Originally Posted by boomforeal

i'm looking to build a steel hardtail, basically for aggressive xc (riding up, no drops over 3 feet, etc.). i've had my heart set on a chromag samurai (http://www.chromagbikes.com/samurai.html) but can't stomach the price (1129$ cdn). can anyone recomend a versatile steel hardtail frame that can take 5 inches up front (and please don't say "surly instigator" - i want to be able to ride this thing in public) and weighs in at around 5 lbs?