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

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Swarf Cycles is run by ex Aerospace design engineer Adrian Bedford and has been operating since 2011. Although Swarf is 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 here. (Our Rachael has one of the first Swarf Cycles Curves too.....- Ed)

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, Swarf say. Check out the development steps that lead to the final Contour design in this blog post.

The Contour is designed to be as practical and durable as possible, form follows function. External cables have been routed 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, 44mm head tube etc. 

Technical Details

• Rear travel - 115mm
• Shock - 200 x 51 with 30mm x 8.0mm hardware (piggy back 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)
• Cable routing - External with a stealth dropper port
• Bottle bosses - 1 x full size bottle in 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"
• Available in 4 sizes and 3 colour options (note, photos show silver rockers, production frames will be anodised black)
• 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

Materials Used

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

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 cost. 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.

You can 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 Swarf are unable to deal with customers in the US or Canada due to insurance limitations.

All frames are made to order. Email Swarf on swarfcycles@gmail.com if you are interested in ordering a frame.

Try before you buy! Swarf Cycles have Med and Large demo bikes available to demo in the Tweed Valley Scotland. To arrange a demo drop them a line on  swarfcycles@gmail.com

Photos credit - Out of Office

• www.swarfycycles.co.uk

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