Swarf Cycles Releases Contour 29er

Jul 5, 2018 at 5:54
by Adrian Bedford  
Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

PRESS RELEASE: Swarf Cycles

Swarf Cycles is proud to announce we are now taking pre-orders for our first production full suspension frame, the Contour 29er trail bike. Designed and built in the UK.

Swarf Cycles is run by ex-aerospace design engineer, Adrian Bedford, and has been operating since 2011. Although we are best known for making custom hardtail frames, Adrian has been working on full suspension projects since day one. Some background into these original frames is available on our website.

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

A result of 2 years development and testing, the Contour is a steel short travel 29er trail bike which has been designed to excel in technical terrain. The progressive leverage rate and compliant steel construction make for a bike that is way more capable than the modest amount of travel would suggest.

Check out the development steps that lead to the final Contour design on our website.

The Contour is designed to be as practical and durable as possible, form follows function. The bike features external cable routing that has been designed so that they don't rub the frame, sensible sized standard stainless hex fasteners on all pivots, chunky standard sized pivot bearings which are simple to remove and replace, threaded BB and a 44mm head tube amongst other details.

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er


Technical Specs:

- Rear travel - 115mm
- Shock - 200 x 51 with 30mm x 8.0mm hardware (piggyback shocks will not fit the frame)
- Fork - 120mm - 130mm max (538mm axle to crown)
- BB - threaded 73mm
- Headtube - 44mm
- Rear axle - 148 x 12 (142 x 12 is also possible)
- Seatpost - 30.9
- Brake mount - IS (180mm max rear disc size)
- Available in 4 sizes and 3 colour options (note, photos show silver rockers, production frames will be anodised black)
- Cable routing - External with a stealth dropper port
- Bottle bosses - 1 x full-size bottle in the main triangle
- Leverage ratio - progressive, works well with both air or coil shocks
- Max chainring size - 32t at 50mm chainline, 34t at boost 52mm chainline
- Max tyre size - 2.5"
- Frame weight - 3.2kg (7.0 Lbs) without shock
- Full bikes build up to around the 30 - 32 Lb mark with solid components and sensible tyres. Med bike pictured with Helm fork and CCcoilIL, 32 Lbs


Geometry:

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er


Materials:

- Headtube - Reynolds 631
- Top tube - Reynolds 853
- Downtube - Reynolds 853
- Seat tube - Reynolds 631
- Main pivot - 7075 T6 Aluminium alloy
- Chainstays - Dedacciai 25CrMo4
- Seatstays - 4130 CrMo plain gauge
- Linkage - 6082 T6 Aluminium alloy
- Pivot Hardware - Stainless steel, all fasteners use 5mm hex keys


Leverage Ratio:

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er


Flex Stays:

The design of the Contour makes use of one of steel's best traits, you can flex it (within limits) and it doesn't fatigue. On the Contour the seatstays actually flex vertically slightly as the suspension moves, this removes the need for a pivot at the dropout, saving weight, complexity and manufacturing costs. The stays are flattened slightly in the horizontal plane to allow them to flex vertically. This gives them a distinctive skinny look when viewed from the side.


Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

Read more about various technical design features of the frame here.


Initial Pricing:

Frame & Rockshox Monarch RT3 - £1950
Frame & Cane Creek DBairIL - £2150
Frame & Cane Creek DBcoilIL (including vault spring at your correct spring weight) - £2250


Please note, sadly we are unable to deal with customers in the US or Canada due to insurance limitations.

All frames are made to order. Please email us on swarfcycles@gmail.com if you are interested in ordering a frame.

Try before you buy! We have med and large demo bikes available to demo in the Tweed Valley, Scotland. To arrange a demo drop us a line on swarfcycles@gmail.com

Check out our website for more information or follow us on Instagram & Facebook.

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er
Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er
Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

Swarf Cycles Contour 29er

All photos by Out Of Office.

MENTIONS: @swarfcycles


Author Info:
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Member since Apr 22, 2014
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107 Comments
  • 92 0
 Steel, threaded BB, not super expensive, progressive geo for a shorter-travel rig. This is the PB Superbike that everyone will love and nobody will buy.
  • 67 1
 It's sad but true. This bike is keyboard warrior's wet dream. But keyboard warriors don't buy these kind of bikes, what they actually buy is 4 year old second hand Specialized Stumpjumpers
  • 12 0
 I WANT IT AND WILL GET IT!
  • 10 0
 Only because they will not sell to Canadian and US customers. Looks awesome!
  • 2 5
 @IllestT: Ha, so true. I'm not a "steel" guy but I'm waiting for someone to make a bike with all these numbers (maybe a 435mm chainstay though) in a lightweight carbon trailbike and I'd be all over it. There's a few brands that are close, but nothing that can fit a 2.4-2.6" tire.
  • 9 15
flag Vandermouten FL (Jul 5, 2018 at 9:20) (Below Threshold)
 Not Metric, not compatible with Piggy Back shocks, not a lot of travel, not so cheap. Sorry, but the only good points are the bottle cage mount and the steel tubes. Please buy a Shan N°5
  • 1 0
 Nothing like a fresh new design to perk up the industry.
  • 1 0
 @Vandermouten: Another brand I've never heard of, but they look nice. However not comparable here. This is a 115/130 trail 29er vs. what it looks like you are recommending a 27.5 140/160 enduro bike.
  • 4 0
 @Vandermouten: get a grip man a well set up short travel bike can still kick a long travel enduro bikes arse any day. Also, its hand made by one man, not a large army in a factory in taiwan and since when did anyone "need" a piggy back shock?
  • 1 2
 @joelbrown2011: yeah "save the industry maaaan"
Are you buying one?
Didn't think so
  • 2 1
 @IllestT: Is anyone buying one is the real question!?!?!?!?!
  • 2 0
 Not super expensive is MaxFlare from Cotic. Those prices killing me Frown
  • 2 0
 Best looking frame in mountain biking. Would love to help bring it to the US and Canada. Hit me up and let's talk!
  • 3 0
 Beautiful in my opinion. I'm a ti junkie and I can't help to imagine what it would be like in titanium.
  • 1 1
 @fecalmaster: Nope! It's not over 6k... I can't even be looking at it!
  • 1 0
 I've already seen a few PP Shan o5's on PB buy and sell. I wonder why they were so quick to be sold by original owners?
  • 2 2
 @joelbrown2011: Mmmh, I wonder why all those engineers still design long travel bikes if no one need them. Why racers still ride long travel bikes if they could just pedal faster and don't loose time on the way down with 120mm bikes. Same for the piggy back, when the trail gets manly you're happy to get a shock you can rely on, and as we can see a DB Inline Coil, I can imagine that bike has been designed to be ridden in rough conditions.
Please stop with this "well set up short travel bikes can kick long travel enduro bikes arse". It's 2018 and every single real brand bike is now well set up.
  • 2 0
 @Vandermouten: Though you may personally not see the point, can you not see that others may like it?

It is a lovely looking thing and will be great for single track / trail riding.

I could understand the criticism if you think it was a poor product but it's more because you don't personally see the point.
  • 5 0
 in which world is 2000 pounds "not super expensive"?
  • 1 0
 @Sethimus: I'm not saying it isn't a lot of money but an SB4.5 is £3300 frame only.

At the sharp end it's not a poor mans sport, that's for sure.
  • 1 0
 Have to say. It looks the business.
  • 1 0
 @IllestT: that said Starling seem to be doing alright, right?
  • 1 0
 @scotteh: I'll happily ship as a 'gift'.
  • 1 0
 @Vandermouten: so many people ride simple trails on 'enduro' bikes to cover up their lack of skill. Nailing a tech trail when you're slightly under biked is a serious achievement.

Pros ride long travel bikes because they're going 3 times the speed of us on the steepest and toughest trails around.
  • 30 0
 Wow, at that price what a steel....I’ll see myself out.
  • 12 11
 Although Swarf are good looking and well thought features, - since when was £2250 with a CCDB coil an impressive price.

You're paying roughly £1500 for some nicely welded together gas pipes. That’s about a bag of sand over a steel hardtail frame.

Yeah sure I’d like one too but Curtis the competition kills the idea for me.

Next frame for me will be either a full suss Curtis or a full suss Kingdom :/ dunno but let’s face it that we are all spoilt for choice these days.

It really is a gauge your market , throw a dart at a price board then tell customers to open their wallets up and be test pilots
  • 1 0
 Makes me want to learn how to weld, amazing what a sick Bike you can make from just round steel tubing. I do feel it could be cheaper too but maybe there is demand I guess. @titaniumtit:
  • 1 0
 @titaniumtit: The Curtis equivalent is more money. It is also gorgeous but the pricing on this Swarf bike seems in line or better even considering it is Reynolds tubing rather than T45.
  • 1 0
 Thanks for the info! @Patrick9-32:
  • 1 0
 i very nearly purchased a Swarf years ago as they used to be made in my local town. The only reason I didn’t was because there was no warranty, does anyone know if this is now sorted?
  • 1 0
 @titaniumtit: "since when was £2250 an impressive price" then you go on to say you want a kingdom full sus...
  • 1 2
 Try reading till the end kidda! @joelbrown2011:
  • 5 1
 @titaniumtit you speak a hell of a lot of crap, look into who swarf are, do you think this is a get rich quick scheme or somebody offering a product they are proud to provide to the public.

This frame has been around for years too and you are suggesting they are asking customers to be test pilots?

