Scottish frame-builder Shand has concentrated on making versatile road machines that can handle touring, commuting, long-distance rides and the occasional venture onto the rough stuff.
The original disc equipped Stoater offered big frame clearances, racy geometry and of course disc brakes all-wrapped up in a top class, fillet brazed Reynolds 853 frameset.
Now Shand has taken the Stoater back to the drawing board and added even more versatility. The new Stoater Plus frameset has had the rear end and bottom bracket reconfigured. The rear dropouts are now the Paragon system enabling, via the use of inserts, switching between a regular derailleur, singlespeed and Rohloff/Alfine hub system as the mood takes you.
At the same time the bottom bracket shell has been switched to a modified version of PressFit PF30. This means that the frame can now accept a PF30 standard BB or a unique PF30 eccentric bottom-bracket that facilitates the chain-tension adjustment vital for running Rohloff's internal rear hub gearing. The Rohloff version can be run with a Gates belt drive system as well as a standard chain. The Gates uses a custom chainring equipped Middleburn RS8-X chainset.
The Stoater Plus is available in two different builds of the Plus design, making it easy for customers to swap drivetrains or even upgrade to a Rohloff system at a later date.
The frame and fork kit is £1,495, with the Rohloff chain build rising to £3,545, and the Rohloff Gates version £3,595.Both of the latter include Rolhoff/Hope Pro2 Evo hubs on Stan’s Ironcross rims with Salsa bars, seat clamp and skewers, Shand's own design stem, Continental Cyclocross Speed rubber (35c), TRP Spyre brakes and, of course, the frame-builder's go-to headset – a Chris King.
For more info see www.shandcycles.com
