BTR Fabrications – The Gasser
BTR have been batting out ideas about putting a downhill bike together for years. It’s where their heart lie to a certain extent. Tam (the brains behind the design) has been working on suspension frames for years, he was one of the innovative designers behind the K9 DH bike. And Burf (the fabricator), well he has always been a DH racer, remember when the Athertons rode for Muddy Fox? So did Burf.
So it was always inevitable that at some point, a full suspension DH rig would be fabricated by these chaps, and here is, their first frame, the Gasser.
We caught up with BTR where they feel at home, deep in their workshop based in the Somerset market town of Frome.
Rob – So how much travel does the new Gasser have?
Tam – 195mm. I was aiming for 200/203mm, but it didn’t quite give me the right leverage ratio. For me it’s all about making sure the frame does what it’s designed to, it’s not about hitting figures.
Rob – There is a 1.5 inch Elephant in the room, why was the choice made to build this frame with 26” wheels as opposed to 275?
Burf – This frame is a custom build for Brandon Love, he chose the geometry, frame size and wheel size to suit him. He is a small bloke and so I think the smaller wheels suit him better. Bigger wheels don’t fix everything ya know!
Tam – 26″ wheels also helped us keep the geometry where we wanted it to be; the chainstays are pretty short on the Gasser.
Rob – So what would the costs be on a one off bike like this?
Burf – This is a custom build, it wasn’t a bike we had in production. A custom full suspension frame starts at £3000 and depending on how much development is needed it can go higher. Our production full suspension frame, the Pinner, is £2500.
Tam – The Gasser is a very similar build to a Pinner, so it would probably retail for around the same amount if put into production.
Rob – Why use Reynolds 631?
Burf – Instead of 853, because it’s cheaper and the only advantage of 853 is the heat treatment they give it to gain extra strength. This heat treatment is lost in the welding process, so it doesn’t actually result in a stronger frame.
Instead of aluminium, because it’s really hard to find decent aluminium tubes outside of Taiwan. It’s also harder to work with and requires heat treatment after welding, so the final cost of the frame would be more than it is now.
Tam – Steel has a few really useful properties though, like a fatigue limit, decent ductility (for if it all goes wrong), excellent stiffness…. Plus it has a great ride feel which seems very difficult to achieve with aluminium.
Rob – Standards for bike frames are all over the shop at the moment, but I can see this frame looks to be as standard as it could be. What size head tube are you using?
Tam – 44mm so you can get all the steerer types in there, from straight 1.1/8″ to straight 1.5″ and the tapers in between.
Rob – And dropout size?
Tam – 157x12mm
Rob – How about BB type?
Burf – Normal British standard, 83mm wide. Because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Tam – This new press fit stuff doesn’t give you any advantage with a steel frame, and it seems like the BBs aren’t very reliable either.
Rob – The front end’s looking a little different to your previous models, new gusset?
Burf – Yeah the old one received a lot of hate, and we are trying to make our frames more aesthetically pleasing for the masses. We are guys that believe in function over form, so it’s taken a lot of arm twisting from a few friends and advisers…
Tam – The new gusset is nigh-on as good as the X though, its just a tiny bit heavier (and a heap more difficult to make!!)
Rob – Most main players only offer a 1 year limited warranty, by using steel and believing in your product can you give the customer more?
Tam – Our production frames all get 2 years materials and manufacturing warranty, and a lifetime crash replacement policy. With a new design like the Gasser we need to do a lot of testing and head scratching before we add it to our line up, but the intention is that it’ll have the same warranty as the rest of our frames.
Rob – Tam you have been helping us out on Ride.io for some time explain the Science behind different bikes, tell us a bit about this one.
Tam – The Gasser’s rear suspension is really similar to the Pinner; single pivot with linkage actuated shock. It behaves just the same too- linear progressive leverage, neutral axle path, decent antisquat, decent pedal kickback. There’s nothing fancy going on, it just does what its supposed to do. Oh, and a DBcoil, which does what its supposed to do too.
Geometry Information:
63deg HA
76deg Eff. SA
73.2deg SA
410mm Reach
1195mm WB
425mm CS
390mm ST
130mm HT
Production models will likely have a tweaked geometry.
For information on more of BTR’s product, or to order your own custom frame, visit:
http://www.btr-fabrications.com/
Can’t quite afford a UK made frame, support these chaps by wearing their threads with pride.
http://www.btr-fabrications.com/product/tshirt/
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Recently, we jumped on the new Pinner trail bike by BTR, their first full suspension creation. Click the image for the full article.
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