Single Speed frame thoughts

What about Mary?

bonefishjake said:
like just about everyone else that rides mary, i fell in love with her too. :D

BUT, the bike is, even with the jdog friends & family discount, almost twice the price of the redline monocog. for about $200 more than some of the frames you've mentioned, you could have a complete redline monocog. just to figure out if you are really going to like the experience, you really can't go wrong.


i'm not trying to sway you from the mary at all, just giving you hard facts. but if you are near jdog's shop, go ride mary.
Click to expand...


Here is the thing about the Mary.. It is the most fun I have ever had for the money spent.

When I first rode it I quickly forgot about the price tag, keep in mind that the mt bikes I own all cost 3-4 times as much. That is saying a lot.

Most Sub $1000 bikes feel like they are lacking from the get go.

The Mary does not.

I knew that no one would believe how fun this bike was unless they rode it. I called Haro to see if they had a demo program and they didn't. So I made my own demo program. I bought one and just gave it to people to try.

More than 1/2 of the people who took it out have soon come back to buy one.

Now for my taste I would still swap the Bar and Post for Easton Carbon and maybe the fork for a Pace Carbon but otherwise this is a very strong value in my book.

Just before x-mas I lent my demo to a guy while his full sus bike was being repaired in the shop. His repair took way longer than I had hoped but for some reason he never called. I didn't mind since his bike was worth 3 times what the Mary goes for.

A few days later he came in and bought a 16" Mary.

btw.. His Scalpel is still in the shop possibly soon to be for sale.


So the question I see coming is: If I like the Mary so much why don't I ride it?

Well I do ride the demo some but I have a custom Ti Seven ss that really is hard to beat.

I am betting that I might end up on a 29er Seven Custom SS with a Lefty Carbon before too long.


Good Luck and Good Night


j
 
Last edited:
NO Discs..

BLH2 said:
what is wrong with GT???
Click to expand...

On a 29er Discs are a must (or HS22's for those about to get in a huff..)

The bigger wheels carry a lot more momentum and once it gets wet you will suffer with rim brakes.

The GT specs on their web site say nothing about disc brake compatible hubs.

The Redline Moncog has Disc brake compatible hubs. That way you can just bolt them on later for a few bucks and reuse the v-brake levers.
 
jdog said:
Good Luck and Good Night


j
Click to expand...

Well played - you should lobby for your own forum, the MTBNJ Evening News. Maybe it will lead to the censure of heythorp.

Guys - I'm not sure weight is a concern, but I believe the Mary is lighter than the redline.
 
Shaggz said:
Well played - you should lobby for your own forum, the MTBNJ Evening News. Maybe it will lead to the censure of heythorp.

Guys - I'm not sure weight is a concern, but I believe the Mary is lighter than the redline.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the Flight version.. It looks light. (if something can look light)

I am a sucker for that green but I have a lot of history with Haro.

I used to ride vert ramps on a Haro Master and a Haro Sport.

Those were the days when I didn't hurt when you fell from 6 feet out on a 12 foot ramp. I must have used up 8 of my nine lives..
 
I just found on Raleigh site that they offer a 29er SS does anyone have any info? Better yet doesn anyone own or has ridden 1?
 
i've test ridden one and like it. parts spec is great for the price, although on par with some of the other offerings in that range. great bike from a company that has been and will be around for quite some time. customer service is great too.
 
Weekend with Mary

I had a chance to demo a Haro Mary 29er SS this weekend (thanks to jdog). It was my 1st ride on a 29er so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

Both Saturday and Sunday were at Lewis Morris. I would have liked to try a different park but the recent rain and limited time to ride kept me close to home.

First, I have to say, the fun factor was off the charts. The first few miles felt a little awkward but the circus bike feeling quickly went away once we hit the trail. The steering felt a bit sketchy on the first few tight turns, but once I figured how to lean my weight into the turns, all was good. Steel felt nice... its been a long time since I was on anything but aluminum frames.

The big wheels rolled over all the washed out rooty sections easily. I found myself wishing for a suspension fork to soak up some of the chatter. Not a requirement... the 29" wheels soak up much more then a similar 26" wheel... but these old bones are used to plushness. :D I do wonder how much bobbing I would get though on a steep uphill with a suspension fork. I was getting my weight way over the front wheel while cranking hard. Maybe something with a lockout?

The big wheels needed some kick to get them rolling. Get out of the seat and crank hard. The Mary comes with a 32-20 gear combo. But once the hill is crested and the bike starts to point downhill... holy crap I swear someone was pushing me from behind. This thing takes off like a rocket downhill. The Avid mehanical disk brakes were adequate, but this beast has a lot of momentum and I think a larger rotor in the front would help. The WTB tires that come stock worked great. Good grip even in the slimy stuff.

