The World's Fattest Man with no bike! aka - find hippy a new bike aka - Just get ( fill in blank )

I'm already destroying my back so I don't need more of that. I'm also not going to be in pumptracks trying to perfect a manual, this will simply be for riding trails that I won't take my gravel bike on (again).

there's Surlys and stuff for sells now at bike24

Spa cycles are £150ish cheaper than anywhere else for a Karate Monkey frameset, just ordered one myself. Think they have some of the ugly green ones in stock, although I'm waiting a month or so for a black one. Would save brexit related headaches.

You could always send the frame straight to Mario Vas for a respray.

If it's anything like my other bikes whatever I end up with will be covered in 3 rolls of electrical tape after a week anyway and because it's an MTB any visible paint will likely be scraped off.

I'm riding a 19" gen 2 Sherpa and I'm shorter than you and it doesn't feel that long at all, still using a longish stem. My legs are relatively short though so the dropper post has to be short with this seat tube length but it's nice to have as big frame bag as it is.
The missing seat tube bottle cage mount doesn't matter with the frame bag, but a mount under the down tube would be handy for some trips.
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/339556/

The Surlys have integrated derailleur hangers. Made of steel, can be bent back if it gets twisted a bit, but more complicated if you get the derailleur in the spokes properly.

Which Surly? They all appear out of stock to me except a couple of "Wednesday" fatbikes.

Oh, you said KM. Ah, frames not bikes. Got it.

Hmm, breakable/replacement hangers have saved my bacon a few times so that's something to think about.

Is yours the UK or Taiwanese version? How does the Gen3 differ?

Its Reynolds 853, but I don't know where it was made.

I've understood the gen 3 has some differences in the geometry, but otherwise the same. Basically steeper STA and more reach, same ETT. Few mm lower BB.

£3400 Elite build in 853 (-£350 for 4130 version, no idea what difference that makes)

Drive Train XT 12 Speed + 10-51 Cassette
Brakes Dual Pot XT Brakes
Forks Ohlins RXF36 m.2 Air TTX 18 120mm 44 offset
Wheels Hope Fortus 30
Tyres WTB Trail Boss 2.4 (R) / WTB Vigilante 2.5 (F)
Seat Post Rockshox Dropper 175mm Seat Post

£2650 for the Standard - SRAM instead of Shimano, Ohlins fork instead of Rockshox, Hope wheels instead of WTB/Novatec

Drive Train Sram SX Eagle drive
Brakes Sram Level brakes
Forks Rockshox SID Select fork
Wheels WTB i29 rims on Stanton Branded top-end Novatec hubs
Tyres WTB Trail Boss 2.4 (R) / WTB Vigilante 2.5 (F)
Seat Post Rockshox reverb 175

Is the Elite parts package worth £750 over the Standard? Is there any point getting 853 over 4130? I can always swap parts out but would I notice the frame difference?

The parts will make a much bigger difference than the type of steel. The stays aren't even 853 anyway.

SX eagle can >>>>>>>

SRAM?! WTF hippy?

I was only considering it because I don't know MTBs and it's a grand cheaper and I assume I'll break it pretty quick anyway.

So, could save £350 on the frame but deffo keep the Elite version.

£2600 isn't too bad for a whole bike.

It's something like £6k now if I want to replace my carbon road bike, even the Mason frameset was £1600.

Then the question becomes - can I actually buy one?

reading through this thread its easy to think hippy simply buys new bikes/parts and then puts them all into a industrial shredder? some sort of velo michael landy?

£2600 isn't too bad for a whole bike.

£3k for Elite spec 4130?

Still good value. If you can buy one.

Ah, yeah, it's >£3k. That's where I start to get twitchy.

As a typically second hand buyer, paying full retail with a 3 in the front of 000 for something I will throw down a rocky hill fills me with horror. (if I can buy one)

The 4130 Sherpa was produced because during the early stage of the pandemic Stanton's taiwanese maker couldn't source 853, so Stanton chose heat treated 4130 tubes to get as close as they could to the 853. In parallel Stanton were developing their UK frame manufacturing but that was delayed as well by the pandemic and I think Stanton was worried about the delay in getting UK frame building off the ground, and hinted that the cost of developing the frame shop was hurting them so needed to keep supplying frames in the interim to keep cash flow going and customers happy.

Think if I was buying a complete, I would go 853 as its a small overall increase and closer to the design Stanton wanted. I am not sure any 853 frame has 853 rear stays?

Really like my Mk2 Sherpa. My only gripe is I have waited 8 months for singlespeed drop outs to come into stock, so bought Pits' Sir9 as that will singlespeed easily. Still want to keep the Sherpa though.

Edit: In fairness to Stanton the delay to the SS drop outs is because they are re-designing them apparently

This might be one to watch?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cotic-Solaris-Max-Mountain-bike-29er-New-Build-/164716287421?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292

Think if I was buying a complete, I would go 853 as its a small overall increase and closer to the design Stanton wanted. I am not sure any 853 frame has 853 rear stays?

Without knowing the tube profiles (and I can't find those specs online) it's impossible to say if there is any discernable difference between them. All high-strength non-stainless steels have the same density and young's modulus.

All high-strength non-stainless steels have the same density and young's modulus.

I don't think that's correct

They were selling the last 853 gen 2 frames for cheap, which is where the guy I bought my bike from got it. He built it with used parts, Lightbicycle rims, DT hubs and mostly Sram, but then didn't have use for it and wanted something else, so I bought it for less than half of what those new ones cost. Then obviously found reasons to change many of the parts like always when buying a complete bike.

Someone working for Stanton says the 4130 has pretty much the same profiles and all as the 853, probably no discernible difference, in their FB group.