Bike Check: La Marche Singlespeed MTB

Aug 29, 2023 at 21:06
by Dario DiGiulio  
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There were plenty of beautifully ornate and complex builds at the Made bike show, but sometimes it's the simplest bikes that catch your attention. That - plus the lovely paint job - drew me to this La Marche singlespeed as I wandered around the show. Tom La Marche is a one-man show, and has an excellent eye for details in his builds, which manage to come through even better in simpler machines like this. Dude's also quite handy on a bike, so there's a certain functional utilitarianism to all his builds that always appeals to me.
La Marche SS MTB Details
• 27.5" front and rear
• 74° seat tube angle
• 67.5° head tube
• 425mm stays
• 317mm BB height
• Custom rigid fork
• Track dropouts
• La Marche Instagram

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There is no dropper, no shifter, no suspension to take the edge off. Sure, far from the highest level of mountain bike performance, but it's simple and fun and it makes absolutely no noise when you hop it off loading docks or run things over. Maybe more of a dirt cruiser, maybe a big-wheeled dirt jump bike with an extra brake - regardless it has its charm.

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The build features a healthy dose of chrome, with the King headset, Onyx hubs, Paul brakes, and Hunter Smooth Move bars all gleaming in the daylight. Even the headbadge gives off a glow.

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This bike was custom build for a customer, so the angles, build kit, and look should all be perfectly fit to somebody's spec out there. Have fun, whoever you are.

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More photos of the La Marche can be found here.



Author Info:
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Member since Dec 25, 2016
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122 Comments
  • 132 1
 Dario’s bringing the radavist to the pinkbike
  • 68 2
 I welcome this move
  • 20 1
 Correction: "Dario's bringing Prolly is Not Probably to the pinkbike". Tom was an early star of the FGFS era.
  • 4 0
 @mtb-123: you’re not wrong
  • 2 0
 I thought the same thing.
  • 8 0
 Took my Surly SS to full ridged. Still have a dropper. So much Fun.
  • 49 0
 bikes are bikes are bikes, all pretty fun
  • 5 0
 Nought wrong with that. Keep it up Dario. This one is a stunner. Almost as nice as the white and purple rigid single speed Hummingbird - that was a stunner.
  • 3 0
 I'm here for it
  • 2 0
 @fartymarty: I have a SS Hummingbird on order since May, should receive it in October. I did a few custom mods, when I saw that Twin Top tube I thought about adding it but it would add time and cost to the frame. I'm a sucker for twin top tubes, at least my Trek Sawyer has one to fill my need.
  • 1 0
 @mtb-123: came here to say the same thing. throwback
  • 1 0
 @matmattmatthew: get some piccys up on your profile for me to fav. I do love the look of the Hummingbird.
  • 2 0
 This bike is a complement to a my Nicolai Geometron G1 and Chromag Rootdown. I've been reading pinkbike since I put a Totem on a Heckler5 and will always be a freerider at heart.
  • 3 0
 @dariodigiulio: Thank you, I will be shredding this machine when it returns.
  • 38 6
 After going back to a fully rigid mountain bike while my fork was in for repairs, I would never set out to buy a rigid bike to ride anything above a green rated trail. Dropper posts and front suspension ftw; I'm willing to forego most other things.
  • 32 2
 I built a rigid, single speed Stooge about a month ago and I have literally not ridden anything else since I did... it's an absolutely blast. Dropper post is mandatory, but it makes easy old trails exciting and harder trails a serious exercise. I get that it won't be for everyone, but really glad to have a rigid SS back in the stable after a few years without... I've owned a few, but none with the geo or ride quality of the Stooge.
  • 47 1
 @Glenngineer: You're in Illinois and 'woofer2609' is in Vancouver. I suspect the trails are quite different.
  • 17 6
 @WheelNut: you must not read Andrew Major's articles on NSMB, because with the right rigid bike setup it can work there.
  • 4 0
 I have one for pump and trials, but I’d never ride it in trails, it’d beat me to death. Full suspension is the dream!
  • 8 0
 @sanchofula: rigid mtb will certainly beat you to death if you try to take the descents and rocky sections at the same speed as on full-suspension. If you can keep the speed down and treat those sections more like trials, then you can find a ton of fun without being bludgeoned to death. That said, I had a hard time keeping my speed in check enough with a rigid SS until I converted it to fixed-gear, as this forced me to stay slow enough that my feet don't get ripped off and slow enough to navigate around potential pedal strikes.
  • 8 1
 @generalistgrant: i don't agree it can work there, just like I don't agree a civic works well as a shuttle car even though it might technically work. Rigid bikes look great, are a novel experience to ride, but if you like speed on anything remotely technical they are awful, or you are numb. For gravel grinding etc whatever, but for mtb at a normal pace I can't accept rigids are.th best choice for the task.
  • 20 2
 @jesse-effing-edwards: Why does there have to be a "best choice" for the task? There is a huge spectrum of mountain bike types because all of can be an enjoyable way of riding for the right rider. Max speed is fun but it isn't the only way to ride a trail. That's why I have a 160mm Knolly and a fixed-gear rigid bike. I ride the same trails with both bikes, just differently and with a very different focus and mindset
  • 12 1
 @showmethemountains: Yep. Broadly speaking - and in the context of typical mountain biking - geometry sets the limit on the gradient you'll be able to ride, and travel sets the limit on how quickly you can ride it.
  • 5 0
 @R-M-R: succinct and accurate!
  • 2 0
 @R-M-R: Agreed, though rigid forks add an interesting twist as you can get away with steeper geometry when you don't have to account for the fork compressing into its travel and further increasing your head angle (or that compression shifting your weight forwards).
  • 3 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: Thanks, I try!

