Clarification up front - Although we are a Stockist and UK importer for Stridsland, we were offered no discount or incentive for this review.
I purchased the frame for personal use.
Opening up
Straight off the back of the DHL van, the boxes were impeccable. They were still holding strong and nothing poking out of the sides, which is sadly uncommon for bike boxes from many big and small brands.
There was very minimal packaging whilst unboxing, but the frame did not move around much at all. The only bits of plastic in the whole lot was a Velcro strap which held the frame in place (of which is still useful to have) and a small strip of Sellotape on the box containing the forks. Everything else was card or paper of which is easily recyclable. I held on to the box as it was solid and sturdy enough if I needed to ship other items.
There were no special bindings or things to watch out for in the box, very simple, very easy. It contained:
1 x Frame
1 x Box containing the fork
1 x Envelope for the fork dropouts (I switched from Thru axle to QR)
1 x Envelope for dropout mounting bolts, 2 x touch up paints, 2 x dropper cable routing hole bungs.
The frame has many (MANY) mounting points. 27 out of the 33 come with TX25 bolts installed and ready to go. The only mounts that didn't have bolts in them were the ones in the front and rear dropouts that ran all the way through the frame. All of the others were in parts of tubing to ensure the frame was all sealed up.
On the surface it might appear strange that that is all you get: no headset, no BB, no seat post collar... nothing else. With this, the frame offers itself to a massive audience - to anyone that wants to dial in their own custom build or rummage through the parts bin.
The frame uses a lot of common parts sizes that are easy to source, such as the 1 & 1/8Inch straight fork, 73mm threaded BB and 27.2mm seat post. The axle sizes may be a little odd to some as they're thru axle, but these are to offer strength for all the jibs and hops these frames are designed to withstand. You can swap out the rear dropouts to fit the more common 135mm Quick release wheel.
Frame inspection.
I opted for the Salsa lip lock in black that Stridsland sells additionally. A quick slap of grease, 27.2 seat post greased and installed - locked and loaded in the workstand and it's ready to build.
Once hung in the work stand I couldnt help but nerd out, poking and prodding the frame and trying to think about every detail and the thought behind it. The details are meticulous, and I honestly drew a blank on trying to think of anything I would alter on the frame. (This is somewhat natural for me as I have a background in Product Design.)
I have since reached out to Stridsland preemtping the second batch of Beachcomber frames to see if there was much feedback or modifications for batch two, and it seems theres no changes! It truly is 'Design Slow, Sell Whenever.' Stridsland hasn't jumped the gun and produced too early or put something out that he's not happy with, hes made sure he has nailed the product first time. He's done a great write up of the design process for the Beachcomber over on stridsland.com/the-beachcomber in which he details the prototypes and changes he made leading up to the release of batch 1.
Tiny details like the cable mounts along the downtube and chain stays mean no cables are loose and slapping about, and no silly internal routing. Initially I thought there would be an issue with cables along the 5mm thick steel yoke being in the firing line of the chainset. Silly me, there was a small hole in there for a cable tie to keep the cables cosy and safe.
This scratch was me, not out of the box, covered shortly.
I thought to take a picture and note down my frame number (always good practice for all of your bikes in case of theft and for nostalgia) and noticed a few other cryptic letters. Opposing the frame number is the well known RSDW (Ride Slow, Die Whenever), but next to this is 'WSTR' and my mind went in to overdrive thinking what it could be...something cryptic? A secret code for all beachcomber owners? Kind of. I dropped Matias (Stridsland) a message and he cleared it up. W indicates that it's an imported frame, and STR is for 'Stridsland', which is the Danish frame number system.
How did I build it up?
In the months running up to the frame being delivered, I was scouting around for different wheel options. I had wanted to try a dynamo setup as this was to be my bikepacking rig, and the 15mm Thru-Axle Shimano dynamo happened to be on sale with the UK Shimano supplier, as was the Shimano Alfine 11 speed hub. However, the one awkward thing was that the dynamo was 32 hole, and the Alfine was 36 hole.
Fortunately, the Halo Vapour rims are tubeless compatible and in a 32 and 36 variant. I opted for a 27.5 wheel as I'll mostly be doing bikepacking on predominantly tarmac roads with a bit of gravel now and again.
The Beachcomber comes with 12mm x 142mm thru-axle rear dropouts as standard, however as I was running the Alfine hub I opted to swap out for the 135mm quick release dropouts free of charge. It is possible to purchase either drop outs from Stridsland if you wanted both when ordering, or wanted to change it out down the line.
Thanks to the Swinging dropouts, you can easily tension the chain for running fixed, single speed, or with a hub gear. If you are running a derailleur and cassette setup, you can play with the dropout position to dial in the wheelbase.
After some time using the kstoerz.com spoke calculator I worked out I could use the same length spokes for a 2 cross on the front, and 3 cross on the back...one spoke to rule them all!
I had the wheels built, anticipating the delivery of the frame. Once the frame was delivered I was just about ready to go.
Unboxing and building up the Beachcomber was truly a pleasure from the get go. I was about maxxed on my budget for the build and wasn't too fussed about going full bike bling on this build. I wanted it to be simple and utilitarian, hence the Alfine hub, no derailleur to bend or break whilst bikepacking in remote parts of Scotland.
With the seatpost in and the frame hanging in the workstand (after the period of nerding out of course) I installed a TangeSeiki threadless headset and dropped the fork in. It did require a stack of headset spacers as the steerer comes lonngggggg as stock, and I haven't yet committed to chopping it down. But after having high up bars and a relaxed riding position, my back and posture are enjoying it a lot.
