There are always a few things at trade shows that catch your eye and the Stanton Bikes Sherpa 853 was certainly one of them. The Sherpa is a trail/xc/all mountain/insert-industry-buzzword frame that is more than up for a bit of mischief.
In case you hadn’t spotted already – it’s a 29er and looks ready to cover some serious ground whilst having some fun at the same time. It’s 435mm chainstays keep the back end super tight for extra manoeuvrability coupled with a 68.75 degree head angle (100mm fork @ 25% sag) and you’re looking at a good ride.
There are two fundamental factors in hardtail design – firstly the person wielding the pencil, luckily Dan is pretty handy with a ruler and protractor so there’s no need to worry about that, and secondly what it’s made from. The Reynolds 853 steel tubes used in the Sherpa’s top tube, down tube and seat tube (the seat/chainstays are Reynolds 525 to absorb vibration directly from the wheel) have achieved almost legendary status, providing an incredible strength to weight ratio – it actually gets stronger after welding just by cooling in the air, and of course that certain je ne sais quoi feel that only steel frames provide.
It’s always the little details that make the difference, a direct mount front mech keeps things tidy and just look at those welds.
For ยฃ500 I can’t think of many frames that could line up to this. If you want one you better be quick – Dan is taking pre-orders right now. Just head over to www.stantonbikes.com
