Andorran steel Production Privee is a young company, created in 2010 by two former members of Commencal's research and development team. Based in Andorra (home to Cedric Gracia, and host of stop number three on the 2013 UCI World Cup downhill calendar), the company has been making a name for themselves in Europe with their stems and handlebars, and now with their first steel hardtail frame, the Shan. The Shan was designed with aggressive riding in mind, and is intended for all-mountain or enduro use with 150 or 160mm travel fork. With a 66 degree head angle, 420mm chain stay length, 72.5 degree seat tube angle and a 300mm bottom bracket height, the Shan's numbers place it squarely in the all-mountain / enduro category. Aesthetically, the Shan is eye-catching. From the head tube gusset to the curved seat tube brace, the frame has a refined, finished look to it. The welds are clean, and the paint is free of any blemishes. Production Privee had our frame custom painted red and white; the stock color is black and grey, with the limited edition bright blue and yellow Macaw version now sold out. Three new colors will be available for the upcoming December production run, with Production Privee promising to show something quite special. | Production Privee Shan details • Intended use: All-mountain, enduro riding • 4130 Japanese chromoly frame • Tapered head tube • ISCG 05 chain guide tabs • Replaceable dropouts: 10x135, 12x135, singlespeed • Sizes: S, M, L (tested ), XL • Frame Weight: 5.7 pounds • MSRP: $776 USD ($649 Euros ) |
Frame details The Shan is made in Taiwan from triple butted and heat treated Japanese 4130 seamless chromoly which goes through an electrodeposition treatment before painting to protect against corrosion. The Shan has a tapered head tube (with the company logo cut out of it) and takes an integrated Campy style headset. A section of wire mesh is taped behind the head tube cut out, likely to prevent larger trail debris from getting into the frame, although it also adds to the great looks as well. While the head tube cut out looks trick, for wet weather riding we'd recommend replacing the screen with something (a small piece of tube would work) to keep water from getting in and settling on the lower headset bearing. The frame's dropouts are replaceable, held on with two chainring bolts on each side, and can be swapped out to make the Shan a singlespeed if that's how you want to run it. ISCG 05 tabs encircle the bottom bracket shell, which takes a BB92 press fit bottom bracket. In the ever-changing world of bike industry “standards” the BB92 is not as prevalent as the traditional threaded bottom bracket shell, or the increasingly common BB30 style, which could make finding replacement parts a little more difficult. The addition of bolt-on housing guides was a nice touch – we ran our frame set up as a 1x10, which freed up a spot to run the dropper post's housing. One feature which we were surprised to find missing was a place to mount a water bottle cage. Hydration packs are fine, but sometimes it's nice to go light and fast, or to have a place for a drink other than water on a long ride. | Shan geometry • Head tube angle: 66° • Seat tube angle: 72.5° • Bottom bracket drop: - 30mm • chain stay length: 420mm • Wheelbase (sm, med, lrg, xlrg ): 1089, 1109, 1129, 1164mm • Seat tube length: 400, 430, 470, 510mm • Top tube length (horizontal ): 560, 580, 600, 635mm |
So who is the Shan for? Is there still a market for a 26'' hardtail? We think so. Aggressive riders looking for a hardtail that can handle rowdy terrain will find the Shan to be a worthy candidate. Set up as a singlespeed, the Shan would make an excellent, low maintenance foul weather bike. Water bottle mounts are on our wish list for future versions of the Shan, but as it is, the Shan is a well-executed all-mountain ripper. - Mike Kazimer |
About Us
Contacts FAQ Terms of Use Privacy Policy Sign Up! SitemapAdvertise
AdvertisingCool Features
Submit a Story Product Photos Videos Privacy RequestRSS
Pinkbike RSS Pinkbike Twitter Pinkbike Facebook Pinkbike Youtube Pinkbike Instagram
This is such a beautiful bike, as is the Ragley line, and several others...
The one true thing about hardtail builders like this is that in order to make their product perfect, they put attention to detail into EVERYTHING, and far surpass the fit, finish, and detail of the majority of the "big name" brands; bolt-on metal cable and hose guides, removable dropouts with interchangeable axle setups....