@showmethemountains: Absolutely correct, and I'm thrilled to see people are getting it! Chassis attitude changes due to suspension pitch have been known in the motorsports world for ages, and Gary Fisher briefly and vaguely mentioned it as he was testing early 29ers. As far as I know, I was the first to formalize the concepts of time-averaged and stress-time-averaged dynamic geometry in 2017 when I was designing the geometry and kinematics for the first commercialized mountain bike front linkage that actually improved on telescoping forks. So yeah, I'm rather familiar with what you're saying and fully agree!
  • 8 0
 @generalistgrant:
Major has me convinced that old MTBs didn't suck just because they were rigid. They sucked more because of bad brakes, bad tires, and roadie geometry.

His rigid El Roy is available to rent, should anyone be curious and located close enough to North Van: www.essentialcycles.com/rigid-bike-rental
  • 4 0
 @AndrewHornor: Oof, you're bringing back tough memories for me of trying to descend rocky trails on 90s bikes with 2.1" tires on 17mm rims, v brakes, 71deg HA, 130mm stem, narrow bars, and my body way back over the rear wheel with the seat in my gut because getting low wasn't enough with that steep front end. A modern bike even with a rigid fork is still so much more capable than the bikes that most people were riding 25-30 years ago
  • 2 0
 @showmethemountains: who said this bike was " to take the descents and rocky sections"?
  • 1 0
 @AndrewHornor: It's all about balance - "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" and all that.

Little or no suspension, so there was no need for more capable geometry. Road touring geometry, so no need for suspension. Can't ride steep terrain or at modern speeds, so no need for dropper posts, strong brakes, tires wider than 1.9" (go on, measure the actual casing width of an old 2.1" tire!), compounds softer than 70a, etc.

