What They Say... The MK8 is here, and by crikes its a bit of a rocker. Here’s some deets – 3 sizes: 16″ with 610 ETT, 18″ with 625 ETT and 19″ with 645mm ETT . Boost axles front and rear, rack mounts on the rear triangle and fork. Triple cage mounts on the fork and downtube. Designed primarily around 29, this will also run well with 27.5+. For best results in 29er mode run a 3.00 or 3.25 front tyre and a 2.6 or 2.8 on the rear. Available in 3 sizes: The 16″ is basically the same size as the original 18″ but with a shorter seat tube to allow longer droppers and will be great for shorter riders and those wanting a smaller, more flickable ride. If you’re 5’9 or less it’ll be a great size and should be good for anyone down to 5’6. The 18″ will still suit the majority of riders from 5’9 up to 6’1. If you’re on the borderline between the 16 and 18 then ask yourself if you prefer a longer cockpit and base your decision on that. There’s also a 19″ size which has a 645mm ETT and taller head tube. This will be good for anyone 5’11 and over, and could also be set up with a superdinky stem and be made to work for slightly shorter riders. In addition to the updated sizing, the MK8 will also run with the biplane fork with 65mm offset, so heading back towards the MK4 vibe. I’m using a new triple butted fork leg for these, so they’ll be a fair bit lighter and more compliant than the MK7 fork, but still plenty strong enough for proper MTB riding. The Dirt Tracker was the first of my frames to use the 65 offset with a 66 degree head angle and it really is something else when it comes to light yet stable steering, so it made sense to let the MK8 reap the rewards. In short, the mission remains the same, to keep producing framesets that transcend the humble status of the rigid bike, and turn us mere mortals into the golden gods of the hills, or something like that. The MK8 will make a great rigid trail bike and shreddy bikepacking steed. In fact, its so good it’s predecessor won the 2023 bike of the year award over at Bikepacking.com. Here’s what Logan had to say about it…. ‘As I see it, Andy’s obsession with building the perfect rigid mountain bike paid off in spades. Like the band it’s named after, the MK6 is punchy, lively, raw, and is simultaneously ahead of and behind the times. If someone asked me to pick just one bike to spend the rest of my life with today, it would definitely be this one.’ Framesets include – frame, forks, EBB insert, bolt on dropouts with gear hanger, allen key thru axles, all mounting bolts, seatclamp. Here are some numbers that might be useful if you’re looking to collect some parts: Seatpost size – 31.6 mm. Minimum insertion required of 150mm. Hub sizes – Rear 12×148, Front 15 x 110 Headset – 1 1/8th” AKA EC34 BB standard is 73mm threaded. Brake mounts are IS, so choose the IS to Post adapter that goes with whatever size rotors you’re planning on running. Talking of which, max rotor for the front is 203mm, max for the rear is 185. Chainsets – if you’re running gears then a Boost spaced chainset is the way forward, we’re talking a 52 – 55mm chainline. I’d go for the 52. For single speed or keeping it hardy with 8/9 speed then any non boost size will also work fine.Max chainring size – 36tRunning square taper cranks? – 73×121 with gears, 73 x 118 will also work fine.
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