Originally Posted by
danmyersmn
All the Evo's are too large for me. The Monster Cross looks interesting but I am unsure I want to have all the cables on to of the top tube. My son's Kona is like that and I don't know how I feel about that. Is that pulley on the seat tube used so that a down pulling derailleur can be used with a cable from the top?
I looked at an All-City Space Horse and I think that may be at the top of the list now. I really liked it.
Yes, the pully is to accomodate traditional road derailleurs due to cable routing.
A Shimano cx70 front derailleur is $20, ultegra level, and removes the need for the pully as its made to swing with top routed cables.
The space horse frame is really nice. Its made in the same factory(to my knowledge...90% sure) as the black mountain frame.
All city forks are made at CWI. Good writeup on them and the frame manufacturer here-
All Respect to the Craftspeople: Handmade in Taiwan