New Heatsinkbikes Products: 24uk Mk2 Frame

[Tomm]

He did say:

The additional features of booster/ Vee + Magura mounts / "Armour" plate have added approx 200g to the weight of this frame.

Although I can't remember the weight of the first one. Around 5lbs I think.

[Heatsink]

I know what you mean, perhaps add a third hole on the top, below the mag mount, for a removable v-brake mount? I think there might be issues with the v-brake arms clearing the mag mounts, though. I presume that Steve has considered that idea and thinks that the current system is better though.

I did want to debut a new brake mount idea I've designed which would allow a combined 4 bolt/V set-up, with a removeable Vee boss. I've had the drawings sitting here on my PC for more than a year, but when it came down to it then it made sense for now to go with the standard mounts top and bottom of the seat-stays.

It will be a seperate investigation (if I find the time) to scope out the mileage of the combined mount idea, and I didn't want any issues with unproven combined mount designs to ruin the 24UK frame.

Weight wise, the first examples came out at 2.2kg. A small price to pay when you consider the armour plate on the downtube, the built in booster and the double mounts. Since it's not a Comp frame (there isn't a 24" category at the moment!) I'm hoping that riders will agree that longevity and practical frame features (such as making switching between braking systems easy, which riders do like to try and are more likely to try if the frame has a very long life) will be over-ridingly attractive.

Thanks again for all your comments & questions so far!

Steve

[Token]

can we get weights and price please steve?

the frame looks lovely! specially in black, phwoar!

£279

an you get a free bag of Cadburys Chocolate Eclairs. Happy Days!

[Dan6061]

I was expecting a whole new look to the frame...

But it still looks awesome! Some really good ideas put into that.

Well done!

[Elliot]

There has clearly been a bag load of thought that has gone into the frame, but the dropouts seem quite a simple soultion compared to some of the intricate CNCing that goes on on other frames. How come? Is it back to strength and durability over weight saving? Were you tempted to try and shave some weight off there?

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

Going to have to go against the grain here... I'm just not keen on the frame... Obviously I'm completely biased towards my Inspired which I love more than any bike I've ever owned... but I don't like the dropouts (too simple/large/ugly in my opinion), the CNC BB yoke (where it joins the chainstays it doesn't look like it's quite right, like the two weren't designed to join like that. Plus the trianglular lightening hole which looks like it should be rectangular with filleted corners/oval to remove more material), the booster/nameplate type thing on the seatstays (again too simple/large/ugly almost like an afterthought), even the gussets aren't to my liking (my understanding is that gussets should be open ended rather than welded all the way round...). Ah well, can't please all the people all of the time and I've no doubt that it'll be a winner and with geometry like that it will lend itself to anything from street/trials to park, dirt jumping and duel. Sorry, I'm obviously in a scarily picky mood!! All the best, Steve.

[Adam-Griffin]

Tis settled, I'm going "24

[Ross Gardner]

Stunning Steve. I know you have been working really hard on perfecting this frame and i can honestly say its payed off. Hope everything goes well

[Heatsink]

... the dropouts seem quite a simple solution compared to some of the intricate CNCing that goes on on other frames. How come? Is it back to strength and durability over weight saving? Were you tempted to try and shave some weight off there?

At present with the 24UK it's simple, proven & strong execution versus more complex CNCed forms. If production volumes are ramped up then it starts to get economical to go crazy with CNCing. Personally I think that we've already seen CNCing go to one extreme and interestingly I've noticed many riders going back to an appreciation of the purer form once more.

..I don't like it..

No worries Dave! All comments are welcome. Maybe you'll like it more in a built up form. I liked your last video at that impressive Free ride spot btw! Great to see that 24" bikes are becoming an integral part of injecting more variety into pure Trials

Steve

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

No worries Dave! All comments are welcome. Maybe you'll like it more in a built up form. I liked your last video at that impressive Free ride spot btw! Great to see that 24" bikes are becoming an integral part of injecting more variety into pure Trials

Steve

Hehe, sorry Steve I meant that all to be more constructive criticism but it just seems to be all negative... The overall look of the bike is cool and I like the thought that's gone into the brake setup but as they say 'The Devil's in the detail' and at the end of the day all of my points are effectively aesthetic with the possible exception of the gussets but maybe I'm just making that up! Look forward to seeing some pimped out full builds on here soon

Dave

[Stan Shaw]

Not that keen on it unfortunately! The whole look of the frame isn't very refined or "clean looking" in my opinion. There is a bit to much going on at the back end of the frame for me with all the brake options, booster, cable guides etc. I know you said your going for simple designs in terms of dropouts etc, but they look very very basic and cheap. CNC stuff can look classy if done correctly.

Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh!

One thing I do like though is the many colour options!

[Heatsink]

...Not that keen on it...

One thing I do like though is the many colour options!

No probs Stan. Thanks for your comments I'm glad that you dig the colour choice though I'm really bowled over by how nice the colours have come out. I've gone through phases of white being my favourite, and then black, and now with the arrival of these frames I'm really liking the red. It's such a vibrant hue! I will have to get a green and gold example sorted too and show these off asap.

I didn't mean to sound like I was dissing CNCing at all. I'm a fan of it myself as used on many of my products. For this 2nd version of the 24UK frame it's been about getting new features on and taking the strength to a level I can be really proud about. The quantity of frames being made is relatively small compared to even a typical Trials frame, which has its advantages & disadvantages.

The main disadvantage is the cost of manufacture is too high to allow me to offer them to other shops for resale since the profit margin just isn't enough to make it worth while. This limits availability of the frame but then on the other hand this is an advantage too for those who do buy since every single frame goes through me and customers deal direct with the expert on the frame design and features.

For the rear end, I agree that leaving the Vee bosses exposed when not in use looks untidy, but these can be unscrewed and replaced with blanking bolts or the type of blanking bolt with a hose guide on the head to give the Disc hose a secure anchor.

I'm currently getting the first frames shipped out, and once this is done I'll be able to get a frame built up to demonstrate the various brake mounts in use.

Steve

[Alex@Flawless Bikes]

That is so nice, love the brake idea! Any pictures of the frame built up as a full bike yet!

[Tommy d]

It looks like a decent improvement on the first model. One problem I can see with the brake mounts though, surely any brake used on the underside will just constantly catch your ankles? Or has this been tested and found to be OK?

I have a maggie on the bottom on my frame (Iolo) and it's never caught my ankles. It is, however, a bit awkward to set up just because it makes the bolts harder to get to and I get covered in grease off the chain! But it's not the end of the world and I'm glad I went for having 2 sets of mounts.

24uk Mk2 seems great to me, personally I'd prefer it to be a bit higher with a bend rather than a straight line all the way down to the back wheel but I'm probably in the minority there. Good stuff!

[The Duck]

I do love heatsink to bits.

And i do love this.

But, the dropouts do look a bit... Not quite right. I'm no expert anyway.

Anyway, love it otherwise. Good work.

[Radfax]

I want one....

NOW!!!

[Heatsink]

I want one....

NOW!!!

Just a quickie to clear up any confusion: You do all know that I'm not claiming to have invented the idea of having mounts on both sides of the chainstays don't you? The idea has been in the public domain for a couple of years, most recently being shown on a Iolo frame or two. I'm just the first to give try it on a frame made as part of a production run

Thanks for you all giving me your honest opinions about the frames btw. It's the honest feedback which helps keep things on track and which has been really beneficial to help me guide my products too these last few years. I'm really pleased that the majority of you really like these frames! The first frames are being built up at the moment, and I'm keen to catch any suggestions from these riders about tweaks that can be incorporated into the next batch. If things go well with some final design tweaks I'm doing, on the new batch I may even be able to reveal the new brake mount idea I've been nuturing for over a year. It will have to be tested out on a frame or two before being rolled out properly as a option for riders. I really think that giving riders the widest brake choice from a frame is a strong feature. I'd like to think that when I reveal my grand idea, it could see some similar developments across Trials frames.

I don't have the resources to protect my ideas like other people do, so it would be rewarding enough if it did start a trend, that people remembered where it had come from. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself abit already!

Steve

[Alex-Mitchinson]

Looks to beefy imo.

I really prefer frames which are sleek and slim looking.

However, the brake mounts are cool/practical and strength wise it seems great, and no doubtebly will be!

Sorry to be negative but it's just to big 'n' bulky for me.