After 2 days and about 30 miles on Mary, my legs feel like I did heavy squats at the gym... not like they usually do after a couple days of riding. I guess thats the difference between spinning alot on a geared bike vs. out-of-the-seat hammering on a SS. Ironically, my upper body is a bit sore too from pulling on the bar while cranking. BTW, jdog had pulled the Mary bar off the bike so I was using a standard bar.

My conclusions: I had a blast on the SS and I think the 29" wheels were a natural fit. It would not replace my full sussy all-mountain steed, but makes a place like LM fun to ride again. I officially want a SS now and given the choice, would go 29. The Mary is a great deal for less then $800 no doubt. Personally, I'm still in the research phase and also exploring building something up custom, but you can't argue with Mary's choice of components for that price point.
 
What kind of tire pressure did you run?

Wait till you get back on 26".. It is totally trippy.

I have sold a few guys the Nevagal for the front and that seems to add a nice bit of cush up front.

You need to take that think to Allaire or Hartshore.

Thanks for the great feedback!

That bike has had a great season so far.. Everyone who rides it puts in some good miles on it.
 
Last edited:
jdog said:
What kind of tire pressure did you run?
Click to expand...

I never bothered to check other then to give the tires a squeeze at the trail head to make sure it felt firm. But I just checked now and the front is at 25psi, rear is at 22psi !! Yikes the tires didn't feel that soft. Lucky I didn't pinch flat.
 
How low can you go?

mtbdawgJeff said:
I never bothered to check other then to give the tires a squeeze at the trail head to make sure it felt firm. But I just checked now and the front is at 25psi, rear is at 22psi !! Yikes the tires didn't feel that soft. Lucky I didn't pinch flat.
Click to expand...

Crazy Huh? The larger volume of air seems to allow for much lower tire pressure. On that bike I basically add a little air if I feel the rear rim bottoming out. Otherwise I really don't even pump the tires.

I have been running mid 20's lately on the 26 with UST. For years I rode 45psi F&R all the time, sometimes even 50psi on the Dual Sus bike.. Now I am hooked on the traction and feel of cushy tires.

My biggest gripe with 29" right now is the lack of a UST. I am pretty sure that we will see it by next year.

Hutchinson's Pythin 29er will be here soon and that tire comes tubeless ready. Basically it has a tougher sidewall and better beadlock. Just add some Protect' air liquid sealant and you are good to go.

btw I already have that bike spoken for so if you can get it back to me by wed that would be great!

j-
 
btw.. I forgot to mention that the Demo that you rode has 180mm cranks.

I have been riding 180's on my ss for the last month an I dig em.

Just thought you might like to know..
 
How do SS 29ers fair as a rig to jump with? I do alot of jumping and would love to do it on something light and rigid. Like riding a BMX bike again...
 
how big are you? it would take a little bit to get used to the bigger wheels under you while jumping, but just like on the riding trails, they smooth out the bumps on the jumping trails that much better. much more forgiving. you would just have to be careful to get one that's overbuilt enough to handle that kind of abuse. the raleigh, redline flight, gary fisher etc are much more xc oriented. the surly karate monkey is beefy like all their stuff, the redline monocog(non-flight) is as well.
 
jdog said:
btw.. I forgot to mention that the Demo that you rode has 180mm cranks.

I have been riding 180's on my ss for the last month an I dig em.

Just thought you might like to know..
Click to expand...

Are the 180s stock on the Mary or did you swap them out?

I did notice that the front of my shoe came with millimeters of scraping the front tire when I turned the wheel. It actually scraped a couple of times in the parking lot where I was fooling around but never on the trail.
 
so far you pretty much echo'd everything i did after my initial 29er ride. i was pretty spooked when i first got on the bike, like you, b/c i really did feel like a circus monkey. but as soon as you get on the trail...whoA! the 29er i demo'd had a reba on the front so it was wicked smooth. it's going to be interesting to ride an SS with no suspension at all which is how the mary will be for at least a couple of months.

i'll have to wait on the bars until i ride it a little more, but i'm going to give them a try.

as for jumping a 29er i already know i'm not going to do any of the stupid jumping on the mary that i do on my fuel and did on my specialized. i'm pretty sure that it won't hold up and i really don't want to taco the new rims right away. that's just me though. i'm sure with a little less of the bull in a china shop style riding i do it would probably be fine. i just have a tendency to point the bike and expect the trees to get out of MY WAY. heythorp has seen this a couple of times..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom