RAD RIGS
Rufus Wenlock’s SÜFUR Prototype 2
Built for the Silk Road Mountain Race
What is it
It doesn’t really have a name yet, for now I’ve been calling it the SÜFUR Prototype 2 as it’s the second iteration of this bike I’ve designed.
Why this bike
The premise of this bike was to design a frame specifically tuned to bikepacking. I was tired of seeing brands jumping on the “bikepacking” bandwagon and simply taking a hardtail frame, adding more mounts and calling it “job done”.
For me that mentality ignores the unique needs of bikepacking, so I set about designing something from the ground up.
The geometry, shape, and materials all had a reason and ultimately steered me with the current design. It’s proven itself many times over in the real world since too…
Frame details
All the tubing is chromoly steel and the 3D-printed junctions are 15-5 PF stainless steel (15 per cent chromium and 5 per cent nickel).
I used 3D printing a lot for this frame because it opens up so many options with steel (my preferred material) that were previously only available with other materials like carbon fibre.
The shape of the frame is optimised for a large frame bag and two 750ml water bottles inside the front triangle.
Although the seat tube looks vertical it’s offset from the bottom bracket, so it gives a virtual seat tube angle of 76.5 degrees at the saddle. The 3D printed chainstay and seatstay yokes allowed me to easily fit up to 2.6-inch tyres with chainring options up to 40 teeth.
I’m really happy with all the frame improvements I made with version two. I think I just need to tweak the geometry a little bit more in version three and things will be perfect!
Build:
Fork: RockShox Sid Ultimate at 120mm
Wheels: WAO Faction rims/Vittoria Mezcal Tyres 2.35-inch/DT Swiss 350 rear hub/Son 28 front hub/Sapim CX Ray spokes
Brakes: Hayes Dominion with 180mm rotors
Drivetrain: Shimano 12spd XT/XTR mix with 170mm cranks/Burgtec 32t oval ring/Burgtec plastic flats
Seating: Fabric Scoop flat/Redshift Shockstop Pro
Cockpit: Salsa Bend 17-degree bars/Profile Neosonic aerobars/Deity Megattack grips
Bags: Tailfin top tube bags/DIY frame bag
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