We certainly tried to ride steeper and faster, but geometry and components were consistently a decade behind where they should've been for the way people wanted to ride.
  • 2 0
 @showmethemountains: Fixie MTB is sooo much fun! For both flowy and techy stuff
  • 1 0
 Agreed, I built a Nordest Sardinha 2 for bikepacking. I absolutely love it for road/gravel, but damn is it a taint pummeler even on green trails. So hard to switch between trail FS bike and rigid.
  • 1 0
 @generalistgrant: I've read it and I've seen him on trail before too. One person riding rigid out of thousands doesn't mean it "works" or is "the way to go." It just means that it is possible. Pretty cool he is doing it, for sure.
  • 4 1
 @showmethemountains: yeah, it's true, some people might even enjoy a unicycle as a DH course option. I'm really agnostic. But, I do find in the rigid and hardtail world there are people that have an almost dismissive attitude to the benefits of suspension, just because they 'can' ride one or the other. People can do what they like, but I don't really accept the notion that a rigid bike is in any way the ideal tool for the task of making your way down a technical trail. I mean, sure, if you can do it, cool, but you can also run a marathon in heels but that doesn't make it a great idea. It just makes the user unique and eccentric. Which is totally fine! But will never make sense to most cause most people like having some semblance of speed on the downs, otherwise hiking or jogging starts to make a lot more sense than lugging around a bicycle.
  • 2 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: Yep, there are certainly zealots about rigid SS or hardtails, and that is probably true of a niche corner of any hobby.

I agree that a rigid bike is certainly not the ideal tool for a technical trail! Sorry if I projected that. When I ride my rigid bike, I'm purposefully accepting the big limitations that it brings in order to enjoy a different and big challenge. I have no expectation that most people should be or will be interested. I'm not trying to assert that it is "the way to go" or that its better in any way. I'm just trying to say that a rigid bike can be fun and can work for some people.

(A marathon in heels is guaranteed to cause injury and definitely a bad idea. Riding a rigid bike on tech trails might cause injury but is more likely to just leave most people frustrated and not interested in trying again. Or maybe it'll catch on Wink )
  • 1 0
 @showmethemountains: Didn't mean to imply you were a zealot, ha. I think as a long time ex-hardtailer I've had a window into the niche world and have had lots of conversations about such esoteric topics, haha. Whatever keeps your trails fresh is a good thing. And I fully admit, steel rigid frames are scientifically proven to be objectively more beautiful.

Heels on a rigid bike, thought? Someone out there must love it.
  • 1 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards:

I'm totally with you, but some dude with a quiver-of-one carbon 140-160 FS enduro/trail bike is looking at your Chromag steel hard tail with the same "yeah, but why bother" attitude.

It's a spectrum Jessie. Wink
  • 2 0
 @bhuckley: Yeah, but my hardtail was my 'other' bike, the 150/160 taking first place. The HT was for the easy trails and I never sold it as being anything other than novelty. HTs can be great, but are limiting. Rigids being even more limiting. It's like classic cars. Do they work better than new cars? Nope. Are they cool? Yep!
  • 2 0
 @showmethemountains: I recently revived a 26” hardtail (a Ragley with a 67* hta) squeezing in a 27.5” rear wheel and was planning on going rigid 29” in the front but the bike has been too much fun with the old fork. As a compliment to my enduro bike I’m now thinking I might try to find a short travel 29” fork for it as I’m scared the rigid fork would take away the fun on blue trails I take it on.
  • 2 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: "semblance of speed on the downs" is precisely the reason rigid bikes are fun - they seem fast even at slower speeds.
  • 2 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: Exactly my point. Similarly, I've got a steel hardtail-coil-forked n+1 novelty.

Everybody has a limit where novelty/fun factor intersects with budget/guilt/practicality. Someone with more calculus background could work out a new version of:

#bikes = x(n + 1), where as x reaches infinity, it intersects with budget/guilt/practicality...

...where that line is reached is individual, I was just making the point that for some your Chromag is a similar step too far.
  • 2 0
 @bhuckley: I don't have a chromag, but they are beautiful. Sold my hardtail. Too hard!

I think we probably agree on everything, but are just typing around in circles. I think we definitely agree on bikes being great.
  • 22 0
 That's a beautiful BMX! Wildly impractical but I want one!
  • 2 0
 I thought the same, SE have been making these old man BMX rigs for a while, this is a true beauty but slam that saddle, slap on the crossbar pad and have some fun.
  • 1 0
 I got the idea for this build after building up a DJ bike.
  • 18 0
 nicest beach cruiser ever!
  • 4 0
 That’s what it is. Perfect!
  • 1 0
 @owl-X: i wish I had it to get to my beach
  • 1 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: I whish there was a beach less than 8 car driving hours from my house.
  • 1 0
 @colincolin: I wish I had an excuse to take the bike to the beach, I only have to cross the street.