These are the things that make us love our AM hardtail rig more than our other bikes!
He he, ^^ he said 'butt plug'.
- I must say that I'm impressed of this Hardcore steel machine!
Of course it depends on the kind of riding you do (I am no freeriding hucker) but I now do almost everything except serious DH on them: trail rides, mates races, winter DH series and I am convinced of one thing....they have made me a better rider by putting me more in contact with what is happening at the tyre/ground interface. Definitely. And as a result I enjoy my riding time more. Thanks Cy at Cotic and Dan at Stanton.
The downside I can see with the Shan is only the price. The dealer here in Japan (www.bike-online.jp/SHOP/GJ-FRM-014.html) knocks them out at 73,000 yen a frame!!!!! Sorry, too much for me for a HT. There are so many more more affordable steel HTs out there that will put an equally big smile on your face.
I'm just really glad to hear tohers feel the same. The good old HT has lost some of it's following in the "all mountain/Trail/FR" crowd and been relegated to XC racing and street/slope riding in the minds of a lot I think, but bikes and reviews like this are reminding people that a good old "simple" HT can be a GREAT bit of fun and deserves to be drooled over as much as the newest DH/Enduro Race bike aye.... I'll always have a HT in the stable. Hell my "road bike" is a 2006 P3 I can ride across town AND hit every jump and what not on the way plus I don't have to get stuck in the rain fixing flats like those poor guys with them skinny tires (saw some poor guy doing this today after he got forced to ride through some gravel)
Look I did it again... I need to work on SHUTTING UP more often hahahahahahaha.
Yeah the flex compliancy imo is one of the best features of Steel = more fatigue strength. Also, that's why you see decades old steel bikes and although Aluminum bikes are relatively new, you don't see them old, and even then doubt they would generally last that long. Thanks again, very interesting about the Renolds 853.
I'm a HUGE lover of Steel HT's. I know that Alu. HT's have certain benefits in some applications, but the first time I got on my Alu HT I thought I was gonna die it's SO STIFF!!!! Light, yes, but my old as the hills Spec. Rockhopper (from 95 or so, and the bike I first made into a "big BMX bike with gears back in the brithing days of Freeride and Shore riding here in the NW) is still going strong after years of HEAVY abuse that it was never meant to take. Plus, when it get's into the rough stuff you can feel it giving you that little bit of "give" you want in a HT. It's now become my Fiance's trail bike and when I let her ride my P3 for steeper trails she automaticly says "this thing just feels 'rough' compared to my bike"... her bike has a bagged out STOCK 95 Spec. Elastomer "Future Shock" fork that has less then a 1/4" of travel and the P3 has a 110mm Marz Z1 on it so even with suspension the nearly RIGID Steel HT is just all arund "smoother" on any given trail. Steel HT's are and always will be my favorite type of HT fraes foor EVERY application I need them for. The Fiance is gettign the P3 next year as I build a Steel HT up, but I'm worried she's not gonna like it now that she's gotten to understand what she;s feeling in the ride quality of the Steel HT she's been learning on.
Nice writeup! Props for doing volunteer work, I'm sure many unfortunate people have directly benefited because of you and your work! Also, my uncle is an anesthesiologist @ the ER and he's told me some stories of people not wearing adequate protection/safety...and it's bad. Like decapitated bad. Although an extreme case and probably a "Once in every year" statistic, people always need to wear proper protection. And apparently some come into the ER for bike failures as well. Cracks that develop without the rider's knowledge..scary stuff. Imo, stick with bikes that have a long production history with a clean title. Commencal, Lapierre, Intense FRO, etc...they don't make bikes like they use too. That's why I went old school (VP-Free), it's when they overbuilt things for maximum strength rather than playing the stupid "light-weight race game". Plus Santa Cruz bikes, not a single one, has had a rampant or known history of cracks which is really really awesome.
I was creeping on your profile, sorry, and I've noticed you wanted a Lapierre, those are renowned for cracks along seatpost (can tell by design), BB, and HT careful with those!
