shakedown run, break it in, and send it back with a full ride report and a little bit of free dust.


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## howman66 (May 26, 2005)

That is a nice ride man. Well done.


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## Rynee (Aug 11, 2014)

Awesome, that looks really mint. Absolutely sexy. Care to run us through the specs? Cheers!


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Thanks everyone! Here's the build:

Lyrik Ultimate 150

Shimano XT drivetrain and brakes

Blackspire 32T ring

Time Specials pedalss

We Are One Union wheels with i9 hydras

Terravail tires (2.4 Honcho, 2.6 Kessel)

PNW loam 200mm dropper with Paul Components lever

SQLab grips and saddle

Chromag stem

OneUp tool and chain guard

And of course the Stanton Ti bar!



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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Oh and a Tannus tubeless insert in the rear wheel. 

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## Tinstigator (Jun 28, 2016)

Once you go Ti for bars, you'll never go back imho


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## HEMIjer (Jul 17, 2008)

fire_lantern said:


> Oh and a Tannus tubeless insert in the rear wheel.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


How you liking that so far? How was install?


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Works great, no complaints at all. Glad I'm running the insert for bigger hits. Shop installed it for free when I bought it, so can't say how tough the install was. 

Pic for good measure.









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## asilker (5 mo ago)

Hey @fire_lantern now that you're through a full season with the switch9er, what do you think??


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## fire_lantern (Jan 9, 2012)

Still in love. Fantastic bike all around. I settled on 150mm as the sweet spot for my rising. A lot of local fast flow trails, but also rode Sun Peaks, Silver Star, etc. and raced an Enduro on it. No problems at all. I might try to lighten it up a bit for next season and just stick to the FS for parks and really rough stuff. 

Only a couple minor gripes. I find no matter how I clean the stem interface and torque correctly, I still get a bit of pinging/creaking. The ti bars are amazing though. Frame can be noisy too, but thats just the material transmitting anything and the fine dust here is brutal. For me, the fit, the quality, and the feel is everything I was looking for. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. 

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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

sweet looking bike


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## emark.gbc (1 mo ago)

fire_lantern said:


> Still in love. Fantastic bike all around. I settled on 150mm as the sweet spot for my rising. A lot of local fast flow trails, but also rode Sun Peaks, Silver Star, etc. and raced an Enduro on it. No problems at all. I might try to lighten it up a bit for next season and just stick to the FS for parks and really rough stuff. Only a couple minor gripes. I find no matter how I clean the stem interface and torque correctly, I still get a bit of pinging/creaking. The ti bars are amazing though. Frame can be noisy too, but thats just the material transmitting anything and the fine dust here is brutal. For me, the fit, the quality, and the feel is everything I was looking for. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk


 Put a bit of carbon paste between bar and stem interface.


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