I got the Maxxis rekon race 2.25Inch tyres for the build, after mounting these to the wheels (tubed), I put in the front wheel to start mocking it up, which is where those velcro packaging straps came in handy!
When ordering the Alfine 11 hub, I opted to pick up the Shimano TLS-S700, which made setting the cable length an absolute breeze. If you have ever had to set a hub gear cable without a guide tool, it's quite tricky to get it right. Shimano do make another tool that does a variety of hubs, which can be more handy for the workshop, as this one only works for the Alfine 11. After installing the rear wheel and setting up the cable, I had a rolling frame and it was starting to look like a bike.
It was at this point I realised I was missing a few key parts, namely the brake rotors and mounts. (Check out our bike builders checklist to avoid this!) This was to ensure I was happy with the compatibility with the wheels and frame. Once the wheels were on I was happy to go full send and knew what types of rotors I needed. I went for the Shimano Ice 180mm centre-lock rotors as these are more rigid, so less prone to bending and offer better cooling.
The cranks are a similar to the Shimano Nexus model that have a 38T chainring. These have little to no offset so they sit much closer to the frame compared to other cranks. The chainring is fixed on to the crank and not replaceable. Nothing sexy, but again, solid and utilitarian.
I initially had a few issues with the chain line and chainring compatibility. This was partially because of the Alfine running a straight chain line, unlike a cassette / derailleur build. The Beachcomber is specced to have a maximum 38t chainring at a 49mm chainline due to the hefty chainstay yoke that allows those big chonky 2.8 Inch tyres on a 26" wheel.
I thought I was fine with the 118mm BB I had installed (albeit with tight clearance) but after the maiden voyage there was some marks on the yoke due to debris getting caught in there. 100Km probably wasn't the wisest first trip to embark on, but it was a joy for every moment.
Once I swapped out to a 122mm Bottom bracket, this gave the chainring better clearance and aligned the chain line nicely.
This is where those paint touch ups come in handy! Theres a Purple base coat, and then a pinky-sparkle lacquer to go over the top.
Good as new(ish)! With nails to compliment the bike.
Finishing touches:
DMR deathgrips in marbled pink / black
Funn Full on 72cm Bars
Brooks C15 Carved
Vybe Shockpost suspension post
Deore XT pedals (One side of the pedal is cleat, the other side flat)
Vintage Adie & Nephew Ltd. rack
Busch and Muller Eye N plus front light
Yellow gear outer
Shimano MT200 rear brake
Sram Guide G2 RE Front brake
So, What dya think?!
I have done around 400Km on the beachcomber across a few rides.
The first overnighter I did on the Beachcomber, I had the Blackburn outpost cargo cages on the rear for a dry bag one side and my tent on the other. Coupled with a rack on the front for my vintage Karrimor mini panniers. After 2 days of riding I found it a little tricky having the majority of the weight on the front.
The next trip I did on the Beachcomber was to the stunning west coast and to the island of Seil. Shortly before this ride I had opted to swap out my tyres and try out tubeless. I opted for a Panaracer Gravelking in 43mm wide as this is the minimum recommendation for the Halo vapour rims. I was hesitant about how squidgy they felt compared to tubed tyres.
Part of our route involved some hilly gravel sections along forestry roads between the Bridge of Orchy and Loch Awe. This was where the tubeless tyres really came in to their own. I became a convert. With no slipping and sliding on the loose terrain it made the area even more enjoyable.
I had swapped the rack and cages around and this handled far better. Theres no lack of mounts on the Beachcomber so finding luggage solutions should never be a problem, the options are nearly endless! This is the medium frame Beachcomber and the medium Blackburn Outpost expandable frame bag
A few final points
The foot clearance is amazing, no chance of wheel striking when sending it. I rode some rocky technical trails last week in the hills around Edinburgh. With the seat slammed down (still saving up for a dropper post) I felt more confident on the Beachcomber than I ever remember feeling on a bike. It handled beautifully.
I've ridden it on rocky single track trails, tarmac roads, gravel track, commuted across town, and every minute has been a joy.
If you must know.. 165mm cranks, size 43 shoe, 2.25 inch tyre on 27.5 inch wheel.
In summary, I love this bike. It has made me realise that most bikes I have ridden in recent years are ill fitting or not matched to what and how I want to be riding. This really can be a do it all bike, and can easily be modified to offer so many riding styles.
The beachcomber feels big and comfy. It handles like a mountain bike or BMX, but doesn't feel like thats all it can do. It can be your around town hybrid, but not embarrassing. It could be a world tourer, a trail bike, a race bike, a jump bike, any kind of bike you want it to be.
For me, it fits the bill of being a 'forever project bike' that I can change it up however I want whenever I want, knowing that parts will be easy to find for it. As well as being a solid, reliable, comfy Bikepacking bike I could take anywhere and anytime.
It's a bike that will change riding style and position when you want it to. Its made to last, it's a bike for life that your kids would inherit one day.
I daren't say that it's personally N=1, but my new bike formula will now be (Beachcomber+N)+1.
Batch 2 of the Beachcomber is inbound soon, with pre-orders opening up in the next few weeks. If you want to be on the 'let me know' list for UK imports, please drop us a message via email ride@dalrybicycledepot.co.uk or via our Instagram.
Frames will be £1350 including all taxes, duties, import fees and shipping within the UK. We offer Klarna so that you can split payments, and offer most forms of payment types.
It will be available in Small, Medium, and Large in 2 colours:
Sea Cucumber Green (Similar finish to the eggplant, but green)
Banana Slug Black/Yellow
These are photoshop renders courtesy of Stridsland.
Final colours may vary a little bit.