And, yeah HT's are awesome. You can't beat them for utter simplicity and great efficiency of almost all terrain. Hah, idk that's a hard one to call about the Steel vs Alu bike. I think especially for HT's steel has that kind of ride quality that is much better for HT, since the rear triangle flex is actually beneficial! But then again, I guess only time will tell what she likes. Let me know what she thinks of the difference! it'll be interesting to see the difference in material.
I'd not heard of lapierre's issues with cracking... The Spicy is just one of a myriad of Enduro bikes I'd love to have, right now the Spec Enduro or Stupy Evo or the Norco Range are toping the list in my dreams. My checkbook just went off and hid in the closet
I've been staring at this Privee and I now think it's the sexiest "AM hard-Tail" I've ever seen...
I stupidly missed that it was a CroMo frame but now that I see its steel AND has the great standover I'm looking for I'm all s and dreams. If onyl te Chain-stays were sub-16" but that's not a deal breaker. Te Rangley Pig looks sweet too. Gotta love a good HT aye.
Sure, you'll never get the altitude but the tracks still bring the same smiles to your face as those overseas...and some of them (which are usually kept hidden well away) will more than happily hand you up your ass on a plate!
With the angles the PP is offering and with forks being as good as they are these days the only thing that's holding you back with this bike is, well, you!
Awesome! This bike just wants to rip.
Feels realy dialled, and roomy for us tall boys.
Confidence inspiring for my so so skills and as the review stated, not a bad climber either.
Did I mention it looks absolutely mint?
got 170mm lyriks on my ragley and it feels ace, doesn't feel unbalanced at all, as oldschool says, you just have to work on the back end a little harder with your legs. I find it gets me jumping and pumping over obstacles a lot more than a full sus. Only time it feels a bit sluggish is really persistently rocky trails where it's hard to carry speed without rear suspension. I 100% don't regret buying a hardtail after my full sus, it's so much fun and I don't find that the guys on full sus leave me behind!
I agree with sam264 regarding the sluggishness in super-broken terrain, but that's manageable if you have some body strength down there.
Chava 1 - "Tha job centre made us go for a interview so a couldn't put me bet on."
Chava 2- "That's propa shan that like."
What do they mean needs water bottle mounts? PB in a hurry to leave some bottles on the trail?
So i'll keep ma nsbikes surge , hardtail is so fun .
Scratches through the paint from riding and slapping chain are inevitable, so how do they cope with that?
I just got an NS Suburban and I've never taken it out in the rain yet!
Love the simple design (Nice touch with the headtube cut-out) and the colours of the Red/White one are perfectly placed. I want one please..
Where and when can this be purchased?? at £480 its not cheap but its definitely cool different.
I love Red n White.
goofy f*uckers??
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8922624
Gooldylocks,: Of course it wasn't very bright of me to ask that question but all the important stuff isn't in the first two paragraphs, just a bit of ramble about the company etc. I kindof read the rest...(Better read it all before I ask anything else though, save myself looking stoopid again)
It's a fair amount cheaper
A lot less maintenance so perfect for english weather/winter
It's steel so will out last an aluminum full sus frames
An aggressive hardtail will make you a better rider compared to skill compensating suspension haha
However there are cheaper frames out there with similar geometry and purpose however are made of much higher quality steel, Reynolds 853 rather than chromoly.
Look at the Cotic BFe if you're in England and that even has bottle cage mounts
I might go all and get steel DH HT Next: www.btr-fabrications.com/index.php/products/belter
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8423076
www.pinkbike.com/photo/9425788
:P
www.pinkbike.com/video/218538
Steel hardtails will never die!
www.pinkbike.com/video/221273
www.pinkbike.com/video/277079
The trails in these videos are waaaay gnarlier than anything Britain has to offer in or out of a trail centre.
Kids there know how to do really good stuff apparently !
are you sure you own bike is not from there?
It's a fair amount cheaper
A lot less maintenance so perfect for english weather/winter
It's steel so will out last an aluminum full sus frames
An aggressive hardtail will make you a better rider compared to skill compensating suspension haha