I’ve had the plans to introduce a bikepacking specific frame for a long time. When Korey was asking about frames he expressed interest in something just like what I had already designed, and he decided to spring for it. Meet the Tanooki.
This bike is the bikepacker’s friend. The feature set is meant to roll over any terrain while loaded to the gills for a long trip, comfortably, and easily. When you’re out for a while, the focus should be on the place you’re riding through instead of the challenges of riding your bike. The Tanooki does just that.
The overall geometry is more upright and handles easily. It’s low to the ground which makes you feel like you can pedal forever. You can just sit on this bike and go, go, go. The bent downtube and longer seat tube give you more framebag space in the main triangle. Countless braze-ons give you almost unlimited bolt-on accessory potential. The fork has rack and Manything cage mounts. There are rack mounts in the rear, including a special oversize M6 mount instead of the usual M5.
The eccentric bottom bracket give you the option to run the BB high or low, which lets you tune how you want the bike to ride. High: more crank clearance and does a bit better in highly technical terrain. Low: closer to the ground, more stable, and glides along smooth and fast.
The rear rack mounts are unique. There are two sets of lower rack mounts, one set of M5 and one set of M6 threaded holes. This gives you the option to either get a Myth custom rack for M6 mounts, or modify an existing rack to fit the large fastener. The M5 lower mounting point has always been the weak point of cargo carrying racks, especially on mountain bikes where the rear can see substantial shock loads in bumpy terrain. The M6 bolt is 20% stronger than its smaller M5 sibling, and just makes a lot more sense when you want to carry a load in the rear.
We will eventually add the Tanooki to our lineup officially, but of course we’re quite busy at the moment building bikes so if you’re interested in one, just reach out and we’ll do our best to answer any questions you might have.
Can’t wait to see where this bike takes it’s new owner, happy trails Korey!
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