Mmmm interesting. I wonder what the prices will range from.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... ook-50494/

That is proper ugly.

All Meridas are ugly but they've really pushed the boat out there

Out of interest what about it is ugly?

I think it looks pretty sleek.

Yeh, I quite like it. Somewhat subjective no?

Godawfullooking to me :shrugs:

Looks nice. Not the best angle for a photo maybe?

Out of interest what about it is ugly?

It looks like it was built by the same person who designed the sets for 'Space 1999'.

There's something very odd going on with the fork crown and the area behind the headtube - well, there's something very special going on there. Maybe it's just all too angular, boxy and 'front heavy'?

In Reverse wrote:I've got Avid BB7's on my gravel/tourer/whatever bike and they're

Seconded, never felt the need to fit anything else.

It's got a bit of a "scaled down Vir Fortis" / 80's TV Show "Street Hawk" thing going on.

ootini wrote:It's got a bit of a "scaled down Vir Fortis" / 80's TV Show "Street Hawk" thing going on.

That's why I like it, it would match the Vir Fortis in the garage!

ScotRoutes wrote:Looks nice. Not the best angle for a photo maybe?

It looks waaaay better in that pic than the side on views I've seen elsewhere. The acid yellow alloy framed one is proper gopping. I guess being late to the gravel party means they've had to be a bit different.

OP after all this prevarication I think you'd be mad not to buy that Gryphon. You won't find anything near that quality for the price. The qualms you're raising about bar angles etc are nonsense tbh - you'd be tuned into the riding position within half an hour.

Also, not sure if it's the angle of the picture or something, but do the drops on that Gryphon look a bit weird? As in very low... I'm just looking at Fargos, Vagabonds and the like and the "drop" section of the bar usually appears to be very close to the level of the top tube, but in the pictures of the Gryphon it's much lower.

Look like Woodchippers which are often set with the bottom of the hook pointing toward the rear wheel axle ... looks odd but works quite well. Remember, most of the stuff you've seen off the shelf is slightly muted so it appeals to a wider spectrum of folk and this includes bars.

In Reverse wrote:OP after all this prevarication I think you'd be mad not to buy that Gryphon. You won't find anything near that quality for the price. The qualms you're raising about bar angles etc are nonsense tbh - you'd be tuned into the riding position within half an hour.

Seconded. If I didn't already have my Cotic, I'd have had it myself instead...

Have you bought that gryphon yet?

+4 That Gryphon looks a really nice bike & is a good price!

Fat tyre kicker wrote:Can't find any pics of a Longitude with drops on but no reason why you can't with the right stem etc

I've got Woodchippers on my Fortitude Adventure with a 60mm stem. It rides pretty long, and I'm looking at going with an ultra short stem and bringing the bars back by an inch if the handling will stand it. I'm 5'10 and mine is a 19", though I have relatively short forearms. The Longitude runs even longer for the same frame size, so at the very least think about sizing down.

I'm having when available a new trek 920 disc. Would that fit the bill

You could build one of these in the new colours.
stooge dropbar by michaelandamanda, on Flickr

I love the Stooge, but not so much in that guise. OnOne did something similar to the Fatty, and manage to turn an eyesore into an even bigger eyesore. Ive got a Fatty and it's great with 650B+ wheels, but Im glad I dont have to look at it. The OO Fatty ain't pretty but the Frankenfat was truly hideous. Im pretty sure they never sold a single one,

OP, please buy the Gryphon. It's what you need (or near as damn it) and a massive bargain. If you don't I may have to, and that means I'll have to build a new shed. And get divorced.

Buy the Gryphon and save my marriage.

ootini wrote:
Oooooooh, well now. That's interesting... Question is, will I / the bike fit? Plus I'd have to sort the gearing out. Don't think 8 speed would really cover the range I'm after.

Singlespeedstu is about the same height as me, 6ft. Gears can be changed. Rear axle spacing would be 135mm.

ootini wrote:Also, not sure if it's the angle of the picture or something, but do the drops on that Gryphon look a bit weird?

They look like flared drops (like Bearbonesnorm mentioned). They can look pretty odd when shown side on, but this is less of an issue when you're actually riding the bike.

I found this blog post really useful in terms of setting mine up:
http://www.63xc.com/mattc/midge.htm

Unfortunately due to personal circumstances, I'm no longer in a position to buy the Swift, or any other MTB at this point in time. I've spoken to Stu via email and explained, he 's a very nice guy who's happy to go through details of the bike. I haven't given up on the idea, just postponing for now.
So, if anyone's interested, and the bike hasn't gone yet, fill your boots.