Once upon a time, back at the beginning of this strange tale, my product line-up consisted of a single frame in one size and it was simply known as ‘a Stooge’. So the question of ‘Which Stooge should I buy?’ didn’t exist. But over the years I’ve muddied the waters somewhat, and now, barely a day goes by without me getting an email asking for advice on which model to purchase, and what they’re good for, etc etc. So here’s a quick guide for the uninitiated and the curious…
But first of all, a strange fact, and that is that pretty much all my bikes will cover all bases if you want them to. Its just that some are more honed for certain things than others.
And while I’m here, a word about availability wouldn’t go amiss. Stooge is very much a one-man band and unlike most companies, i’m not looking to grow or dominate the world, so i produce all my frames on a cyclical basis, and because of this I invariably only have one frame in stock at a time. So far this year we’ve had Scramblers and the MK8, with Ramblers and Dirt Trackers to follow along. After the Dirt Trackers the cycle will begin again, with more Scramblers and MK frames etc etc. And so it’ll go until i’ve had enough and walk away into the sunset.
MK8 (and every other MK number). I tend to think of the MK as my rigid trail bike – stripped down, fast and stable handling and a real confidence to the way it tackles terrain at all speeds. Its slacker at the front with an increased fork offset, and how this translates is steering that’s really light for switching lines, but also incredibly stable at higher speeds. Its everything you think it won’t be, in fact. Over time I’ve added all the mounts so its completely suitable for off-road bike touring too, and the slacker front end geometry actually works really well with a front load. But if you’re an aggressive rider who likes an assertive, flickable ride then the MK is king, everything else is a bonus.
Best for: Mountain biking, Trail riding, bikepacking.
Scrambler. The Scrambler was designed as my bikepacking specific bike and comes with the full set of mounts and a much larger front triangle to enable a larger framebag or more/bigger bottles. The front end geometry is a little steeper and taller which results in a very comfortable and predictable ride, especially when loaded. There are also things going on beneath the surface – for example, the twin top tubes are of a slightly heavier gauge than my other frames to prevent any shimmying when the bike is fully loaded with luggage. So yeah, for serious bikepacking this should probably be your number one choice, but beware, when stripped backed to basics this rides like a large BMX and is a ton of agile fun.
Best for: Bikpacking, mountain biking, trail riding.
Rambler. The Rambler probably speaks for itself just by looking at the pics, but depending on how you set it up its either a drop bar ATB or an alt-bar ATB, or even a gravel bike on steroids. With all the mounts for bottles, racks and mudguards, this is the most traditional bike in my line up and excels at longer distance riding, both on and off road, with a huge dose of comfort thrown in for good measure. I’m unapologetic about its use of 27.5″ wheels, they provide a lot of comfort and the handling is insanely good. If you want a bike to go touring on, this is the one. Commuting, yes. Drop bar MTB riding, yes. It does it all incredibly well, but my other frames are all more suitable for proper MTB riding.
Best for: general bike riding, touring, off-road touring, cruising to work or the shops, blasting along old drovers roads with your whole life strapped to the bike.
Dirt Tracker/Speedbomb. Both these frames share the same geometry, so i’ll class them together. They have the same front end geometry as the MK8, so good off-road prowess, but with a lower bottom bracket and longer chainstays. How this translates is amazing stability at higher speeds and a more cruisy feeling than my other bikes. Its end use is the same though, a bike to just have fun on, or a bike that’s more than capable of being loaded up and taken around the Highland Trail.
Best for: Everything!