But then again, I can go to another beach. I need a way to mount wheels on my standup paddle and pull it with my bike.
  • 1 0
 @opignonlibre: That have what you need out there. See people wheelin' SUPs to the beach all the time. I'd ditch the cool bike to live across the street. Keep winning!
  • 7 2
 I'm sure there are loads of people getting wet about this, and I fully appreciate that, but it's far too 1980's MTB for me. Bikes have progressed enormously in the last decades, and I love that progress in suspension and gearing too much. But beautifully made nonetheless.
  • 3 0
 Who needs a full susser in the Netherlands? This bike is perfect for flat lands.
  • 3 0
 @danstonQ: It's summer. The Noisy Dutch are all over our trails now. And yours.
  • 2 0
 @hubertje-ryu: this, and Austrian trails, German trails, Italian Trails and Swiss trails. Shouldn't have entered the EU, so you could've still stopped us at your border Wink .
Also, a hardtail still has suspension and gearing.
  • 3 0
 I also love bleeding edge bike tech, my other main bike is a Nicolai Geometron G1, it's taken years for the industry to catch up to that bike. For this build I wanted something the complete opposite, simple and easy to maintain. I hope it doesn't ride like my Cannondale M1000 lol, I went OTB on that bike way too many times.
  • 9 0
 Is this the legendary fgfs rider tom lamarche?
  • 1 0
 i mean the company's based in philly!
  • 4 0
 Sure is!
  • 5 0
 I sure did love rigid and simple bikes
After the good lord decided that I didn’t deserve a wrist anymore, I sure did learn to love some front suspension ….
  • 2 0
 Going blind can't have helped either!
  • 6 0
 Loading Dock to Flat Super-Slow-Mo?
  • 4 0
 Yeah I wanna see this ridden off a loading dock too. Author says it “makes no noise” when doing so—he’s saying he has firsthand knowledge of its noise level when doing so.

Does “loading dock” mean something else in Canada?
  • 2 0
 doing so.
  • 4 0
 @owl-X: If you think it means a raised cement box that's about four feet off the ground, used to back a truck up to for loading, then it means the same thing where you are as it does in BC.