[Bionic Balls]

i like it

lots of options...and colours...but i can't see a price..?

I don't have the resources to protect my ideas like other people do

- all you need is a patent agent!

adam

[Alex-Mitchinson]

but i can't see a price..?

£279

[Olly C]

I've gone through phases of white being my favourite, and then black, and now with the arrival of these frames I'm really liking the red.

Could this be because your reminiscing on the similarities to your old Saracen frame's colour?

Frame looks nice man, hope all's well with the family and everything these days, I'm guessing you still haven't had much time to get out there and ride yea?

Olly.

[TheMunn]

Lush, need a new 24UK team rider? =P

[Mark W]

If things go well with some final design tweaks I'm doing, on the new batch I may even be able to reveal the new brake mount idea I've been nuturing for over a year.

Something like a refined version of the Onza braking setup on the early T-Birds/T-Pros would be sweet. They had the 19" 4-bolt, 20" 4-bolt and V-brake option (And I used all of them at various points ), but it was always semi-bodged.

In case I happen to miss it, they're still Mielec made, yeah?

How long ago did you get them to make the first double-mount-seatstayed frame, out of curiosity?

[Heatsink]

Something like a refined version of the Onza braking setup on the early T-Birds/T-Pros would be sweet. They had the 19" 4-bolt, 20" 4-bolt and V-brake option (And I used all of them at various points ), but it was always semi-bodged.

In case I happen to miss it, they're still Mielec made, yeah?

How long ago did you get them to make the first double-mount-seatstayed frame, out of curiosity?

Hi Mark!

I'm looking forward to revealing the combined brake mount idea. It will be in at least 5 weeks time. I'm sure that you guys will be able to give it the scrutiny it needs to make sure it's all thought out properly

Regarding the date of the first double-mounted frame I had manufactured, it sounds like you think I'm claiming to be the very first to use it. I'm not. I'm the first to use it on a production run of frames as far as I know. As I posted in an above reply, riders will have seen the double mounted idea being demonstrated on one-off bikes since 2006 and maybe earlier. I've been surprised that this idea hasn't made it onto production runs of frames, especially since many riders are running V adapters including myself. So when I had the opportunity to add new features, then I jumped at using this double mount concept in order to offer riders more.

Here's a photo of a double mounted frame from 2006. It's the first time I was made aware of the idea in the public doman, and I've seen more riders trying it since on custom frames. Before I released these frames I was talking with the owner on OTN and thanking him for publicising this idea.

On forums it's clear that some riders think this sort of set-up is a good idea, and some think it isn't. For the minimal additional weight, it occurred to me that it was a great bonus to have the extra options. If braking works well on the extra vee mounts under the seat-stays then that's saved riders upto £30 on V adapters. It's a positive step to try this idea on a production run of frames so that further light can be thrown on the merits/downsides of running a brake underneath the seat-stay for Trials use.

Regarding manufacturer, here's my post from earlier:

Before I even consider buying it - is it still produced by Mielec?

I passionately don't want anything "Heatsink" to have any concerns regarding strength or quality I can only speak for my frames & from my experiences, so letting the overall figures on quality/strength speak in the case of this particular venture & this unique relationship I've built with the factory, I'm happy to continue with the Mk1 source of manufacture.

Good to hear from you Olly!

Could this be because your reminiscing on the similarities to your old Saracen frame's colour?

Frame looks nice man, hope all's well with the family and everything these days, I'm guessing you still haven't had much time to get out there and ride yea?

Olly.

I hope all is well with you too Olly! I'll have to find some photos of that old X-tort! I'm still riding on a daily basis, but only during my lunch time. Just the other day I was told off for riding on the Pallets behind work I can't really fit in any big weekend rides due to family commitments, and with our 3rd baby on the way I am in demand for Dad duties more than ever! I hope to catch you again on a ride when the opportunity arises

Cheers!

Steve

[Mark W]

Hi Steve,

I think you read a little more into my post than there was, if you see what I mean I wasn't implying anything by it at all

Looking forward to seeing the new idea anyway, good to see 'grass roots' companies pushing the limits even if the 'big boys' are too scared to

I saw that post earlier, yeah, but I didn't really put the 2+2=Mielec together

Mark