541 Stock Hardtail Frame
The Willamette Valley is home to some of the best singletrack riding the west coast has to offer. In developing a hardtail mountain bike suited to those trails I spent a lot of time in the communities surrounding them. All those little mountain towns have the same area code: 541.
As it happens the 130mm suspension forks I designed this frame around also have an axle-to-crown measurement of 541mm. Coincidence? Of course, but if you make a stock frame you have to call it something, and thus the 541 frame was christened.
The 541 frame is designed to tackle all the terrain our area code has to offer. Spritely enough to get you to the top of Alpine Trail without shuttling, yet sure-footed enough to traverse the jagged moon rocks of the upper MRT with ease. From that jack-of-all trades starting point, riders can opt for a shorter 120mm suspension fork - or perhaps a rigid carbon fork for a more XC-oriented build, or they can size up to a 140mm fork if they want to get all send-y.
Constructed from a size-specific blend of Columbus and Velospec heat-treated tubes, there’s a 541 to fit every and any body. A custom-butted and offset seat tube allows for 29 x 2.6” tires, a short 430mm chainstay length, and maximum dropper post clearance all at once. Machined in-house UDH-compatible dropouts allow for different brake fitments (flat mount for drop bar components, ISO or Post for MTB) and singlespeed chain tensioning.
A threaded T47 bottom bracket paired with external cable routing (plus a stealth dropper port) and a standard 44mm head tube free of any sort of integration make for easy maintenance and tinkering. Every size can fit two bottles in the main triangle and one under the downtube. Top tube bag mounts come standard, additional braze-ons can be added for an upcharge.
As a modern UDH-equipped frame, the 541 can be run with any 1x drivetrain, including the newly expanded range of direct-mount Transmission groupsets from SRAM. Those looking for a simpler drivetrain can use the eccentric dropout inserts to easily convert the frame to singlespeed use.
A durable powder coat protects your frame from the elements and your ill-advised line choices. Your choice of color is included in the price of the frame, just don’t get analysis paralysis and note that some colors may take longer for the powder coater to turn around.
To begin your 541 order click here.