I don't know if the cables on the this bike would rattle hopping off one or not, but after spending my youth jumping off loading docks on rock hard 50mm skateboard wheels, I'd say these >700mm jobbies with an air cushion in them look more than capable. My old man knees on the other hand... probably not up to the task.
  • 3 0
 @owl-X: If the bike doesn't make noise,you do.
  • 1 0
 @owl-X: I will try to huck this off the same loading dock I used to with my Huffy Stu Thomsen. The no noise may refer to the Onyx hubs. Silent and Deadly.
  • 4 0
 Looks like a Surly Lowside. Which are actually really fun rigid SS when geared right.
  • 5 0
 Perfect bike for Loudenvielle world cup.
  • 1 0
 And for Cairn.
  • 1 0
 @danstonQ: Mont Sainte-Anne would be the closest to me
  • 6 1
 What the fork
  • 3 0
 Nahhh... Nah I'm certain that's a flat bar gravel bike. The industry said so.
  • 1 0
 Been wanting to build something like this for a long time! Personally would add a 240 one up dropper to the mix. Great execution of a bike that could be ridden anywhere…well done!
  • 3 0
 That's a nice looking bike. I wish pinkbike would do more articles about single speeds.
  • 1 0
 Salsa has had this name for their excellent SS for a decade and now someone puts this thing out....Bummer I was hoping to see a New Salsa El Mariache but it's discontinuedFrown
  • 1 0
 A while back there was an article about a bike that looked a lot like the Mariachi, but with slightly more modern geometry. It was designed by the same guy. I don't remember the name of the brand, but maybe someone on here does.
  • 3 1
 I only approve veggie doggin around ;-)
  • 2 0
 That thing looks like a blast to ride on the right trail.
  • 6 0
 Whatever that 'right trail' looks like, I know it's nowhere near me
  • 2 0
 @ROOTminus1: it's everywhere around me, but that's mainly because the Netherlands is known for being flat and having great paved roads.
  • 2 0
 I'm taking it to Allegrippas Trails at Raystown PA in 2 weeks.
  • 3 0
 Kona Explosif anyone?
  • 3 0
 Kona Unit. When my son was on his first bikes having a rigid singlespeed bike was a good leveller. Line choice is everything. Steep pinch climbs usually are a shift down - on the SS it’s a psychological shift up. Good times
  • 1 0
 @Lumenous1: Fair cop, currently the unit is a 29er though... I said explosif as the geo is pretty much the same as this frame. I think, but not sure, that older units would have steeper geo
  • 2 0
 Put a Rohloff hub on to finish it off.
  • 1 0
 I love that handlebar and have been looking for a replacement with those kind of moto proportions!
  • 2 0
 For a real challenge, I prefer a fixed gear rigid bike.
  • 1 0
 I feel the taste of the downieville classic featuring my favorite USA bike companys. SWEET
  • 2 0
 Imagine this as a 26er.... or maybe even a 24er!
  • 1 0
 Bang a 26 in the back, weld on ALL the utility,touring , packing bosses an that'll be sweet!!
  • 2 0
 It’s got nuthin on my Koski Bro Bomber.
  • 1 0
 This looks like the most awesome commuter bike ever, but is much too nice for the task
  • 2 0
 I miss an old school Marzocchi fork on it
  • 1 0
 There's no chrome on that bike (maybe headbadge aside), there's polished aluminium (sorry, pedant mode)
  • 2 0
 It's a custom build, owner gets what he wants, Its a fine build IMHO
  • 2 0
 Hell yes
  • 1 0
 Rosario Bike Co is what I want to see from Made Bikes
  • 2 0
 They build a dandy looking HT
  • 1 0
 Beautiful. (except the forks)
  • 1 0
 riding this bike ??? where is the suspension ? i dnt get it
  • 1 0
 Lovely
  • 1 0
 Love the bars. Nitto?
  • 2 0
 Hunter Cycles Smooth Move made by Nitto
  • 1 0
 Progressive gravel bike
  • 6 7
 Cool, except for cable actuated disc brakes.
  • 13 1
 Yeah, we want rim brakes!!
  • 6 0
 Those are very high end cable actuated brakes, though. Powerful enough for whatever this guy is getting up to.
  • 11 2
 Learn your history son. Those are Pauls
  • 5 0
 The theme of the bike is "low tech and simple but modern and beautifully executed". To me it seems inconsistent to accept the massive downgrade of a rigid fork, no dropper and no gears on one hand but see the moderate downgrade of cable brakes as a deal breaker. But then, not all preferences are rational.
I personally ride Paul cable brakes and they're freaking great. Stopping power, modulation, ease of maintenance, lifetime purchase. That said, Paul disc brakes in their long pull configuration are draggy because of sub-optimal cable routing. Short pull is the way to run them.
  • 3 0
 @furiousstyles: fair! I didn't know them. The only ones I've come across (here in Europe) are the cheap shit ones where the bike specs still can claim "disc brakes", yet they are inferior to almost everything. They certainly look great!
  • 3 0
 @sorrymissjackson: the Paul Clampers really will make anyone scratch their heads. Everyone is caught by surprise once tested.
  • 1 0
 @Rainozeros: A lot depends on levers, too! People understandably focus on the caliper, after all, it is the BRAKE, but in reality levers can make as big if not a bigger difference than changing out the calipers. Having tried literally every design of note, I settled on short pull 1993-1995 Avid Speed Dial Ultimates with a bearing in the pivot. Best cable brake lever ever made.
  • 1 0
 @Insectoid: funny, I actually have a set of black ops in the parts bin.
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