'Tit' is very appropriate.
  • 4 0
 Steel is pretty interesting. Too bad we won't see these on this side of the pond. However we've got a couple young companies that'll custom build in steel to your exact specifications. Check the black on black, Fox 36, FS frame this Canadian builder just finished: www.daambuilt.com
  • 1 0
 I love the look of that bike! I got the chance to take one of daambuilt’s bikes for a spin- the blue FS rig- and it was incredibly smooth. It’s good to have options!
  • 1 0
 I'm on a big brand bike right now but damn...I really like this bike and others like it. Super refreshing and would be awesome to turn heads on the local trails with something like this. I think more and more craft cycles will be more popular than the big S' brands.
  • 2 0
 All bikes flex when we ride them. Try applying pressure to one pedal with your brakes locked and look at how much the BB deflects to one side. More noticeable on a steel frame, or a road bike. #SteelisReal!
  • 2 0
 Or an intense 951, or uzzi...
  • 1 0
 I would love to have this bike as a second maybe third bike but im just not sure steel is the way to go for a fully. Its heavy, looks like a bike from the early 2000s, is not an xc bike but not really even a trail bike enduro either.
  • 1 0
 Pp shan no5 and now this, good to see something different from small manufacturers!
Also looks like every aerospace engineer creates a bicycle brand in the uk, is there acrisis in the aviation market?! :p
  • 3 0
 I've been looking at this page so long it's starting to get awkward... Just smoking hot. Well done lads.
  • 16 16
 Steel is an excellent choice for hardtails, supple, strong and appropriate flex. However, once applying steel to a suspension frame it just doesn't make sense. The added weight penalty, when used in a suspension design, wouldn't be worth it, because at that point your suspension set up becomes more a factor than frame material. The only exception I can think of is some big dudes that may be breaking aluminum or carbon suspension frames regularly, steel would make economic sense. Don't get me wrong though, I'm a huge advocate for steel hardtails.
  • 9 0
 If you are down voting this, no problem, but please explain?
  • 8 1
 Use that same argument, but change it from “steel” to “plus/fat tires”. Why you’d want extra undamped suspension and sprung weight makes zero sense to me. Traction can be found without those big floppy tires.
  • 2 0
 @bubbrubb: plus big floppy tires squirm .
  • 1 0
 Je ne sais quoi.
  • 1 1
 @MonkeyPuzzle: why not steel handlebars and a steel stem? Just to be a little different.......
  • 3 0
 Because it's cool... We aren't hindered by logic... If we were, MTB would boring AF!
  • 1 1
 @Spark24: I hear what you are saying and can respect that opinion. I just see modern steel hardtails as filling the void of being badass and making things less boring. Steel full suspension trail bikes are like taking a Camero and putting a Prius engine in it. Nothing wrong with either, but don't mix the two!
  • 1 1
 Truly carbon frames are not much lighter than aluminum are far as I see anymore (Depending on brand). But people claim the stiffness is the real advantage of the carbon frame. Either that argument is invalid or yours is.
  • 2 0
 @speed10: carbon and aluminum are not good materials for a hardtail, unless going for a lightweight xc bike (where weight is more important than comfort or durability). Anyone thinking about a carbon or aluminum modern slacked out geo hardtail is missing the point of a steel hardtail.
  • 3 0
 @JDFF: I believe that there could be advantages had by havig the right amount of flex in a full suspension bike. This seems analogous to MotoGP bikes having to do a lot of work to add flex into the monocoque frames due to the only suspension available to deal with a bump in a corner is frame flex. I know it is a different beast but it has always seemed similar. I once rode a set of carbon rims with I9 aluminum spokes and due to the lack of lateral flex the bike had zero traction in roots and rocks, especially once it got wet, it was a total nightmare.
  • 3 0
 My steel full-sus is lighter than my aluminum one...
  • 3 1
 @filmdrew: I'm highly skeptical of this claim. Are you comparing steel apples to aluminum apples?
  • 1 1
 @Chris97a: This is a very good point. It's certainly a question of how subtle the flex would be and if it were noticible. Frame design, hubs, and rims would factor in also. I totally get what you are saying, but for a full suspension bike I think I would rather have aluminum/carbon over steel and play around with suspension tune and maybe even wheelsets, if getting into the lateral feel of a bike. On a semi related note, I have come to the conclusion that carbon rims are too stiff for a steel hardtail. On my hardtail I run good old fashioned aluminum hoops. But on my full suspension bike carbon rims are acceptable.
  • 2 0
 Do tell- what models are you comparing? @filmdrew:
  • 3 0
 There's currently no monocoque bikes in MotoGp. There's one steel trellis, the rest are Al beam frames.
  • 1 0
 @speed10: Check out the Shan No.5 review, what the steel gives is a particular ride quality.
  • 1 0
 @gkeele: my comment sucked. P It wasn’t clear that I was trying to compare aluminum full suspension bikes to carbon full suspension bikes. E As the OP states that material choice is meaningless because the suspension does the lions share of the work.N I wanted to illustrate that given minor (if any) weight discrepancies, carbon should have no advantage over aluminum if the OPs argument held water. I We know this to be false. S
  • 1 0
 @speed10: ok, I'm in agreement that any suspension frame is going to rely on the suspension design and shock set up more than frame material. But I'm lost in how that makes my original point invalid? I guess the point I'm trying to make is steel suspension frames are likely unnecessarily heavier than carbon or aluminum. It seems that this just increases "cool factor" for a select few, but IMO, not worth the weight. I do think steel is the optimum material for modern slack hardtails. I personally own a steel hardtail as well as carbon and aluminum suspension bikes. (Chris97a has a somewhat valid point that steel may still have feel characteristics of value in a steel suspension frame. I won't argue that, but at that point its so subtle that it's not worth the weight IMO.) Also- for what its worth, I'm not a weight weenie, all my bikes are 30-33lb range.
  • 2 0
 @speed10: ...penis?!
  • 8 6
 Steel frame @ £2k? I'm glad you aren't over on this side of the pond! Absolutely ridiculous.

Handmade in the UK is new name for getting fleeced???
  • 6 1
 Outrageous suggestion. Nothing new about it whatsoever.
  • 3 2
 bargain for a hand made bike made by 1 man
  • 2 0
 I've followed the development of this bike for a while. It think it's the most aesthetic mountain bike I have ever seen.
  • 1 0
 in a world of Carbon and Aluminum bikes, here comes Swarf... STEEL pushing it forward! Truly designed to be as practical and durable as possible, form follows function.
  • 3 0
 Apart from the color,that's one sexy bike.
  • 3 0
 Wanted one 'til I noticed it's not available in Canada
  • 3 0
 Or USA!! I was all ready to buy until I saw that.... Frown
  • 2 0
 looks retro-updated, in a really cool way. don't even care if it rides well, just...want one
  • 4 1
 Way better than silly plastic frames! ????
  • 2 0
 That's nice. Imagine how many they would sell if it was 1000£ less
  • 3 1
 What a gorgeous bike... Steel always wins for me...
  • 1 0
 Simply one of the best designs in steel out there! and a bargain compared to the others.
  • 2 1
 Maybe @Chromagbikes could build a BC edition for us Canucks @swarfcycles ??!!
  • 1 0
 Is it just me or do they have that Helm set up in the shots at more like 150mm?
  • 1 2
 Steel frames feel nice but being used to how the aluminium and carbon frames look I think it looks a bit "skinny". I guess its a feel over looks thing.
  • 2 0
 actually, it's more the opposite. You have to dig the look of steel and those tubes to get it. I think it's a deadly looking bike but I agree with a comment above stating that for full suspension it's probably not the best choice of material. But yeah, I'd take it over alu or carbon and eat the extra 2lbs just based on looks alone.
  • 1 0
 Nice, love the look of steel and that looks real good.
  • 3 1
 Sexiest. Bike. Ever.
  • 2 0
 Super pretty! Love it.
  • 1 0
 Starling Murmer..... Hmmmmmmmmm, lucky.
  • 1 0
 Feels like the chainstay could have been a bit shorter.
  • 2 1
 Looks like it would snap on the first over send to flat.
  • 2 0
 I don't think it's really intended for fatties to 'send it bruh'
  • 1 3
 Why steel? It's heavy, way too Flexy, prone to corrosion. And plain gauge seatstays - at this price tag? Make me a similar frame from butted titanium tubing of a larger diameter (56mm HT!) and I will reconsider.
  • 2 1
 You won't though, will you? You would just moan about something else and say "but if it had x and y I would definitely want one"
  • 1 0
 £2k+ for a steel frame, yea I am sure they will sell like hot cakes.
  • 3 3
 £1950... hahahaha...Marino here I come !!
  • 2 1
 Good work Adrian...
  • 2 2
 Blah...
  • 3 5
 Flexy. Damn auto correct
  • 1 0
 "On the Contour the seatstays actually flex vertically slightly as the suspension moves, this removes the need for a pivot at the dropout, saving weight, complexity and manufacturing costs. The stays are flattened slightly in the horizontal plane to allow them to flex vertically. This gives them a distinctive skinny look when viewed from the side."
  • 2 4
 say this a lot but, would love that in 26 with a short stiff rear end
  • 1 4
 and do not forget about it sickbicycle.co Wink
  • 1 4
 Looks flesh?
  • 3 0
 Long live the new flesh!
  • 3 0
 @KKRoos: Death to Videodrome!
  • 2 5
 Load of shite
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