STANTON SWITCH9ER 631
£799 (frame) Expensive but sweetly-detailed 29er bomber
The Switch9er is bang on trend in terms of geometry and has some neat frame detailing, but the cost is high for its tubeset and ride quality.
The frame
Stanton use Reynolds 631 DZB main tubes and 520 stays for the Switch9er. Like Reynolds 853, this air-hardens after welding to boost joint strength, but it’s a cheaper tubeset. That means you get a straight, round, 35mm diameter top tube and 37mm down tube, rather than anything curved, swaged or ovalised. This leaves it looking pricey next to the £200 cheaper 853 Soul.
Dan Stanton was keen to point out that they use a top Taiwanese fabricator and submit a single frame (not the three allowed) for the full battery of ISO/CEN tests to guarantee the highest due diligence standard. Plus £100 of that price difference is due to the ‘Elite’ paint on our sample (the standard frame is £699), which also came with painted logo and name graphics (£TBC), all applied at Stanton’s base in Matlock, Derbyshire. Frame production will also be brought in-house over the next year, with custom reach and stack adjustments added to the mix.
Neat detailing includes smoothlybulged entry and exit points for an internal dropper post cable/hose, ISCG tabs on the bottom bracket (BB) and a chainstay yoke that gives clearance for a chunky 29x2.4in tyre. The Boost 148mm dropouts can be swapped for 142mm versions, or horizontally-slotted dropouts for tensioning a singlespeed set-up.
The kit
Stanton don’t offer a Switch9er complete bike yet, so ours came with a 29er take on the ‘Elite’ build kit for the 650b Slackline That included a Stanton-logoed 800mm bar and short-block stem. The own-brand grips, with their thick outer clamp, and firm, narrow saddle did the occasionally jolting ride of the back end no favours, so we swapped them out for some of the test, along with the inert-feeling Vee tyres on heavy, tension-losing Hope Tech Enduro wheels. The replacement mix of DT Swiss, Maxxis and Fabric kit definitely showcased the frame better.
The ride
We’d keep the new RockShox Lyrik RC2 fork on the kitlist, because its ultra-supple traction and muscular mid-range support are a great match to the radically slack and long geometry. The extra stability provided by the epic 483mm reach, long wheelbase and laidback head angle is great when you’re heading into techy descents flat out. All that
length seems to stretch the time you have to deal with trouble, making even big front-wheel slides saveable.
Inevitably, there are moments when you’ll have to manhandle the super-stretched front end the long way round through tight corners, and it’ll occasionally drop off the back of a trail feature if you’re not concentrating. It doesn’t take long to adjust though, and it’s rare that the Switch9er gets jammed in a tight spot. While it’s not a hyperactive whip and hip seeker, it’s still fun to pop off features or lean right over, and the faster you go, the better it gets.
Unsurprisingly, having such a high-control fork that encourages you to hover over the front of the bike means there are times when the back end feels clattery and harsh. The 29in wheels still give it a distinctively smooth rollover advantage on rooty, rocky tracks though. What the back end lacks in trail-melting compliance it repays with taut torque transfer, which gets the bike up to speed promptly. It’s not as snappy out of slow-speed situations as the smallerwheeled bikes on test, but soon drops them if it gets into its stride.
There’s some twist and vagueness between the distant front end of the frame and the rest of the bike if the trail starts fighting back, and the stem is slightly soft too. Hand sting and rough-terrain fatigue are kept at bay for longer by that same ‘give’ though, and it’s the distinctive trait most steel fans are looking for, rather than the hydroformed hyperaccuracy of some alloy frames.
WHILE IT’ S NOT A HYPER ACTIVE WHIP AND HIP SEEKER, IT’ S STILL FUN TO POP OFF FEATURES OR LEAN RIGHT OVER, AND THE FASTER YOU GO, THE BETTER IT GETS
Ef icient-cruising and gravity-happy frame, but expensive for its materials